Guestbook: experiences of visitors

This page enables you to share your stories about the project Cullaquihuayi with the visitors of this website.

To leave a message about your experience in Vicos, please mail to [email protected] and it will be placed on the website as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Message "Just one day in Vicos"

Placed on: 18 March 2003

With Guido as our guide and a rented truck, we drove from Huaraz to Vicos, then wandered the hillsides as the afternoon shadows lengthened over the Cordillera Blanca and the low sun made ripening wheat glow gold. The lodgings, under construction for visitors, fitted comfortably into the feel of the place and its people. As did Guido, as we hauled potatoes to the home of a charmer of a village woman, who bubbled with energy and fun, even as she showed us but a few of the many varieties of this precious food that have become the hall mark of these high mountains. The goal of those who dwell there to fold outsiders into this world instead of creating an outsider's world in the midst of what has been the way for so long is a precious one, to be savored, nurtured, and cared for. It's a precious opportunity for those who come to see, feel, and learn.

Kathy and Tom Hornbein

Seattle, Washington, USA

Message "With Crooked Trails in Vicos 2"

Placed on: 17 March 2003

I can't say enough about the friendships I have made with the people of Vicos and what they mean to me. I will remember these people forever and return many times to visit my host family. What an incredible opportunity to learn about the Andean people and their way of life. We spent our days hiking different trails, meeting with artisans, farmers, musicians, beekeepers and visiting Inca and pre-Inca ruins in the area. On our final day, we were treated to the beauty of the high alpine lakes and a traditional Pachamanca feast with our host families where there was dancing, music and drinking of Chica (local corn beer)! Despite all this entertainment, the most valuable lesson I have learned is that we are all part of the same Ethnosphere, best described by renowned anthropologist Wade Davis as, " the sum total of all thoughts, beliefs, myths, and intuitions made manifest today by the myriad cultures of the world. The Ethnosphere is humanities greatest legacy. It is the product of our dreams, the embodiment of our hopes, the symbol of all that we are and all that we have created as a wildly inquisitive and astonishingly adaptive species."

Saludos to all my friends in Vicos!

Tammy

Crooked Trails: www.crookedtrails.com

Message "With Crooked Trails in Vicos"

Placed on: 15 March 2003

I had only spent a week in Vicos but it could have been an eternity for what I learned about the Quechua people, their lives and my own perceptions of what life is really about. To stay in such a place with its remarkable people and outstanding surroundings is a gem in ones life. I loved the warmth of my guest family, the way they so easily flowed in an out of our daily schedule, feeding us, and making sure we had fire in our little heart. The kids played with us and hung out by the fire in the evenings. Our days were spent exploring the area with our host father as guide. I learned about their history, their traditional use of plants and their culture. There are few opportunities in the world of travel to do what we all dream of when we travel and that is to really meet and live with the people. Don't miss it here, the time spent is fuel for a life time of memories.

Christine Torrison Mackay

Crooked Trails

206-937-3901

6329 42nd Ave SW

Seattle WA 98136

Message "Four days in Vicos"

Placed on: 12 March 2003

I heard about Vicos from Guido and it immediately caught my attention. Where else can you find an opportunity to live in a community that hasn't changed much in 400 years? In this age of IT, in all the hurry and rush, you find this little gem in the the highest range of the Andes. Off I went as soon as I could, with a Spanish speaker (very necessary, you do need good Spanish), backpack on back for 4 days. It was an unforgettable experience. Up at the crack of dawn, and going to bed by candlelight at 7.30pm. The quiet of the night, the dark of the night, en shrouding you. Up with first light and to the family for breakfast, which can range from soup and bread to chips and the most wonderful of teas, the herbs which were freshly picked that morning. Tea bags can never taste that way. Then the day could consist of trekking, which is all off the beaten track and seems to be a wander up and around the beautiful surroundings, rather than following a well known trail, which for me is so much nicer. All the way the guides showing you the various different plants and what they are used for. Or you could go farming the land with them, with their traditional tools and ploughs, driven by bulls. For me this was an immense feeling, harvesting potatoes as I am from a farming background in Ireland, and it would have been exactly how my forefathers did it. Or you could visit the local artisans and see how they work. Or you can chat to the children, all of whom have such an interest in you and are so quick to laugh mischievously with you. Very captivating.

The entire experience is charming and it was an excellent opportunity to glimpse inside another culture with such a strong sense of identity and community......and not to collect one email address!!! An eye opener is not the phrase.....a brain opener, maybe? :-)

Karen Lovell

Limerick, Ireland

Message "My first experience in Vicos"

Placed on: 10 December 2002

I can recommend a visit to Vicos to everyone who is interested in other cultures, likes to hike (although you don't need to be a topsporter) and is able to stay for some time under basic circumstances. The experience you get back is unbelievable.

I have been working in Vicos for several months as a part of my placement at The Mountain Institute. During these months I fell in love with Vicos and the people there. This project is one of the development projects in the village, and they have been working hard to reach the point where they are now. They need the income from this project, it will be used for several other projects within the community. That's why I (as part of a school assignment) decided to make this website. Now it's your chance to contribute to the welfare in this village by having a wonderful holiday.

So what are you waiting for? Have the Vicos experience, you won't regret it. Thank you.

Guido van Es

The Netherlands

War 5 Tage nicht erreichbar, weil ich bei bauern auf 3000 m gewohnt hab. Unglaubliches Erlebnis. K�nnt euch nicht vorstellen. Wie bei uns vor 100 Jahren. Kenn die Geschichten von papa, oma oder von Heimatmuseum. Trots hartem Leben sind die Leute so lieb. Teilen das Bissl das sie haben mit uns.

Jeden Tag Kartoffelsuppen, Maissterz und �hnliches. Offener Boden �berall. Nur 2 Sessel auf denen nat�rlich wir sitzen d�rften. Alle leben am Boden, gemeinsam mit dem Meerschweinchen, Hunden, Katzen, Enten und Schweinen - fast in 1 Raum. Unglaublich. Ohne Strom und warmen Wasser. Mit offener Feuerstelle. Und ich darf das alles miterleben mit ihnen. Nur steile Felder - einpaar m2 gross: Gerste schneiden, in B�ndeln ablegen ... mit einem Seil aus Tierhaut am R�cken heimtragen, ...am Dreschplatz von Pferden zertrampeln lassen oder mit dem Holzstock so lange bearbeiten... ...bis der Wind die Spreu vom Korn trennt. Dann haben sie auch solche Stricke aus Kalbhaut gemacht, weil eine Kalb gestorben ist. Das Fleisch hat rot geleuchtet, als es in der Abendd�mmerung quer �ber den Hof zum trocknen aufgeh�ngt - und gleichzeitig unser Volleyballnetz war.

Message "Einpaar Tagen in Vicos" (message in German)

Placed on: 17 December 2003

Und die strahlenden Kinderaugen, einfach nur weil wir da sind und mit ihnen einpaar Tagen dieses Leben teilen. 7 Kinder - das J�ngste wurde grad 1 Jahr alt und musste wegen Bronchienproblemen ins Krankenhaus. Das zehrt nicht nur psychisch sondern auch finanziell an der Familie. Der Vater ist 60, die Mutter kann ich nicht sch�tzen. Alle haben zerrissene, schmutzige Kleider an und sind doch so zufrieden. Die Sandalen aus Autoreifen halten viel aus. Und wie der alte Mann gestrahlt hat, als ich ihm auf meinem Weltkugel-Wasserball gezeigt hab, wo Peru und wo �sterreich liegt... ein unvergessliches Erlebnis.

Angelika Leitner

Salzburg, �sterreich

To translate this message into English: click here

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