In Lima you get the sense of being in a new culture unlike the one that you live in your hometown. Though in Lima there is a lot of tourism and many stores that cater to the tourist. You can escape into areas where you do not have a lot tourism but when you do you run the risk of crime and harm to yourself. When I went to Gamarra (a district that is Lima that I mentions in my post Two Faced) I got to experience how the city residents of Lima shop and how it is all over the place compared to ours in North America. Though you still feel that it is over commercialized and it takes on a some of the characteristics of North America. So for the past two weeks I have been staying in an area that is not use to as much tourism and now have experienced a very different side of Perú.
Huancayo is the Capital of the Junin department in Perú. In the 80s and 90s Perú was dealing with a group called "The Shinning Path." They are communist group that inflected much terror in areas of Perú. There were a lot of car bombs that were going off in many towns and cities in Perú. The main area where they affect was the Junin department. It was dangerous for even Peruvians to pass through this area let alone tourist. So much of the Junin district was shout out from tourism. With it now safer you can visit Huancayo and feel comfortable walking around the streets. Though you should still be on alert as with anywhere you go. What is also nice is that you are not heckled as much by people to get you to buy merchandiser but you get many stares.
In Huancayo I have been studying Spanish for two weeks and have learned a lot. The best part of the classes is that I have learned how to speak in the past tense. Which is good because the problem I was having with Spanish is that I did not like talking to people because I could only talk in the present. So I have not talked as much this whole trip with many of the locals and you know as I do that I cannot stay quite for very long. The course has giving me the key to talk to people and it teaches you more about how people talk and the slang. Also with the course they take you to many parts of the Valley Huancayo is located and all the shops (factories) that produce many of the goods that go to tourist stores all over the country. You get to see so much of the Valley and how the people live.
The first outing I traveled to a village called Hualhuas. Here Willy (Spanish Instructor) and I went to a weaving factory where I got to see how all the blankets, sweaters and shirts are made. I got to feel the difference of the different material that is used for all the fabric. The most popular material that is used is the Alpaca. Alpaca is very warm and softer other then sheep's wool which is warm but can be very itchy. The only downside to Alpaca wool is that it holds water and does not push water out like sheep's wool. Though it is very soft and just wearing a sweater you warm up very quickly. Also at this factory I got to see many pottery work of arts and the type of clay that is used to create the pots. I got to see a Inca secret but I will not tell, you have to travel here to see it.
After the weaving factory we start to walk to a town called San Jerónimo. We walked what is the main road from Hualhuas to San Jerónimo which is a just dirt. I rather have that then tar. On the walk you got to see many great views of the valley and all the farm fields that grow canola, corn, and quinoa (which I have learned is native to Peru). You also got to see all the factories that produce the bricks for the city. They are a size of a small house and they use eucalyptus as there fuel for fire to heat the clay. The eucalyptus was imported in from Australia so that it could be used for the mines. Though it burns very hot and for a long time, ideal for brick making. At one of the factories I got to observe a factory working and all the people work as a group and there is no standing around.
We pushed on to the town that is known for its silver works and which we got to see first hand how the silver works are made. They did not show how me how they make the modeled silver works but the silver weaving. There is so much work that needs to be done to make the silver weaving. First they have to melt the quantity of silver they want and then with a rolling machine make it into a very thin thread. Then they weave and make very amazing work of arts. The people here make so many things with there hands and they all work together. It is also passed down through generations in their family and they learn at a very young age.
I got back to the Hostel I was staying at and got to play some settlers. I am glad that I bought the portable settlers game in Ottawa. It is now the new addiction for a Canadian couple Marcus and Asling that I have meet here in Huancayo. The couple are also from Ottawa and have been traveling South America for the past five months. Unlike me they have decided to take the what is called the "Gringo Trial" which is the route that most foreigners take. Though with taking that trail they got to got to see a lot more then I will. I also did not play like an ass like I have been known to do in the past so I made friends. They both went to school in Montreal where they meet and they own a ice cream shop in a town outside of Ottawa. They too were taking the Spanish course even though it was there last week of their trip. They defiantly got addicted to the game in which we were playing up to two games a night.
I also got another couple to play the game that were from Germany. Micheal was a designer for a company in Germany that made model trains but then went to another company for the automotive industry. His girlfriend Silvia was a yoga instructor and has traveled all over the world to learn yoga and teach it. They are on a 18 month trip around the world and have told me some really cool areas to go in Perú. They taught us at the hostel an another addictive game called Phase 10. We also played that game long into the night.
