Blogs from Peru, South America - page 1155

Hola amigos y familia Wow. We have officially been to five countries in less than a month! We are writing this bulletin from an internet cafe in Cuzco - the navel of the incan empire according to our guide - in peru. after receiving an email from one of our subscribers explaining that she was able to win a trivia night after knowing that la paz is in bolivia there will be some more geographic facts and trivia to add to your educations!! After signing off the last bulletin, we went to a bolvian folk night where we heard an amazing all women band called the pachamamas perform while ev ticked off another animal - the llama. To further enhance your educations i have included below an extract from ev's forthcoming travel book - the fauna ... read more

Arequipa is known as The White City, since many of the buildings were constructed using sillar, which is a white volcanic stone. They were holding regional elections when I arrived, which made the bus from Lima twice as crowded and twice as expensive. Voting is mandatory. They vote much like we do in the States, with simple ballots dropped into boxes at churches and schools. I found the climate warm and mild, and the people very down to earth. There are a few sights to see in Arequipa, one is the Santa Catalina Monastery and the other is a museum housing Juanita, the Ice Princess. She is a remarkably well-preserved mummy of a young girl sacrificed by the Incas around 500 years ago. Unfortunately you can´t photograph her; she is kept in a dark room under ... read more

Friday 28th -Manuela´s leaving night After updating the blog, Vicki and I went for a wander into town. Ayacucho is exceptionally busy at the moment. There is a big vote and the weekend which could result in a restructure of the regions across Peru. Ayacucho may join up with another two regions, which would be beneficial as there is less poverty in these regions and they may be able to help Ayacucho to an extent. The vote is on Sunday, and everyone must return to their place of birth to vote (kind of like the census in Israel that preceeded the birth of Jesus!). The people are fined if they do not vote. Tuesday of next week is also ´All Saints Day´ (a national holiday) and there is a local Ayacucho holiday on Wednesday. On Friday ... read more

After a very very long trip we've arrived in Pucallpa, one of the two main towns in the Peruvian part of the Amazonian rain forest. The trip was quite an experience. It started off with the sand desert around Lima. We then crossed the Cordillera Blanca, where we travelled up to almost 6000m (18000ft!!) and suffered from altitude sickness... Finally we headed deep into the jungle, where the "road" seemed to get constantly worse. Pucallpa is a lot different from Lima. Its very hot and dusty, but at the same time surrounded by loads of interesting flora. Poverty is also much more abundant here. Tomorrow (on Saturday), we'll take a boat up the river and meet with the community we'll be working with for the next 2 months. Although internet connections are surprisingly easy to find ... read more

Afternoon 26th October Hi Folks, No photos again today - just my blurb!! After updating my diary yesterday, I headed back to base for our lecture on the use of natural remedies in Ayacucho. Had a lukewarm shower (must be my turn for a cold one today) and was lounging on my top bunk afterwards (yet again with a book in my hand) when another storm started. This time it was hailstones like you have never seen (honestly - no exaggeration!!). The majority of the houses in Ayacucho have tin roofs, so the resulting sound was the equivalent of the Fyffes and Drums at the Edinburgh military tattoo!! Had I been able to record it, it could have been used to replace an orchestral percussion section!! Amazing!! Again, rivers in the street etc, but I was ... read more