Building report - 25th October.

It has been over three weeks since the last report and great progress has been made. The roof supports which were inside the building have all been dismantled and the concrete floor of the main area has been poured. All the internal and external concrete areas have been rendered and look very smart.

The kitchen and toilet areas will be done in the next couple of days. The builders have also finished the pathway and steps on the side of the comedor.

Our two week break.

Marion and I have spent the last two weeks visiting some of Peru’s tourist gems with our daughter, Elena. It all began with a very early morning flight from Lima to Cusco.
Cusco is a beautiful city nestled in the Andes at an altitude of 3326 metres above sea level. In fact, on arrival, it is a very good idea to go to bed for a few hours in order to allow your body to adjust to this altitude.

As you approach Cusco you are struck with red brick colouring of this city. It is due to the fact that the predominant material used for roofing is red tiles. We also discovered that the local authorities have decreed that in future all roofing must remain this way as well as external painting to be maintained in white and sky blue colour scheme.

One must in this area is to take a day tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas which visits such places as Pisac, a colourful market town, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. All three are famous for both their Inca and Spanish historical sites. The architectural designs and constructional abilities of these peoples are truly amazing.

The bright colours of the Pisac market.

The pictures above show another huge Inca site overlooking Cusco and it is called Saqsaywaman, literally pronounced 'sexy woman'!

The Vistadome train service to Aguas Calientes takes about four hours and is an extremely comfortable way of beginning our visit to Machu Picchu. The train journey is basically divided into three sections, the first being five or six switchbacks as we climb out of Cusco, then there is the ride through the Sacred Valley following the Rio Urubamba and finally riding through the extremely steep sided valley to the small town of Aguas Calientes.

This town at 2410 metres above sea level is virtually right below Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes translates into hot water and we both took a soothing bath in these springs just outside of the town.
Next morning at 5.30 a.m. we were on one of the first buses to ascend to Machu Picchu. Although it was to be my third visit to the site, the excitement and amazement of the grandeur does not diminish. You cannot but marvel at this place, especially when you realise that it has now been declared as one of the recently installed ‘Seven Wonders of the Modern World’.

Elena was determined to scale Wayna Picchu, something she did in great style and is still talking about the experience!

Elena before and after the climb!

We were lucky to visit Machu Picchu so early in the morning as the first of the tourist trains arrive around 10.00 a.m. and then the visitor numbers increase dramatically. In fact when we were departing for Aguas Calientes early in the afternoon people were still arriving in numbers and streaming through the entrance gates. One major achievement for me was that for once my daughter cost more than me due to the fact that my Peruvian residency got me in for half price. Viva Peru!
Back to Cusco and then early next morning onto a day bus to Puno, this time the elevation has risen to 3830 metres above sea level. If altitude problems are going to strike you down this is where it will occur. Thankfully all three of us only suffered from occasional shortness of breath and very dry throats when you awake in the morning. Puno is situated on the shores of the highest navigable lake in the world.

It can hardly be called a lake when its dimensions are 170 kms. in length and 60 kms. in width. Its deepest point is estimated to be 240 metres and in reality it is one kilometre higher than Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko! 60% of this lake belongs to Peru and 40% to Bolivia and both have a small navy presence on the water. Lake Titicaca is where you can also visit the famous floating reed islands.
Puno to Arequipa was an easy five hour bus ride, as well as a welcome drop in altitude, 2350 meters above sea level. Possibly the most beautiful city of our travels. While Cusco is predominately red, Arequipa is largely constructed of silla, a white local stone. It is also situated at the base of not one, but three volcanoes, El Misti, Chacchani and Picchu Picchu.

The Central Plaza of Arequipa is something else by night, especially when viewed from one of the many upstairs colonnade restaurants.
Arequipa is also boasts of being the home of the Convent of Santa Catalina, a veritable city within the immediate vicinity of the Central Plaza. It is possibly Arequipa’s main tourist attraction and is a must to visit. Within the Convent walls the buildings and small streets are painted in red ochre and bright blue while potted red geraniums are placed everywhere. The history of this Convent it worth reading on any of the many websites as also are the websites for Juanita the Ice Maiden and Maison del Fundador, the home of the founder of Arequipa. Two other noted attractions of Arequipa.

Our trip ended with a fifteen hour overnight bus ride back to Lima, however, the Cruz del Sur bus line is one of the best and even the lower section of these double-decker buses are equipped with the most comfortable full cama seats, recliner beds, and you don’t need to guess where the three of us were!

