Day 1 Peru 2018, Arrival and Horseback Ride

After a restless overnight flight from Dallas to Lima and only a little bit of sprinting we caught our last flight and landed in Cusco a little before 8:30am. At the airport we met Ellen our field manager from Máximo Nivel for our volunteer work who loaded us and our many bags into a bus to our hotel. The streets of Cusco were thrillingly narrow and beautiful comprised of cobblestone roads and many people. Hotel Niños was a refuge from the busy streets. There were two large, open air courtyards with rooms on both the ground and balcony levels. Each room was named after an orphan that the owner of the hotel had taken in after she moved to Peru. Once there we set our bags down in the two rooms that were ready and waited in the courtyard for our orientation. We were served coca tea, a staple of Cuscanian life, and a cure for altitude sickness. After we had finished, Ellen led us through the streets of Cusco, pointing out roads and plazas and explaining the dancing that surrounded us. Boys no older than 10 or 11 lined the streets dressed in colorful costumes and armed with dances memorized to perfection. It was mesmerizing. Our tour ended in Maximo Nivel’s headquarters for a “quick” orientation presentation. It was easily the low point of our day. Once Ellen finally corralled us all into the right classroom she dropped thick folders of paperwork in front of each of us to read and sign. Not the best idea for teenagers running on a maximum of an hour of sleep. The following PowerPoint was meant to be interactive but asking us to read things only led to stumbling over words and delirious laughter, irritating Ellen and dragging the presentation on. It took so long that we barely had time to eat lunch before our horseback riding tour through the Andes at two. Stress levels were high and motivation was low. That, however, changed when we got off the bus at the farm. It was beautiful, nestled at the foot of the mountains and by the barn we found a puppy. Needless to say that took up a bit of time. We finally mounted and were off. We followed a worn foot path through the Andes and our tour guides accompanied us on foot, sorting out any horse’s attempt at a jailbreak or passing. The view of the town below us and the mountains around us were breathtaking. We rode for about 3 hours stopping twice to see Devil’s Balcony and the Temple of the Moon, both ancient Incan locations. We also got to witness a traditional Incan blessing to Mother Earth. By the time we returned the sun was setting. But we still had a trek down the the town that included a stop to see the statue of Cristo Blanco. By the time we made it to the restaurant for dinner it was dark and cold. The food was good and the three musicians who came in played traditional music were incredible. We made it back the Hotel Ninos around 9 and crashed. It was a long, stressful, exciting day and introduction to Cusco, Peru and it was a relief to finally sleep. Can’t wait for the rest! - Natalie Titus
Natalie Titus