Así es la vida!

Meine letzten Stunden in Cusco gehen vorbei und ich warte auf meine
Abfahrt um 19:00 Uhr in Richtung Arequipa, Canyon de Colca, und Ica.
Gestern waren alle Verwandten der Familie hier um mich zu verabschieden.
Es gab leckeres Essen und etwas Wein. Kaum zu glauben, dass ein halbes
Jahr vorbei geht und ich wieder nach Europa muss. Diese Zeit hier werde
ich niemals vergessen, und kann mit Sicherheit sagen, dass es die beste
Zeit meines Studiums war. Ich bin sehr dankbar für Alles!

My last hours in Cusco are passing by and I am looking forward to
travel this night to Arequipa, Canyon de Colca, and Ica. Yesterday, all
relatives of the family stopped by for dinner to say goodbye. I was blessed
with delicous food and some wine. It's hard to belive, that half a year is
going to end and that I am already on my way back to Europe. I will never forget this time here and am convinced that it has been the best time of my university.
I am very greatful for everything!

Mis últimas horas estan pasando y estoy preparandome de salir esta tarde a las 7 a Arequipa, Canyon de Colca, y Ica. Ayer, toda la familia ha venido para despidirse de mi. Hemos cenado muy rico con Trucha y vino. No puedo creer que medio año se esta acabando y que ya estoy en mi camino hacia europa. Nunca voy a olvidar mi tiempo en Cusco. Estoy seguro de que la vida aca fue la mejor durante todos mis estudios. Muchas gracias por todo. Estoy muy agradecido!

Saludos,
Arthur

Interim Report week 22 - 26

1.the daily activities/ placement assignments

During the last weeks I worked on the placement report and the feasibility study and finished them both. For these reports I needed the help of Violeta and she explained me everything in detail and provided the needed information. I was busy with these assignments in weeks 22 and 23.

In week 24 I traveled to Manu and visited the village of Pilcopata for a day and spent 2 nights in Salvación. It was quite an adventure as I have never visited the jungle before. I was surprised to discover, that Pilcopata was a little village with a few restaurants and hostels. Tourism seemed to have hardly no attention in this area and I only saw a few backpackers and Peruvian tourists. I asked the owner of a restaurant for advice and he told me to go to Salvación, which is supposed to be more beautiuful and a two hours drive more into the jungle. I followed his advice and waited for the only next bus. I arrived in Salvación in the evening and had to discovered, that it was much smaller and offered even less for tourists. In fact, I was the only western tourist there looking for an accommodation. I asked at 2 places for a room, but without success. I continued my search and ran into Manuel, a Peruvian from Madre de Dios. He has been staying in Salvación for a few weeks looking for work at a Canadian oil company, which is going to start exploring the area for oil. Manual helped me to find an accommodation and we spend the following days together, visiting the main tourism site in Salvación, WasiMachu (Old House), which is a lake with exotic animals. I liked the place a lot and wanted to stay there a few more days. However, the buses only go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night to Cusco. I knew that the 8 to 10 hours drive would wear me out so that I decided to return Wednesday night, because I still had a few things to do in Cusco before my departure on 24. Julio.

In week 30 I gave the Assessment form to Violeta and we filled it out. Moreover, I had to prepare my departure by arranging everything, such as sending the overweight with the post to Germany, sorting out my cloths and saying goodbye to all family members. A sister of Violeta organized a goodbye dinner with delicious food.

2.attainment targets

The travel experience to Manu proofed to me that I am able to travel in Peru to the most distinct and remote places. In comparison to my first travel experience when I arrived to Peru, I now was able to find my way around, meet and talk to other people without any problems. I enjoyed the feeling of being a backpacker for a few days and would love to come back to Peru to do more traveling. It is really amazing that within a 10 hours drive one can experience such different climates and cultures within a single country.

3.personal aspects

It is difficult to believe that half a year has gone by that quickly and that I am almost on my way back to Europe. It makes me sad to leave such a beautiful place and say goodbye to Violeta and her family. However, I am also looking forward to the final year of the ITMC program. From former experiences I am used to changes and am aware that letting go of a place and people not only represents a sad moment, but also a beginning and new challenge.

