Sunday, 19 July, 2020 Today I really gave in to taking a day off. I sat in the sun on the roof, read Amy Schumer’s book The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo and ate popcorn and two packages of cookies. If I’m going to be unemployed, I might as well do nothing on Sunday. There’s no reason to try to get things done around the house. I’m not working all week and now I certainly have plenty of time to do things like laundry Monday through Friday. Happily, this week I will be a little less unemployed than last week. Since I got laid off, I’ve been working two hours per week, one hour teaching Spanish to a woman from England and the other teaching English to a Cusqueñian guy. This week I will get ... read more

Sunday, 5 July, 2020 Today I woke up in a tent, in the middle of the Huchuy Qosqo Inca archeological site. Last night was a full moon and it really was a magical experience to see such an important Inca site lit up by moonlight as if it were daytime. For breakfast today, the same kid from a nearby farm brought over boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs and a thermos of hot water. The Inca didn’t have chicken eggs, or anything like the cheese that we had brought with us, but they certainly ate boiled potatoes here. The family had sent a mix of several varieties, each potato about the size of a golf ball. Some were yellow, some a deep purple, some white with a pink center and several other varieties and color variations. Dinner ... read more

Sunday, 21 June, 2020 Day 99 of quarantine, 9 days to go Like last week, I’m at a loss as to what exactly I am counting down to. With case numbers surging around the world and a vaccine still a distant dream, what’s the point of counting down? Should I be counting up? Once quarantine is over, I’m going to have to switch to counting up from the day that the first case of Covid-19 was officially diagnosed in Cusco. That was Friday, March 13th. I hadn’t actually realized that it was Friday the 13th until I wrote that just now. Cusqueñians are superstitious about a lot of things, but Friday the 13th isn’t one of them, which is probably why I didn’t even notice at the time. That was a great day, as Fridays go. ... read more

Sunday, 7 June, 2020 85 days of quarantine down, 23 to go Yesterday was an incredible success! Frustratingly, Travelblog is not uploading photos this weekend, so If you missed last week or want to see the photos of the second event of the Covid Relief Project, check here. https://heatherjasper.com Also, here's the link to the video about yesterday (which I don't finish until Friday of this week. Sneak peek of the future!). Another Sunday means another day at home. This is the twelfth Sunday of quarantine, when nobody is allowed to leave their home except for emergency medical services. Only hospitals and clinics are open, no pharmacies, no grocery stores or any of the handful of other businesses that are allowed to be open. That leaves me with birdwatching, reading The Hummingbird’s Daughter by ... read more

Sunday, 24 May 70 days down, 37 to go Today, like the past nine Sundays, nobody is allowed to leave their home, except for emergency medical care. Friday President Vizcarra announced that there would be some modifications starting Monday, with more businesses allowed to open. But let’s be clear, Peru is still under a State of Emergency, with mandatory quarantine, restricted movement and curfew. Tomorrow the rules of the game will change yet again and I am so very happy about the allowance for people to go outside for something other than food and pharmacy. Businesses like veterinarians and dentists will be allowed to open, as well as plumbing and hardware stores. People will now be allowed to drive their own cars to the grocery store. From what I hear, all of these are allowed in ... read more