I´m stealing these pictures off Yong´s camera, which he still brings to work. The first was actually taken last today, it´s most of the finished paper-mache masks we made with the kids, our most triumphant activity yet. It took most of two days, and a lot of cleanign up, but at the end we had lots of happy Spidermen and Dragonball-Z characters running around. The next was taken at another competition between different orphanages at a park in town. These were our first place newspaper and tape mummies, one of the various weird contests these Peruvians devise. Jeez, I just recognized myself in the background towering above everyone. Finally, Hugo and I taking a well-deserved nap by the entry way. There you go, an average day in Ayacucho.

Most of these are a selection of the many pictures I took on our two-hour hike to Vinchos, a small town tucked away in a valley. That day contained without a doubt the most beatiful scenery I have ever seen. The other picture is the group in a natural hot spring, our prize at the end of a long day of walking. It was heated by natural hot water that came from the mountain somewhere i guess, and the proof was in the color of the water. Lowering your hand a foot into the water, it was swallowed by blue-green funk. But it was as hot as any hot tub, and was most certainly a nice break from only cold water for three weeks. That day we had lunch at a trout farm nearby Vinchos, delicious and fresh. This was the same weekend as the waterfall and pool, so we had a nice break from exhausting work with some exhausting sightseeing. Wouldn´t trade it for anything though.

I got five minutes, here was my day in a nutshell, or more like a giant peapod that I saw at a restaurant today:

Top to bottom: the destination of a little hike in the woods, a waterfall that we walked to the base of splashed around a little in. the woods had eucalyptus trees all over the place, it was like walking thru the cough drop kingdom in some kind of candyland game.

Mmm..lunch, a peruvian delicacy, called cuy, or deep fried guinea pig. hands down the tastiest rodent I´VE ever eaten.

A pool up in the mountains, a little tiled oasis in the rustic countryside. awesome view, though slighty murky water.

A man making and drying mud bricks for houses, I just thought it was cool.

I also found 20 soles on the way to the internet just now, so I think I´ll go buy a cake and decide whether I want to share it or hide it in my backpack for midnight snacks. Adios.

Okay, same deal, top first: The carnival kick-off parade in the Plaza, I´m not exactly sure what or when carnival is, but from what I picked up I can´t wait.

An unnamed crumbling statue of a war hero I presume, being at battlefield where Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Ecuador fought off Spain sometime in the 18th Century. In the background is the 44-meter monument dedicated to the soldiers.

The town center of some Wari ruins, the culture preceding the Incas. This is the prayer and discussion center, with ancestral tombs on either side.

A picture inside the orphanage, which today I realized I hadn´t posted yet. Mess hall and dorms to the right, Foosball tables and renovation project to the left.

My Teva tan thus far, my face and arms are about the same color, maybe a bit more burned.

Sunday is more or less illustrated in the photos, the Wari ruins were the highlight, we went into some underground tombs and I squished some cactus worms with purple blood on my face in the fashion of an ancient WARI-or. Today at the orphanage we painted, even got a little on the paper, and I taught them kickball, which to my surprise they understood and loved. Things are good.

Top to Bottom: Final shootout in the soccer tournament on Friday, which was between 5 or 6 different Ayacucho orphanages.

I never thought I´d see it: a retired and washed-out Robocop wearing a sweater and fanny-pack.

The hike up to Mirador, winding between houses and across dirt roads.

I found a handsome gringo to model for this spectacular shot of the view.

The Mirador lookout park, viewed from a tower on the top. You can see all of Ayacucho and the valley it sits it.

Sorry it´s been a while, the internet place has been closed the last couple days when I checked and I´ve been busy as you can see. On the way back from Mirador, passing through a smallish village, we were ambushed on all sides by little kids and grown women throwing waterballons and buckets of water. We caught a few and threw them back, but for the most part ran screaming to safety. Since I can only post 5 pics at a time, I´ll tell you about Sunday with its pictures.

my day in the kitchen

Left: some niñas that were following Andy and I in the market. The one on the left is so funny, she looks like a P.O.´ed Elmo with that face and all the red. And how the other girls are standing like a foot away, my god.

Right: Finally, all the volunteers arrived and together for our first breakfast. left from me: Arnoul from Belgium, Yong from Korea, Erica from Canada, Martin from France, Andy from Colorado, Shin from Korea, (half-hidden) Vera from Germany, and lasty Daf and Dilly, an older couple from Wales.

My first day at the orphanage was cut short to half an hour because Erica and I were on kitchen duty, so we said Hi and had to bolt. From what I could tell, though, the kids were bubbly and talkative, seems like my job will me easy. So Erica and I walked all over this dusty little town, buying chcken, fruit, veggies, spices, and milk for lunch dinner and tomorrow´s breakfast. Today we made tuna wraps and chicken stew, both delicious in thanks to Erica. My calves and shins are sorer than they´ve ever been, I don´t know why the walking out here takes it out of me like that. But I´ll have a good rest and a REAL first day at the orphanage tomorrow. Sweet dreams everyone.

