Two Recent Trips

I've been fairly busy in the past week or so, trying to put together all my information for my University project so that I can start writing, and visiting a couple of places to do research. The first trip was last Friday, when Marion took me to a native community of the Aguaruna people in Bajo Naranjillo. They are indigenous people who have maintained a fairly unique and separate lifestyle to the 'mixed' Peruvians around them (in Peruvian history, the native groups such as the Incas and the Chachapoyas were conquered by the Spaniards, and there was intermarriage that created a race of 'mestizos').

In the past Marion had worked with a Presbyterian church in Bajo Naranjillo, so we went to visit the pastor and his family so that I could do an interview with them. They were very kind in welcoming us to their home, and the pastor was very patient in answering my many questions about the culture of the Aguaruna people.

The houses are quite spread out in the village, and many of them are in the traditional style of wooden walls and leaf roofs. The pastor's house had an open fire at one end and a simple earth floor. This family bathes in the stream/pool just outside their house, and they keep lots and lots of turkeys and chickens and ducks. The pastor has his own 'chacra', which is like a farm, where he grows things like beans, coffee, yuca, banana, sugar cane, sweet potato and peanut. Their native language is Aguaruna, but most of them speak Spanish as they learn it in school. The pastor told me that they do not yet have the Old Testament translated into their own language, though some missionaries years ago had translated the New Testament and a hymnal. Though not as strong as before, there is still an influence of witch doctors in the community.

Interestingly enough, when I was asking about some of the most well known customs, I saw some similarities to the Amish in Pennsylvania! Not that we would call the Amish a 'tribe'... The main similarity was the construction of houses, a community activity in which all the men participate. I thought that was interesting! Perhaps it's done all over the world, and I just don't know about it...

After interviewing and eating, the pastor brought out the typical costume for a man and woman for a special event. They both wear a blue material as a skirt or dress. The women put lots of beads around their neck, while the men have two crossing beaded sashes and a headdress made out of monkey fur. Marion and I tried on the costumes, creating much hilarity, and we mixed the two outfits so that we could wear the beads and the headdress!

My second trip with Marion was to the town of Lamas, about two hours from Moyobamba and near to Tarapoto where the airport is. The town is built on a hill, with about three levels - first level is for the native community of Wayku, where Quechua is spoken; second and third levels are for the 'mestizos' (the Peruvians) with lookout points at the top. We left Moyobamba after church on Sunday morning and arrived in Lamas in the afternoon. We looked around for a while, taking photos and finding a hostel to stay in. In the evening we went in search of the evangelical church. It was the church that Annie Soper and her fellow missionaries had founded in Lamas along with a hospital and theological centre and school (if I remember correctly from the books that I've read). Marion and I were obviously very interested in visiting that church. It took a long time to find it! Everyone we asked sent us in different directions, and we walked in circles all over the centre of Lamas! When we eventually found it, they were very few in number but friendly. Lovely people.

On Monday (only yesterday, but it feels like ages ago!), it was absolutely tipping it down all morning, and my feet got soaked. I put my sandals on after that! We visited a castle that had some nice paintings. When I heard 'castle' I thought of those wonderful English and Scottish ruins that form such an important part of my childhood memories, but this was a new castle, built only a few years ago. There are great views from it across the town, but I'm still not entirely sure what its purpose is. We also visited a museum and went down to the Wayku community for a little while.

In the late afternoon we visited a missionary couple. The husband is Peruvian and is a pastor in Lamas, and his wife is English and is the daughter of the (late) missionaries Edward and Eileen Ball, who were well known in this part of Peru. We didn't stay long, but it was great to meet them.

Because of all the rain, there was a huge landslide on the road between Tarapoto and Moyobamba. This is my third landslide in three weeks! We were in a car with a few other people, and our driver was a confident chap who was speeding ahead of the waiting lorries and buses to get to the front of the queue. We ended up staying there for 2 hours, while the road was being cleared a little and while the cars and trucks that were stuck were being dug out. Marion and I needed to go to the toilet while we were waiting there, so we asked at a little house by the side of the road (this is a rural area, by the way). We were directed through a boggy loch to a little hole in the ground. Not the most pleasant experience, and my feet in sandals became very brown and wet!

By this time, the sun had set and people were trying to clear the road by the cars' lights. When it was a little clearer, our driver decided to plunge forward through the mud. We did get stuck for a while and needed some pushes from behind. The piles of mud and trees and roots that had fallen from the hillside were taller than the car on both sides! Eventually we got through and after waiting a little longer for the traffic to clear, we went speeding on to Moyobamba. The driver was going so fast that I was quite alarmed, but Marion told me that perhaps he was doing that because it was now night time and there was the risk of robbers shooting at the car to stop it and steal all our belongings. That scared me much more than any landslide, so I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that I was in a plane instead. :-)

I'm still quite tired after the trip, and I still have mud in my toenails. But they were very interesting visits to new parts of the area, and it was especially good to see what life is like in a native community.

