The Central Sierra and onwards to Cusco . . .

Huancavelica turned out to be one of our favourite places so far despite being one of the poorest regions of Peru. We spent three days in this delightful Andean town at 3,800m surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. The eco park and hotsprings were like a little piece of heaven in a Lord of the Rings type setting. At one sol each to get in (about 20p), it was just my kind of spa retreat! We also made a visit to the mercury mines of Santa Barbara or locally known as 'la mina de la muerte' (the mine of death!). It was an eerie place, long since closed, with open graves in the church yard and rusting mining carts. At 4,200m it was cold, rainy and bleak. We also learnt that taxi drivers throughout the world are a bunch of money grabbing con artists (sorry if you are an honest taxi driver!). Having agreed a price of 15 he suddenly decided he wanted 50 soles. Thankfully I only had 20 soles on me so that's all he got. We walked back through the mountains towards Huancavelica along well trodden Andean paths and said hello to a few llamas, alpacas and campesinos. We ambitiously tried a few words of Quechua which returned some warm smiles, Lydia even got a pat on the head from one delightful Andean lady. Unfortunately, on the third night Lydia was suffering from altitude sickness so we got her an oxygen top-up and decided to go to a lower elevation. We planned to board 'el tren macho' the next day to Huancayo at 3,200m. The local joke about the train is that 'it leaves when it wants to and arrives when it can'. This proved to be true when we arrived at the platform for the 5am train and found out that it would not be departing until 2pm. Rather than wait around all day we decided to get a bus, which to our pleasant surprise was only 3 and half hours on nice smooth roads!

We arrived at the highland metropolis of Huancayo to find a busy, modern market town. It is like a half-way point between Lima and Huancavelica where there is still a definite feeling of traditional Andean life but mixed with consumerism and late night bakeries that play jazz music. Suffice to say, the modern hotel and steaming hot shower was a welcome treat. We explored the town and found a hill side zoo a bit like the one in Edinburgh, except some of the conditions the animals were kept in left a bit to be desired. Despite this, there were lots of interesting animals including playful Capuchin monkeys and ninja turtles fighting (slowly!) to get round the heat lamp. As we continued up the hill we discovered a fascinating geological rock forest called 'Torre Torre'. It was like being in Western movie in a miniature Monument Valley.... yee haa!

Onwards to Ayacucho, a 9 hour bus journey through a cactus strewn landscape. Half way through the journey we experienced some of the wonderful randomness of travelling. The bus ground to a halt behind a long queue of stationary lorries and cars and I got out to investigate. Rather than the usual landslide or protest, the hold up was caused by a desert rally race, for which the local police had closed the main road. Fortunately, it was a high octane delay of only 45 minutes and the spectacle seemed to be enjoyed by all. We eventually arrived in Ayacucho, the city of the 'purple soul' and found ourselves quickly settling in to its laid back atmosphere and pretty colonial streets. Ten years ago this place was a no go zone as the terrorist organisation 'The Shining Path' were most active here. There is still a significant police presence in the region today but most of the graffiti we saw said 'No a la violencia' and the place was more about shining boutiques than Shining Paths. We finished off the day sipping on wine on the hostel's roof terrace overlooking this gorgeous city and its 33 chuches (one for every year of Jesus's life). We also indulged in the best pizza we've had in years at Totos Pizzeria... yum yum!

Lydia's 30th birthday wish was to be in Cusco and so we set off on a 20 hour bus journey early on Sunday morning to make it to the 'navel of the earth' on time. We arrived to a soggy Cusco at 5am just as the sun was coming up. We headed to the deserted town centre to look for accommodation and within minutes we were blown away by the monumental Inca stonework mixed with pantiled Spanish colonial buildings. In the artists quarter of the city, San Blas, we found a lovely bohemian hostel set around a verdant colourful courtyard. After an early siesta, we ventured out to Koricancha, an exquisite Inca temple now incorporated into a Spanish church and convent. Koricancha was at the very centre of the Inca empire and when the Spanish conquistadors arrived it was lined with gold and full of animal sculptures made from precious stones. It must have been an incredible sight to behold and we only wish we had brought a time machine with us! We had feared that Cusco would be swarming with tourists but now that it is low season it doesn't seem too bad. We had a great time exploring the old Inca streets with treasures popping up everywhere such as the '12 sided stone'. For Lydia's birthday treat we went to a highly recommended, funky local restaurant called 'Fallen Angel' and indulged in delicious steaks and the best chocolate mousse we've ever tasted. The decor was impressive with unique touches such as tables made from bath tubs with live fish swimming around under a pane of glass. The contemporary art was some of the best we have seen on our travels and the DJ behind the bar kept the old skool trance coming all night long. It was an excellent place to spend Lydia´s birthday.

Huachachina, Wild camping and Adios Pisco!

We have had a great time over the last two weeks getting involved in some really good projects as well as a couple of fun weekends away. Leon rose to great heights as the man responsible for the concrete mixer. We were also more involved with the Miracle project bamboo house which is almost ready for the family to move back in. We have really enjoyed our time in Pisco and can´t wait to return in spring to see how all the projects have moved on.

