A year ago this past spring, perhaps you saw in the newspaper a tiny article about the mudslides in Peru and tourists visiting Machu Picchu being unable to leave Aguas Calientes. What was a few lines in US papers was a national disaster in Peru.
People might see one or two condors flying high in the mountains but never three and never in the valley. But that is what happened a week before the rains came. Some say it was a sign...
When the rains came, they washed away many of the homes built with mud and straw bricks in Cusco. At MP, parts of the winding road to the site were also washed away or the road was impassable because of mud and landslides. Landslides took out parts of the railroad track to Aguas Calientes. The reality was that those in AC were hemmed in with no way to get out. The only way out of MP was by hiking out on the Inca Trail.
One of our guides was in MP at the time of the flooding. Helicopters were brought in first to evacuate the tourists, then the local elderly, infirm, children, and women. In the meantime, the price of food and water skyrocketed since there was no way to bring in enough provisions. Guides were left to fend for themselves. Rubin said that the situation became so desperate that he and several others hiked out - even then being forced to go through water up to their waists.
Regardless of what you believe about global climate change, the reality is that the weather in Peru has changed dramatically. The glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. Torrential rains like those of a year ago have literally never happened before. I would like to somehow have we in the United States experience what the locals here in Peru experienced a year ago and understand that their experience really is tied to our lifestyle and the choices we make about our resources. We are not alone and I don't think were ever meant to live in anything other than community. We are all part of the same sacred web, dependent on one another and the choices we make.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Incan Stairs and Aching Muscles
So much has happened in the days since our arrival in Cusco. We had a marvelous morning riding horses in the area close to Cusco. We have explored some amazing sacred sites in the Sacred Valley. We have bargained with vendors at the market in Chunchero where our guide Puma's family is from and many of them still live - and were treated to a meal of chicken slaughtered that morning, noodles, and the ever present potato - two large ones, in fact.. We have learned about the high place that family, community, and ancestral heritage is held for many people here. We have watched Uruguay defeat Peru in the semi-finals of Copa America (soccer, or rather futbol) over pizza and various beverages with our Peruvian guides. We have been treated as family in what has become a very unique opportunity for exploration.
Yesterday we returned from 2 days at Machu Picchu. We drove to Ollantaytambo where we picked up the train to Aguas Calientes, which is a harrowing 20 minute bus ride up a switchback road with virtually no guard rails and a 100% chance of meeting a bus going in the opposite direction, from MP itself.
It is truly the lost city in the mountains - and words really can not describe it adequately. Built in the shape of the condor, MP is an extensive site with both an urban and agricultural area. Extensive terracing allowed a variety of crops to be grown in discreet micro-climates. There are temples to the sun and its complement the moon and many altars and symbols emerging from the rocks.
We hiked to the Inca Bridge, which was used in initiating young warriors. The small wooden bridge crosses to a very narrow (like pasted to the mountainside narrow) path. In order to make it to the end point, one would need to have absolute control of one's fear. Once you cross the bridge, there was no turning back. If you did not make it across, you would fall thousands of feet.
MP is a wonderful place for discovery. It is so extensive with so many paths that it's hard to come back to the same place twice. On the second morning, Heather, Paddy, Tim, and I hiked Wayna Picchu, the big pointy mountain you always see in the background of photos of MP. There were many Incan stone steps, some so narrow and steep that you needed a rope to let yourself down. Even being acclimated to the 12,000 feet of Cusco didn't mean that we were not breathless as we climbed each set of steep stairs. There is a two story stone house near the top with windows situated such that, using the sun as a measuring device and mirrors for signaling, the Incans could design the city below. Astounding!
The summit is a pile of exposed boulders and one of the more terrifying places I have ever been - and I am not afraid of heights. Coming down was much faster but quite hard on my knees - and yes I do have aching muscles. Hopefully by tomorrow when we leave at 6:00 A.M. for our 5 day trek to Choquechirao, have will have calmed down. I'm glad I did the hike, but it sure made a difference having the support, care, and encouragement of the kids!
Yesterday we returned from 2 days at Machu Picchu. We drove to Ollantaytambo where we picked up the train to Aguas Calientes, which is a harrowing 20 minute bus ride up a switchback road with virtually no guard rails and a 100% chance of meeting a bus going in the opposite direction, from MP itself.
It is truly the lost city in the mountains - and words really can not describe it adequately. Built in the shape of the condor, MP is an extensive site with both an urban and agricultural area. Extensive terracing allowed a variety of crops to be grown in discreet micro-climates. There are temples to the sun and its complement the moon and many altars and symbols emerging from the rocks.
