By Daris Howard Gazette Contributor As we traveled in Peru, I loved watching the children. We stayed in the city of Agua Calientes (which means “Hot Water”) during the two days we toured Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain”). Agua Calientes was built on the Andean hillside, rising steeply from the roaring Urumbamba River up the cone shaped mountain.From Aguas Calientes we would catch a small bus up the mountain to the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. Avenida Pachacutec, the street that our hotel was on, was paved with brick and cobblestone and slanted steeply downward for about 20 yards, leveled out for about five yards in front of a shop or hotel doorway, only to slant downward again. The street went this way from far up the mountainside where the hot pools were, all the way down to the Plaza De Armes at the City center.
When the children got out of school they flew quickly up the street in their little blue uniforms, and without even going home to change, would search out the empty 2 and a half liter water bottles left in the trash by the tourists. They would haul them up to the top of Avenida Pachacutec, sit on them and tuck their feet up tight. Holding on to the neck of the bottle, they would go scooting down the hill. They didn’t need any expensive Game-Boys or X-Boxes to have fun, but did as children have done for centuries, using innovation and the simple things of the environment around them.
They were very careful to make sure that no one was walking across their path before they started on their descent. Sometimes they would get up enough speed to make it past the level area and down the next incline. But often they would station a child on each of the plateaus to give an extra shove, helping them on their way. This the children did, sharing water bottles and trading positions, so each child had an equal opportunity for adventure. In this way they entertained themselves for hours.
It looked like so much fun I wanted to give it a try myself, but knew I could never tuck my legs up tight enough to fit on anything smaller than a lazy-boy recliner, so I just watched from a distance. In addition, I was deterred from any such activity when I realized it must be illegal. Every time one of the policemen turned onto the street during their walk about the city, the children would grab their bottles and dart into our hotel to hide. I know the policemen saw them at this activity more than once, because a person can’t stop themselves in mid-slide. But the policemen would just smile as they passed and continue on their way along their designated beats. I’m sure they probably did such things when they were young and might still wish they could give it a try if they could tuck their legs up tight too.
During the time that we stayed there we did a lot of walking around Machu Picchu. Some of us climbed to the Sun Gate and a very few of us made the trek up Machu Picchu Peak. The sun burned down hot on us, especially in that high altitude, leaving my throat dry and parched. I drank a river of water, and yet it never seemed to be enough.
And perhaps I am contributing to juvenile delinquency in the world, but as I lifted my pack to my shoulder to head to the train station for our journey to Ollantaytambo, I carefully set my empty 2 and a half liter water bottles by the hotel door - a gift to the children.
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