4.future action items

On the 24. July I am going to leave Cusco to go to Arequipa, Nazca and then to Piura. I am going to take a week of vacation before finishing my placement officially on the 31. July. I will use this opportunity to discover new places in Peru as a tourists.

Interim Report week 19 - 21

1.the daily activities/ placement assignments

During the last weeks I have been working on the placement report. I finished most of the NHTV assignments. I was able to complete the Quality Improvement plan because I had the chance to interview tourists of Golden Empire Tours, who have recently done the Inca Trail. One assignment about the marketing strategy is still missing because I need specific information from Violeta to finish it. Moreover I continued working on the feasibility study.

Violeta and I were busy with putting in order all her package tours. We also worked on the manual of Golden Empire Tours, that includes all the prices, tour and package descriptions.

The communication within the organization has not changed. I get along with other colleagues very well and have nothing to complain about.

Although it is June and high season in Cusco, the number of people has not increased as it did the years before. The effects of a worldwide crisis and the Swine fever reduced the number of visitors to Cusco. Many travel agencies in the Main Square are suffering from lack of tourists and have troubles paying its rent. Therefore, the workload in the office is quiet modest.

The other student apprentice did not arrive as it was intended.

2.attainment targets

During the last two weeks Cusco converted into a city of daily festivity. Every day the Main Square was full of visitors, who appreciated watching dances and parades of the schools, universities, different institutions and organizations such as banks. The highlight was Inti Raymi, the Celebration of the Sun on the 24. June. I went to see the ceremony which started at 9 o'clock in the morning and lasted the entire day. During these weeks I have experienced a lot of cultural activities, folklore and traditions of Cusco. It was an exciting time that gave me insight into the colorful and diverse culture of Peru.

3.personal aspects

Generally speaking, I have not been working specifically on personal weakness. I continued my work on the assignments with the desire to finish them as soon as possible. The festivities in Cusco gave me to opportunity to discover something from the culture. I was happy about it because of work absence in the office. This way I used the time learning something about tourism activities, that attracted thousands of visitors, mainly Peruvians, to Cusco on a daily basis.

4.future action items

In the following weeks I would like to finish the placement report. I need to receive the missing information about Golden Empire Tours to do so. Because there is not much work in the office, I would like to take vacations and visit the jungle resort of Manu. I talked with Violeta and she agreed with the idea.

Inti Raymi

The Inti Raymi  "Festival of the Sun" was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti. It also marked the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. Since 1944, a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Sacsahuamán (two km. from Cusco) on June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of tourists and local visitors.

During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated in Cusco, as related by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The ceremony was said to indicate the mythical origin of the Incas, lasting nine days of colorful dances and processions, as well as animal sacrifices to ensure a good cropping season. The last Inti Raymi with the Inca Emperor's presence was carried out in 1535. After that the Spanish conquestand the Catholic Church suppressed it. Some natives participated in similar ceremonies in the years after, but it was completely prohibited in 1572 by the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, who claimed it to be a pagan ceremony opposed to the Catholic faith.

In 1944, a historical reconstruction of the Inti Raymi was directed by Faustino Espinoza Navarro and indigenous actors. The first reconstruction was largely based on the chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega and only referred to the religious ceremony.

Here you can see some of the colorful pictures that I have taken. Due to a huge crowd, it was almost impossible to see anything from the ceremony at Sacsahuaman.

Inti Raymi

Interim report week 16 – 18

1.the daily activities/ placement assignments

I have consulted my friend to ask the price for putting the German explanations on the website. He asks 100 US$ to include the text, and another 100 US$ to apply a SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which is very time consuming. I forwarded this to Violeta, and she is going to think about it and decide later.

I also worked at the NHTV assignments and the placement report. The destination analysis is almost done. I interviewed several people to obtain their opinion about my CCS story. I read the articles and included them, as well as the reaction of the people and my fellow students into the analysis. With this information I was able to complete the CSS part of the destination analysis. The only things that are missing is a summary, a typification with the explanation, and a final spell check. I also continued working on the placement report and the NHTV assignment. I decided to write the feasibility study about the Inca Trail and made the first draft.

I translated the brochure into German with the intention to send it to German Tour operators. Because Violeta was very busy and hardly in the office, and travelled for some time, I still did not receive the introduction text that she wanted to write.

