I decided to stop for a a couple months to work with teenage groups from North America and Europe that are part of service/adventure programs.
The work is good... we wake-up at 6 am every day to go to our work site, a small village outside of of Cusco called Mayrasco (found at 4,000 meter/13,000 feet). Our goal is to build fish ponds in which the local village can begin to raise trout. The trout will provide an additional source of nutrition for the local children and potentially an additional source of income for the village.
Over the course of a few months, we dig three holes that are each 10 meters (30 feet) long by 5 meters (15 feet) wide by 2 meters (6 feet) deep. It takes about 5-weeks of solid digging with picks and rock bars before we have the holes complete. Then, we begin pouring a cement floor and lining the walls with rocks (previously broken into manageable pieces with sledgehammers).
The final product is complete with plumbing and running water!
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One of my favorite parts of each program is the four-day trek around Nevado Verónica (Mount Veronica). This involves hiking and camping around the beautiful mountain at altitudes up to 4,400 meters (14,000 feet).
It's wonderful to escape the city and spend time in the mountains. We walk past llamas, high-mountain villages, and see condors on each trip.
The final piece of the trek is a visit to Machu Picchu, the stunning mountain ruins of the Incas.
The work is good... we wake-up at 6 am every day to go to our work site, a small village outside of of Cusco called Mayrasco (found at 4,000 meter/13,000 feet). Our goal is to build fish ponds in which the local village can begin to raise trout. The trout will provide an additional source of nutrition for the local children and potentially an additional source of income for the village.
Over the course of a few months, we dig three holes that are each 10 meters (30 feet) long by 5 meters (15 feet) wide by 2 meters (6 feet) deep. It takes about 5-weeks of solid digging with picks and rock bars before we have the holes complete. Then, we begin pouring a cement floor and lining the walls with rocks (previously broken into manageable pieces with sledgehammers).
The final product is complete with plumbing and running water!
---
One of my favorite parts of each program is the four-day trek around Nevado Verónica (Mount Veronica). This involves hiking and camping around the beautiful mountain at altitudes up to 4,400 meters (14,000 feet).
It's wonderful to escape the city and spend time in the mountains. We walk past llamas, high-mountain villages, and see condors on each trip.
The final piece of the trek is a visit to Machu Picchu, the stunning mountain ruins of the Incas.
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