Weekend exploring Mantaro Valley

Last Saturday our host family took us to see some of the sights around Huancayo. We started at the Museo de Sitio de Wariwillka with a Spanish speaking curator. I understood some of what she was saying but missed a lot. We also toured some of the ruins behind the museum. Afterwards we went hiking at Torre Torre, which is just outside of Huancayo and has some impressive sandstone towers. It started pouring when we were close to finishing our hike, so we had to race back to the car. Some of the trails looked like they would become rivers pretty quickly with any substantial amount of rain.

A day at the lake in Mataro valley is a bit different than what I'm used to. While it had stopped raining, it was a cool, overcast day, and we didn't leave until 3pm - the lake was well over an hour away. We piled about 12 people into one Toyota pick-up truck. Not exactly comfortable but I was happy that I was at least inside the truck. There are random speed bumps on the freeway, and it is rare for any Peruvian to slow down for them; Freddy was no exception. So, every time we hit one, everyone in the cab of the truck ended up airborne. The lake was called Laguna de Paca and was in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. There was a restaurant, with some outdoor seating, and a grassy area dotted with some obnoxious lawn ornaments. The lake was pretty small, probably not much bigger than a few miles in circumference. One of the workers took all of us out on an antiquated, metal row boat. It took an incredible amount of effort for him to row us to the middle of the lake and back. Afterwards, Elin and I played futbol with all the guys. I don't think that many women here play futbol; if anything, I think they play volleyball. Either way, they all seemed shocked that we knew how to play. Much fun was had by all, and by the time we left, we were all exhausted and covered in mud.

I thought I was going to get lucky and escape Huancayo without getting sick......until I woke up Sunday morning and wasn't able to make it out of bed for most of the day. The family was great as usual and brought me lunch in bed. But being sick in another country certainly exaggerates any communication challenges. I got up at about 7pm to go downstairs to the bathroom and walked into a family gathering ; they were decorating the Christmas tree. They asked me if I wanted food, coffee, tea, medicine etc. Not wanting to offend them and not quite sure how to say, "if I don't go back to bed right now, I just might pass out", I agreed to sit down with them and have tea. My stomach was so upset that I couldn't even drink it fast to shorten my misery. And my Spanish, while not good even when I am feeling good, was not even close to comprehensible, so I'm sure the family was entertained. Fortunately I was feeling much better by Monday afternoon and I was able to avoid testing out Huancayo's health system.

This is my last week in Huancayo, and I can't believe it has already been a month. I will miss my host family and all the children we worked with here. It has been an amazing experience despite of the frustrations that we have experienced with the volunteer organization. My next stop is Cusco to hike the Inca Trail.