the little bug expedition - day nine (pam)

Breakfast at McDonald’s! What could be better than that? We had a little free time this morning before our flight to Lima, so Wayne and I went to the city square of Cusco for a breakfast sandwich. (McDonald’s is kind of hidden in the colonial buildings of the plaza, so don't be too disappointed.) We were also looking for Jorge, a young man that we’ve run into at the plaza on our previous trips selling artsy note cards. Jorge has a great resemblance of Britt. He even has freckles plastered all over his nose. Imagine a Peruvian with freckles! Sadly, we didn’t find Jorge in his old stomping grounds.

The flight leaving Cusco for Lima was about 1:30 pm, so we arrived at the airport a couple of hours early. What a surprise it was to see our old friend and bus driver, Octavio, walking from his bus into the Cusco airport! It was a happy reunion.

We all made it to Lima. While the rest of the group went to visit the catacombs of the Iglesia de San Francisco (that we’ve seen many times), not far from the Palace in Plaza de Armas, Wayne and I went with Zarahemla (our tour guide) to the Museum of the (Spanish) Inquisition. I’m not sure that I know exactly what that was all about as the tour was in Spanish, but I didn’t like the feeling there as I walked through the tiny jail cells underground.

Everyone met at Don Juan’s for one last dinner together. I always have the flat-iron steak with the avocado salad when we go there. Wayne had the pork fried rice. Yum! Yum! This is where we said our goodbyes to the group – a great group, by the way. Wayne, Cameron, and I had an earlier flight to Ecuador, so we left everyone in the good hands of Zarahemla, our tour guide. She was going to make sure everyone got to the Lima airport.

The three of us flew from Lima into the Quito airport about 1:00 am. Dr. Zambrano, from Charity Anywhere, was waiting for us there, thank goodness. He took us to the Finlandia Hotel where we yearned for a goodnight’s sleep.
Sleep was at the top of my agenda, and it was at the top of Wayne's also.

the little bug expedition - day eight (pam)

I love saying Ollantaytambo. Besides the town’s cool name, it has some really cool Incan ruins. To enjoy them, though, you really have to climb hundreds of ancient steps. Sadly, we didn’t have time to spend at Ollantaytambo on this trip. We had a train to catch about 9:00 am – and it was on time! Amazing! It took a couple of hours to arrive at Aguas Calientes, the colloquial name for the Machu Picchu pueblo at the base of the mountains that house the ancient ruins. Wayne didn’t feel he could do much hiking around Machu Picchu, so he and Cameron found somewhere to hang out at Aguas Calientes. The rest of us boarded the bus that took us to the ruins. This was my third trip to Machu Picchu, so I broke away from the group to take photos at my slow pace. It was too bad that the sun didn’t peak from behind the clouds, because Machu Picchu always looks better under illumination. It was a VERY hot day, even so. And I mean hot! I almost got eaten by huge red ants that found me resting on a ledge. I didn’t rest after that until I got on the bus that took me back to Aguas Calientes.

Wayne and Cameron were easier to find than I thought. Actually Wayne found me walking through the small plaza. He had a window seat at an internet café that didn’t have any internet. No electricity either! The entire town hadn’t had electricity for almost twenty-four hours. Not an uncommon occurrence in South America. At least the trains were running – and running on time. Thank goodness!

But the return train ride was going to be longer; almost twice as long as the one we took this morning. Instead of returning to Ollantaytambo (and Urubamba), we were headed to Cusco. So imagine a train seat that makes you sit straight up with hardly any leg room. Imagine your butt gone numb. Imagine people sleeping on the floor because it is a lot more comfortable. If you can imagine being on a buck-board, you can imagine the jarring ride. And then there was the time the train stopped in the dark and backed up the length of the train. I think the engineer took the wrong track. Either that or he had to back up to get the momentum the train needed to get over the mountains. Then there was the time the train came to a screeching halt.. It appeared that we had run over something. The engineers were under the train with their spotlights for a while. That was enough excitement for one day, believe me.

meet the Bueno Palacios family

Remember the family with seven children who moved near El Bichito because the mother heard we would help feed her children? Well, meet the family...and in case you missed Pam's email telling about their plight, I've included Pam's email with this family's story again.

