Inca Projects - PERU Daily Life

Daily Life of a Inca Projects Volunteer in Peru

My watch would beep at 6:30 am and I would stir under my covers. In a house nestled in the Peruvian mountains, the world was still pitch black and I was so cozy; but I would have to get up in order to have a couple of minutes to wash up in the only bathroom in the house. Dressing quickly, I would meet my housemate, another Inca projects volunteer, and host mom for breakfast. By 7:30 at the latest, we would walk into town in order to catch the local bus heading to the archaeological dig at Saqsaywahman.

After a ten minute walk, we would arrive at the Pisac Bridge. About five to eight, the other Inca volunteers would join us at the bus stop; and at around 8:00, we would all run to board the already crowded bus heading to Cusco.

The forty-five minute bus ride would drop us right off at Saqsaywahman where we would all walk to that day's excavation location. We would work in the sun, either clearing a location of top soil or searching for remains in a marked section, until around 12:30 when we would break for lunch. When the coordinators had decided that we had had enough socializing time (usually after fifteen minutes), we would all begin excavating again at our respective sites. On some days, the volunteers would be dispersed between three different locations on different parts of a hill; and on others, we would all be working on the same plot of land.

Our activities lasted until about 2pm, when we all had had enough of the dirt, picks, and heat and we would visit a museum or other historical site. At about 5pm, our leader would let us have free time. During this time, people could do a number of activities, including writing emails at an internet café, going into Cusco, touring the Pisac market, or visiting other historical landmarks. Usually, after a tiring day of work, we would all retire to Ulrike's Café for food, drink, and a movie.

On Fridays, instead of excavating in the morning, we had an Incan history lesson in Spanish. We would then have Spanish lessons in the early afternoon depending on our Spanish knowledge.

On a random day, we would spend the whole day on a trek in another town to visit more ruins. Usually by nightfall, I was really tired and would return home to my house on the outskirts of Pisac at 6:30 for dinner. My housemate and I would usually sit in the dining room after dinner and talk until 8 or 9pm. Many of the older volunteers stayed up late into the night dancing at the clubs and hanging out at local cafes. Even though I like to dance, I was usually pretty tired after working and walking around outside, and would retire to bed at around 9:30.