Too many pictures, Pitumarca, Julie's Birthday and a Strike or Two...



Pitumarca Chapel

Pitumarca Combi

Pitumarca Main Square

Pitumarca Combi2

Ward Dinner Dance

Random Alpaca

Strikers with Che flag (Go figure, not sure what he has to do with any of this but very popular figure because he is dead and probably the only really valuable thing he did.

Strikers outside of our office carrying the Tawantinsuyo (the flag of the Inca Empire, see above, not sure what that has to do with transport workers.

Baratillo Vendor

The Birthday Girl at Saqsaywaman

Jenae's Parents and Grandfather at Saqsaywaman

Humming Bird, the largest in the world

 

Frogs for sale...



Liza Doolittle (Cusco-style)

Can fruit be a vice???

Dogs watching over the ATM

Reclining dog

French Maid

On Patrol

Evidence of Modern Civilization, Spray Paint in Peru

Honey For Sale

Maestro

Street Performers

Yogurt is life!

Coqueton!

More strikers

Just can't keep 'em open

 

Saqsaywaman

Q'enqo

 

We find it kind of incredible to believe that nine months have passed since we entered the MTC. The time has truly flown. We are not entirely certain what we will do with ourselves when this is over. We have truly been kept hopping and have enjoyed our time so much! We don’t think that we can overstate how much we have appreciated being called and having this opportunity to serve a mission.

 

After Julie’s brother’s family left we got back to work but with a delay at the outset. We had strikes back to back, one by the “informal” miners. These are guys who follow no safety or environmentally sound practices and mine mostly in the jungle where they use hydraulic mining methods, followed up by mercury that destroys the jungle and contaminates the river. Others mine in the mountains and are equally irresponsible. They are the guys who complain that international mining is destroying and robbing Peru but the reason for the strike is that they object to the country’s attempts to tax them. Now, the government is just trying to shut them down. A comment on our last blog mentioned the dangers of critters in the Amazon, but the really dangerous critters are men.

The other strike was the transport guys. It actually affected us directly and we could not go in to work that day. It was ok because we recovered a bit from our gallivanting and got things into shape for getting back to work. On Friday, we went to a little party in our ward in Cusco as part of the Relief Society Anniversary. We got to dance which always blows the Peruvians away that we actually know how to dance!

On Sunday we began our new assignment to visit the family group in Pitumarca. We had never been there but had asked directions and knew, broadly how to get there. It involved, catching the bus towards Sicuani and going about half way. Once we arrived at Checacupe, a wide spot in the road, the bus let us out. Then we had to hike to the plaza in the center of the town. There we waited for the micro bus, called a “Combi” which took us the rest of the distance, up a scenic valley to a picturesque little pueblo called Pitumarca. We met a member along the way named Justina who helped us find our way. I am not sure how we would have fared had she not come along.

The church was an adobe building with meter thick walls, very sturdy. We got there with about five minutes to spare. We greeted everyone and by the time we took our seats, the group president had begun the meeting, in Quechua. Indeed the town is pretty much all Quechua speaking, as far as we could tell. When they read from the Bible, it was all in Quechua. The members all wear field clothing, including the rubber-tire soled sandals. It was a most colorful gathering. We were met with very gracious handshakes and hugs and Rich introduced us in Quechua, probably not the best… In fact, after his meager vocabulary the group leader stood and thanked us for coming to see them from the United States, evidently thinking that we had come all that way, just to see them. Well, we might need to sort that out later.

Anyway, we will need to pick up out Quechua game. The full meeting block was essentially all in Quechua which has been corrupted by inclusion of Spanish words. We were thankful for the few Spanish words that helped us connect the dots throughout the three hours. We found ourselves a full-on Quechua Bible for our next trip up. By the time we got home it had been a ten hour day and we felt a little wiped out. Still, it had been a sublime day and we were filled by the experience.

While we walked through the market/village, twice little kids screamed, “Mira, mira gringos!” (Look, look, Gringos) We cut quite the spectacle with Rich’s bald head and our Sunday attire contrasted with the Campesino garb and festival atmosphere of the open market.

On Monday, we got back into work and on Friday, we had a visit from our daughter-in-law’s parents and grandparents who arrived to begin a visit from the US. They brought us goodies and goods that we requested and it was all a bit like Christmas! We took them to visit the sights in Cusco and up to Saqsaywaman and other sites within the Cusco Valley on Saturday.

The most important part of Saturday was Julie’s birthday. She turned sixty and feels a little traumatized by that but is doing great as some have commented after our pre-birthday jungle trip. We are enjoying great health and certainly feel energized as missionaries.