Christmas in Cusco then Costa Rica…

As fun and exciting traveling the world is there are moments when you realize how delicate each moment, each plan has to be. Kiersten and I are both experienced travelers and would consider ourselves incredibly resourceful, aware of our surroundings and prepared. Days like today make us feel like no matter what you do there will always be curveballs. As we sit in the Lima airport, stranded because we don’t have the proper proof of yellow fever vaccinations we both feel defeated and that “of course” attitude since we have been so excited to get to Costa Rica finally.

Peru has been such a learning experience, learning of the ancient culture, the history and also a lot about people in general; both who we want to surround ourselves with in life and who we want to be. I can’t say much about the current culture of Peru because I have made it a point to have a positive outlook and mindset about life, especially when it gets difficult but it seems that the more you try to assist and show generosity, the more people expect and Kiersten and I are both exhausted feeling like we have been taken advantage of far beyond our means.

Our mission has been completed. We finished the 4 day Inca trail to Machu Picchu and spent yesterday, Christmas day at the Hogar with the girls who we spent so much time, money and effort to fundraise for. Getting there was a complete nightmare. Our host and one of the directors of Peruvian Hearts was aware we planned to visit the Hogar onChristmas day for weeks, yet when it came time for us to leave we ended up standing in the freezing rain for almost an hour, changed taxis 3 or 4 times and still paid for both our taxi and hers and the teens accompanying her. We would have easily paid for a van to comfortably take us all and it would have cost the same had there been any planning by our “guides.” Instead, much of our day was spent freezing, wet, standing on the street hailing cabs or ANY car passing by and now we both have sore throats and very possibly colds.

The time we spent at the Hogar was worth any cold or cost since our simple gifts of hot chocolate, panetone (traditional sweet Christmas cake) and the packs with goodies from GUESS were more than those girls had expected for Christmas. They referred to us as their “Papa Noel” (Santa Claus) and knowing that we literally provided them with a Christmas was more meaningful than anything imaginable. We were constantly getting hugs and pictures painted for us and their gratitude was immeasurable. They had never had an art project like the one we brought and although we simply provided 5 colors of fabric paint and a variety of brushes the girl’s creativity was so impressive. It was the greatest Christmas gift to me to see my idea and hard work pay off as they went nuts over the different colors and ideas they put onto the fanny pack or paper.

“Kristina and Linda’s Spa” Giving the girls mini manicures of Nivea hand cream to treat their chapped and cracked hands and Sally Hansens Hard as Nails to help strengthen and grow their nails.

 

A friend we made at the hostel, Garreth, who happened to live on the same street as me back in San Diego is living in South America now, working through his travel blog and volunteering with an organization to build libraries down here. He also came with us to the Hogar and was an awesome addition. He was playful with all the girls and very funny. He and Kiersten even had a very spectacular dance showcase for the girls while we learned to salsa to Columbian music and played musical chairs. We certainly had a great time and will remain in my mind a success.

Now all we need is a successful rest of our South American tour. Thanks to a couple random California girls we met at the Taca ticket line who let us take photos of their vaccine records and Kiersten’s photoshop skills we have two “Yellow Fever Vaccination Cards.” We might actually finally leave this country and continue on to Costa Rica for the “fun” part of our journey. We are both more than ready!! Luckily we are the two smartest, fearless, travel savvy females we know so I am not too worried, just frustrated that no one, including the airline or travel service that booked our tickets from here to Costa Rica mentioned a specific card we needed. It’s all part of the learning experience. Lets just hope it doesn’t cost too much to change our flights and we can get on standby tomorrow morning or our next fundraiser may be to get us home!

Its Beginning to Feel a lot like Navidad!

All we want for Christmas is wi fi and a hot shower and we found the coolest hostel either of us have ever been to! A Cusconian, hippie, travel party compound with different dorm wings and awesome paintings everywhere, a bar inside, a courtyard with beanbags and table tennis, a kitchen with people from around the world cooking and eating. It looks like a South American party dorm! The study room I am in now has the constellations in actual little lights on the ceiling and above me  is Orion, the archer, my favorite constellation.I feel at home on this big green bean bag chair blogging away next to Kiersten.
Although we love staying with Daniel and his family,  it is nice to be close to the main plaza with hot water and internet.
Its only about 4 soles (1.50 US) to get a cab back to Daniels up on the hill so we will make it back tomorrow to help Rosa prepare the Christmas meal. Kiersten even said she would break her pescetarian ways to dine on traditional guinea pig for Christmas!

