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Published: June 11th 2007
Volunteers
Awww! I love these guys! It is over. I've left Huaraz. I really didn't think it would be that traumatic but it was. Man I miss The Lodge and everyone already, just thinking about makes me get tears in my eyes. My whole experience here has just been amazing, I'm so thankful to have got the oppurtunity to live in Peru and build a trout farm. Now who can say they have done that?
My last days at The Lodge were just brilliant, in a way it would have been way easier if I was bored and wasn't having a good time. But not so. So on Friday night we all went down for the party in Huaraz. First we went out to supper with Stella Maris (our spanish teachers daughter) and we went to a returaunt called El Horno. It was a nice quiet dinner, and afterwards we were feeling a bit sick. Not from the food just general colds and suspected parasites. So we went back to the dorm and listened to a comedian on someones lap top and then went to sleep.
In the morning I booked my flights and sent a package home (family, expect some gifts in a week or
two) and all that jazz.
We had our last breakfast at California cafe. Man they had the best toast there with real butter. Its amazing how much you miss it. I made a bit of a mistake though and ordered belgian waffles. They tasted too much like pancakes, and since thats what we have for brekkie every day I am totally pancaked out. So I didn't eat any. Oh well.
Jake (a peace corp volunteer) bought Tristan some birds for his birthday and we were volunttered to carry them up to the hostel and then the Lodge. We got back up quite late due to a shortage of Taxis and through the whole tirp up I was convinced those budgies were gonna die of shock. But amazingly they survived.
We ate some barbeque, drank some pina coladas and then ate lots of jelly and custard. We played such fun word games such as name 8 parts of the body that only have three letters and name 7 countries that end in Y. Go on try it, its not as easy as it sounds but we managed it all.
That night there was lots of beer and wine floating about, and
Global Girlies
At the last supper we played loads of group games. First the frenchies (Babette and Alice) taught me and Jess some dances which was fun. And then Pete suggested playing Limbo. Now we were all under the impression that like us he had never done it before. He cliamed he hadn't but he was so good he must have been lying. Each time he went under he did it with such skill and rhythm. I was one of the first out as I don't really have a flexible back, but it was greta fun to watch. All the tall people except Pete and Jess went out quickly, until it was just them two left. Amazingly Jess beat Pete, it was very tense.
After that Liz suggested the paper bag game. What you do it get a paper bag like the ones american kids take thier lunched in to school with and you place it on the floor. Everyone had to pick it up with thier teethwithout putting thier hands or knees on the floor. Once everyone was done they bag was cut in half and the same thing happened again. Eevryone wanted to be the first to pick it up as it gets pretty
Ew
Look at the face damp and unhygenic very soon, ew. It was great fun watching people and again it got pretty tense. Some people got so competitive that they changed out of thier jeans for soemhtign more flexible. It was very fun and afew people won in the end.
Afterward we played a game called Killer which is like wink murder but with cards. I was the firts one killed so it wasn't as much fun as once you are dead you can do nothing. Eventually people started going to bed, and me, Ed, Ali and Eric (some of the cool englishguys we met) decided to go star gazing in the hammocks as ONCE AGAIN we were told to go to bed. Which is so patronising it really pissed me off. Oh well. It was a beautiful clear night and I saw my very first shooting star, it was special. Me and Ed actually fell asleep in the hammocks though and woke up freezing, eventually making it to bed at 4am.
Now this would have been fine if I could sleep in the next morning. But I didn't. I had to get up super early to go down to Huaraz quickly and sort out
Warning
Llamas. Dangerous creatures don't you know. mt flights as there was a bit of a kerfuffle with them. Jess came down with me as well and we were in a taxi on our way down at 9. I was going to get Jess tested for parasites, as I am such a pro at it. Unfortunately for her the clinica was closed so it was all for nothing.
I managed to get all my flights sorted, even though I paid double. But its done now there is nothing else I can do. Thanks to Pam and Paul and Imogen for helping me with the flights even though they didn't go through in the end. And we managed to get back up by 11am, which is impressive. Unofrtunately having 2 half an hour taxi rides in such a short space of tiem wasn't very fun. I threw up again when I got back to the Lodge. Not so fun really, but I felt better after that.
Sunday was Pacha Manca day, which is basically cooking food underground as I explained before. The whole process is actually a bit more complicated than that. First they build like a little house with rocks, and light a fire in there. Then
Limbo Liz
How low can you go? it gets so hot that the rocks collapse onto a platform inside the house. Unfortunately it didnt work out like that and the whole thing collapsed. Cue some frantic digging to try and rescue it. Then they put potatoes and camotes (like sweet potato) and something else that was like a potato and soem beans and of course the lamb. Then they cover it with dry grass and dirt and it all cooks in half an hour.
Another sad little thing was a lizard got trapped in the pacha manca. When it came out it was cut in half and still hot and crispy. Poor thing.
Loads of people from the local community were there including my family from the home stay, and all the kids I met there. There must have been 60 or 70 people alotogether it was a big party.
It was so funny, when I was at the homestay I drew some pictures for the kids. And at the pacha manca Babette gave me her book to write my details in. The moment Igot the book and a pen in my hand about 6 or 7 peruvian kids rushed up to watch what I was doing.
Limbo Tom
About to fall... Very sweet.
The food was delicious and afterwards we took loads of group photos and played with the kids. I'm really goint o miss Arnold and Kevin, Rosa's kids. They weere just too cute. We played on the swings with them and oh it was just so sweet. We got some lovely group photos and then went up to the Lodge to play volley ball.
I really suck at volley ball, so didn't play too much. Plus they don't have the right ball so it fucking kills your arms. But it was lovely nontheless, playing by the sunset.
And then the evening kinda trailed off. We all pakced and started saying our goodbyes. I got people to write emssages and details and pictures in my diary and I was so touched by what was written.
The taxi was late as usual and we were all kinda freaking out and kept chanting to Lucio the driver 'muy tarde! mad rapido!' meaning very late much faster. Well Lucio didn't dissapoint and he made the 40 minute journey in 20 minutes, which was pretty damn scary actually.
And yeah we made our final goodbyes to Karen and then took the night bus to
Limbo Jess
About to win Lima.
Oh my god, it was the most comfortable bus I have ever been on. They were like first class airplane seats. They fully reclined and you got a blanket. But despite that and the fact that I got 4 hours sleep the night before I still didn't sleep well. So early to bed tonight for me.
We arrived in Lima 6am and so went to the hostel that the other guys are staying in and hung out with them there. We watched TV which was like the first time in 10 weeks, very strange.
Then a few hours later I was fliyng overthe Andes. There were some pretty strong turbulence and our plane kept dropping suddenly. It was kinda worrying specially having just read the book ALIVE. You know about the plane that crashed into the Andes and they all turn into cannibals. Yeah. nonetheless it was spectacular and I got some nice photos from my window.
Adn then I arrived in Cuzco and went to my hostel and went on the internet and you are now completely up tod ate with the adventures of Becky.
LOVE YOU ALL
XXXXXXX
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jenny
non-member comment
enjoy cuzco!
soooo jealous...and glad everything worked out well. lovely pics, and what a lovely time you had at the lodge...Im sad for you leaving!!!!