June 19: Made It to 19...and Almost Stopped There

This past weekend was great! On Saturday, I celebrated my 19th birthday internationally. Though I've begun my 20th year of life, this birthday was a day of many firsts.

It was my first birthday:

1. In South America
2. Without anyone I'd known for more than 2 weeks
3. With birthday cake for breakfast
4. During winter
5. With mountain climbing 
6. With fireworks
7. Without broccoli JUST KIDDING! I found broccoli! 
8. That involved almost-dying at least 3 times...

So I made it to 19, but 19 and a few days began to appear unlikely. 

Ok. Not really. Mom, Dad, family, and friends, fear not. I'm just being a bit dramatic. 

This weekend was full of adventures! On Saturday, Lexi and I climbed a mountain. We just found it and decided to go up, and it was beautiful--definitely worth the oxygen struggle to get up there. Along the way, we ventured through some less populated neighborhoods with dogs who are a little more defensive than we are used to. Fortunately, they are not aggressive, but let's just say that there were a few times when we had enough adrenaline to go a bit quicker up the mountain. 

In the evening, after resting our legs, we ventured to the Plaza de Armas with Kristen and Sonia to attend the "Lights and Sounds" event. This event consisted of musical performances by several well-known bands as well as a highly anticipated fireworks show. You've all probably seen a fireworks show for the 4th of July, New Year's Eve, or perhaps at the end of a sports game, and this was similar, except for a few things.

1. There was a very dramatic (and a bit creepy) countdown. 
2. The crowd was ooo-ing and ahh-ing at the particularly spectacular blasts. Other than these sounds, there was very little sound from the audience. You could feel the way the fireworks had captivated everyone's attention. 
3. The fireworks launched from different locations, such that we were constantly turning around and looking back and forth. I believe I saw fireworks from at least 4 different locations. 
4. They have "cataratas" (waterfalls of fire) in addition to colorful explosions in the air. 
5. We were joined by ALL the youth and even young families of Cusco. No one skipped this. There were A LOT of people, and Cuscaneans don't have the same understanding of "personal space" as Americans. Therefore, the fireworks show ended with a stampede. 

When I say stampede, I am not exaggerating. Earlier in the day, if I'd described my interactions with the dogs as "I almost got attacked by a pack of aggressive dogs," that would be exaggerating. Now, as I say "I nearly suffered from a very serious injury due to stampede," I am not exaggerating. I have never been in a crowd that was so tightly packed and pushing so hard. And all things considered, I had it easy: I didn't have a backpack or a baby, I was tall enough to see over the crowd and coordinated enough not to trip over my own feet, I didn't have a little kid I was trying to protect, and I was only trying to stay with three other people. That being said, I stepped into the trench between the sidewalk and grass (which is highly protected and therefore, treated like an invisible fence), and nearly fell on top of the people around me, and I was pressed so tight, I could've lifted up my feet and continued moving. It was insane! If this had happened in Atlanta, I'm pretty sure it would hit the national headlines. Nevertheless, we survived and made it to a nearby pizza restaurant for some good-ole' Cuscanean pizza. 

Pizza here is very tasty, especially if you don't like red sauce because there isn't more than a tablespoon on the whole pizza. Nevertheless, it was fresh, crispy, and a great late-night snack. 

Sunday morning, Lexi and I found the parade of Bellas Artes, presented by the local art university. It appeared that each of the floats presented some abstract work representing a controversial topic or political issue. Here, you can see the float, entitled the 3 Horsemen of Apocalypse, hosting the heads of Trump, Putin, and Pong-Ju (we think) on a missile. There were many other shocking displays.  

Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed another adventure, guided by Sonia, who took Lexi and me to a nearby lake. It was beautiful, especially as the sun was setting behind the mountains. This lake was about an hour out of Cusco by bus, near the town of Lucre and Huacarpay. I would describe this lake more as a marsh, because much of it is filled with tall grass, but nevertheless, it was beautiful and it's the most water I've seen in one place since getting here. 

To get home from said lake, we tried to take a bus, but were told that because it was Sunday (few buses), we'd arrived just 30 minutes after the last bus. Therefore, taxi was our only option. Unfortunately, taxi was everyone's only option, and there was more demand than supply. Because of this, the three of us crammed into a taxi along with a family of 7, totaling 11 people in a car meant for 4-5. We traveled in this taxi for about 45 minutes until we'd just crossed into Cusco. During these 45 minutes, we spent at least 35 20kph or more above the speed limit, at least 5 on the wrong side of the road, attempting to pass the stop and go traffic also going our direction, and at least 5 more on super bumpy, unpaved, and poorly marked backroads. Perhaps I should've taken the skull-shaped gear shift as a warning sign... Nevertheless, we made it home in one piece. 

Adventurous? I'd say so. But don't worry, the expression in our household, both here and in the US is "Siempre ten cuidado." (And I am, Mom and Dad) Just having a little bit of fun along the way. :-)

Thanks again for reading. I hope all the dads out there had a great Fathers' Day! Yesterday was also Fathers' Day in Peru, and it was not overlooked; in fact, it was celebrated in the schools on Friday and there were many family get-togethers yesterday as well. Next weekend, however, hosts the biggest celebration--Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, with proceeding festivities all this week, starting tonight with more fireworks! I'm excited to experience first-hand this grand festival!