What an adventure!

Today was challenging because we had to hike up a mountain, Mount Maukallaqta. The most interesting part of the trip was seeing the kind of living situations in Cuzco when we were driving to Mount Maukallaqta. It was a very mind opening experience to see the poverty of a country affect people of all ages. There were many children on our way to the mountain that did not have any clothes and were forced into child labor in order to help feed their families. One boy in particularly was not wearing a shirt, had torn clothes and was selling chiclet. We also saw a lot of young children, ages 4 or 5 years old, following behind their mother in order to help them with a task. There were also a lot of babies on their mother's backs who had to come along while their mom begged or tried to sell a textile, usually a hat, or mittens. We also saw many children of various ages begging and selling products in order to help feed their families. The picture above is one of a young girl who was ecstatic after been given one candy bar by one member of our group, she continued to lick the wrapper even though there was nothing left. It was sad to see the poverty and the lives of the children on the streets. The houses in Paruro are very different from the houses we have in Orlando. The houses are made out of brick or stone and then put together with adobe mud. In many places there is no running water and many of the adobe houses are right next to each other. We saw many people hang their clothes out to dry because they have no running water they of course have no washing machine, or dishwasher. I felt spoiled and fortunate driving by the houses in Paruro. I feel grateful for what I have been given.

The climb of the mountain was exhausting and I was glad when we finally go to the top and were able to see the beautiful view. We also visited the mountain of the myth of the four sisters and four brothers called Tampoco where we learned the story that the last brother was the only brother to make it to Cuzco with his other brothers' three wives.


We also saw numerous amount of bikers and walkers. It is amazing how far and how tough a terrain the people are working on. Even though the Peruvians are acclimatized to the altitude, it seems like it has to be hard to carry tools, children, food, or handicrafts a long distance. I feel fortunate that I did not have to work when I was a child. We were scheduled to go to the Planetarium today but instead we are going tomorrow. The trip to the mountain was longer than we originally planned so we were all exhausted afterward. I am excited to see the city of Cuzco tomorrow and more sites along the way.

-Kelly