I am excited to be back in Cusco for Christmas and glad we are through with the commute we did the last 3 days.
We spent 20 hours over the past 3 days in different cramped tin cans of death on windy unpaved roads with waterfalls and landslides blocking roads we had to drive through. We took video of us driving through a foot of water that was running down the side of the mountain and it literally just running down off the cliff we drove along with no barrier or anything to stop the car from going over. We drove through at least 15 of these road hazards. All without any seatbelts. (Sorry if I am scaring you Grandma, but obviously the angels are looking out for us so thanks for the extra prayers)

Our first night was spent in Quillabamba where Daniel our guide is from. We saw the land where he grew up and spent several years running the coffee and mango farm, raisig his 3 younger siblings while his parents were in jail for being revolutionary union organizers, fighting for the rights of the local people. Such an inspiring story and an honor to know such a wise person.

Its a really small town with a really colorful, fun and friendly vibe. It reminded me of the same coziness of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Kiersten and I agreed it felt familiar.

While visiting a dining hall where Daniel’s friend throws events for her restaurant, we were invited  to come back to the party later that night, which we learned was a Prom!!

So we did what any 23 year old American girls in Peru do when invited to a Prom: We rented dresses from the shop across the street from our hostel and showed those teens some of the best moves of the west.

It was an awesome night. Footage to come soon!

The second day we spent another 5 hours in a sketchy cramped car only this time we had to get out at one point and cross over a makshift bridge about 50 yards long and 100 feet above a rocky muddy river. The bridge was simply two 2x4s laid across steel beams unsecured so balance was key. I dropped my poncho halfway across and two of the workers scrambled down into the ravine to retrieve it for me and fought over who got to return it. Such chivalry!

Although it was the Summer Solstice it was rainy so I was happy to have my poncho still.  We missed  some amazing solstice festivals and parades in Cusco but being in the jungle made up for it…We went to one of the sites of the last Incan refuge where the last of the Incas were tracked down and killed by the conquistadors who also destroyed all evidence of how the Incas lived. A shame. Kiersten and I wondered what our world would be like had we learned  more from them.
The sun did come out for a few hours while we did the tour and while we gave our offerings of coca leaves in the Incan fashion for the Intitayta (sun god and most important God to the Incas)
Daniel our guide played his flute for us as the sun went down on the longest day of the year here and Kiersten tried to bring back her high school first chair flute skills. Apparently an Incan flute is much different but I applaud her effort.

Overall the near death car rides were worth the spiritual experience we got at the last known Incan sites where not a single other person was around. We definitely felt the spirits.  Speaking of spirit, I am actually feeling the Christmas spirit back here in Cusco. There are street performers in the Plaza de Amras and all the lights and decorations are really pretty along the old colonial brick roads and cathedrals.

It feels like a real Christmas and I feel like actually getting in the spirit which is rare. It feels more genuine down here, like people appreciate their family and the meaning of Christmas so much more. It is more important to share a panetone (big spice cake that comes in a box with a handle) than presents.

Kiersten and I have been blogging machines for hours now and are the last remaining travelers in this study. Both of us are craving our own panetone to share in celebration of Christmas Eve in Cusco. I am so blessed to have this opportunity and a wonderful “non-domestic partner” to share it with. Excited to spend Christmas back at the Hogar with the girls and bring our Christmas surprises to them. The true meaning of Christmas is sharing your love, remember that.