(January 1st). Today we planned to take vegetables, rice, noodles, and oil to a very needy family of seven children ... Dina, Carmen, Israel, Eva, Lazaro, Marta, Madai. I don't know that I have the words to describe how they live, but I'm going to try. The children and their mother moved to Puylucana because they had heard of El Bichito. The children show signs of being severely malnourished. The family had no way of supporting themselves. The father, in prison, has served two years of a ten year sentence. The mother doesn't make enough money to pay rent, so the landlord lets them live in a one room mud hut. Three small beds take up most of the room where all eight of them sleep. When it rains, it is evident that part of the room gets soaked because of the gaping hole in the tin roof. These humble people have no possessions -- only what have in two large sacks.

They share a "kitchen" with the landlord -- an adjoining mud hut. You wouldn't feed your animals in there. Often these children have no food other than what they get at El Bichito on their way to school.. Their mother makes whatever she can by doing laundry and cleaning. Today, we waited for the mother to return home after finishing up a laundry job. She washes twelve articles of clothing for 3 soles = $1. She can't even afford to put clothes and shoes on her own children.

The oldest child, Dina, who is fifteen, has not been able to go to school because the family cannot afford the school fees and school uniform required for secondary school. She is the primary caretaker of the family while her mother works. We committed to helping the family as long as the mother sent Dina to school. The mother is a sweet lady who was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Southern Cross volunteers. She cried in Wayne's arms. The children cried. I am happy that I got to share that special time with Cameron, Kate, Wayne, and Feliciana. I will never forget this day.

And stay tuned to hear about how we hope to help this family...

the little bug expedition - day seven (pam)

Now we're back in Lima, the noisy city! Mind you, Cajamarca, up north, wasn't too quiet last night! Celebrations were going on everywhere. After the New Year's Eve fiesta with the ninos, Wayne and I were totally worn out physically and emotionally. We said our goodbyes to our new friends, and Feliciana, eager to go home, told us all that we would clean up the fiesta mess today (January 1), so we were back at the hotel by 9:00 pm on New Year's Eve. That was a good thing. Our plan was to leave for El Bichito at 10:00 am today, so that people would have a chance to sleep in a little. Wayne and I didn't think we'd need to set an alarm. What a mistake! We woke up at 9:48 am, brushed our teeth, threw on some clothes, and headed for the bus that would take us to El Bichito.

I was so disappointed to see that Feliciana had cleaned up most of the mess by the time we had arrived. Bless her heart! I just love that lady! We did what we could to help. I snooped around a little and found all the fruits and vegetables that we had purchased two days ago tidily put away in a box under the kitchen counter. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! I thought they had been stolen.

We had planned to take the vegetables, rice, noodles, and oil to a very needy family of seven children ... Dina, Carmen, Israel, Eva, Lazaro, Marta, Madai. I don't know that I have the words to describe how they live, but I'm going to try.

The children and their mother moved to Puylucana because they had heard of El Bichito. The children show signs of being severely malnourished. The family had no way of supporting themselves. The father, in prison, has served two years of a ten year sentence. The mother doesn't make enough money to pay rent, so the landlord lets them live in a one room mud hut. Three small beds take up most of the room where all eight of them sleep. When it rains, it is evident that part of the room gets soaked because of the gaping hole in the tin roof.

These humble people have no possessions -- only what have in two large sacks. They share a "kitchen" with the landlord -- an adjoining mud hut. You wouldn't feed your animals in there. Often these children have no food other than what they get at El Bichito on their way to school.. Their mother makes whatever she can by doing laundry and cleaning. Today, we waited for the mother to return home after finishing up a laundry job. She washes twelve articles of clothing for 3 soles = $1. She can't even afford to put clothes and shoes on her own children.

