Monday we traveled with the Johnson’s, Rhoades and the Harbertson’s to visit the grass bridge Q’eswachaka. It is the last bridge of its type in Peru and is replaced every year in June. Ichu grass grows all over the Andes, but the bridge is constructed of a special type of grass called q’oya. It grows taller and is stronger than the typical Ichu grass. The surrounding villages begin soaking, pounding and braiding the fibers the first part of June. About mid-June they all come together with their rope contributions and have a three to four day festival with the men constructing the bridge. The bridge spans 118 feet and hangs 220 feet above the canyon's Apurimac River. It is estimated that during the Inca reign there were over 200 of these bridges.
This bridge hangs in a spectacular gorge and very few tourists visit. We had the place all to ourselves and enjoyed our visit with the “bridge guard” who told us all about the construction and the festival surrounding it.
It is not for the faint of heart. The floor is made of pine bows held in place between some of the rope. The bridge is constructed to preserve the Inca heritage but it is also used by the surrounding villages.
The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful day together.
It was back to work the rest of the week. Julie taught her English classes and Rich stayed busy with Quechua classes and mission work.
We were sad to learn about the earthquake in Chile. We have friends there but they are all ok from what we have heard. Here in Peru, we heard from two separate people that the cause of the earthquake was the “strong/strange winds” we had here in Peru the day before. One of the people who told us this is the grandma of the boys that Julie teaches. The other person has a degree in biology and teaches in one of the high schools here. People believe in superstitions as absolute fact! We heard this “strong winds” and earthquakes connection when we lived here before. We can’t quite believe that people still believe these things and college educated people at that! So you have been warned…
On another note, Rich was asked by one of the young women we know here if he had ever drunk his own urine. He was pretty much blindsided by the question. He said no, that he had been trying to avoid that particular practice. She told him that her boyfriend convinced her to try it to help her overcome her gastritis. He asked, “Did it help?” She said that it did but we think we will stick to Tums.
We were able to take nearly 5000 photos at work this week. We were pretty happy with the number since we only worked four days and worked on marriage records for two of those days. They are the worst, averaging anywhere from 5-20 pages per book. We admit to some moaning and sighing when we pull them from the shelves.
Friday we met the Johnson’s, Rhoades, and the Harbertson’s for lunch. We ate at Uchu’s (chile pepper) and it was delicious. It’s a fun place where they serve your main course, beef, lamb, alpaca, chicken, shrimp or fish on a hot stone that allows you to finish cooking your choices however you like. We like the beef, lamb and alpaca combination and the delicious sauces that accompany it. Our favorite side is mashed potatoes with rocoto (a spicy pepper) and chopped peanuts. Who would have thought to put chopped peanuts in mashed potatoes? It’s delicious.
We have a great time with the senior missionaries here. The Rhoade’s leave in December before Christmas and the Johnson’s head home in January. Then it’s back to us and the Harbertson’s. We haven’t heard of any other senior couples assigned to this mission.
