PERU: April 12, 2009

With one week behind us, a full weekend of Easter festivities, and three tours of the Huancayo district, we feel like we are a lot more in tune with Peru, Huancayo and it’s people. Talking about Easter festivities, we saw some great floral displays, busy, busy public markets, and a moving reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ. Not only was this moving, we all had to hike up close to 1,000 ft. to witness this. It took place in the town of Concepcion and was deeply spiritual to many of the locals. Many of us have had a bout of Montezuma’s Revenge (locally referred to as the Peruvian two-step). One of our members has had a particularly hard time of it as he has been down for three days.

In our tours, we climbed many, many steps and got to great vantage points. We could really feel the altitude and the thinness of the air. We saw a beautiful, fertile valley below us; amazing when you realize this is all growing at 10,500 ft. It really was worth the hike up (Peruvian Two-Step notwithstanding)! The weather has been on again off again, but when it is on, you realize you are 11 degrees south of the equator. But when it’s cool, it is cool-36 F last night. Finally our Rotary friends took us touring today and we saw some beautiful gardens, spectacular stone structures and visited a unique village with high spirits and ate Rainbow Trout for lunch.

Our last two team members arrive tonight so as of tomorrow, we will have a full team raring to go! We will have the building painted, ready for the next stage by weeks end.

That’s all for now.

Regards

Jaimie and Tom