The oldest child, Dina, who is fifteen, has not been able to go to school because the family cannot afford the school fees and school uniform required for secondary school. She is the primary caretaker of the family while her mother works. We committed to helping the family as long as the mother sent Dina to school. The mother is a sweet lady who was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Southern Cross volunteers. She cried in Wayne's arms. The children cried. I am happy that I got to share that special time with Cameron, Kate, Wayne, and Feliciana. I will never forget this day.

What a blessing to be here again in Peru at the New Year. Prosperos Ano Nuevo! Pam

the little bug expedition - day six (pam)

Prospero Ano Nuevo! Are you having any fun yet! I know, I must be a geek to be emailing on New Year's Eve, but we've been partying at El Bichito for most of the day, and to be honest, I'm pooped! I think everyone in our group is pooped.. Some of the guys started off the day with cementing the inside walls of the second floor. Most of the effort of the group was in setting up the New Year's fiesta for the children. Everyone went all out in the preparation. There were streamers, banners, and balloons to put up. There were cakes and jello to prepare. We showed Feliciana how to cook the cakes in the oven that was donated on one of the last expeditions. Until now, she has kept the stove pretty in the original box. We not only baked cakes in the oven, we cooked scrambled eggs on the stove top. The eggs went with the rice and split peas that Feliciana cooked everyone for lunch. The children were supposed to have apples with their lunch today. We purchased apples, carrots, tomatoes, and onions in the market yesterday, but when we arrived at El Bichito this morning, all of it was gone! Someone must have needed the produce more than we did. The children of the drop-in center rarely get to eat fruit and vegetables or meat, so I was a little heartbroken. There is so much NEED in this area. I can say truthfully that we are accompanied by some very generous people. They spared nothing to make sure the fiesta was a great success ... party hats, glow sticks, pinatas, balloons, silly string, sparklers, fireworks, and treat bags. But, more importantly, everyone made new friends. Some of the children brought their parents and grandparents. It's more difficult to break the ice with the older generation, but by the end of the fiesta, everyone was smiling and hugging. There were a few who cried -- ninos and volunteers. Saying goodbye can be so difficult. I made a new friend. Her name is Maria Mercedes -- a very intelligent and kind twelve-year-old. I could hardly hold back the tears when our new Peruvian friends thanked us for the fiesta, but I did. A sweet, very short, mother grabbed me and hugged me with genuine appreciation, and I watched her as she made her way around the room hugging the volunteers. Did I mentioned that it has been a great thing to see the Peruvian people, here in Cajamarca, willing to help their own people? The local family has invested a lot of time and effort into our project this week. Another man wanted to know how he could financially contribute. A mining company heard about our efforts, and they donated about a dozen frozen turkeys. They just showed up at El Bichito's doorstep this evening. It was like Christmas all over again! Meat? That's a luxury in Puylucana, especially for the ninos who come to El Bichito. I wish you could see what I see. I just keep thinking, one can only save vulnerable starfish one at a time. Happy New Year! Pam

the little bug expedition - day five (pam)

What an eventful day! When I arrived at El Bichito this morning (on my own on a Peruvian bus), I was asked to accompany Kate and a couple of Peruvian ladies to the central market of Cajamarca. One lady was named Patty and I can't remember the other. Our goal was to purchase some things for the big New Year's Eve party ... pinatas, treats, and supplies.

On the way, we had to stop in at the apartment of one of the ladies. I have never been in a Peruvian apartment before; I've mostly visited more traditional houses (huts) made out of adobe bricks with the dirt floor and ceramic pots on an open fire in the corner. And don't forget the chickens and guinea pigs running around the floor. The apartment was quite a contrast, but even still, it was very small and humble.

