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| Anouk Leusink on her last day with children at day care center in Cuzco, Peru. |
Leusink left in November for the ancient city of Cuzco in Peru. Though she had worked hard for a holiday, Leusink wanted to spend a part of her time to help those less fortunate than herself. So with the help of the non-profit organization, Vrijwillig Wereldwijd (Volunteer Worldwide), who are linked with the organization, Wayquis Peru, she made arrangements to work in an orphanage in Cuzco for the first four weeks of her holiday.
For five afternoons every week for four weeks, Leusink interacted with the ten young girls for whom the orphanage was home. Though abandoned by a cruel twist of destiny, these innocent children welcomed Leusink into their lives. Her eyes lit up as she remembered each one of them. `They represented hope where none existed. They taught me more than I could ever teach them.' She spent the mornings at a day-care center where 40 children, between the ages of 1-4, were cared for, while their parents worked hard to earn the day's bread. `The younger children, though really cute, were more difficult to manage,' says Leusink with a smile.
While working at the orphanage she lived with a Peruvian family, which Vrijwillig Wereldwijd had arranged for her. This family gave her a unique opportunity to get to know the daily lives of ordinary Peruvian people.
Towards the beginning of December, her boyfriend Ben joined her in Cuzco. Leusink described the country of Peru as, `a magical pot, a gold mine for those interested in archeology.' They started off with the spectacular Inca Trail, a walking tour spread over four days, during which they covered 40 Kilometers. The trail culminated with a magical entrance to the lost city of Machu Picchu. `Though the terrain was quite difficult-the ancient ruins of the Inca civilization, the overpowering natural scenery, the variety of colorful birds, and the friendly lamas-made this trip worth the physical exertion,' says Leusink.
The Machu Picchu archaeological complex was a feast for their eyes. `The place has 140 constructions, including temples, sanctuaries and houses with thatched roofs, and a number of water channels and fountains-all in the Inca architectural classic style. No wonder it is so popular with tourists,' she says.
They then took a train trip through the mountains to Puno, a city located on the shores of Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake. The lake has 41 reed islands; Leusink and her boyfriend took trips to three of them on small handmade reed boats. Their next stop was to Arequipa at the foot hills of the El Misti volcano. Here they visited the monastery of Santa Catalina and took a two-day expedition to the top of the active volcano that was 5,822 meters above sea level. Seeing the volcanic gasses coming from the crater and walking through the lava ash was one of the many highlights of their expedition.
They celebrated Christmas in the tiny oasis town of Huacachina, sun bathing and sand boarding. From the desert, they took off for the skies to capture a bird's-eye view of the Nazca lines for which people have still not found an explanation. Finally, they took a short break at Islas Ballestas to take a peek at the marine life before heading for the capital city of Lima. Here they celebrated New Year's Eve before returning to back to the Netherlands.
What was the most memorable part of the entire trip? Leusink reflects, `This entire trip was so unique. I experienced mountains, volcanoes, deserts, seas…I just cannot name one.' Well, who can blame her?
