Week 70 ~ We Caught It

Catching fish in Peru?

Last week Joe went with Jerry Prince and Rob Merrill fly fishing. Yes, Rob was going to go my himself up in the Andes and asked if they wanted to go with him.  They were delighted to accept the invitation.  They left at 6:30 am, the three Elders with the driver, Jerico.  It was a very long hard drive up the carratera central towards Huancayo and then splitting to La Oroya.  We had already passed the summit at Ticlio, 4840 meters or a little under 16,000 ft.  The picture is of them at the sign identifying the summit.  At that altitude, Joe was light headed and Jerry had a headache, just aren’t used to that altitude. They drove along the river and down to about 13,000 feet and drove a little way off the main highway to a beautiful area where they tried their luck without luck at fishing.  However, they did go fly fishing in Peru and for the headaches, nauseous stomach, very windy and twisting road and curves, passing truck after truck after truck on a very treacherous mountain road, Joe says it was worth it. 

               Catching the Spirit in Colombia
Saturday, we met with six brothers from different areas of Colombia and I would say of all the meetings, it was the most successful for several reasons. All the men stayed at the InterContinental Hotel along with us which was really nice. We had a meeting room with no added expense and we were served refreshments. Then for lunch, we merely went downstairs to the poolside buffet. It was a fabulous lunch, and then back upstairs for the remainder of the meeting.


L to R: Eduardo Pastrana, Gabriel Aloya, Diane and Joe, Wilington Franco, Alvaro Rodriguez, Miguel Rincon and Carlos Puruncajas

I wish I had the right words to describe this particular meeting.  I don’t know exactly what it was but I believe it was the inspired counsel from Elder Montoya to make our meetings more of a council meeting.  This meeting truly was fruitful and productive.  Different brethren had prepared various topics but mostly introducing and leading a discussion.  Everyone was engaged, had questions, and contributed valuable information and experiences.  I was truly amazed.  We, Diane and I, began the meeting with Diane sharing her experience about family history and her sweet testimony.  Again, I was so proud of her.  She is getting better and more and more confident and less afraid to make a mistake.  There is definitely a gentler spirit when she is present.  The morning sped by.  We were catered to which was so nice and then at noon we went to lunch.  I stayed behind to spend a little time with Eduardo Pastrana.  I had been sensing for some time that he was disillusioned or the very least not engaged.  I had a feeling that he thought I was disappointed in him.  As I spoke with him, the Spirit of love and peace gently settled over us and he opened up and shared his deepest concerns.  I felt the love of Heavenly Father for this dear man.  Just listening to him and understanding his personality was a great blessing.  The lesson I learned was to not jump to judgement.  We were ready to release Eduardo but I had told Elder Montoya when he asked me that I thought I needed to speak with him one on one.  I did so at lunch and then following the meeting also.  I believe he truly wants to serve and actually does a very good job.  I felt so much love for him.  He is a doctor and I had mentioned Diane’s challenge with her eyes and cough.  He gave it some thought and before we left had given me a prescription for her and even emailed me the name of an LDS woman dermatologist.

I truly felt the Lord’s hand in this meeting.  One of the things that I loved is that I took some time and actually taught from the scriptures, shared some stories, asked some questions.  Teaching, something I truly have been missing but just didn’t realize how much.  I know there was a spirit of edification when even my sweetheart made a comment at the end of my little presentation.  She had understood nearly every word and, even though, she was unable to express herself in Spanish, her comments in English and my translation to Spanish were guided by the Spirit.  

We now have three Area Auditor Assistants, in addition to the 35 Assistant Area Auditors. They help us with training and country meetings. One helps in Bolivia and Peru South, another for Peru Central and North, and then one for Ecuador and Colombia. These brothers help Joe with the endless email demands to answer questions, train and conduct these country meetings. By the time we leave our mission, we will have finally figured out how to run this program efficiently. 

Week 68 ~ MACHU PICCHU

And now the highlight of our week-long trip to Cusco, what millions of people come to Peru to see, The Lost City of the Inca's. The Spanish never found it and finally abandoned about 1540, the jungle took it over until 1911, over 400 years. A man by the name of Hyrum Bingham (actually an inactive Mormon) was taken to the ruins by a local farmer on a cold and rainy day.

We stayed in Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. It is a very small town in existence solely for the tourists, and there are no taxis or trucks. In fact, there is no road to Aguas Calientes. When the train arrives with supplies, hired hands have to transport everything by wheelbarrow up the hill . . . everything!

It was Friday morning, rising at 5:00 to be in the bus line by 5:30am for our ride up the mountain to see the sun rise at Machu Picchu. There are 24 buses that carry people up and down the mountain and there were already a few hundred people in line so we had to stand there for over an hour. Finally it was our turn. As we got closer to the archeological site, we could see it hugging the mountain in front of us, peeking out between the trees, and then we were there. 