We hiked to the Inca Bridge, which was used in initiating young warriors. The small wooden bridge crosses to a very narrow (like pasted to the mountainside narrow) path. In order to make it to the end point, one would need to have absolute control of one's fear. Once you cross the bridge, there was no turning back. If you did not make it across, you would fall thousands of feet.
MP is a wonderful place for discovery. It is so extensive with so many paths that it's hard to come back to the same place twice. On the second morning, Heather, Paddy, Tim, and I hiked Wayna Picchu, the big pointy mountain you always see in the background of photos of MP. There were many Incan stone steps, some so narrow and steep that you needed a rope to let yourself down. Even being acclimated to the 12,000 feet of Cusco didn't mean that we were not breathless as we climbed each set of steep stairs. There is a two story stone house near the top with windows situated such that, using the sun as a measuring device and mirrors for signaling, the Incans could design the city below. Astounding!
The summit is a pile of exposed boulders and one of the more terrifying places I have ever been - and I am not afraid of heights. Coming down was much faster but quite hard on my knees - and yes I do have aching muscles. Hopefully by tomorrow when we leave at 6:00 A.M. for our 5 day trek to Choquechirao, have will have calmed down. I'm glad I did the hike, but it sure made a difference having the support, care, and encouragement of the kids!
Friday, July 15, 2011
We have arrived in Peru!
We have arrived in Peru - first to Lima where we spent a short night before heading back to the airport to continue on to Cusco the next morning. Our flight was delayed for quite some time because of fog both in Lima and in Cusco - a very unusual weather pattern.
Cusco is the old capital of the Incan Empire and so is nestled in a valley high (11,600 feet) in the Andes. It makes for quite an exciting landing! Our guide and Heather's friend Puma met us at the airport with several others in his family. Puma is a young man of great enthusiasm, energy, and laughter. He is also deeply a part of his own indigenous spiritual heritage and knows so much about the spirituality of his country. I look forward to learning so much from him.
We have spent yesterday and today getting used to the altitude. Today we wandered through the Plaza des Armes. There are many vendors on all the side streets selling brightly colored hats, sweaters, trinkets, and so much more. Be careful not to catch the eye of the seller. He or she will be at your side in a minute ready to sell you everything they have!
I did do my first bargaining transaction in Spanish however - a pair of alpaca socks. Listening to those language tapes paid off!
We are all having a wonderful time. It's terrific having this time for us to reconnect as a family. Over the next few days we will be exploring the Sacred Valley on horseback and then traveling by train to spend 2 days in Machu Picchu.
Cusco is the old capital of the Incan Empire and so is nestled in a valley high (11,600 feet) in the Andes. It makes for quite an exciting landing! Our guide and Heather's friend Puma met us at the airport with several others in his family. Puma is a young man of great enthusiasm, energy, and laughter. He is also deeply a part of his own indigenous spiritual heritage and knows so much about the spirituality of his country. I look forward to learning so much from him.
We have spent yesterday and today getting used to the altitude. Today we wandered through the Plaza des Armes. There are many vendors on all the side streets selling brightly colored hats, sweaters, trinkets, and so much more. Be careful not to catch the eye of the seller. He or she will be at your side in a minute ready to sell you everything they have!
I did do my first bargaining transaction in Spanish however - a pair of alpaca socks. Listening to those language tapes paid off!
We are all having a wonderful time. It's terrific having this time for us to reconnect as a family. Over the next few days we will be exploring the Sacred Valley on horseback and then traveling by train to spend 2 days in Machu Picchu.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
My Sabbath/Your Sabbath
A friend recently sent me an e-mail which ended by saying - "Doesn't sabbatical have something to do with the Sabbath and the day of rest?!?" Her question got me to thinking about how we define "Sabbath" and what it really has to do with a "day of rest."
And so I went back to the first wonderful creation story in Genesis, the one where God mythologically completes the whole shebang in six days and then blesses the seventh day as a special day because the world was complete. I think it was a special day not so much because God sat around like some holy couch potato but because in ceasing the usual Godly day to day creating, it gave God a chance to really look around at the world that had been made and marvel once again that it was all very good.
Sabbath and sabbatical are linked by a common root word in Hebrew meaning not really to rest but rather to cease. And so on this sabbatical, I have not so much chosen the holy couch potato route as I have chosen to cease my usual pastoral responsibilities in order to reconnect with God and with my own spiritual self.
