Sacred Valley: January 2016
Hugo and Tiffany descaling the trout.
Javier and his friends had planned to get together in Urubamba. We hitched a ride with Pollo (no, that’s not his real name) and upon arrival were greeted by Hugo Pepper and his girlfriend, Tiffany. Pollo and his brother are lawyers and have many clients in the Valley, so they make the trip several times a week. They dropped us with Hugo and left to work a few hours. After quick intros, we picked up a barbecue and drove to Hugo Pepper’s family home where we got to work. Javier and I were in charge of getting the barbecue started, which was no easy task. We were given a bag of carbon and matches- no lighter fluid, no easy-start charcoal, no kindling…just carbon. We had our work cut out for us. Hugo Pepper told us that the night before, it took him 2 hours to get the thing going.
Setting up the BBQ.
While we fought the fight (there were two casualties- both of our shirts were victims of flying embers), Hugo cleaned trout while Tiffany chopped up onions, garlic, lemon, cilantro and whatever else they were stuffing into the trout, along with salad, and prepping potatoes. After about two hours, we were all ready. Pollo and his brother arrived and brought along a couple friends. Pollo is the chef of the group, so while he rolled up his dress-shirt sleeves and got to work, the rest of us made drinks and enjoyed the show. While the meal was delicious, it sure was a lot of work. When it was time to go, we hitched a ride with Pollo and his brother.
Fun times at Hugo’s Family country house.
They were heading back to Cusco, and we were heading over to Calca to spend the night with Javier’s family.
Javier called his cousin, Victor, who was on his way home and told us to go on ahead to the house to wait for him. Javier recalled a couple of big Saint Bernards last time he was there, and thought it better to wait in the driveway. Victor pulled up in his red, vintage Jeep and led the way to their home. Javier’s aunt and uncle were in Lima for the week, so it would just be the three of us for the night. When we arrived, 5 dogs greeted us, including Beto, the St. Bernard. His bark is deep, loud, and intimidating, but all he really wants is for you to pet him, while he tries to knock you over by leaning into you with all his weight. The other 4 dogs are little.
We had planned to go on a little night hike, but we had torrential rain. We were still pretty full from our trout lunch/dinner, so Victor fed us some soup and salad, with most of the ingredients coming from their garden. We talked for most of the night in the kitchen. This kitchen is one of, if not the coolest kitchen, I’ve ever seen. To start, it is big. There is a long wooden table right in the middle that Victor made that seats about 12. It’s a trunk that has been halved long-ways. There are flower arrangements that sit about 2 feet off the table thanks to Victor’s handmade iron vases. The light fixtures are old pots that hand from the ceiling. The coat rack is a couple long pieces of wood, with pitchforks at the end. Everything metal in this kitchen was made by Victor, as is most of the woodwork. It was so impressive and unique, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
He showed us to our room, where we would be sleeping for the night. We didn’t look around too much, since a brief glance revealed fat, juicy spiders. The spiders didn’t come as a surprise, I just didn’t like the idea of sleeping with them.
The next morning, we showered, had breakfast, and went on a little hike to see some ruins. Afterward, Victor took us to buy some corn for lunch. We all ate together, and then drove to the brewery. It was a bit of a drive, but Victor was really excited to show us the brewery. It is the only one in the Valley, and quite good. Afterward, we drove back and caught the bus back to Cusco where we met with more family-Rosita and family for dinner. We were quite the social butterflies.
You can see the The Silverware. My uncle Victor. Good Cusqueñan beer.
Beto waiting for love at the door.
Beto and Jackie. Miss him.
Ruinas en el Valle Sagrado.
Calca visit #2
Javier wanted to see his aunt and uncle, so we made plans to visit them again- only this time, we had to take the bus. We arrived about the same time as some family friends. They were having a party! We met everyone and spent the afternoon eating delicious chicharron and talking Peruvian politics (well, I didn’t, but they did) and I met some family friends who are from America!
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Lunch with tio Gus and tia Gaby. Delicious Chicharron.