On Saturday and Sunday of week 16 Violeta, Ingrid an I made an excursion of getting to know the new Inca Trail. Violeta did not know this route, which has gained in popularity since this year. It is an alternative way to reach Aguas Calientes and Machupicchu. She went there with the intention of observing the tourism supply, i.e. restaurants, hotels, transportation, figuring out the costs and getting an idea what type of market is interested in that service. I helped her with the research and observation, and took pictures.

The number of tourists is increasing and several people came to the office to ask about prices and tours. Violeta showed me how to put together an individual package tours, and calculate the prices for it.

2.attainment targets

During the 2-day excursion I got to experience how an unknown area is analysed by a tourism professional. This practical education was very interesting and gave me an idea on how to do research. Going around, visiting hotels and restaurants and talking to people to get an impression of the area within a short period. This information can then be used to compose a tour for example. In my case, I am planning to write a feasibility study on the Inca Jungle. Having visited the area, I now have a clear picture in my mind and in combination with desk research, I will be able to write a report about it.

Additionally, I visited new places in Peru and are familiar now with new areas such as Santa Maria, Santa Teresa, and Hidroélectrica. Because these villages are located on a lower altitude there is a milder climate. Therefore it is called “ceja de selva”, i.e. edge of the jungle.

3.personal aspects

From my experience so far, Violeta and I are very different personalities. During the excursion, we had to work in a team, i.e. travelling and doing research together. Sometimes it was not easy and I had to be very patient. However, I tried my best and in the end it was a very successful and enjoyable journey.

4.future action items

In the following weeks another student apprentice from France is going to start working in the travel agency. I will be helping her to get familiar with the working environment in the office. Moreover, I would like to continue working on the NHTV assignments and the placement report. I also will continue with the feasibility study of the Inca Jungle, and if there is free time I am planning to walk the trail for 4 days in order to get an even better impression. The two days were not sufficient to get to know the walking routes. The writing of the promotional e-mails will have to be done within the next weeks as well.

Inka Jungle

Samstag und Sonntag war ich auf Tour zum Machupicchu. Um die hohen Kosten von Peru Rail zu meiden, gibt es alternative Routen zum Machupicchu. Der Inka Jungle ist ein neuer Weg, mit dem man einiges an Geld sparen kann. Man bezahlt 30 soles von Cusco aus, um in 3 - 4 Std Fahrt in Santa Maria an zu kommen. Von dort aus hat man die Möglichkeit, Machupcchu per Fußweg zu erreichen. Wegen Zeitgründen mussten wir jedoch mit dem Taxi reisen. Mit dem Auto dauert die Fahrt von Santa Maria nach Santa Teresa 1 Stunde, zu Fuß ca 4 - 8 Std. In Santa Teresa sind wunderschöne Thermale Bäder. Das Wasser ist kristallklar und es gibt einen riesen Schwimmbecken, und ein kleineres Becken mit warmen Wasser. Einfach traumhaft. Wenn man ein Zelt mitschleppt, kann man kostenlos campen! Da wir das nicht wussten und keine Zelte mitgebracht haben, übernachteten wir in Hugo's Lodge. 20 Soles für ein Bett. Die Lodge ist neu, und erst seit 4 Monaten in Operation.

Am zweiten Tag ging es weiter mit dem Taxi nach Hidroelectrica, 30 Minute, Fussmarsch 2 - 3 Stunden. In Hydro Electrika gibt es einen Bahnhof, und man kann einen Zug nehmen bis Aguas Calientes. Der Fußmarsch dauert ca 2 - 3 Stunden, entlang der Gleisen. Und siehe, da, man erreicht Aguas Calientes, das Dorf von Machupicchu. In 45 Minuten Laufzeit erreicht man schließlich die Ruinen.

Das Klima in diesen Orten ist sehr mild, und tagsüber kann es auch heiß sein. Es ist die Grenze zum Jungle auf einer Höhe von 1900m - 2500m. Hier sind ein paar erste Eindrücke!

