Home Sweet Home

Fernandino invited us to visit his home in Andahuaylas. This was not his parent's home, but his own home! He had worked hard driving taxis around town and saved up his money. His father used the money to buy materials and built a two room adobe house. One room is the kitchen and the other, the bedroom.

After a 15 minute mototaxi ride, we walked up the side of the mountain. As we got higher and higher the view grew only more incredible. We told Dino that people would pay a pretty penny for property like this!



The entire time we were walking, he continued to say, "I never would have dreamed you would come to my house." I even pinched his arm a few times so he knew he was not dreaming! His humble home was very inviting. There is no running water, no electricity. He cooks by firewood, uses the neighbor's water to wash dishes and I forgot to ask about the bathroom! While we visited he shared that he hopes when people see what he has and where he lives that they will understand the God does indeed bless people. All he has is from God and his passionate desire is to share the love of Jesus with people in Andahuaylas.

Touring Andahuaylas

While visiting Andahuaylas, our friends wanted to be tour guides and show us some of their local sites. We found a bus willing to drop us of at an Incan archaeological site called Sondor. Sondor was said to be a place of religious activities and for this reason was pyramid shaped with 500 stairs leading to the top.

We were amazed at the mountains behind these Inca ruins. The clouds were covering the peaks. But, thankfully (?) our taxi driver did NOT come back for us so we had plenty of time to wait and watch. The peaks never appeared, but the mountains were majestic! Because of the location, taxis don't just pass by so we proceeded to walk down the side of the mountain following the shepherds route down to the lake.

From Sondor, Lake Pacucha can also be seen. The funny thing is that as they began to explain the "history" behind the lake, it resembled stories we had heard before. In various locations throughout Peru the lakes are said to have once been towns, riddled with sin. In some way or another, the town flooded and virtually disappeared. In Lake Pacucha it is said that explorers have not reached more than 10 meters of depth due to tangly seaweed.

The End is Only the Beginning!

One of the main reasons we headed east to the Andes was to participate in the graduation of two dear friends from the Instituto Biblico Teologico in Uripa, Chincheros, Apurimac. Every year students come from many places in order to participate in the classes at the Institute for 8 weeks. The classes in Uripa are held in January and February, but there are other locations which hold their classes at other times of the year.

We spent a few days preparing for the special night by finding the right clothes, buying the right cake and encouraging the graduates. As the special night approached, the underclassmen came dressed up and the graduates decked out in their finest. Elias mentioned that he had always worked very hard to earn money to purchase the things he needed and the fact that someone was buying a suit for him was more than he could believe. For him, donning the new suit meant that a great level of ministry was to begin.

As part of the closing charge, I shared a few words with them, encouraging them to guard carefully the vision God has given them and the call He has placed on their lives. Too many people receive a call of the Lord and fall short of completing it because they are discouraged from the things others say or they just don't see it coming to pass. "Don't let anyone rob your vision, steal your vision or tell you that it is not good. If God gave it to you, hold on to it tightly!"

Esta es la Esquina

In an effort to share the creativity of my friends, I bring a new "music video" featuring the song by Vico C called Esta es la Esquina. Enjoy!

Young and Old

It always amazes me to see how different the "cultures" are even within the country of Peru. Enjoy seeing the faces of Apurimac, both young and old!

What Are You Hungry For?

When visiting the markets, I am always amazed by the quantity of items offered. I still have yet to understand how people actually make money. Each product is offered by a multitude of people. So my question becomes, if you sell the same thing as someone else, how do you get business? Usually it depends on your service to the customer and the relationships you build. Interesting way of doing business I think. I love the change to explore, ask questions and smile at the curious onlookers.

Here is a variety of the things offered in the Apurimac markets...

How Many Mangoes Equal a Dozen Oranges?

Peruvian markets are full of rich colors, flavorful smells, interesting people and delicious food! In Uripa, the market was full of people speaking Quechua. Jacky wanted to speak with one of the ladies selling fruit and Elias had to translate for him. He said he felt like "a visitor in his own country" since he needed a translator to communicate.

