Reflections

  As our plane takes off on Friday and curves through the gap in the mountains – hopefully – there will be many thoughts going through my head.  Trevor has sent his blog and as a form of a diary I will now do mine.  Some of our thoughts are similar so sorry if they bore you.

The month of June is party time in Cusco, and people plan their trips to Sth America around being here this week, in particular.  It all goes back to the Incas who hold the winter solstice in high importance, and the 24th June is the highlight – the Spanish during their invasion decided on this date, instead of the 21st. Every day we go into Cusco there is a parade of some kind on and this weekend is no exception. Then a public holiday on Tuesday where there is a huge event we will be attending nearly all day.  Last night in the main square of the city, there was a concert and fire works.  We got there quite early and gradually the crowd increased, but it wasn’t until about 2 hours into the evening – standing all the time – that I became aware of how huge the crowd around us was.  The ethnic music was fabulous and as the tempo grew the crowd began really getting into it – jumping and waving hands etc.  I suddenly felt quite trapped in this enormous crowd with no way out.  I just had to get out so we started  to push our way through this incredibly crowd of people.  At one stage we felt we could be knocked to the ground – there are times when being 6 foot tall and 20 stone would be good.  -  and it was a bit frightening.  We got to a lawned area which was out of bounds but seemed the only exit for us so we just went for a run for it and I didn’t care that  there were 8 security guards whistling at us to stop going on the lawn  it got us out of the crowd and even if they had chased us I figured we were out of the crowd.  Getting home was still a challenge after that because of the demand on taxi’s and we had to pay 4 dollars!!, - 25 at least in Adelaide, but we made it eventually.

Peru has been many things to me – including fulfilling something I have wanted to do for more years than I can remember and I feel that in the time we have been here we have achieved quite a lot.

The sights and sounds and sometimes the smells of Peru can never be forgotten.  There are unforgettable images, especially of the people here, that will be with me forever.  Watching the lives of the people of Pumarmarca, but also the people in the city too, who are struggling will be with me forever.

-         the old old ladies sitting on the cold pavement into the night selling a few lollies to make a tiny bit of money  - the young mum with babe on her back, with a tray of cottons, trying to sell a reel of cotton, the shoe polishers that take such pride in polishing peoples shoes for as little as 50c., old men and women with the most enormous loads on their backs, you think would not be humanly possible to carry.  The irresistible market sellers that have persuaded me to buy much  more than I intended to – usually not bargaining with them because I feel sorry for the meager income they are making anyway. And so it goes on.

Then there are the taxi rides that Trevor has spoken about.  There is no other form of transport except the old bomb of a sort of bus called the Batman.  Many of the taxi rides I have called the “Will I ever see Adelaide again? rides”. They squeeze between the tiniest spaces and dogs and pedestrians do not warrant applying brakes.  One lot of volunteers were in a taxi that hit a dog and it just went on driving as if nothing had happened.  Crossing the road here is a health hazard in itself. There has been more than one occasion that I have covered my eyes when in a taxi and hoped for the best.   On the other hand we have had a lot of laughs with other volunteers in taxis as you might as well laugh as worry when you have no control over the situation.  

The other choice – the BATMAN bus packs people in when you are sure not another single body can fit.  Our regular commuter to Cusco is the Batman and cost 20c for 25 min ride – bumpy and wild that that ride usually is.  A sliding door fell off one the other day as the person who sits by the door screaming out the destinations slides it back and forth as it collects passengers along the way  - he also collects the money. The local people riding on these buses have always been so friendly and nice to us.

Other thoughts– the  groups of dogs wandering, gallivanting about, yapping out the front of our house, rummaging through the piles of rubbish on street corners, but they are actually quite amusing at times all different shapes and sizes.

There are also the beautiful colours of the Andean Mountains at sunset each day,and the snow peaked mountain in the distance, and  there have been wonderful restaurants  that we have gone to, and usually so cheap,  and just the pure colour and music and vibrancy of Cusco..

I  am so relieved that we have both stayed well, as it is a real effort, and challenge to do so. I am also relieved and thankful that Dad and everyone else at home have managed without any major dramas which could have cut short our time here.  We have been constantly busy, sometimes tired and certainly our time during the week has been planned out, and full, and even some weekends have been the same but it has been so worthwhile.  Of course, there have been times when we have had frustrations, and difficulties – we are living and working in a totally foreign environment and the conditions and situations are completely different.  I can easily overlook all of that as I think of the achievements and difference Peruschallenge is making to so many lives and if we have been able to contribute just a little towards this then I am very happy.  An incredible experience – the adventure of a lifetime and perhaps I will finish off with one of my favourite quotes – not that you have to come to Peru to achieve it – but as Mother Teresa once said –“ What we do is less than a drop in the ocean. But if it were missing the ocean would lack something.”   – I hope we have been able to add our drop.

Till we see you all back in Australia, and to our friends in other countries, I say goodbye from Peru for the last time. Love from Andrea

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