“Camino Inca” A Pilgrimage to Machu Picchu

For anyone who has ever climbed a mountain or the Andes, you know what a physical challenge the hours of endless uphill trekking, downhill descends and sleepless painful nights with little to no “comforts” feels like. I anticipated the challeneges ahead and my travel compadre Kiersten and I anticipated, Peru was not going to be a “vacation” by any means. We came for a purpose to assist with a major issue in the community of Cuzco, providing scholarships to girls pursuing further education to break the cycle of poverty. We also had the goal of making the 48 kilometer trek through the Andes learning of Inca culture, visiting Ancient Ruins of a civilization with an incredible and almost unimaginable knowledge of agriculture, engineering, construction, philosophy and understanding of the Earth and its relation to the Universe. I could go on for pages of Archaelogical and cultural facts of the Inca people but that would bore you and its much more interesting in the black journal I started prior to this trip.

We accomplished our goal of surviving the Inca Trail thanks to Clif Bars, good jams on the ipods, amazing guides and each other’s awesome motivational powers and positive energy. For four days we hiked uphill through rainforests, through “Dead Woman’s Pass,” over rickety bridges, over powerful streams and down slippery, uneven stone stairs that went on for miles. We slept on hard cold ground in tents, ate very simple and sometimes indigestible meals with our group of Argentinians, a Mexican, an Australian, two Swedes and our amazing Peruvian guides, Juana and Pepe. We woke up before the sun, carried what little we brought with us on our backs and took dozens of stops to take pictures, meditate or just to concentrate on our Spanish speaking skills or to catch our breath with the incredibly high altitude.

We did not expect however to experience the same uphill battles and and steep scary descends emotionally. A member of our travel posse for the past 6 days was a very challenging person to handle at such high doses and it was a lesson to us that not only should you chose your travel companions VERY wisely, but even on the side of a mountain standing among ruins of some of the most positively charged structures and temples, we were still facing the challenges of dealing with people you can’t escape.

We realized after a day of walking on egg shells and still experiencing the wrath of someone we couldn’t understand or get through to, did we realize the true challenge of the pilgrimage. You will always get handed the challenges you need most when you least expect it. Moral of this story. Kiersten and I proved to be stronger compadres than ever before and helped each other physically and mentally meet these challenges and persevere.

From here, the trip will be much different now that we have parted ways and celebrated our liberation from this aggrivator last night with drinks and salsa dancing lessons with our guides Pepe and Juana who we had grown close to. Today we even went to Juana’s favorite spa for some sauna and salt and honey body scrubs  and did lunch and some shopping in the markets of Cusco. It was a great start to the next chapter of our trip.

Tomorrow we leave for another 3 day trek to the jungle of Bilkabamba, the last refuge of the Incan people, where Daniel, our amazing host/guide in Cusco is from. We will be spending the Summer Solstice, December 22nd on this trip and know Daniel will have so much knowledge to share with us and I am really looking forward to a real spiritual awakening here in the mountains of Peru.

Our first days in PERU!

Our first days in Peru have been incredible. I certainly am learning a lot about the culture of the Peruvian people, the Incas, Andean mountian people, the Spanish inquisition all thanks to our guide Daniel who we have been staying with at his bed and breakfast. He has been our guide around town and is also a big part of Peruvian Hearts and helping the Hogar. We went to the Hogar de jesus Molina yesterday for the first time and it was so touching to see all the girls and meet them. I was really actualy nervous because so much was built up before hand and I didn’t kow how they would recieve us. Immidiately they hugged us all and sang songs for us. We gave them some candies we bought at a local market and  they braided my and Kierstens hair and showed us their different green houses and vegetable gardens. Its amazing to see the work Peruvian Hearts has done and reassuring we are helping a great cause and a group of incredible girls.

My spanish is getting much better and yesterday I was able to communicate with the girls of the Hogar better than I was anticipating. They tried their best English with me and I tried my best to speak spanish with them and perhaps becuase all of us were giving it our best shot without judgement it came easier. I hope to be a spanish speaking machine by the time I am back. I will have to keep it up when I get back! I can’t wait to get back to the Hogar for Christmas. We are bringing the white fanny packs GUESS donated and painting them as a Christmas activity and will replace their single flat volleyball with new balls, pumps and nail polish / hand cream for us to do mini manis as we noticed the girls hands and nails were so dry they were cracking and looked painful. Two little 7 year old girls would not let go of my hands the entire time we were there and were mesmerized by my pink acrylic nails and my jewelry. It was sweet the way they took to me so quickly and I loved giving them hugs and pouring my love onto them.