Tragedy or Funniest Thing Ever?

I´ve been ill to say the least the last couple days, so that´s why the blog´s been quiet, and all i did today was laundry, walk around, and take a worthy risk on a street vendors baked potato with cheese and onions. Perhaps not the best idea having just conquered the MotherDemon of Diarrhea, but heck, what did i come here for? And I don´t particularly like taking pictures around here, not for fear of theft, but for fear of sticking out even more, when i already feel like, well, a six-foot-four non-spanish speaking string bean in a sea of chattering single-bean people. so maybe in time. but just one quick story:
Andy (one of the two other volunteers right now) and I were waiting for a tut-tut (three wheeled taxi) right near our house, when one full of people comes cruisin down the hill at 25+. As it gets closer, this big ol´white sheepdog bounds over the barrier from the other side of the road. The scene is set.
Now let me take a minute to explain to you the new place in my heart dogs have taken during my time here in Ayacucho. Every night, as I take my last long breathe before falling deep into my beauty rest, it starts with one yip. Yip. Yip Yip. Yip yip arf. Arf BARK AKLFIHWFHESAFOIWEHFOIDSFAOIDEFHAOIFNÑAIANDSOFÑ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I´m ordinarily a loving and humane master. Key word MASTER. These dogs are raucous and unruly, dragging their bottoms upon the most basic Pet-Master Tenets.
So back to the story. I´ve got five minutes on the computer. This dog jumps the boundary, hesistates as if it has a brain, then bounds out right in front of this speeding taxi. WHAMMY. The taxi screeches its brakes for a second, but it´s probably not the first time, so off it goes. The dog rolls over a couple times, but unfortunately, in the same motion, pops onto its feet and books down the street, actually faster than the assailsant taxi. So apparently they´re as resilient as they are goddamn annoying. Neevrtheless, I still counted it as a point for mankind, Andy and I high-fived, and I laughed about it all day. Whoooo.....

Here is the latest edition of MTV CRIBS, showcasing my babe lair in Ayacucho. First there´s my bedroom, with three cots pushed together for ultimate snoozing, then the dining hall where we feast, and finally the front door, which is more like a metal wall with a tiny hole. In the picture are my roomies, Andy on the left, from Colorado, and Martin from France on the right. We are expecting at least ten more volunteers in five days, all to share the same humble abode. Not pictured is our kitchen and one bathroom, but the Chinese food I had last night gave me the hershey squirts, so you´ll thank me for not taking bathroom pictures. We don´t have any hot water, but in the middle of the day, a cold shower hits the spot.
I was planning on having a productive day today, full of exciting pictures for my anxious audience, but said chinese food put me either in bed or bathroom for most of the day. We did walk around the market, picking up fresh onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and bay leaves to make spaghetti for dinner. The market is a huge shanty basically, with seperate stands every ten feet or so. Walking around, you suddenly find yourself in the meat section, with chunks of who knows what hanging from hooks, chicken and cow heads laying around, and a smell so rank it almost hurts. We got out of there and cooked up the goods, only to over cook the noodles and be left with a mediocre Italian mush. Nevertheless, a valiant first try at home cooking. I found out both Martin and Andy love Beck, so we rocked out for a while and played cards while the warm evening showers set in. Hopefully the rain shuts up the dogs tonight, we´ve come close to extreme measures the last few nights. Tomorrow I hope to accomplish what I couldn´t today and it being Saturday, we´ll check out the discotecha´s at night. Should make for a good report. Hasta luego amigos.

PICTURAS!!

My first night in peru, Hostal Belen in Lima. 20-foot ceilings, 75 degrees, no toilet paper. Whatever, it was like 4 dollars.













I don´t know what ¨rotate image¨is in spanish, so just tilt your head for this one. Arch by the Marcado, the huge city market in Ayacucho.










Top left: Plaza de Armas, city center in Ayacucho. Big metal statue of Captain Independence or something in the middle, I forgot his name.
Top right: Dinner with (from left) Lucy, Martin, and Lorena. I had Lomo Saltado, beef and veggies. Muy Rico :)
Bottom left: The view from the balcony of my second hotel, Hotel Crillonesa. To my right there was two gay Peruvian guys play-fighting, would have been a better picture, but they ran away.




That´s all for now, I can only upload five at a time, and i don´t have too much more that´s exciting. I dunno when I´ll get out into the mountains, but you can bet your buns those´ll be worth a peek. hasta luego.

Blog Jr.

Due to technical difficulties, I´ve had to make another blog, so here we go again. i´m just gonna try to put some pictures up.