 |
| Pisaq´s biggest week of the year! |
 |
| The great tree in the center of town. Usually, the whole square is covered in market stalls, but it´s cleared out for the festival. |
Cuy - Guinnea pig - salesmen at the animal market
 |
| Award winning cuy! |
 |
| How most of the people buy cuy - they´re taken away in burlap bags |
 |
| Llama and sheep also for sale at the animal fair |
 |
| The cows were also judged and given prizes. |
 |
| The music stage and dance ground becomes packed with drunk locals at night |
Sam and Adam wandering around the fairgrounds
It was surprisingly dark at the festival grounds. We had thought about getting dinner there, but decided against it when we realized we couldn´t see what we were eating. We came back after a dinner in town to find most of the county`s population crowded into the center area, in front of a large stage. On stage, a local band - two percussionists, a harp, a harmonica, a keyboardist, a guitarist, a couple singers, and two dancers dressed up in colorful indigenous attire - was playing through an impressively large sound system. We stood for a few minutes, but no one was dancing and the music was getting a bit tedious. After a quick walk-around, we decided it was a fun scene, but we were too tired tonight (a 21 mile long run that morning could have had something to do with it).
As we were about to leave, we ran into Sacarias - the 12 year old son of our hostel owner, who has become a cheeky companion of ours from time to time- along with a tall American fellow who had just checked into the hostel that evening. Sacarias had brought the tall guy - who we´ll call Dave because I can´t remember his name - out to the fair grounds to show him how the real gente de Pisaq had a good time. He had told Dave to buy a 1.1L beer, which he was now carry around with a small plastic cup, looking lost.
When Sacarias saw us, the first thing he said was "Necesitamos mas vasos!" ("We need more cups!") He quickly ran off and returned with a handful of plastic cups into which Dave graciously poured glass after glass of tasteless, light, Peruvian cerveza. We stood and watched the music for a while, without conversing much - Sacarias had brought us to "the best spot," which happened to be right next to the huge speakers. We chuckled at the images of cholitas - indigenous women - often in their 60s, dancing to the lively music with huge glass beer bottles in their hands. One woman sported a 1.1L beer in her hand and had a baby in a blanket wrap on her back, dancing like there was no tomorrow.
After a few cups, we were able to get into the music a bit more and I started to feel the rhythm and dancing style that seemed to be universal. It was a high-kneed, skipping kind of dance, which involved a lot of hopping and lifting of the legs. After a few songs, I was totally exhausted. I looked at the others and they appeared similarly ready to leave, so I motioned to Sacarias and our unlikely band of trouble-makers headed out of the dark fairgrounds into the darker street and began the long walk back to the hostel.
On the way back, Dave began to ask us the usual questions that tourists ask other tourists in Pisaq:
"Have you guys been up to the ruins yet? Have you seen much more of the Sacred Valley? Have you been to Machu Picchu?"
(No, no, and no)
He seemed perplexed when we explained that we'd been here for several weeks, but hadn't done any of the things that appeared to be on his check-list. Finally, we realized that there was a piece of the puzzle he was missing.
"Yeah, we're just tired today because we did a long run this morning," Sam mentioned, off-handedly, "We're really here mostly to train."
This seemed to resonate a lot more with our new friend and it seemed to finally click why we've been here for so long without actually doing anything.
"So, what does the typical day look like for you guys?" he asked.
It´s now been over three weeks that we´ve been in Pisaq and we´re settling into quite a lovely routine. There are few times or places where a runner really gets plan his day around nothing but running. Maybe during early return or pre-season camp, but even then, there always seem to be distractions. The last few weeks have really been pretty idyllic in terms of running and training. Our days look something like this.