We got to sit down with Daniel and Ermalinda, a 16 year old girl who after 10 years at Hogar de jesus Molina is going into the town of Cuzco to live with Daniel and Rosa, his wife, so she can study at the college for tourism. She wants to become a tour guide as well and I told her she will be learning and living with the best. Daniel and Rosa have taken in many of the students of the Hogar from the Peruvian Promise project out of his own pocket to give them a chance to attend college.   Daniel has such an amazing, generous heart and incredibly wise views of life and the world. Already he has taught us so much about the Incas, the Conquistadors imposition of Peru and many of the spiritual beliefs of the Incas. I really love all he has to say and I hang on every word. This is the stuff I live for and have been passionate about since I was a little girl reading about Native Americans, ancient religeon and the history of the Americas.

I am so excited for the 4 day Trek to Machu Pichu but also nervous as it is probably the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. Daniel prepared us to make the “pilgramage” like the Incas did and I have been thinking about my life a lot and setting a purpose for this challenging trek. I am still meditating on my purpose of the pigramage and by Daniel’s advice been starting my day with a meditation and a glass of water to purify the body. He isn’t sharing anything necessarily new but for some reason it is really resonating with me hearing it from him. I know this trip will be transformative, it has been already.

I’m chewing my first bunch of coco leaves for the necessary energy I need to go through 750 emails including the endless and aggrivating messages about my models not showing up for fittings and so on… Typical. Same shit different continent. Jaja! The worst part is not being able to get through them as quickly as I normally can with my macbook but its a test of patience and controlling my anxiety/frustraition with things I can not control which I think may become a big part of the pilgrimage ahead of me. With the support of mi cumpenera, Kiersten I know we will conquer our goals here, at Machu Pichu and after this, there is no limit. Buenos Noches, we have a long few days ahead and an early start. If I don’t make it, I love you all.

Adios!

South America or Bust

Here we are just 30 hours away from our departure time to South America. Kiersten and I have been non stop back and forth between LA working, fund raising, preparing for our trip and trying to squeeze in a climb up Cowles Mountain here and there to train for the trek.

The Fun-Drai’s-er we hosted at Drai’s of Hollywood on Wednesday was such a great evening. Kiersten did an amazing job getting the location and raffle items donated and LMH client GUESS donated gift bags and goodies for all our guests as well as some hot shades some people walked home with. The evening was so classy and no one complained about the tasty and strong complimentary Peruvian Pisco Parton cocktails. 😉 We raised over a thousand dollars in just a few hours but the feeling of accomplishment Kiersten and I left with was worth so much more. It definitely was a success.

Tomorrow is our final day in the states and last fundraising event. We would like our friends to please join us at Searsucker for brunch tomorrow 11am-2pm so see us off. We have a section of the restaurant and they are donating 20% of sales to Peruvian Hearts. We’d love to see the people we love before we embark for the holidays abroad!

This time next week we will be in awe of the ancient ruins of Machu Pichu after a 5 day trek over the Inca Trail. It has been on my “To Do” list for years since I saw this video Jason Mraz made on his trip up the Inca Trail.  It will be a serious challenge and I am not sure how my asthma will be at that elevation but I’m prepared to die trying. Mind over matter. One foot in front of the other. Just like any other day….

I’m most excited to meet the girls at Hogar de Jesus Molina who will be recieving the help from the fundraising we did through Peruvian Hearts. I have seen their pictures and thought of them everyday for 6 weeks and can’t wait to hug them and sing songs with them. I really can’t wait to decorate the white fanny packs GUESS donated with the girls. Inside a chapstick, hair tie, headband and comb in each. I borrowed the idea from Model Citizen Fund who creates emergency survival backpack kits for disaster relief. Model Citizen Fund has donated 30 backpacks that will be shipped there next week.

My excitement grows every minute but the passing minutes seem to be getting shorter as I am still not finished packing. Off to finish the daunting tasks still on my list! Then off to South America!