He also commented that in history classes, he had learned that at one time in Peru's history, those in the market did not use money to buy the wares of others, but instead paid with the products they had. He was rather surprised to see his new friend fill up a woman's skirt with oranges only to have her bring back mangoes in exchange. He commented that although this practice was said to still exist in parts of Peru, it was the first time he was actually seeing it with his own eyes.

Pachamanca

Although I had eaten Pachamanca a la Olla, I had never eaten the true Pachamanca. In Quechuan, pacha means earth and manca means pot. Peruvians have developed creative ways of cooking things over the years and the Pachamanca is one of their many successes. The graduates from the Bible Institute wanted to do something special for us and decided to host a Pachamanca. Hope you enjoy it too!!!

Abuelita Linda

As we prepared for the Pachamanca on Friday afternoon, an abuelita came in to the garden where they were working. She found her way to the wood pile and sat down. Similar to most abuelitas, she has a colorful cloth wrapped around her shoulders filled with secret things. From her shoulder pack, she pulls out a blanket to cushion her wood pile chair. After a few minutes she began to speak to me in words I did not understand, unfolded her cloth to reveal a square tupperware filled with what looked like chutney. She handed me the container coupled with some sort of instruction that again, I did not understand. I asked Jael to help me and she began to translate for the abuelita and I; she speaks Quechuan, I do not. She had given me mazamora de durazno to try. One more moment in which I wished I could speak in Quechua.

She later pulled off her hat only to reveal a handful of leaves. Many in the sierra chew on coca leaves, but I recognized that these leaves were not coca. I asked why she would carry leaves in her hat. Someone repeated my question to her in words she could comprehend, for my Spanish was foreign to her. She replied, saying they were for her nervios and cast a quick smile my way.

Small Town Smiles

One of the things I adore about traveling is "people-watching" although when in a foreign country, it is hard to say if you are watching them or they are watching you!

The people of Uripa were incredibly friendly; almost everyone greeted us as we walked through the town. Many looked at us a bit strangely but after we smiled and said hello, they would usually smile back. I know that a lot of the people avoid smiling because they do not want to expose their teeth - or lack of teeth. But, I typically tried to get a smile out of them because I loved seeing their face light up!

First Town Mayor

One day, we were approached by Victor who wanted to tell us all about the town. He had been the first mayor of Uripa once the town was established. The original name is Anccohauyllo, which is the name of one of the last Incans. In 1935, the roads were extended from the town of Chincheros to Uripa, which is now a 20 minute bus ride. The people from Chincheros essentially ruled over those from Uripa until about 60 men stood their ground and decided that Uripa should be it's own city. They held elections and Victor was chosen as the first mayor in 1964.

Uripa is located in the provincia (county) of Chincheros and departamento (state) of Apurimac.

Stopover Adventures!

After winding through the mountains on a 10 hour bus ride, we finally were able to get off the bus in Ayacucho. Instead of getting a much needed break from traveling, we were immediately escorted to yet another bus station. The bus had left just a few minutes before and next door we were pleased to find a combi which could take us to Uripa.

We settled into our seats and before long I realized that my purse was not in my carry-on bag, so I no longer had my wallet, camera or my gum! I raced back to the first bus station and without much explanation went aboard the bus to look for my belongings. Luckily, my purse was found tucked under my seat and I quickly snatched it up and began to look through it as I got back off the bus. Camera...gum...no wallet!! I raced back into the station and was holding back my tears as I tried to explain that not everything was in my bag. Again, I searched in the bus but at the same time tried to retrace my steps in my mind. By doing that, I almost convinced myself that I had taken my wallet out of my purse and it was indeed in my carry-on bag. So back to bus station #2 I went, hoping that I would find the last of my lost possessions.

Upon arrival, I tore into my bag once again and found the wallet was indeed among the items. I was so very thankful that I was able to recover all of the items and without much hassle! Onward on the seven hour journey which would bring us to Uripa...