And so I may look quite busy to some people - what with clearing a circular space 40 feet in diameter for the labyrinth I will build in August, hauling branches, raking millions of pine needles, unearthing rocks, and marking small trees that will have to be removed even as I check and re-check travel arrangements for our upcoming family adventure in Peru.
However, I am also taking the time each day to intentionally pray and reflect upon the deep and abiding relationship we have with the earth - and even to sit outside with the dogs. The breeze and the sunshine help me to feel closer to the earth God created, and watching as the sacred space of the labyrinth begins to emerge I believe touches some part of my very soul. It is at those times that I know that all of it is very good.
And so I went back to the first wonderful creation story in Genesis, the one where God mythologically completes the whole shebang in six days and then blesses the seventh day as a special day because the world was complete. I think it was a special day not so much because God sat around like some holy couch potato but because in ceasing the usual Godly day to day creating, it gave God a chance to really look around at the world that had been made and marvel once again that it was all very good.
Sabbath and sabbatical are linked by a common root word in Hebrew meaning not really to rest but rather to cease. And so on this sabbatical, I have not so much chosen the holy couch potato route as I have chosen to cease my usual pastoral responsibilities in order to reconnect with God and with my own spiritual self.
And so I may look quite busy to some people - what with clearing a circular space 40 feet in diameter for the labyrinth I will build in August, hauling branches, raking millions of pine needles, unearthing rocks, and marking small trees that will have to be removed even as I check and re-check travel arrangements for our upcoming family adventure in Peru.
However, I am also taking the time each day to intentionally pray and reflect upon the deep and abiding relationship we have with the earth - and even to sit outside with the dogs. The breeze and the sunshine help me to feel closer to the earth God created, and watching as the sacred space of the labyrinth begins to emerge I believe touches some part of my very soul. It is at those times that I know that all of it is very good.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Folks in the Pews
Last Sunday I went to a small church in the area and attended worship simply as part of the congregation. That was something I have not done in quite a while! It was good to experience just what it is like to come to a worship service not knowing any of the folks in the pews because it showed me quite viscerally what first time visitors in our church may go through:
1. Is it better to arrive a good 15 minutes early, so you don't walk in after worship has started? Or is it better to slip in just a couple of minutes before the service starts, so you won't be noticed? I chose to compromise - arriving about 7 minutes beforehand.
2. Since most small churches don't have anyone as formal as an usher, will I end up unwittingly sitting in someone's "regular pew"? This is of particular concern if you arrive prior to the start of worship. This group seemed pretty laid back, so even if I did, no one got bent out of shape by my possible faux pas.
3. If there is a coffee hour, do I attend (especially if someone invites me) - or do I just slip out, knowing that if I do, people may think I hadn't enjoyed myself? There was no coffee hour following worship, so I didn't have to make that decision!
4. Is there anything quirky about how the offering is taken or communion is shared? I mean, after all, some churches pass the plate all the way across while others pass it only half way. Some congregations wait to eat the bread until everyone is served. Others eat it when they get it. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on someone who looks like a regular. No real surprises for me - except the communion cup holders that were passed around were like nothing I had ever seen before. I almost got my hand stuck when I reached for a cup on the lower tier....
There are important lessons here for pastors, greeters, and deacons. Being a church visitor is no easy task!
1. Is it better to arrive a good 15 minutes early, so you don't walk in after worship has started? Or is it better to slip in just a couple of minutes before the service starts, so you won't be noticed? I chose to compromise - arriving about 7 minutes beforehand.
2. Since most small churches don't have anyone as formal as an usher, will I end up unwittingly sitting in someone's "regular pew"? This is of particular concern if you arrive prior to the start of worship. This group seemed pretty laid back, so even if I did, no one got bent out of shape by my possible faux pas.
3. If there is a coffee hour, do I attend (especially if someone invites me) - or do I just slip out, knowing that if I do, people may think I hadn't enjoyed myself? There was no coffee hour following worship, so I didn't have to make that decision!
4. Is there anything quirky about how the offering is taken or communion is shared? I mean, after all, some churches pass the plate all the way across while others pass it only half way. Some congregations wait to eat the bread until everyone is served. Others eat it when they get it. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on someone who looks like a regular. No real surprises for me - except the communion cup holders that were passed around were like nothing I had ever seen before. I almost got my hand stuck when I reached for a cup on the lower tier....
There are important lessons here for pastors, greeters, and deacons. Being a church visitor is no easy task!
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