Kaylee's Activity Reports

Name: Huaca Pucllana

10 Highlights

1. The guide

2. The vastness of the site

3. The intelligent “bookshelf” and trapezoid architecture techniques

4. The ancient fingerprints and footprints

5. Hearing the varying theories of the archaeologists working on the site

6. Hearing about what was beneath the visible structure since I wouldn’t have known otherwise

7. Knowing I was standing on a structure that dated back to 500 A.D.

8. The feminine yellow wall

9. Learning that the Limas worshipped “Mama Cocha” or Mother Sea

10. Seeing the awesome sharks on the pottery

Comments: I will never forget Huaca Pucllana, as it was the first archaeological site I ever saw. I was really glad to have had a guide and, in my opinion, it was the most informative field trip of the program.

Name: Meeting Michal Levy, a fellow traveler

10 Highlights

1. The chance of our encounter, it was fate!

2. Her kind demeanor

3. The maps she drew for us

4. Her knowledge of Pisac

5. Hearing a native Israeli’s take on the recent events regarding the Israeli/Turk feuding

6. Her knowledge of Barranco

7. Learning about a good novice ayahuasca shaman in Pisac

8. Learning about an excellent advanced ayahuasca shaman in the jungle of Iquitos

9. Hearing about her travelling adventures

10. Getting to know Aaron Chevalley, an fellow Austinite, during our talk

Comments: My favorite thing about travelling so far has been meeting other travelers and hearing their advice and stories.

Name: Indian Markets

10 Highlights

1. The fact that I have gone about 5 times already and still haven’t seen all of the stalls!

2. All the bartering/haggling

3. The wonderfully cheap prices

4. Chess sets with the Spanish Conquistadors vs. the Incas

5. Warm, cozy Alpaca blankets

6. Huge variety in colors of items

7. Drinking a pisco sour while shopping

8. Genuine leather purses

9. Silver rings

10. Delicately designed Goudas that tell a story

Comments: The Indian markets are the best craft markets I’ve ever been to. I am pleased that I could do all of my souvenir shopping in one place.

Name: Jose Luis

10 Highlights

1. Comfy beds and hot water

2. Great breakfast

3. Sweet and helpful hotel managers

4. Cool, creepy attic adventures

5. Seeing Kristy’s head pop out of her “window” every time she hears someone on the stairs

6. Drinking on the patio and bonding over a game of Uno with Clare, J.T., and Haley

7. The quaint, cute layout of the hostel that reminds Tomiko of the Weasly’s Burrow

8. Being close to all the down-to-earth people in our huge group

9. The lion’s head knocker

10. The bright blue tile everywhere

Comments: The Jose Luis was a great hostel and if I hadn’t found a place to stay for free, I would’ve gladly stayed there for the duration of the program. I hope to find more hostels like it during my travelling after the program.

Name: The Embassy House

10 Highlights

1. The cute 4 year-old, Kekoa!

2. Cristina’s great hospitality

3. The cozy feel of the good-sized house

4. The hammock

5. The fortress-like security of the house and complex

6. Delicious food that is making me gain back all the weight that I lost

7. All the Peruvian artwork (I want to decorate my place similar)

8. Washer/Dryer!!!

9. Tanning in the backyard

10. IT’S FREE!

Comments: Staying with Cristina has been great because now I can see how I would be living if I chose to do Embassy work. Also, hearing Cristina’s stories about the places she’s lived and the work she’s done has been very interesting.

Name: The Bioferia

10 Highlights

1. The blueberry cheesecake

2. Traditionally dyed scarves

3. Soft Alpaca hats

4. Colorful and delicious fruits

5. All the awesomely prepared foods

6. Exotic, hand-made reed baskets

7. The one women who spoke English

8. The cute hairless puppy with a white mohawk!

9. The aromatherapy booth

10. The instrument booth with shell horns, guitars, and flutes

Comments: I went to the Bioferia 3 times and wish I could go every week until I leave Peru. The goat’s cheese was delicious and was cheap compared to what I’ve found at Wong’s.

Name: Los Tacos

10 Highlights

1. Finally finding Mexican food after craving it for 2 weeks!

2. The Sincronizada Vegetariana taco

3. All the condiments

4. Guacamole!!!

5. Cold beer

6. Eating there with a bunch of people from our group after the art show

7. Refried beans

8. Smoking on the patio with Tomiko and Clare after we stuffed our faces

9. Cute cacti on the walls

10. Being completely satisfied every time I leave there

Comments: If there’s one thing I’ve been missing about Texas it was the Mexican food, so I am stoked that we found a place. If I could eat there every day I would.

Name: Larco Museum

10 Highlights

1. Erotic room

2. The properly translated Spanish to English, so I could easily read the information

3. All the gorgeous flowers

4. Room upon room with ceramic pots stacked up to the ceiling

5. The huge stone figures

6. All the different stone tools

7. Seeing the tools used to make the ceramic pots

8. The fact that it was a decent sized and well organized museum

9. The clean bathrooms with toilet seats and paper towels

10. Very nice gift shop

Comments: This was one of my favorite museums because I was able to get a lot of information from it due to the translation. I only wish we could’ve spent more than 45 minutes there..

Name: The Embassy 4^th of July Event

10 Highlights

1. Fireworks

2. Seeing Kekoa dancing with his mamma

3. Franca beer

4. The creepy, Aerosmith character advertising for a radio station

5. Clare and I awkwardly posing for a stranger who wanted pictures of us

6. Tonighhh gonna be a gooo nighhh

7. Beautiful, but expensive Alpaca clothes

8. Eating a hamburguesa, hot dog, and then a donut

9. A fairly clean port-a-potty

10. Seeing all the various Embassy employees and their families

Comments: Although this wasn’t the best event, it did turn out to be quite hilarious. It was good to celebrate the 4^th of July too.

Name: Pachacamac

10 Highlights

1. The huge scale of the site

2. Seeing the beach from the top of the Temple of the Sun

3. The fact that it had architecture from 3 different civilizations

4. Seeing where archaeologists were excavating

5. The reconstructed section

6. Visiting the weaver’s home and learning how he makes his vivid tapestries

7. Seeing the weaver’s life tapestry and hearing his journey from his terrorist/ military infested home in Ayacucho to Lima

8. The cute white kitty

9. The wool socks Clare got me!

10. Seeing the potter’s workshop and the clay pit and kilns

Comments: It was interesting that the Limas, then the Waris, and then the Incas inhabited Pachacamac. The overcast, misty day set the mood for the site and the day.