After passing through the ticket stile, there it was spread before us as the morning fog was lifting and the sun shining through. It was magnificent! After all the pictures we’ve seen, we weren’t ready for the true splendor, like seeing the Grand Canyon in person for the first time.

 The Lost City of the Inca's

We spent the next few hours with our guide as he explained the significance of the different areas, and then by 11:00, we were left to explore on our own.  We continued to explore all around, places we walked through too quickly or passed by altogether.
We enjoyed quiet time just sitting, pondering and feeling the special spirit there. There were so many people, but only a few of the most popular structures were really crowded. The park allows 2,500 visitors a day but it has exceeded that number in the last few years. Before I realized it, 2:00 had arrived and it was time to go back down the hill. In the picture above, you can hike both of the mountains. The most popular is Waynapicchu, the big mountain, and it takes about an hour. We took over 140 pictures so of course only the very best can be included here to share this special place.

 


Anthony Bourdain said it right, "It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. The Grand Canyon and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there, with your eyes open, and lived to see it.    

Week 66 and 67 ~ The Sacred Valley

There was lots to see traveling through the Sacred Valley. It’s called that because the weather is so wonderful located between two mountain ranges. The ground is fertile and the weather perfect for farming. We visited the little town of Chinchero. While driving through town, there was a real wedding parade that was so cool to see with the bride and groom at the front with half the town marching, singing and dancing behind right down the main street. We drove up the hill to a local home/tourist stop and from that location, we could look down the hill and see the wedding celebration and hear the music in the courtyard of the little church.

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 Here we were shown the ancient technique of how the llama and alpaca hair was washed with a natural root soap. It was amazing to learn how to dye the llama and alpaca hair with natural colors from plants and rocks. The baby was in the knapsack on the back of the mother. She was so cute and happy to see us when she woke up.

On our journey through the Sacred Valley, we visited the Moray archeological site which are huge experimental agriculture terraces built to take advantage of some natural depressions that sunk like funnels below the level of the hot, semi-arid plain. Each of the holes had seven terraces, a special and significant number in their belief of completeness and perfection, both physical and spiritual. As with many other Inca sites, it also has a sophisticated irrigation system.

Moray Agricultural Site

Here is a picture sample of the way of life in the Sacred Valley

Below, a beautiful canyon for salt mining called the Saltflats of Maras. Water comes out of the mountain loaded with salt and is channeled to fill thousands of small shallow pools that look like miniature terraces built onto the side of the ravine. When the salt dries, it is harvested by scraping the salt with two wood slats, carried out of the canyon, cleaned and bagged for export, all still done by hand by a combination of about 35 families.

We visited the sanctuary complex of Ollantaytambo that is one of the finest in all of Peru.  The terraces climb up the mountain like any of the great pyramids and from a distance, the whole complex is built in the shape of a llama. It was of religious and astronomical use mostly with areas for agriculture and livestock. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Inca Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru in 1536, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance, because it was surrounded by the mountains and natural defenses. It finally fell to the Spanish in 1540.

Ollantaytambo

Week 64 and 65 ~ Seeing the Sights in Cusco

My brother David and his wife Judy came to Peru to share our mission experience with us. We enjoyed some of the sights in Lima but the big trip was to fly to Cusco and meet up with our tour guide Betho. He took us on an amazing trip to the archeological sights around Cusco, more sites to see as we drove through the Sacred Valley, and the highlight of the trip, Pachu Picchu. Since it takes me so long to get all the pictures organized, the next few blogs will show the wonderful experience we shared as we traveled together for a week in the highlands of Peru.

Our trip to 

Cusco and Machu Picchu

After arriving in Cusco, we went to the amazing ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Qenqo, both in the surrounding hills of Cusco. The elevation of Cusco is about 10,000 feet so we had a little trouble with being dizzy and light headed but it didn’t stop me from climbing as high as I could at Sacsayhuaman. The stonework was so awesome and our guide pointed out where the significant animal shapes were. AMAZING!! The impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman strategically built on a hill from where all Cusco can be seen. It is famous for its enormous carved stones, some of which are 30 feet tall and weigh over 350 tons. At the top was a huge tower (pretty much leveled now) that reminded me of King Noah’s tower that overlooked the whole area for surveillance. At this site, there is a huge open field where once a year the Inti Raymi is held. It is a huge Sun Festival held in June with costumes, music, parade with the Inca and food. We hear it is pretty crazy. 

Qenqo Sacred Ruins

The pictures below are of the La Merced Convent and Museum, a beautiful collection of art all along the walls and the architecture is grand. This property has been bought out and it will be turned into a high-end hotel by next year, closed to the general public. Such a shame.

La Merced Museum