Finding FUN in Fundraising

Fundraising is a crucial part of any for-purpose venture. As much as we wish our good intentions and hard work literally paid off, it takes quite a bit more to achieve great things in the lives of those in need. I have learned this through many years of event planning, promotions and staffing for various fundraising events but never have I taken on such a large amount of fundraising in such a short time.

While planning our upcoming South America trip we wanted to assist a “non profit organization” already established and doing great things for the community. We found Peruvian Hearts, founded by Ana Dodson who was adopted from Cuzco Peru at 4 weeks old and upon her return 11 years later decided to help the children she met at the Hogar, or orphanage. She asked that instead of presents for Christmas, people gave her vitamins and school supplies that she sent back to the girls in Cuzco.

If an 11 year old could come up with such a simple and powerful idea what is stopping any of us?

Just ask yourself, “What can I do right now?” Literally, ask yourself that. Write it down, outline it, do whatever. The simpler and easier to execute the better. Within your brainstorm, several salient solutions will inevitably rise to the surface. Kiersten and I did just that and with only 6 weeks until our departure date we pulled our ideas, resources and connections to come up with 7 different fundraising events.

The first was during San Diego Beer Week, so we asked my friend Eddie who just opened up a craft beer bar in North Park called The Foundry. (It already has 4 stars and 83 Yelp reviews!) He did a special Beer Flight and Beer pairing menu and donated 25% of sales which raised us over $300 by the end of the day.

Next we did a “Black Friday Charity Bikini Fashion Show” the day after Thanksgiving. I got in contact with a bikini designer I met at THREAD Show SD who kindly donated  La Isla Bikinis and got the new downtown Inga Bezio Salon to make us all gorgeous for the event. Some of my amazing and beautiful LMH Promotions models donated their skills as well and helped us raise over $400 in a single night. More photos of the bikini show here.

Our most recent event was this past Thursday and my previous blog topic. Our “Paz Y Amor” Pink Party at the Ivy was in honor of Michel Rose David and her generous spirit and love for South America.  Kiersten’s friend from college, Paul, started started selling bracelets to raise money for the families he bought them from on a trip in Costa Rica and Pura Vida bracelets was born. We sold the very popular and trendy bracelets at Ivy and raised over $350 in bracelet sales and donations from Michel’s friends and family. Her mother expressed her gratitude for the event by donating and asking for a copy of the fliers and thanking me and that made all the work and stress completely worth it!

Our next 3 events are going to be my favorite. Wednesday december 7th we will be hosting a Holiday Cocktail Hour at Drai’s in Hollywood at the W Hotel. It will be a classy, intimate, fun event with great guests, great raffle and auction items including a GUESS bag donated by LMH Client GUESS, Equinox membership, USC Team signed football, LA Kings gift, Pisco Porton gift,Various SBE restaurant and hotel certificates, Astor & Black custom tailored suit / neckties, Custom designed jewelry and more, all donated by our friends.

Saturday December 10th will be a “Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl”  from 12-5pm hosted by RAP Productions and featuring drink specials at local SD bars, Taste & Thirst, Nicky Rottens, La Puerta, El Dorado and more surprises to come! Wristbands to join the festivities are $20 to Peruvian Heats and there will be awesome prizes for sweaters!  I bought 2 amazingly ugly festive sweaters today I don’t know how I will pick! Last year me and Pedro did good but this year we outdid ourselves! Just wait!

The final event is Sunday December 11th, the day before we leave and is a Champagne Brunch at hip downtown restaurant, Searsucker. They are donating 20% of their brunch sales to Peruvian Hearts and are offering endless mimosas for 10$. Brunch goes from 11am-2pm and will also include a raffle with prizes like Atelier Aucoin Salon services, 2 FreeRide Skateboards, The Foundry Gift Certificates, Livebattle Lazertag game for 10 people, a month membership to Undispiuted MMA gym and more Pura Vida bracelets for sale. Come see us off before our trip and sip champagne so others can have clean water!

So you see? It’s not as hard as it looks. It just takes creativity, persistance, patience and teamwork to put together seriously fun and functional events and fundraising campaigns. Use online platforms to make it easy like the one we used for Linz & Kiersten’s Peruvian Hearts Project and watch your friends rise to the call to action and help make a difference. It feels great. I promise.