I just really like red...
Another busy week is gone. We worked, ran errands and had lunch with the Poulsen’s. Julie taught her English classes and Rich had his Quechua classes.
We visited the archive director, Alberto Farfán and presented him with another terra-byte donation disc. While we were there we talked him into letting us take the photos of the 1862 Cusco Census. It is the only city census they have and they have been very wary of removing it from the archives. They brought it to our office and we were able to capture the images. It took us about four hours because we wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t have any of the images rejected. The disc it is on will go to Salt Lake City this weekend with it included…fingers crossed that all is well.
We took 3020 photos on Thursday, that was a new record for a days work. We took 8179 photos during the week. We have such variability in the quality of books that some days we are lucky to get 1000 photos, so we are pretty thrilled.
On Friday afternoon we traveled to Abancay for the district conference there. We traveled there in a Toyota sedan and we were the only two so it was comfortable. Julie told the driver to please take the curves slowly or she would be sick in his car. She actually told him that Rich would be sick but then who is counting? Julio was an excellent driver, very cautious and careful and he wants the missionaries to visit him and his family. The trip takes four hours on windy, twisty roads but the scenery is spectacular. The rivers are raging and brown because of the recent rains.
We had great training meetings on Saturday and sustained a new district presidency on Sunday morning. After the conference Rich took off for Andahuaylas, a three hour trip, for training there and Julie stayed behind with the Harbertsons. She divided up with the Harbertsons, each worked with a set of missionaries for the rest of the afternoon. Abancay sits in a canyon and is surrounded by steep, high mountains. Julie worked with Sister Davis from Arizona and Sister Regifro from Bolivia. Their sector is on the side of the mountain, way up high. We hiked up and down hills from noon until 9:00pm. We had a short break for lunch with their pension and refilled our water bottles. We met with wonderful people and had marvelous experiences! The trails these sisters climb up and down on every day were unbelievable! Even with the best hiking boots and gear they would be a challenge and these sweet sisters hike in their skirts and flat shoes. My goodness they work hard!!
When Julie dragged into the hotel she was exhausted and dirty as were the Harbertsons. We had some pizza for dinner and shared our wonderful experiences of the day. It truly was an incredible spiritual adventure.
Julie traveled home with the Harbertsons Monday morning, she arrived in Cusco about 12:30pm.
Meanwhile, Rich had originally planned on going with Brother Alagon to do some training in Andahuaylas and was going to return with him on Tuesday, in the church’s car since he works for the church. At the very last minute his trip had been denied… As a result they would have to go in public transport. That put a twist on everything.
When they got to the bus station, they were shown only two vacancies because, “The busses are full because of the strike!” Further, this bus was to leave in two hours. Grrrrr! Rich decided to go, do the training and take a bus back. Consequently, he took the big bag he was going to take back to the hotel and just throw a few things into a little backpack that he would need for the trip there and back. This would be a total of six hours in travel time and three hours up there to do the training. In nine hours, he would be back in the hotel in Abancay. Great!
Once in Andahuaylas, he bought the only seat available to be back in Andahuaylas where his things and Julie were safely snoozing. Well, once in Andahuaylas, he tried to find out about the strike, some said it was transport, some said miners, some said students… No one knew and moreover, they said it would only last until Monday. Rich could get out later, if he stayed the night, but it would be easier than getting on a combi at eight at night and traveling through the night in coca trafficking country.
At the church people were lined up two deep for interviews and he finished up long after the last combi pulled out. Lulled into a false sense of security by rumors that the strike would be short, Rich meandered off to his hotel and slept like a baby. Early the next morning, he went to the combi station and learned that no busses would be leaving until Tuesday.
Because he was, “Coming right back,” he took next to nothing with him (no toothbrush, change of any clothes, no phone charger, he didn’t even have lead in his mechanical pencil)…bad Boy Scout! He was definitely not prepared for an extra day. He spent Monday afternoon with the district president’s counselor and had cuy with him at their favorite cuy restaurant. He attended the district meeting with the missionaries in the evening. He could not even work with them since Monday is their preparation day.
Rich left Tuesday morning about 6am and arrived home at 2pm. He turned a nine hour run to Andahuaylas into a forty-eight hour odyssey and was pooped!
Despite it all, we got a lot done and felt it was all worth it.
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So cool that they let you do the census records! I know those are invaluable to genealogists.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you finally made it home from your no-clean-clothes adventure!
It was really awesome! and it is good to be home!
DeleteThanks for the dogs. They're wonderful as are all the pictures. I think you will miss those striking faces after you leave.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Pauline, thanks for your compliment. I am pretty sure you are right about missing this.
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