Eigendlich hatte ich vor, bis Montag in Aguas Calientes zu bleiben, um Machupicchu in den frühen Morgenstunden zu besuchen. Doch leider war ich krank, und musste zurück nach Cusco. Heute gehts mir besser und bin fast gesund :)

Auf jedenfall habe ich vor, die Inka Jungle Tour zu laufen. Kenn jetzt den Weg ^^

Tag 1 - Inka Jungle

Inka Jungle - Tag 1

Tag 2 - Inka Jungle

Inka Jungle - Tag 2

Cusco from Above

Von Larapa aus ging der Spaziergang los um einen Gipfel zu bezwingen. Doch selbst der 2 Versuch hat keinen Erfolg gebracht. Man benötigt einen ganzen Tag, denn in 3 Stunden ist der Aufstieg nicht zu schaffen. Um 6 Uhr abends ist es bereits dunkel und wenn man am Nachmittag losläuft, reicht die Zeit nicht aus. Auf den Fotos ist die Stadt Cusco abgebildet von ca. 4000 Höhenmetern.

Ich in einem Online-Magazin - www.veintemundos.com

Für den deutschen Markt

Interim Report week 13 - 15

1.the daily activities/ placement assignments

I finally finished translating the website and all the package tours into German. Now a webmaster has to be consulted in order to add the content to the website. I asked a friend whether he would like to do it and he is going to make an offer. Violeta then has to decide who has the more convenient offer, my friend or the webmaster in Cusco.

Moreover I was working on marketing and designed a brochure that will be send to various tourism companies via e-mail. Meanwhile Violeta has been working on the new rates, which will be included in the e-mail with the brochure. The idea is to use the brochure to catch the attention of the receiver and include a short text that gives brief information about the company and the intention to work with each other. The rates will be included separately into the appendix to get more information. The brochure can be found in the end of this report.

I started putting together the placement report, that also includes the NHTV assignments. I made a first draft to get an idea what needs to be done. I am planning to start with the NHTV assignments when I finish the Destination Analysis. I made quite some progress with this analysis about Cusco. I found 3 articles that I will use for writing the analysis of the CCS part, which is the last point of the DA. Because I was missing information about the Tourism Development part of the DA, I prepared questions in English and Spanish. Then I went to DIRCETUR and asked for an interview. According to Violeta there was no need to make a prior appointment and she was right. One director was so kind to be interview, and he even gave me additional information on a USB-stick. It was quite a challenge to do it in Spanish. However, I recorder everything and later on typed it out, so that nothing of the conversation got lost. At the moment, I have more data than I can use. Because time is limited, I will need to set limits so that I can finish the DA soon.

Having been busy with all this work, I only had little time in the evenings to rewrite my notes of Spanish. Nevertheless, the interview, translation of the website and reading of reports in Spanish all helped me with my Spanish skills.

2.attainment targets

Working on assignments for the company, I experienced what it is like to be employed for someone else. Whether or not I liked the assignment, I had to finish it. The translation of the website took lots of time and was not very interesting. On the other site, I learned everything about the tourism products of Cusco that Golden Empire Tours has to offer.

I definitely had to use my imagination to do research activities. Once the internet did not provide any further information and neither the university nor the library had what I needed, I got the idea to go to DIRCETUR; a major tourism company, to conduct an interview. Now I feel confident to interview other people not only in English and German, but also in Spanish.

3.personal aspects

I have been working on one of my weaknesses, i.e. lack of initiative. Violeta wants me to do marketing and did not exactly mention in what way. I got the idea to design a brochure and include it with the rates in an e-mail, sending it to other companies. From one day to another I started working on the brochure, and presented it to Violeta. In the same manner I went to DIRCETUR to conduct the interview, despite my moderate Spanish skills. I understand now, that if something needs to be done, there is only the possibility of oneself to start working, taking the initiative and being persistent until the targeted goal is reached. Of course, it is always necessary to think in advance first and to plan things out to a certain degree. Then, the focus should be directed towards carrying out and finishing the action.

4.future action items

Within the next weeks I am planning to start working on the NHTV assignments. These assignments require some help by Violeta and I hope that she will not be too busy. I will read the three articles and use them, as well as other literature to write the analysis of my story “Peruvian way of life” for CCS. Moreover, I will have to read some studies about tourism impacts on Cusco. Although they are in Spanish, I will not translate everything as I did before. Instead, I will try to pick out only the most important aspects and include translating them into the DA. Since in a few months the important festivals of Cusco are going to start, I would like to send the brochure and the rates to other tourism companies. If Violeta will not have the time to write a brief introduction text, I will take the initiative and compose one to make such a promotional email.

