11 & 12 March 2017
Saturday 11 March – in the morning we go looking for other site
options in case our preferred site encounters issues with the purchase. And then around midday we pull into a fuel
station to fill up, but see no adults attending. We only see an 8 year old at the payment
register but he does not acknowledge our arrival. Then we notice why – the fuel register
computer has internet access and he is immersed in a video game – we all could
not help but have a good laugh at this!
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| Our 8 year old fuel station attendant in Uripa immersed in his video game! |
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| The Uripa Quechua community president in her stall (with black hat facing the camera). |
We hold two meetings, the first with the Uripa community
members at a local school. This meeting was
scheduled to start at 5:00 PM but starts about an hour and a half later (normal
in Quechua culture). Klaus spoke to
present Diospi Suyana and our request.
Then it seemed most wanted to have their say as is their customary right
of reply, each with repeated lengthy welcoming formalities. All this making us late for the second meeting
down town.
The second meeting was with in a community room which was
accessed via side alley door down a pitch dark muddy pooled and urine smelling alleyway. It led to a set of concrete stairs of varying
step heights and without any railings, up to the first floor past some exposed
electrical cables. It broke every work
health and safety rule I know. But once
inside the room was small and cosy with a single glowing bulb hanging from a ceiling
which just cleared my head by a few centimetres. There were paper files piled up high on
desks and on shelves. Seats were
arranged facing the president’s desk for the group of about 15 Quechua leaders
who were attentive our Klaus’s presentation and then wanted to hear from each
of us (my contribution was very short due to my lack in Spanish). It was a surreal experience for me, as I felt
like I was in a scene from an Indiana Jones or similar adventure movie. I later mentioned this to Klaus over a late
dinner that evening, and he jokes it is a page out of a missionary novel and I
laugh, as it is probably very true.
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| The Uripa community meeting with the president front and centre (in grey jumper and black hat). |
Sunday 12 March - after our late night, we are all awoken at
5:30 AM with unsolicited high volume church bells followed by three blaring songs
emanating from the Catholic Church from across the Uripa Plaza de Armes,
calling all Catholics to attend mass. A presumptuous
legacy for 50% of the population in Uripa that are no longer Catholic, or who may
do night work and don’t need the early morning mass attendance call.
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| The Uripa Catholic church blaring out bells and songs for about 20 minutes at 5:30 AM.! |
After a snooze, we arise again for our team (Klaus, Udo,
Doris and me) to embark at 7:00 AM on our road journey back to Curahuasi. This trip presented the usual beautiful
scenery but also flaunt with the many Peruvian Andes road hazards. Landslides over the national highway are common
at this time of year due to heavy rains washing away soil to bring down rocks
and boulders. The following is a photo montage
of some highlights of our trip.
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| We pass some beautiful patchwork quilt mountaintop farms (about 4,000 m above sea level). |
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| Landslides like the ones pictured here are common along the Panamericana highway in these parts – especially after heavy rain like that experienced in March |
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| This landslide blocks the alternative route to Abancay |
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| We find an alternative dirt road which takes us through some poor adobe villages with sights such as this one. |
We finally arrive in Abancay with
one more mountain pass to go (this one 4,000 m). But on our descent to Curahuasi we catch up
with a tour bus. It was one of the
scariest things you will see on the roads in Peru, as most of these drivers
assume the right to be wherever they want on the road with no regard for
anybody else (including their passengers!).
Time and time again I photo him on the wrong side of the road, crossing
double yellow lines including on blind corners with no knowledge of oncoming traffic. Not to mention the speed he was doing, the
lack of roadside railings and unforgiving steep mountainous drop-offs are no
deterrent.
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| The above photos are repeated insane and inconsiderate death defying manoeuvres for this bus on our road down to Curahuasi – tragically a common sight which is almost never apprehended with the almost complete absence of any police on the road. |
There is more too of course, but I think the most tragic
realisation is that it appears nothing has ever been done in Peru to address
such findings.
As for our family, we pray for safety, we take special care
on our journeys and we stand on the promise we were given before we came to
Peru from Psalm 121 versus 1 to 3 which reminds me of this;
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains
–
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip –
he who watches over you will not slumber.
Regards,
Chris
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