Peru, Land of the Incas!!!!
Peru has so far been everything I could have dreamed of. The landscape, the people, the spiritual energy of this place is intense! The landscape is so old, some of the terraces were built by pre-Incas. I know it`s not as old as some of the places I have visited in India, but there is a big difference. Some of the places we have visited so far are frozen in time and people still live pretty much the same lifestyle that the Incas might have lived. They farm on the same fields, they grow the same crop, they have very little interaction with the people in the city. It is such a strange feeling…like you`ve gone back in time.

Let me tell you about the experience I had that took me back in time. We took a boat to this island on Lake Titicaca to go for a homestay with some local people. WOW!!! Cant believe how little these people have. It was a good 4 hour journey that took us to this island….(Wow..i have to tell u about something crazy that just happened. I am at an internet café in a small place called Puno and guess what song is playing. Garam masala…a hindi song!!!! I cant believe it. This is too funny. Oh, I miss bollywood)

Back to the island…The boat ride took us past these floating islands made of reed that people actually live on. These people keep rebuilding on top of the reeds every 20 or so days. It`s so strange to see these little communities floating on the lake. So, we arrived at the island we were supposed to stay on and our ´mamas´were waiting to welcome us. Island was called Amantani island, pop 5000. We were introduced to our mama, Celestina, who took us on a really long walk uphill to her house. I swear, I think I am in good shape, but when you have to walk uphill at 3500mts (12000ft), it really takes your breath away. My heart was hammering against my chest like a jackhammer, my mouth was completely dry and I felt faint after this 20 minute walk.( Did I mention, I am starting on the Inca trail in 4 days!!! Hai Ram, its scary!! ) Anyway, after this gruesome walk, we arrived at our mamas house and were shown to our room in the attic. Basically, it was a room with 4 beds and not much else, including electricity!! The toilet was a hole in the ground, and not a very deep hole. Basically, you had to go drown the log that the previous person left!!! It was disgusting.

Our mama brought us some tea, called munia tea, which is really good for altitude sickness. I was willing to give this a try after saying no to coca tea. Coca tea gave me the strangest dreams ever. After the tea, we were taken to the soccer field where the Gringos faced off with the local guys. It was quite funny cheering on the gringos and lemme tell you there were a lot of them. I guess anytime something gets listed on the Lonely Planet, it becomes part of the gringo trail. After the soccer game, we started our 1.5 km trek up the hill to watch the sunset. The highest point was 4900 mts, the same as the highest point on the inca trail. It wasn`t that hard climbing up this hill and this time it was the view at the top that took my breath away. Reminded me a lot of Saturna island back home, except for the terrace farmlands!!!

Dinner time was something I was absolutely dreading. I can sleep anywhere, use any kind of rankus mungus toilet, but when it comes to eating, I don`t like funny smells. We went to the kitchen to see if we could help our mama cook. She refused but welcomed us to sit in the kitchen. She was cooking on an open fire stove and the smell was quite overpowering. She gave us quinoa soup, with potatoes and vegetables. It tasted much better than it looked and I forced it down my throat all the time saying ´sinchi sumay´meaning it is delicious!! After the dinner experience, our mama took us to our room and began the process of dressing us in their traditional attire. We only got two skirts, but apparently these women wear upto 20 skirts at one time. WOW! That would be one heck of a long stripping session! So, we got two skirts and a long shirt tucked in these skirts. There was a belt that was tightly wound around our waists to make them look tiny…felt like a corset!!! Then, we got a shawl (can I say it fucking stank!!!) to keep warm! All dolled up, we walked to the dance hall with our head torches lighting our way. It was so much fun, dancing like crazy people, with the Peruvians. We danced till about 10:30 and called it a nite. What a crazy nite it was. Poured like cats and dogs all nite on our tin roof. It was a really cold, wet, loud, sleepless nite!

In the morning, we got pancakes and Fanny jam for breakfast. Yes, the jam was called Fanny 100% guaranteed!!! Everyone needs a little bit of fanny in their life and I got mine this morning. After breakfast, our mama walked us to the boat dock. I was really happy to say goodbye to the island and return back to civilization. It was an amazing experience but not something I would like to repeat. I cannot believe what for me was an experience for one night is their life. It is a very tough life and I really admire these people for living it with big smiles on their faces!!!

Tomorrow, we head out to Cusco, the party capital of Peru. We are gonna be there for 2 days before heading out to the Sacred Valley, where we begin our ascent on the Inca Trail on New Year`s eve!!! Will write my next blog next year. Thanks a lot to all of you for sending me such lovely wishes for Christmas. It`s nice to know that even though I am so far away, I am still in your thoughts. Ashlu, are you listening??? I miss you loads!!!