Intercambio en Español

VIVA CUSCO EL IMPERIO DE LOS INCAS

Tengo 24 años, soy estudiante de Administracion de Turismo International en la Universidad NHTV en Breda, Holanda. Aunque estaba viviendo casi tres años en Holanda, ese no es mi país natal. Nací en Almaty, Kazachstan y cuando tuve cinco años de edad mi familia decidió mudarse a Alemania, el pais donde viví la mayor parte de mi vida. Otros paises que conocí son: Los Estados Unidos por un año, e India por seis meses. Me encanta viajar y conocer diversos aspectos de la cultura de los países e intercambiar estilos de vida mundial. Ademas, aprender otros idiomas, es mi gran pasión para poder conversar con toda la gente que sea posible. Teniendo el deseo de hablar Español y visitar America del Sur, envié mi currículum a una empresa turística en Cusco, Peru con la intencíon de hacer mis practicas obligatorias por 25 semanas. Es increible pero ya estoy viviendo dos meses en este país fascinante y escribiendo en castellano.

Después de un largo viaje llegué a la capital de Perú, Lima el 21 enero e inmeditamente fui a la ciudad de Ica en ómnibus. Porque quería huir de una ciudad grande y desconocida ya que no podia hablar ni entender el Español. Durante mi viaje a Ica estaba muy sorprendido al escuchar el Castellano, evidentemente la gente no se parecía a la gente de España y sin embargo cada uno estaba hablando el idioma, lo que yo solo conozco del país europeo, lugar donde permanecia en mis vacaciones.

Cuando lluegé a Cusco en omnibus, no podía respirar por la altura y por la hermosura de la ciudad, las montañas y la vista. Qué fascinación! ese mismo instante llamé a Violate, la dueña de la empresa Golden Empire Tours (www.goldenempiretours.com) y mi jefe durante mi estancia. Ella y su familia me dieron una bienvenida cariñosa. Hasta ahora me estan tratando como su hijo, estoy viviendo en su casa, comiendo con la familia, siempre estoy acompañado de ellos y cada fin de semana salimos en famila. Por ejemplo estuve presente en el cumpleaños de Violeta , visitamos a la Abuelita, tambien estuve en el cumpleaños de Christian sobrino de Violeta, participe también en la recolección de la papa en la chacra de la familia. La hospitalidad bonachona me ayudó bastante a acostumbrarme a la cultura Peruana, aprender el Español más rapidamente, descubrir la comida traditional y visitar varios lugares interesantes. Ya no me siento como un extranjero, por esa razon me parece que estoy viviendo en Perú una eternidad. Solo a veces estoy peleando con las diferencias culturales. Una de las dificultades es viajar en el carro, lo cual no tiene espacio suficiente ni comodidad. Otro aspecto es el clima frio y la falta de calefactor. Que suerte que Perú tiene muchas llamas y alpacas preciosas las que permiten la producción de las chompas y de los gorros calidos.

Ingrid, la hija de Violeta, tiene casi mi edad y llegó hacer una buena amiga para mi. Ella me muestra la vida moderna en Cusco con fiestas, cerveza cusqueña y la musica peruana. Aunque a vecez uno escucha la musica traditional en las discos, hay mucha influencia Americana. Por eso, una fiesta se distingue por el sabor de la cerveza. Por otro lado, la vida en la chacra es muy diferente a la vida de la ciudad. La gente vive con mucha sencillez, trabaja duro y gana poco dinero, y solo tiene las cosas necesarias. Sin embargo un granjero me dijó que el prefiere la vida del campo, dondé no hay contaminación ni mucha gente. En verdad, es una vida sin estrés, con la tranquilidad de la naturaleza con comida fresca y natural.

En resumen me encanta y me facina mis practicas en Cusco, y a la vez el intercambio con la familia peruana. Lo que me apena es que el tiempo pasé rápidamente, de pronto siento despertarme que nuevamente estoy en Holanda, soñando las aventuras que tuve cuando visité el Imperio de los Incas.

Wer hat Lust?

Kunst aus Cusco

cusco art