TWO PARKVIEW STUDENTS JOURNEY TO PERU

To everyone one who helped make my trip to Peru a reality:

I would like to thank everyone for the support that they have given me throughout this past year. With all of your support I was able to embark on this adventure and I really appreciate it. Traveling to Peru and climbing Machu Picchu was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget!

While I was packing my bags for this trip I was thinking to myself, “Wow, this trip isn’t just a dream, it’s actually coming true and I am about to embark on it in just a couple of days.” I was also hoping that I wouldn't forget anything important, especially my passport. Thankfully I didn’t forget anything. I made a couple of last minute shopping trips while packing, because I worried that I might need extra things, like an extra bag for my souvenirs. Now, I know that I used everything I packed. The night before we left to Peru, I could hardly sleep. I was so excited and nervous that I was about to leave for a different country and I probably only got a few hours of sleep that night.

When we arrived in Peru it was so great to get off the airplane. It was a long trip, almost 9 hours on the plane. I was so happy to be standing in a foreign country. After only a couple of hours in Peru, I found it hard to breathe because of the high elevation. Our Global Explorers Sponsors told us to drink plenty of water because it helps prevent altitude sickness. In Cusco, Peru, we were standing at 11,000 feet above sea level. When we first arrived at the hotel, the Peruvian hostess welcomed us with some Cocoa Leaf Tea.  (Editors note: cocoa leaf tea is non-narcotic and is the standard welcoming beverage for travelers arriving at high elevations such as Cusco.) This is one of their traditional drinks. It also helps prevent altitude sickness. I was so excited to be in Peru and I was ready to learn everything about this country. I was ready to meet the many challenges of this trip!

Our first few days in Peru we moved at a slow pace. The sponsors wanted us get used to the altitude. We took a tour of Cusco where my favorite scenes were the ancient ruins. We went to Sacsahuaman, Kenko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. All of these ruins were amazing! On our third day we got a taste of what hiking up the Andes Mountains would be like. We worked as a team to hike up Ollantaytambo. It was a steep 15 "steppes" up to the ruins, which were at an elevation of 10,000 feet. After we got up to the top, we were all relieved to have made it up. It was so beautiful looking down on the city of Cusco. I was amazed at the hard work we did!

On the 4^th day we started hiking up the beautiful Andes Mountains. I couldn’t believe that we were actually hiking in the Andes. I held my camera in my hands at all times during the trip. I wasn’t going to miss a scenic photo opportunity. The highest pass we hiked during the trip was at 15,650 ft. That was the toughest day of hiking.  That morning started okay, but after a while, I realized that I felt puny. I was getting a headache, feeling nauseous, and just didn’t feel so well. I ignored it for a while, but then suddenly, I started throwing up on the side of the trail. I forced myself to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The medic traveling with us encouraged me to ride the mule to our next rest stop. I refused! I wasn’t going to give up; I was going to stay strong and make it on my own. Believe it or not, I made it through the hike, working through my first experience with altitude sickness.

This trip helped me tolerate uncomfortable living situations. I did not realize what a comfortable life I have. Clean restrooms, hot showers, cozy bed, and my choice of food to eat are all part of my life. However, while we were on the hiking trails if someone had to use the restroom they had to go out into the bushes. This was my first time using the restroom outside, so I felt uncomfortable at first. But, when you don't have a choice, you get used to it quickly.  We didn't get showers until the 9^th day of our trip. We had nine days of sweat, grime, and smell, and when we were able to finally take a shower, it was a relief. At night we slept in tents, which I thought was pretty cool. It wasn't as comfortable as my bed at home, but after a day of hiking, I was too exhausted to care. There were two people in each tent and about 20 tents arranged in a big oval. The Peruvian porters that worked for us carried our luggage, set up our tents, took down our tents, and cooked us our main meals. Every morning they came to our tents to wake us up and offer us hot water and cocoa tea. I really appreciate everything they did for us. I really wasn't used to the new taste of Peruvian food. One of the local delicacies is guinea pig. I had a pet guinea pig when I was young, so I had a hard time seeing them on my dinner plate. I didn't ever go hungry, but I am glad to be home eating home cooked meals and American food.

One of the main focuses of our trip was a service-learning project. In Peru, our project was in a community called Chilipahu. We painted their local school building. The day we painted the school, all the children from the community came to help. I thought it was neat to be able to interact with the local kids. We painted it a bright baby blue and it looked pretty cool when we got finished. That evening the whole community got together and we had a feast. Dinner was another local specialty, alpaca meat. Our group ate off of plates, but for some odd reason the locals didn’t use plates. The porters served their food on the ground. I felt badly for them and didn't understand, but they didn't complain, so I guess they were used to it. They probably were looking at us funny for using plates! After dinner, the local students sang the Peruvian National Anthem for us and we gave the community gifts of books and games. Seeing these students with smiles on their faces was so gratifying. It was fulfilling to have helped this very poor community.

