Un Poquito Mas Fotos

Una Fiesta De Santa Rosa

Hola mis amigos. The last couple of days have been packed with fun. I managed to go with Karina and Fernando, employees of the clinic, north to many different towns to inform the people that if they needed emergency medical care all of the costs would be covered including the transportation. Many of the people were in disbelief. It was great to see the different towns. I was the offical photographer for the day :)

Today I ran into a surgeon that had exchanged emails with me before I left. When I mentioned that I hadn´t been allowed to work with the nurses at Clinica San Pablo he took me in his car to the Hospital Regional in the south end of town where he also works. I meet with him tomorrow to discuss the possibility of volunteering there!

I then went to the mercado to take pictures and ran into a fiesta, equipped with a band and crates of beer. The fiesta was right in the middle of the market, a most inconvenient location for those who wanted to pass, and was celebrating Santa Rosa. One person insisted that I drink some beer and dance; so there I was giggling, dancing, and drinking with the locals. The plan was for me to go climbing after the mercado, but when one of the women insisted that I go with them to her house for the rest of the celebration, I couldn´t pass up the opportunity. There I was in the backseat of a taxi with 3 band members and their large instruments. I have no idea how we all fit in the back seat but somehow we managed. The views from this house were amazing, overlooking all of Huaraz. As I walked back down from the party this evening I kept hearing "gringa, gringa", a rare sight in those parts.

Karina is actually going to Pisco and Ica the weekend after this one and has invited me to tag along. She is planning on bringing water and clothes for people there and is going to help out in any way possible. I´m hoping to make arrangements to go with her :)

Huanchac Boulders

So I made it out to the local boulders. A neighboring town, Huanchac, has a handful of some great granite boulders. Finding them was a bit of an adventure; the directions I had led me somewhere, but not to Huanchac. After returning to the hostal to regroup and look for better directions, I met Juan, a traveler from Puerto Rico that said "es facil". We ended up going bouldering together and met some local guides that were climbing on their day off. It was a blast.

As for the clinic, I have had a few meetings with various people. They are reluctant to let me work with the Director of Nursing and have instead allowed me to work with the marketing team. Great just what I wanted, to learn marketing, but we are going to go together to Valle de Conchucos for a few nights which is supposed to be beautiful and off the beaten path. I´m hoping that after getting my foot in the door they may let me at least observe some visits with patients. I´ll keep you posted. No climbing pics yet, but I´m sure I´ll be back in Huanchac soon enough with camera in hand.

Aqui en Huaraz!

Lima was mostly uneventful. The taxi ride to the hostal is about all the excitement I could take. Peruvians, especially in Lima, pay no attention to lanes or rules. We actually ran about 5 red lights (they weren´t even orange) and sped throughout tiny little streets where people had to run in order to avoid being flattened. I stayed in Miraflores in a nice hostal called Friend´s House and mostly practiced my Spanish and wandered around. It was interesting to be in the same town 5 years later, seeing some growth and changes.

I managed to get followed by a mysterious Peruvian when I was wandering around one of the outdoor malls there. It was a bit skectchy to say the least. I managed to lose him briefly after I descended two floors on an escalator (which he also did) and then I immediately when back up after I reached the bottom. I ducked into a little watering hole to get some vino and sure enough 5 minutes later he walked in and sat down next to me. After asking what his problem was and why he was following me, he explained that I looked like a friend of his from the UK and he wanted to make sure it wasn´t her. Un mentiroso (liar). I left after my glass of wine and made sure I didn´t have a tail before I left the safe atmosphere of the well policed mall.

Today I managed to make it out of chaotic Lima on an eight hour bus ride to Huaraz. The views were beautiful. Huaraz is an interesting city. The people seem kind and helpful and I enjoy the slightly slower pace here. Outdoorsy travelers are in full force but the city is spread out well so it doesn´t feel like tourist central which is refreshing. Tomorrow I go to the Clinica San Pablo and Hospital Regional in hopes of connecting with them and getting a volunteer position. I brought some resumes translated into Spanish so hopefully it will be enough to persuade them to let me work.

I´m staying in a quaint hostel called Jo´s place at the less busy end of town. It seems to have a friendly atmosphere with happy individuals. There was a large group of people playing volleyball in the courtyard this afternoon. It´s a welcoming atmosphere. More later.