Kate and I visited with our new friend and her husband and children for quite a while. The family was so friendly and so eager to chat with us. I could actually understand quite a bit of what they said. I tried to converse, but my Spanish vocabulary is limited. Kate helped me quite a bit. (I've figured out that immersion in a culture has got to be the best way of learning a language.) Patty met up with us again, and then we were off to the market.

Our new friends knew exactly where to take us for the good deals. When we had done all the shopping that was needed, Kate and I headed back to the hotel in a taxi with all the loot. As luck would have it, our taxi driver ran into the car in front of us at the crossroads of a round-about. It was only a fender-bender, but those who got out of the car ahead, were not happy. We soon realized that we would be there forever if we waited for our helpless taxi driver to resolve his problem, so we bailed on him, after we explained our situation and hailed another taxi.

We made it back to the hotel in time to eat lunch with Feliciana (coordinator of El Bichito), Cameron, and Wayne. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to help the children of El Bichito and their families. Our goal was to focus on the children who were very malnourished and those who lacked clothing.

It was 3:00 pm when we finished talking ... too late to head back to El Bichito, so all of us decided to go to the market and purchase the things needed. We had so much fun! The market was so busy and so stinky. We saw huge snails as big as my fist. Apparently the are sold to suck the impurities out of your skin. We saw whole heads of cows for sale. Yellow underpants are apparently popular; they came in all sizes for both sexes. I understand that the yellow underpants are part of the New Year's celebration. Cameron could be pulling my leg..

Every day is a surpise down here. On my way to the drop-in center this morning, a very traditionally dressed lady was pulling up her knickers after she and her little boy had taken a wee along side the road at the entrance of the hotel. Are we having any fun yet? YES! Wayne is quite sore today, but he kept up with everyone remarkably well. We feel blessed that he was able to make the trip. Well, I've got to close my eyes to sleep now. Nicht th'noo! Pam

the little bug expedition - day four (pam)

We boarded the bus for El Bichito (the drop-in center) on another sunny, glorious morning. When we got there, some of our Peruvian friends were already hard at work preparing the ceilings and walls for cement. Yesterday, the Peruvian electrician chipped away at the brick walls to insert the PVC that will encase the electrical wiring.

I think it was Feliciana that wanted more inner building windows, so, today, some of our group tried their hand at chipping away the bricks with a chisel and hammer. The young people prepared the cement for the ceilings and walls in the room where the work was to be done. They did it the old fashioned way -- on the floor with a shovel.

In the another room, our Peruvian friends were literally balancing on a very shaky scaffolding system in order to prepare the ceiling. I don't think any American would have gotten up their with them. Downstairs, in the large room where the children are fed, some of our group were removing mold off the walls and repainting. They did a super job. Everyone was working so hard.

I took a lot of photographs, but not long after we arrived at El Bichito, I felt overwhelmingly weak. I also had a bad headache. I could tell that it was the onset of altitude sickness, and I could tell that I was not going to be good for anyone today, so Wayne accompanied me on the bus back to the hotel.. I slept all afternoon. I'm feeling a little better now. I mostly feel bad about feeling useless. I also missed not interacting with the children. I was going to do a little origami with them today, but I didn't have enough brain power to figure out how to fold the paper. Terrible!

The rest did me good, because I was able to go out for Pizza with Wayne and about half of the group. No, the pizza tastes nothing like the pizza we're used to. We have a great group -- people from many walks of life coming together to create a little good in the world. Too bad some have to get sick. We've got two down right now -- one with altitude sickness, and one with traveler's diarrhea. Not good.