The 9^th day of our trip was my favorite because we arrived at the Sungate. When I looked into the distance I could see Machu Picchu for the first time. It was awesome that we made it this far. We had worked very hard as a team to get here. We had endured long hiking days and each of us had difficult situations to overcome. We motivated each other because we all knew that as a team we could make it to Machu Picchu. This ancient Incan city was incredible. It was hidden between two mountains and surrounded by steppes that had been used for crops. There were too many interesting and historical sites in the city; I could never describe all of them.

After climbing to Machu Picchu, we knew that we had only a couple of days before we had to go home. I had worked very hard this year in order to be able to go on this trip and now it was almost over. It was very depressing for everyone because we knew that we had to leave each other and return to our homes spread across the U.S. We celebrated the night that we made it to Machu Picchu. We went to a Pizzeria for supper and had a celebration. We had a Piñata that we took turns beating until finally it burst open and candy was flying everywhere. At this point, we also had to say goodbye to a few of our sponsors. We only had one more day to spend in Peru.

The most memorable part of this experience was being with this group. We told jokes and stories while hiking up the mountain and motivated each other through all our struggles. Everyone was awesome. I will never forget any of them. Eric Weihenmayer was the first blind man to summit Mt. Everest and was our most famous person that we traveled with. He’s very inspiring. It was neat just being around him because I knew that he had accomplished a lot. This motivated me to do my best. The other students who made up the team bonded really quickly and we never had any problems. That was exceptional, considering that we were a group of 18 teenagers! We had a medic on the trip with us, so if one of us was hurt or just didn’t feel well he was there anytime of the day or night. It made us feel comfortable knowing that somebody would care for us. The person who pulled this whole experience together was Dave Shurna, Executive Director of Global Explorers. He worked with us throughout the whole process and through all of our struggles. We were also accompanied by several film crews; ABC sent producers and a camera man from California, Pilgrimm Pictures sent a documentary team from Holland, and Global Explorers and Eric also had friends filming parts of the trip. These camera crews hiked up the mountain with us and taped pretty much every move that we made! Pilgrimm Pictures is making a documentary film called, “The Fellowship to the Andes”. I hope to travel to New York in October to see the premiere.

This trip was the most memorable trip I have ever been on. It has changed my life because it gave me unique experiences that I can grow from. I had never hiked before. I want to hike mountains all over the world and experience the trial and triumphs of hiking. I also realize now that I can do anything that I set my mind to. I can work through my physical limitations and accomplish goals that I set for myself. This trip cost over $4000 and I appreciate every cent that was raised. Thank you so very much for giving me this life changing experience.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Priddy

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To everyone who help support me in this trip.

Thank you so much for everything. The trip was even more exciting then I thought it would be. I met so many new people and got to experience so many new things. I think that I have become more social because of this trip.

Packing for the trip was crazy, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I was forgetting something no matter how many times I'd check my bag. I kept trying to picture what Peru would be like but nothing came close, it was the most beautiful place I have ever been to. There is no way I could ever forget about Peru. The friends I made on this trip are never going to be forgotten all of the people were so amazing.

When I got to Peru I was so happy to get off the plane. I was also excited because just on the plane ride I got to see so many scenic things my eyes were practically glued to the window there were so many mountains and areas where the snow hadn't went away yet. When we got to baggage claim we were greeted by some of the locals that were playing instruments that are native to Peru, they sounded so beautiful. A couple of the students got one of the instruments. There was also a big poster of Machu Picchu right in the middle of the wall we were facing that really got us all pumped.

On the second day we got our first taste of hiking in the high altitude it was so much fun. We got to use some of the cane techniques they taught us in Colorado. I think my favorite time was when we finally made it to the Sun Gate and realized all of that hard work had paid off. The view of Machu Picchu was perfect. There was a forest that we walked by and I was with my friend Jill. We had stopped for a minute and were trying to catch up to the group and we could have swore that the trees were singing. The trees were so big and there were so many it gave me chills. When we caught back up to our group we told them about it Eric started telling us about a cannibal tribe that hadn't been caught yet. We all laughed so hard it was great.

We were able to do a service learning project with a school in the mountains. It was the only school in the area and they needed our help. We painted the school and interacted with some of the children that went there and had one of the traditional suppers. The kids were so sweet and they would always be smiling. I tried to talk to one of the kids in the little bit of Spanish I remembered but she just kept repeating exactly what I said. To really get them to be more comfortable around us we did the hokey poky it was so funny to watch them do it with us.

All of the people that we traveled with will always going to be my friends. Erik Weihenmayer was very funny he cracked jokes whenever he could and gave really good one on one help. There wasn't anyone that felt left out, we did it as a team the entire way. There are so many little things that I will remember forever like Deedrik on of the camera guys, would yell something in Spanish and the cooks would just laugh at him.

Our trip was amazing I had a great time. Just writing this letter has made me laugh out loud and tear up. Thank you so much for your support this really was a trip that will last me a lifetime.

Sincerely,

Arielle Edwards

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