Traditional housing of the Aguaruna people

Cooking the chicken in the Aguaruna family's house

All kitted out and ready to take charge of the tribe, with the pastor's wife and her sister in law

A little stream behind the house where the family bathes

Lamas - from a lookout point at the top of the hill

Some of the members of the First Evangelical Church of Lamas

The 'modern' castle we visited in Lamas

A lovely painting in the castle - I was knighted too!

At the central fountain of the plaza in Lamas

Statue of the natives in the Wayku plaza in Lamas

Chachapoyas and Kuelap - Part 2

DAY 2 - THURSDAY, APRIL 5

After getting up, we ate breakfast at the hotel/hostel where we had lunched the day before. I once again had the lovely Chachapoyas rolls with jam and butter. At half past 8 we met with our tour group for the Kuelap trip that we had booked the day before. The weather was a bit cool and drizzly, but I felt quite at home in it! We piled into a minivan for the 3 hour journey to Kuelap. Our group was quite a mix of nationalities - Peruvians, Spaniards, a German, a Swiss, an American (Rebekah), an Englishwoman (Marion), another Scot (a young man from Paisley - how funny to meet someone from Paisley in the middle of Peru!), and myself. On the way to Kuelap, we descended the mountain on which sits Chachapoyas and then started to climb up other mountains to an even higher altitude. Because of the rainy weather, the clouds were low and all appeared quite mysterious in the mountains! The road up the mountains was not quite double track - about 1 and a half, I'd say - and very curvy and rough. Oh, and we were constantly on the side of a cliff. Inside me were battling the forces of 'don't look down' and 'must see the scenery'. Quite exciting, really!

After a while, we stopped at a curve in the road with more space to get out and look at the remains of an Inca place on the mountain facing us. I think its name was Macho, but I'm not sure about that... Down below, beneath the mountains, was a river; and opposite us were small stone structures built into the side of the mountain. A zig-zag path could be traced along to these little houses and storage places that were built many hundreds of years ago by the Incas. They were literally on the side of a fairly steep slope, bringing to mind the phrase 'living on the edge'. We didn't stay too long there, but carried on our upwards journey.

We made another stop in a small town called Nuevo Tingo. Twenty years ago the town had been located elsewhere, but the results of natural disasters (like floods/landslides/earthquakes) had caused the town to be almost destroyed. It now sits on a plain and sports a lovely new plaza. (I assume that for this reason, the town is called Nuevo Tingo, 'nuevo' meaning 'new'...)

As we went higher and higher, the cloud was thicker and thicker. At times, we couldn't see anything over the side of the mountain, which was a bit of a shame since the scenery would've been fantastic, I'm sure. We passed through a few small and remote villages, stopping briefly in one to put our order in for lunch at a restaurant that we'd return to on the way back down. Less than 20 kilometres from Kuelap, we came across a big landslide/mudslide that completely blocked our way. Our tour guide said that if we crossed the mud on foot, we'd have to walk uphill for 2 and a half hours before reaching Kuelap, a prospect that no-one really relished. Crossing the mud was difficult - slippery and wet and dirty, not to mention the several thousand foot drop on one side. With the help of some of the locals who were helping to clear the mud, we all managed to cross the 'Jordan'. On the other side were a few men on motorbikes and a man with a cart on the back of his motorbike. I got on the back of one of the motorbikes to be taken to the top of the mountain! We went flying up, mud splashing everywhere, hands getting rigid with the cold air and rain. But I just wanted to laugh at the thrill and adventure of it all! Not many can say they've gone to the top of an Andes mountain on a motorbike!! :-) It will probably never happen again in my life, so I'm glad I enjoyed the experience while it lasted!

After a few minutes, all the others arrived either on a motorbike or in the cart. Our tour guide led us upwards on some marked paths towards the Kuelap ruins. The mist and cloud and rain made the stones and mud quite slippy, so we had to be careful where we walked. Thankfully, throughout the whole day I managed to stay on my feet, but poor Marion and Rebekah both had small slips/falls (those plasters [band aids] that I've been carrying around for years finally came in handy!). Lining both sides of the path were lovely wild flowers and trees and hedges. 

Kuelap is an ancient site, now in ruins, that was built by the Chachapoyan civilisation. It dates back to before Christ, occupied by the Chachapoyans for many hundreds of years, then by the Incas when they conquered, and then finally burnt by the Spaniards when the natives refused to convert to Roman Catholicism. The whole city is a walled fortress - huge walls that would've required much effort and engineering considering the scale of them and the height at which the mountain stands (about 3000 metres above sea level). Inside the walls are a few levels - the more important people living above the less important, with the altar for sacrifices and a look out tower at the very top. We climbed right to the top first, and I was amazed at how close and dense the cloud was. At the edge of the cliff, I could only see cloud - it was a remarkable sight. (I can't describe it very well - just look at the photos below!)