We wake up after 10+ hours of sleep, generally around 7am, and head out for an easy morning run of about 5 miles. On the way back, I stop at a local store (where the clerk now has my order ready) and pick up two pieces of bread and two bananas for 90 centimos (about USD$0.30). I jog back to the house, and we eat breakfast in the patio. By now the sun has risen over the mountains and the patio is bathed in warm light. We mingle over our breakfast and boil up a kettle of tea, which we sip slowly until the entire kettle is gone.
 |
| The sun peaking over the hills and heating up the courtyard in the morning |
We then generally head to the internet cafe in town (locally referred to as "going to the internet"), where we can check email, communicate with my Strive bosses, look up senior thesis research materials, or generally waste time online if that's what's on the docket for the day. From there, it's back to the hostel for a morning of reading in the sunny courtyard until 12pm.
 |
| The courtyard, ready for a morning of reading in the sun. |
Lunch has generally been at the same place (dubbed "the lunch restaurant"), but we've recently begun eating our lunches at the same place we eat dinner ("the dinner restaurant"), because of greater variety and friendlier staff. For 3.5 soles (about USD$1.30), we get a large, hearty bowl of soup, a main plate, generally of rice, potato, and some kind of meat, and a jar of chica morada - a sweet drink made from purple corn. We generally have some chicken bones and scraps left over, which we bring home for our newly adopted cat, Lucita.
 |
| Sam and our adopted cat, Lucita |
After lunch, we have a couple hours until our next run. If I have more work to do for Strive, I generally do it then. Otherwise, I like to read and sometimes take a nap if it's a particularly taxing day of training.
 |
| Adam reading in the shade of the courtyard |
At 3pm, we head out for our main run of the day. The standard run has become a 10 mile out and back run along the dirt road along the river, which ends at the track on the outskirts of town. At the track, we generally do some strides (long, relaxed sprints to work on form and turnover), along with some core work or push ups. Finally, we run the last mile back into town as a cool-down. It ends up taking over two hours, and the total mileage will be anywhere from 10 to 15 miles.
We do some stretching and shower (sometimes...) and then - everyone's favorite time of day - snack time! Back in town, we stop at the bakery and get empanadas (a South American specialty - a doughy pastry filled with chicken, meat, or cheese) or sometimes just some bread and bananas. At first, we would sit in an upscale touristy cafe called Ulrike's, but we were kicked out after they realized that we came every day with our own food and never bought anything and were just using their wifi. Now, we generally just go home and snack and shoot-the-shit for an hour or so.
 |
| My personally adopted favorite street dog - Phaedrus |
6:30pm marks the second best time of day - dinner time! We head down to the dinner restaurant where, for 3.5 soles again, we get a similar meal to lunch. On the way home, we stop at the bakery and grab dessert.
 |
| Sofi´s, the bakery we frequent for bread, snack time, and dessert |
Back at the hostel, we generally sit up in the little table outside Adam's room and play 10,000 (a dice game which Sam claims his grandmother invented) and chat for an hour or so. By 8:15pm or so, everyone is generally starting to get tired and it's time to call it a day. Another half hour or so of reading before bed is usually in order, but I never have trouble falling asleep.
And then rinse and repeat.
 |
| A break from the routine: a night on the town in Cusco! |
 |
| Adam and Tyler squeezed in the back of a tiny Cusco taxi |
 |
| A Peruvian Nirvana cover band was surprisingly awesome |
 |
| Sam and Adam enjoying "the best mojito in the universe" at 7 Angelitos in Cusco - a welcome break from the (wonderful) daily grind. |
It's a pretty great schedule and it's only with a touch of nostalgia that I now write this. As much as routines are lovely and relaxing, in general, they all must come to an end. And so, here I am, not in Pisaq, but in Lima (of all places). I've left Sam and Adam to fend for themselves for a few days while I flew across the country to meet up with Nic and Lindsey - my fellow "group leaders" for Strive. In just a few short hours, 14 American high schoolers are going to step off the plane at the Lima International Airport, looking like lost little animals, and become our disciples for the next few weeks. It's our responsibility to turn these youngsters into the best, most helpful, happiest English teachers we can (while keeping them safe and healthy in the process).
 |
| Peruvian students at La Merced de Calca, the school where we´ll be working |
Last year, working with for Strive was one of the best experiences I've had - though, it was a far-cry from the relaxed few weeks I just spent training in Pisaq. As much as I was happy in that loop and sad to see it end (for now), I can't wait to see what I can learn about all these kids and about myself as we spend the next three weeks together. It will be a whirl-wind time, but I know in the end, it'll be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment