Weekend in Ayacucho

It's been a while since we've written... We've been busy! This is the first of a few entries that we hope to post within the next week or so, so keep checking!

On the night of Friday, March 9th, after we’d already packed to go to Ayacucho for the weekend, our volunteer friends Eli and Sadie came by and said that the road there was likely blocked by a mudslide. There was no way to know for sure, but it had been said that it was a common occurrence in the rainy season. Plus, Eli and Sadie said that a new volunteer, who had been scheduled to arrive earlier in the day from Ayacucho, had not yet to arrived and was supposedly not expected to arrive any time soon. Despite all of this, we decided to go to the bus station and see what we could find out directly from them before scrapping our weekend excursion. We were told that the road was blocked and that we would be going on an alternative route that was safer but would take a couple of more hours. We discussed it and decided to go anyway.

Shortly after our bus headed out, a bus employee announced that we would be taking the route which was supposedly blocked. The bus passengers started yelling out (as well as all of us) that we were told that the bus would take the alternate route at the ticket office. We demanded that they take us back to the ticket office to get our money back. Instead of taking us back or letting us off, the bus remained stopped until the bus employees agreed to go on the alternate route. At one point they attempted to extort 5 soles more per passenger for the extra gas needed to go on the alternate route. But in the end, the passengers won, and the bus continued on without us paying a centimo more.

Later (after returning to Huancayo from Ayacucho) we found out from the new volunteer that his bus had been blocking the road because it had tipped over on his side. Apparently, the driver was the only one in the bus when it tipped because everyone had been told to get off before the bus attempted the turn. I can only assume that the bus company was not willing to tell us the truth about how the route was blocked. Chances are that the employees on the bus expected that the bus would be cleared in time for our passing and as such were inclined to go that way. At the same time, they were probably told not to say the real reason the road was blocked. Begrudgingly, they obliged the passengers, but as we were to find out later maybe it wasn’t the best option after all.

About six hours into our trip and four hours away from our destination, the bus got stuck trying to get around a sharp turn on a very muddy and badly eroded road. The bus was in a very tough spot. It looked like it was either going to have to stay where it was or end up sliding into a riverbed. Fortunately, after four hours and a lot of hard work, the bus employees were able to get the bus out. For the four gringos on the bus who had all of the time in the world, it was a bit of an adventure. We took pictures and made some friends while eating a popular favorite, a cactus fruit called tuna that grows in abundance in the region.

We reached Ayacucho about noon the next day. We then headed to a hostel to leave our stuff before venturing off. We got lunch and wondered a bit until we saw a mirador. We headed there to get a good view of the city. Then, we continued on a bit further. When we saw a playground, the boys (Jeremy and Eli) simply had to try it out. Once we got further up, we took a couple of group shots.

That afternoon, we took a well-needed catnap. Some of us only managed to get a couple of hours of shuteye on the bus ride there. We happened upon a great Italian restaurant and had the best pizza yet in South America.

The next day, we lazed around a bit. Not much was open and it seemed that was a good option. We had breakfast, watched a weekly ceremonial parade in the plaza, and ate lunch. After lunch Eli and Sadie went on another hike while we went to do a bit of shopping in the market. Jeremy had seen quite a few places earlier on that morning while roaming the town that looked especially good for school supplies (for the girls at Francisca Mayer) and shoes (for Jeremy). Afterwards, the four of us rejoined at the mirador and ate dinner at a restaurant with views overlooking the city and live music before our uneventful bus trip back to Huancayo.

And here are the pictures!

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Where We Live in Huancayo

For the month of February, Jeremy and I lived with a wonderful host family here in Huancayo. We had our own room, access to kitchen and laundry facilities and cable tv! Aurora, David, and their 22-year-old son Albaro were our host family members. They are related to Mosoq Ayllu´s program coordinator and have a nice home located in the same location as Mosoq Ayllu´s volunteer residence, so it was also in a very convenient location. With the family, we ate, watched t.v., and practiced our Spanish. We really enjoyed our time with them and hope to visit them often.

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When we decided to stay another month in Huancayo, we realized that we needed to save a bit more money, so we decided to find our own place while still participating in the volunteer program with Mosoq Ayllu. We found the place through Sarah´s Spanish teacher and are very happy! Not only is it cheaper, but feels like a bed & breakfast! We live with one woman (Delia) who owns the house, but who will be leaving soon to join her family in Lima. She is very nice and we still have an opportunity to practice our Spanish skills with her. For now, we´ve agreed to stay here through the end of March with the possiblity of renewing the lease afterward.

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Hiking to Huaytapallana - Our First Glacier!

On February 24th, we went for a 6-hour hike to our first glacier with some other Mosoq Ayllu volunteers. It was freezing cold and snowing, but absolutely incredible! The glacier is called Huaytapallana.

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