The husband was actually born in Peru, but his wife, Sandy, is American. They met in Peru, but lived most of their lives in the US, only to return a few years ago to start a clinic. We were intrigued. Sandy told us all about their clinic, what they do, and the special teams that come from the US for a week at a time, to perform specialized services. We exchanged information, and agreed to come by and visit the clinic. Pollo and his brother were on their way home from the Valley and agreed to stop by and take us home. I was a little sad when they arrived. It had been so long since I was able to have a conversation with a native English speaker (other than Javier, of course). On the way home, we talked to Pollo and his brother about our lunch. Turns out, Sandy and Guido’s clinic is very well-known, and respected, throughout the Valley.
Calca visit #3
Our visit to the clinic in Coya.
We took the bus to the clinic. Sandy gave us directions, and we asked the people on the streets. When we arrived, there were people everywhere. Turns out, they were hosting an eye clinic. Sandy made time for us and walked us through. We met a volunteer who doesn’t have any medical experience, but comes to the clinic and helps however she can. She is a former patient. Her story is amazing. She was seen at the clinic and referred to a specialist in Lima. A scan revealed that she had a brain tumor. The tumor was operable, but not something they can do in Peru. She had to go to a specialist in the US for the procedure. This was out of the question for her, but Sandy and her team made it happen. The woman was flown to the US, received her life-saving procedure and flown back once she was recovered. I asked Sandy who pays for all this. She said everything was donated- the flights, the doctor, the hospital. She contacted all of these different partners, and they all donated their time/services. The woman tells her story with tears in her eyes. It’s truly amazing, and she’s not the only one. Sandy has more or less partnered with these companies and individuals and has sent more than a few patients to the US to receive care that they cannot receive in their country. Sandy told us that in Peru, if someone is missing one or both front teeth, they cannot have a government job, and honestly, probably can’t get another job either. They provide dental services to give these people front teeth, and therefore a chance to make a living. Sandy and her husband are truly inspirational and all around amazing human beings. Javier and I would love to return one day and volunteer our time and services.
Coya main square.
After our clinic visit, we went one last time to visit Javier’s family. His aunt made us kapchi de zetas, which is this mushroom dish. Apparently, it is a dish that can only be made during the heavy rains- so only a couple months out of the year. The mushrooms grow high in the mountains, and as the story goes, they only grow where lightening has struck. 🙂 Afterward, Victor drove us down the street to the Inkariy Museum where we learned about all the different civilizations of Peru and observed a presidential candidate make his offering to the gods with all the cameras on him.
Lunch with Dante’s Family.
The rest of our time was in Cusco. We ate more kapchi de zetas at Dante’s home, both with his family, and with the big group of friends. We stopped by the shop of one of Javier’s friend’s, Diego Nishiyama. When he met me, he asked where my Japanese family was from. I told him, “Wakayama,” ready to explain where Wakayama is, since most people have no idea. However, when I said it, his eyes lit up, he had the biggest smile and said, “My family is from Wakayama-ken too!!” He said I was only the second or third person he’d met that had even heard of Wakayama. So, Nishiyama and I are now Wakayama primos. We all decided to meet up for a hike around the ruins. Nishiyama is a photographer, and knows the hills like the back of his hand. Javier and I were excited to get out and hike a bit.
Hiking with Diego. Jackie’s cousin from Wakayama.
We set out on Sunday morning. Nishiyama met us at our breakfast location with his dog, and the four of us hopped into a taxi to our starting point. We walked for a couple hours before stopping for lunch. He had brought sandwich stuff for us, so we sat and broke bread together. Nishiyama knows so much about the history and terrain of the mountains. He pointed out different trees and plants, explained what they were and their different functions. It was like having our own personal guide!
The rest of our time in Cusco was spent hanging out with friends, visiting ruins, and planning our wedding. We tried, and failed, to get wedding invitations printed- unless of course we wanted metallic invites with pictures of Jesus or the Virgin Mary.
Sacsayhuaman.
I’m happy to say that in the two weeks we dedicated to wedding planning, we managed to book our venue and all our vendors. All sight unseen!! This should be interesting…
To see more pictures of Cusco, click HERE.
Here’s a video of Beto, the St. Bernard.