We had a fantastic weekend of play at Huacachina, a touristic oasis of beautiful sand dunes, sand buggying, boarding and chilling round the pool with the now ubiquitous pisco sour! After visiting the grotesque and fascinating Ica museum full of mummies, exquisite textiles and trepanned and deformed skulls, we made it to Huacachina in time to catch the sunset from the tallest dune while sipping a cold Cusquena beer! Ahhhh, what pleasure! The sand buggying was a terrifying rollercoaster ride through the desert where we were lucky not to lose the tasty English breakfast (complete with BACON) that we had eaten hours earlier. We also tried our luck at sandboarding, but it proved to be far more difficult than anticipated due to the horrendously dodgy equipment (i.e. a cracked plank of wood with two knackered velcro straps. Leon bailed so hard he managed to tear both his trousers and his underpants in one go!

Our last weekend in Pisco was spent wild camping in Paracas with some fellow PSF goons. It was all going so well until a gust of wind blew our tent into the sea (next time we must remember to weigh it down with rocks or bags!) Thankfully, due to Leon and Mark´s lightning fast reflexes and fearsome bravery to run into a pitch black sea the tent was recovered with no major loss or damage. The rest of the evening was spent playing guitar round the campfire and admiring the star lit sky. Most of us managed to make it to our tents that night, though two of our exhausted fallen comrades fell asleep by the campfire and woke up to find their breakfast mango nibbled by the local desert shrews! The next day we feasted on freshly caught crabs having used the tried and tested method of poking them with sticks from under their rocks while getting very wet from the sea spray. We were also delighted when the local pedestrian ice cream peddler showed up unexpectedly just in time for dessert. It was a wonderful way to end our time in Pisco and reminded us all that this region, despite the disaster, has so much to offer.

On Monday we bid our sad farewells to our PSF family and headed forth into the mountains. Normally, most backpackers head south to Nazca, Arequipa or north to Lima. However, we were feeling a little more adventurous and decided to head east into the mountains of the Central Sierra, a still rarely visited region due to the Shining path terrorism that plagued this area during the 80´s and 90´s. We boarded a night bus to Huancavelica full of excitement but our enthusiasm soon turned to ass clenching terror as the bus snaked along what can only be described as a Peruvian road of death! At one in the morning the bus ground to a halt. As the only gringos on the bus, Leon hopped off to find out what was happening. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue due to a small landslide on the road. Thankfully, some locals turned up with shovels and managed to clear the road after a three hour delay. As the sun rose we were treated to spectacular mountain scenery including a snowy overpass at 4850 m. We arrived in the gorgeous mountain town of Huancavelica a little short of breath, but we soon acclimatised with the help of some amazing cake and coca tea. We were delighted to find that we seem to be the only gringos here and that the town is almost purely indigenous. The Andean women wear the traditional coloured shawls, long skirts and black hats. The locals seem curious by our presence and have been very welcoming and friendly. Tomorrow, we intend to visit the nearby hot springs to soothe our aching muscles after our month of hard labour.

Domingo flamingos

The west is where the wild things are and today we were treated to a spectacular, awe inspiring display of nature at its finest. We ventured 20 km from Pisco to Paracas National Reserve and the Ballestas Islands. First of all our boat passed the Candelabra or ´Trident´ which is a mysterious sand carving in the desert landscape which our guide gleefully suggested was of extra-terrestrial origin. More serious scholars have hypothesised that it is more likely a pre-inca navigational aid. The tour continued to the Ballestas Islands which are rich in bird and sea life due to the Humboldt current that carries a pay-load of nutriment up from the Antartic. As we approached the first impact was the overwhelming smell of guano [POO] which has been harvested in this region for generations. Moments later we were face to face with flapping penguins, roaring sea-lions, blue footed boobies, swooping pelicans, terns, cormorants and a whole raft of echinoderms. It was like being in the middle of a Sir David Attenborough program. We have never before seen such large concentrations of wildlife in one place before, the islands were carpeted in birds.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the beaches, salt flats and sand dunes of the Paracas National Reserve. The variety of colours in the pristine landscape was breathtaking as we drove through through both Saharan and Mars like terrain. The cold blue Pacific ocean dazzled in the sunlight against the golden dunes. The beaches were some of the most wild and spectacular that we have ever explored. We even came across a red sand beach that would have been fitting for a sci-fi movie. Fresh ceviche in the tiny village of Lagunillas was delicious and we witnessed the Pelicans lined up by the kitchen door waiting for scraps. We rounded off the trip with a sunset display of wild flamingos wading off the salt flats.

Saturday night we had a PSF Halloween party with scarily strong punch and Pumpkin soup. I dressed as Fred Flintstone and Lydia went as a Pirate. The locals were bemused by our ridiculous costumes as only the kids seem to dress up in Pisco. A Columbian fire juggling unicyclist attempted to entertain us, but it quickly became apparent that he either needed more practice or less punch. It was a highly entertaining, spooktacular evening that we won´t forget in a hurry.

Workwise, we were involved in a miracle fund project to provide a family of seven with a new home. It took us only one hour to tear down the small, dirt floored shack that the family have been living in since the earthquake. Amongst the debris we found a small scorpion and a ´peligroso´ spider, that sent Lydia running. Next we dug, measured and levelled the site in preparation for the new foundations. On day two the cement mixer arrived for the concrete pour and this kept 12 of us busy until sunset. It was very satisfying that we were able to make so much progress in such a short period of time. All the while, the family watched, played and helped where they could. We hope to have the new house built in 1 - 2 weeks time. Constructed out of thick bamboo, on a concrete foundation, it will be a house like no other in Pisco. It has has been conceptualised and designed by an architect and an engineer volunteering with PSF. If we keep learning at this rate, we will soon be able to build our own home, albeit to Peruvian standards...