Chalk and Cheese!

Just less than two hours by bus through the centre of Lima or about thirty kilometres as the crow flies and you reach Lacomar in the heart of Miraflores, an extremely affluent area of Lima. Almost the perfect example of chalk and cheese or as my mother used to say ‘from chocolates to boiled lollies’ – or vice versa! On reflection I suppose it is the same for most of the heavily populated cities of the world. They all have their richer areas and their poorer areas, their ‘haves’ and their ‘have nots’.

The residents of Miraflores would know of such places as Canto Grande, San Juan de Lurigancho and Montenegro, however, you could bet your bottom dollar they have never been anywhere near the area. Nevertheless, a number of the residents of Montenegro would go to Miraflores for work, while some may have even visited the area, if only for ‘window shopping’.

From rock, dirt and dust to green grass, palm trees and beaches. From the most basic form of housing conditions to very presentable high rise accommodation. From small hostels to the International Marriott.

Lacomar, right on the Pacific Ocean, is the place to be seen in Miraflores. The restaurants and shops are of the highest quality and I would suggest they endeavour to target not only the tourist market but also the more upper class members of Lima’s society.
Where else in Lima would you be able to stroll into an exclusive cigar shop, make your selection from hundreds of cigars displayed in a perfectly climatically controlled show room and then indulge yourself in the café with your favourite coffee? I must admit that I have not spied the equivalent around Montenegro!

Before we depart for Australia we could possibly introduce hang gliding off the sides of the mountains, it does seem very popular off the cliffs of Miraflores. It obviously gives the passenger a fantastic view of the coast line.

Another tremor.

Another tremor and this time right in the middle of Monday night’s lesson. Apparently it measured 4 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre only twenty six kilometres south east of Lima. That’s close!
It was not the nicest of feelings to just sit there and listen to the rumble grow louder and louder and then feel the house beginning to shake causing the windows and doors to vibrate and the plates and glasses to rattle and clink in the various cupboards. The entire event may only take six to seven seconds; however, I can assure you that’s long enough for you to become rather fearful.
A few of the members of the class, including myself, did not like the experience one little bit. Others just seem to take the whole performance as normal.
People must wonder about the next ‘big one’!

Heroes de Senepa

The area of Heroes de Senepa from half way up the side of the valley...
Yesterday we were invited by Sister Marg Malady and Delia to accompany them up the valley to one of their weekly discussion groups. Each week a small group of mothers and their children gather in a different house to talk, do some embroidery, discuss a topic relevant to their lives and say a short prayer. While this agenda proceeds, the children either play around the house or do some colouring. Yesterday’s discussion topic was based on ‘good news’, and they used the example of the local press and how it tends to depict bad news in graphic and gory detail. They all agreed that good news to them would be getting some work! They want to work and yet are unable to find any. Jorge and Sonia, the owners of the house we met in, have some work: Jorge is a repairer of a variety of small machines and Sonia uses her overlocker and sewing machine to both make and repair clothes. Rebecca, who has four girls, peels hot peppers with her bare hands and earns $/-1.00 per two kilos. You have to remember that peppers do not weigh very much, and they burn your hands! Her nine year old daughter, Elizabeth, is severely handicapped and in need of twenty four hour care.

We met Marg and began the climb up the side of the valley, she warned us that it would be hot and steep; she was right on both counts. We were also escorted by Delia, she and her daughter Gabriela were members of our first English class.

When we reached the ‘top’ we were greeted by Jorge and Sonia and invited inside their home – three roughly divided areas – a cooking area, a sitting area and a sleeping area!

The ladies took great pride in their embroidery.

The children loved their colouring in exercises, however, they found it extremely difficult to be creative when it came to choosing the colours. They just wanted to copy the text book!

Then someone just happened to mention that a certain person may be able to sketch some of the children’s’ faces! Would you believe the news spread like wildfire and the line-up grew by the minute? At the end of the discussion and short prayer we were served a cup of orange gaseosa – soft drink - and a dry biscuit.

We thanked them sincerely for their hospitality and started the trek back down the valley. It is a huge reality check comparing our living conditions back home to the living conditions these people have to contend with – and with very little of hope for a better future!

Even the garbage truck is an eye opener. It comes a certain way up the valley with its siren blaring and the people have to come running with their garbage, there is no possible way the truck could negotiate some of the side streets!

We promised to return to visit the families of Heroes de Senepa.