The houses of Kuelap were circular in shape and are thought to have had tall cone roofs. Many had the evidence of a second floor. In the middle was a hole used for storing grain and other food, and there were often long stone tunnels built on top of the ground for keeping the guinea pigs (they were, and still are, food rather than pets here!). There are lots of the stone circles remaining, and one house has been reconstructed to show visitors what it would have looked like in the past. There were three entrances to the city, large impressive portals that made me think of Lord of the Rings. And the view from any point in Kuelap is just stunning. Although there was rain and cloud, I still thoroughly enjoyed my tour and left feeling very impressed. The place is not nearly as well known as Machu Picchu, but in my opinion it is just as impressive. The height and the remains of the civilisation are comparable to MP, and the natural beauty of the place (its trees and flowers) and its tranquility are preferable to the tourist-infested place that MP is now. I highly recommend it to everyone!

After leaving the site and walking back along the path to the beginning of the road, we all got in a pick up truck and flew down the mountain at breakneck speed. I was sitting/hovering in the bed of the truck, clinging onto the side for dear life and shouting to the driver to slow down! Haha...apparently he didn't hear me. My nice pink jacket became quite muddy brown. We had to cross the muddy 'Jordan' again, this time trying to balance on some dead branches that had been pulled from the mountainside. It was a relief to get back to our minivan and start the descent to the village of Longuita where we ate our lunch. It was only afterwards, when I was sitting in the van, that I realised how dangerous some of what we'd done really was. But I was preserved and now can tell my story with thanksgiving to the Lord for his care over me. :-) We arrived back in Chachapoyas a few hours later (early evening), exhausted but happy.

Rebekah decided to stay in our hotel room and go to bed, but Marion and I went out to get some food to eat the next morning and to have a cup of hot chocolate in that cafe we'd visited the night before. I also ordered a fruit salad, which was deliciously made up of mango, apple, banana, cherries and other fruit, with a blob of granadilla sitting like a little brain on the top. 

We slept well that night after our hot showers. Aaaaaaaah....

DAY 3 - FRIDAY, APRIL 6

There isn't much to report for Friday. We rose early and ate our breakfast in our room before walking to a minivan/taxi station to get a van to Moyobamba. We had found out about a direct route between Chachapoyas and Moyobamba and decided to go back that way instead of stopping at Pedro Ruiz and Nueva Cajamarca. We left at 7am and got back in the early afternoon. Unfortunately our van was full of people with a tendency towards carsickness. And the winding roads in that area are not carsick passenger-friendly. Apart from that, the journey was fine. We made one main stop at a rural restaurant with hole-in-the-ground-toilets and then crossed back into jungle territory.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and only wish I'd had more time to spend in that area. Perhaps I'll be back before I leave Peru. :-)

The Inca place we stopped at on the way up. The little specks of stone half way up the mountain are the houses!

The snazzy plaza in Nuevo Tingo, with animal shapes in the hedges.

The landslide that we met on the way up to Kuelap.

From the path we walked to Kuelap

Standing in front of the side of the fortress

Various levels within the city, with the altar at the top

Just jump off the side into the fluffy cloud...

One of the more preserved houses

Stones showing some of the interesting designs/iconography

What a poser!

The reconstructed Chachapoyan house

Myself with a native's self-portrait :-)

Standing in the magnificent LOTR-like entrance

A few more of the house remains - they really squeezed them in there!

A beautiful orchid. Peru is famous for its orchid species.

The lovely path that we followed from the ruins to the main road

Rebekah, Marion and myself with the minivan that took us back to Moyobamba

Chachapoyas and Kuelap

Last week, from Wednesday to Friday, I went on a little holiday to the town of Chachapoyas in the region of Amazonas (to the west of San Martin). Marion (the Latin Link missionary from England) and Rebekah (the American volunteer in Annie Soper) and I went together and had a brilliant and adventurous time! Here is what we got up to:

DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4
After spending the night at Marion's house, we rose very early and got a car (taxi) to the town of Nueva Cajamarca. The journey is between 30 minutes and an hour, but we got there quickly because it was early and there wasn't much traffic on the road. In Nueva Cajamarca, we changed cars for Pedro Ruiz, a few hours' drive away. In that drive we made the transition from the jungle to the sierra (mountains), and it was a wonderfully bright day for enjoying the beautiful landscape.
On the road to Pedro Ruiz, we came across a landslide which had trapped a double-decker bus in mud. The bus had been there for a few hours, and there was a huge queue of lorries and cars and mototaxis waiting for a digger to arrive to clear the road. We waited for about an hour there, walking around, examining the situation and chatting with the other people on the road. Eventually a digger arrived and very skilfully started to move all the mud and rocks to the side of the road. Freed from its mudbed, the bus was able to get on its way again, and traffic started moving. Because of the recent rains and the steep hills and cliffs that there are, landslides are not uncommon.
The rest of the journey went quite smoothly in a 'no other road obstacles' sense, though the road itself was never straight and caused us to fly from side to side in the car. Our driver was kind enough to stop at a few points to let us get out and take some photos. The scenery was stunning, and it became more and more different to the jungle scenery as the miles whizzed past. A lot of it reminded me of Scotland, actually!
From Pedro Ruiz, we transitioned to a minivan to climb even higher up the mountains to Chachapoyas, finally greeting that town at midday.
The town is attractive in its calmness and cleanliness and its fantastic situation in the mountains. There are lots of steep streets leading to the main plaza. (I really like the Peruvian plazas that I have seen in the few cities and towns I've visited!) The large white Roman Catholic church stood at one corner, and the other three sides of the square were lined with various shops, cafes, hostals and tourist agencies. In the middle was a lovely square with a central fountain, benches, grass, plants and trees, and little paths. It had a pretty town look and feel to it, and I immediately wished that we were staying for more than two nights!
Upon arrival, we ate in a hotel/hostal on the plaza, tasting for the first time the famous (and rightly so) bread rolls that Chachapoyas produces. Then we found our hotel, a short walk uphill from the plaza. We were sharing a triple room, and it was comfortable and (wait for it: here comes the best bit!) it had a HOT SHOWER! Words cannot describe the wonderful sensation of a hot shower after months of cold ones - it is sublime! :-)
That afternoon we decided to climb up some steps to a ridge in the town, to have a better view of the area. I reached the top first, being 51 and 31 years younger than Rebekah and Marion, respectively. :-) There were 168 steps, according to my calculations, though that number was disputed by someone else. The view was lovely, and we lingered to take photographs. After our descent, we visited a couple of museums about the Chachapoyas history and culture. The first was a very small place with various ancient artifacts housed in simple glass cases, and the second was a bit bigger and was in a restored church. I gathered some new and important pieces of information about the Chachapoyas civilisation, the Incas who invaded and the Spaniards who conquered all of them. After a stop at a nice little European-style cafe which sold pure, local products, we returned to our hotel room to rest. In the evening we ate at a restaurant that Marion knew was clean and reputable, and following our tea was a trip to a souvenir shop where I bought a very unique little bag made out of a gourd or pumpkin with beautiful designs carved into it and with a leather strap. Can't say it's the most practical thing I've purchased, but it is a great way of remembering my trip to Chachapoyas!
That night, Marion and Rebekah had put their jammies on and were just settling into their beds when a massive spider caused a disturbance in our room. It was on the ceiling above Marion's bed, and not one of us was going to sleep with that thing up there! Amidst gales of laughter I had to go out to ask a 'brave man' at the reception desk to remove the creature, which he did with an amused look on his face. :-) Then we slept well.

I'm sure right now you're thinking, 'Dear me, this is only Day 1 she's written about...!' I'm feeling the same, so I'll just post a few photos just now and bring you part 2 tomorrow!

Early in the morning, not far out of Nueva Cajamarca

The location of the landslide and the trapped bus

Climbing higher into the mountains

Another shot from the car on the journey between Nueva Cajamarca and Pedro Ruiz

The driver let us stop to take photos of this picturesque lake near Pomacochas

View of Chachapoyas 

Marion and Rebekah with a great backdrop

The Plaza of Chachapoyas with the church in the corner

One of many sloping streets in the town

Pics of First Grade

It was a lovely bright day with little rain, and we took 1st grade outside to play 'Simon Says' and to sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. I took a few pics for you to enjoy. They are lovely children - very affectionate and enthusiastic.

I went to a little prayer meeting at the church this afternoon. I had a nice time with the ladies there (only one man came!), and afterwards I got to play the keyboard a bit! Yay! I haven't touched a piano or keyboard for a couple of months, and my fingers have been itching to play. It was great to have some hymnals to play through, and Marion and Rebekah and I sang lots of them for the next couple of hours. We have been asked to sing something for Easter Sunday, so we're practicing for that.

On Wednesday morning I am going on a trip with Marion and Rebekah. Rebekah is an American lady who is volunteering in Annie Soper like me. We're going to Chachapoyas in the mountains, where there are lots of historic sites and ruins. We'll be returning on Friday, so it's just a quick holiday. I'm looking forward to it very much! I'll be sure to post photos and news when I return.

Playing games and singing with First Grade

HEAD, shoulders, knees and toes!

They are just beautiful children!