So, for those of you who live in the cold, I have to tell you that the high in Cajamarca today was 71 degrees F. The low tonight will be 46 degrees F. I think this will be the temperature of the Heavens. What do you think? Tomorrow I want to tell you all about Cajamarca. Meanwhile, "nicht th'noo"! Pam

the little bug expedition - day three (pam)

After breakfast at our quaint hotel, all of us boarded a very small bus with Peruvians and ascended a few hundred feet in just a few miles to El Bichito drop-in center where we would be working all day. (Fanny, an engineering professor from the local university, who is also connected to the building project, joined us.) Part of the fun for me in Peru is connecting with the people, so I love riding on the bus with them. I know hardly any Spanish, but when I have to chance to use it to converse with someone, I'll at least try to say something that makes sense. I make a lot of mistakes along the way. Oh well!

Our first job at El Bichito was to clean up from the last job. It took us a good part of the day to clean up the debris on the second floor of the building ... bricks, rocks, wire, trash, tires, wood. The dust was flying everywhere to where, sometimes, you could hardly breathe. The people who have joined us on this expedition are hard workers, so it is fun to watch what they can do.

About noon, the children started showing up. They were shy and bashful at first.. You could hardly get a word out of them. Then some of our group started throwing around an American football, and the fun began. A hide and seek game was initiated by Christy, and it was funny because the ninos loved chasing after her. We all ate lunch together at El Bichito, prepared by Feliciana and a friend. We were all so hungry that we appreciated the meal of white rice, lentils, and a fried egg. It tasted so good!

I am still amazed how much the children eat here in Peru. They never turn away food, no matter what it is. Even the little ones had their plates piled high with food. I am also still amazed in how much the older siblings take care of the younger ones. It is beautiful to see. The ninos are not in school right now because it is their summer vacation. That meant that we could spend a lot of time playing with them.

We were waiting for the dump truck of sand to arrive anyway, so everyone took advantage of the time to connect to the children. When the sand arrived, it was back to work. I have a feeling our small friends will be coming back to see us earlier tomorrow. One member of our group had to return to the hotel today. He has a bad case of high altitude sickness. Not a good thing. Wayne has been fairing very well. He can't do any of the labor, but he is there to run errands or take over for Cameron (our fearless leader). He got a sunburn today from spending so much time in the sun. Yes, it is warm down here .... about 70 degrees F. At night, if we're going to be out much, a jacket is needed.

Wayne and I are really enjoying the hot springs. It is a great way to end the day. We added two more to our group this evening. Their flight had been cancelled in Chicago, so they joined us late. As we say in the old country, "Nicht th'noo!". Good night. Pam

the little bug expedition - day two (pam)

I'm so tired ... I don't know how I will get an email written tonight. I shouldn't be tired, I haven't done much. For me it has been an enjoyable day ... sleeping in at the Manhattan Inn and getting to know the people in the expedition group. I feel bad for Cameron (our fearless leader) as he had to go back and forth to the Lima airport all night and early morning to gather up group who were arriving.

This afternoon, we all flew to Cajamarca (north of Peru) where we will stay for a few days to work on El Bichito (Little Bug) drop-in center where children are fed on their way to school or on their way home from school. We will go there tomorrow, and then I will be able to tell you more about it.

Cajamarca is a beautiful city, much like Cusco that sits in a lush mountainous valley. Wayne and I thought we had died and gone to Heaven when we arrived at the Hotel Laguna Seca. We've never stayed in anything so nice in Peru. It's an old hacienda converted into a hotel ... one level ... lush and spacious grounds .... and most importantly, hot springs ... lovely "non-stinky" hot springs outside in the courtyard, and lovely "non-stinky" hot springs in the bathroom. Wayne and I couldn't wait to get in hot springs so we threw our suitcases in our room and jumped in the warm pool outside. You can't imagine what it does for me to leave the snow and the frigid temperatures to jump in a pool in a soothing climate.

Tonight, we took a shuttle to the plaza where we all had dinner together. After, we walked around the plaza that was decorated for Christmas. There were people everywhere. I especially liked the large nativity scene in the center. Typically, the Peruvians leave their decorations up until January 6 which is a holy day called Epiphany. You'll have to search that one on the internet. Well, that's all for tonight. I've got to go to sleep. Pam