Things that bite

My orientation of the Andean region is in full swing. The first stop was in Puno, Peru. It is located on the altiplano (high plains - around 13,500 ft) of the Andes, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. I was only there a week, but I really fell in love with the area and the people. It is a smaller city (around 150,000 people vs. Cochabamba's 800,000+) and has a small-town feel to it. For example, the movie theatre was showing Titanic (c. 1997). I am not sure if it was a re-run at the theater or not, but wow! Everything closes down relatively early, except for the tourist area (of course!). In order to get a feel for the broader area, I took a short trip out to three islands (one made of reeds, two on rock) on Lake Titicaca. I even got roped into trying on the local costumes. The local guide called me "Uros Barbie". Uros are a pre-Incan people that live on forty-two self-fashioned floating man-made islets in Lake Titicaca.
I've included a picture of the demonstration we had of how exactly the reeds manage to stay afloat. There are interesting things to eat in Peru. For example, guinea pig is common. It's called cuy (pronounced coo-ee). Another popular treat is alpaca. I was not so adventurous as to try either one of these as I am still practicing semi-vegetarianism. However, I heard that they are both tasty to those who enjoy things like greasy chicken and/or grilled venison. I was quite worried that during my overnight stay with the local people on island #2 (foundation of rock, not reeds) I would be forced to eat/pick at whatever they put in front of me, but I was quite happily surprised (relieved!) because we ate strictly vegetarian. Quinoa, potatoes, fava beans, and oca (kind of like a yam, but not). It was delicious! There's a tea in that area called muña, and it helps with your digestion after meals. It is an herb that grows naturally on the islands, I think. Another popular drink here (well, all of Peru, really) is called Pisco Sour. Those are quite good, and although I've tried them in the U.S., there is something about drinking them in Peru. I am told it has to do with the limes.


I had another run-in with my botched up Spanish. When we arrived at the second island and were shown to our host family's house, we got settled in, then ate lunch. Afterwards, our hostess explained that she would take us to the Plaza. And I asked her "What's going to happen at the plaza?" She responded, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you, I will be with you." Hm. That wasn't what I meant. . . so, not being a quick learner on these things, I asked again, "Oh, I know you'll be with us, but what will happen at the plaza?" To which she again replied, even slower than before, "Nothing. I . . . will . . . be . . .with . . . you." Now, you may be laughing, but this is quite a humbling experience. Finally, everything clicked for me and I asked her what types of activities were taking place at the plaza. And then I found out that one of the only things to do before nightfall was climbing one of the mountains: Pacha Tata or Pacha Mama. It took us a good 15 minutes of sitting in the plaza with our hostess before we realized we were supposed to be doing something other than watching her knit. (Insert another conversation about me asking what we were supposed to be doing - I'm sure you get the picture!)
After going the longer, alternative way up the mountain (I'm pretty sure it was used more for the locals than the tourists based on the rough, hewn-out path we discovered and the fact that nobody else was around EXCEPT for the one or two odd locals who gave us strange looks) we arrived at the peak of Pacha Tata in time for the sunset. I have to say, it was glorious. No picture really gives it justice, but I've included a shot of it anyway. As the sun quickly sank below the horizon, we realized we would be in complete darkness. Although there is a lot of tourism, there is not a lot of electricity, so we hurried down the mountainside (this time on the appointed tourist path) to meet our hostess. She led us back to her house and we ate our dinner in near-darkness as her kitchen/dining area did not have candles and had only a weak lightbulb which thankfully gave us enough light to distinguish what we were being served. (Yay! No mystery meat!)
All in all, Puno was great. I am sad that I will not have the opportunity in the near future to make it my home, as I have already agreed to stay in Cochabamba. That is one thing that bites.

The second part of my orientation took place in El Alto/La Paz in Bolivia. I was able to get a brief sense of the projects my fellow missioners had done in this area in the years past. I was getting a tour of the projects (a library, medical clinic, etc.) in Senkata (a neighborhood in El Alto) when I noticed two little boys and a dog approaching us. I didn't think anything of it until we had passed them and I felt the dog's mouth close down on my calf. The little bugger didn't even warn me with a growl - just decided to cowardly gnaw at me from behind. He/She made a puncture wound on one side of my calf and broke skin and made a huge bruise on the other side. I cleaned myself up as best I could in the street (with the help of my companions) and then started looking for the dog to find out if it had owners and the necessary shots. The little boys had actually been throwing rocks at said dog, and wanted nothing to do with him/her. After inquiring after the dog from several local people, it appeared to be owner-less, so I limped off to the local clinic where the wound was scrubbed out with a brush (ouch!) and I was referred to a bigger clinic so that I could start my rabies vaccination. Sigh. I was hoping the dog could just be watched for a week and if it died, THEN I would start the rabies treatment. But, no, the rules are if there is no owner and there are rabies cases in the area, you are obligated to undergo the treatment. Street dogs be damned. I finished off my 7 days of shots without too much bother and only have 3 more to go. Lesson learned: Carry a big stick or rock to fend yourself off with in case there are dogs in the barrio.