Also there was another girl there that we hung out with named Beth. She is from Ohio and has been WWOFING around South America and been writing her paper. She lives in New York and she is a nutritionist and has a very good plan to take care of the problems that plague Latin Americans in New York city.
We all got to experience Huancayo together and felt very much at home here. The people of Huancayo are very friendly and they love to come up and ask you where you are from and see how you are doing. Also some put a lot of trust into us tourist. The Canadian couple were in a silver store and purchased some products. When the owner went to go get change they did not have any. So they left them in the store alone while they went to go get change four blocks away. Hearing that is crazy and would never happen in North America (maybe in communities that know each other). When Micheal, Silvia, Beth and I would walk through the market here in Huancayo people were willing to have their picture taken and loved talking with us.
In the Spanish program we get a half day trip to a market in Chupaca. There is a big market where they sell all the livestock. The same group got to go and we experienced first hand the selling of animals in South America. When you walk through this market it is a big eye opener and there is a lot of energy. We got to experience how they check for diease in pigs to make sure they are not carriers of a disease that affects the nervous system. It is a intense process where they force the pigs head to the ground and pry the mouth open and check the lumps under the tongue. You get a weird feeling come over you when you see it but then you got to remember that the animals are probably treated better here then they are treat in North America which I will rant about later.
After the group headed to another area just outside of Chupaca. Here we got to explore some ruins that were storage for the grain and potatoes. We have been guide by this man name Lucho and he owns Inca Del Pêru which offers this program. He knows much about the area and we have leaned so much from him about the lifestyles and culture of the people. We learned at these ruins about how they stored the food and it is a very sophisticated process but simple. The structures are all made of stone from the area and there are no roofs. But at one time there was a roves but there were not fully sealed. The roves would allow for the wind to come in and provide shade. There were also vents on the sides of the structures that allowed the wind to pass. This would cool the potatoes enough so that they would be preserved. It is a very interesting processes and is too bad it is still not used today.
After a very informative walk talking about the history of the people and also very scenic it was time for lunch. For lunch we had a dish from the area of Chupaca called Pachamanca. It is a process where they heat up stones from the river (because they are stronger and will not break with the heat) and then stacking them in a tower and putting the food in between the rocks. The stacking goes as follows (from bottom to top):
Stones
Meat
Herbs/Spices
Stones
Milled corn mixed with sugar and covered with the corn husk
Stones
Legumes
Stones
Then the whole thing is covered with a blanket and covered by dirt. That is the more traditional, we had it with out the covering of dirt but just the covering of a blanket.
So the meat that they serve is Beef which was alright, Lamp which was the best I thought, Chicken which was also very good and Cuy which in North America is Guinea Pig which tastes a little like chicken and was very good. I made sure it was the first thing I ate so I was not thinking about it the whole time trying to convince myself.
The next day after the tour to Chupaca it was Easter Sunday and the city is a party. In Lima people leave and head to where their families are and I have heard there is not much that is going on in Lima. In Huancayo many Lima residents also head here for the Holiday weekend because they get four days off. So on Sunday morning our group got up and we headed in the centre to see the festivals. When we got to the centre there were not many people, so we asked a Police officer where the ceremonies were happening. So we just had to walk down a few blocks and were engulfed by a large crowd of people. It was very uncomfortable though because I myself am not really religious but wanted to feel the energy around the event. We also got a lot of stares from the people because I am pretty sure we were the only gringos there. We left when the parade of the Virgin Mary was being carried down to the church. We decide to head back to the hostel for breakfast and to rest. We were up late the night before playing cards and drinking.
After breakfast we headed back down to the centre to go to the Sunday market. I really wish that North America would have markets like the ones they have in Huancayo. But what has made this one market good is the fact that it did not really carter to tourist. Most of the markets you see in Lima or the shopping areas will up the price for tourist and carter to them more. At this market it was mainly for the people of Huancayo. All the merchandise come from the valley surrounding Huancayo and from else where. It went one for twenty blocks down one street. We had a good time Sunday in the market and got some good items there. I got my alpaca sweater which is very warm and some other items for the family.
The last week has not been to eventful as the first week in Huancayo. Last week there was many people to hangout with, but most of the people left at the beginning of this week. So this week was just myself and the caretaker Nilda and her son in the Hostel. Which was a good thing because I got to really practice my Spanish and improve my listening and speaking skills. I did however get to learn how to cook Papa de la Huacaine which is my favorite dish in Perú so far. But this weekend I have come down with stomach problems but I was prepared for this and have antibiotics for this problem. Luckily it has not slowed me down and I have been still exploring the area and headed to a town called Cochas with my Spanish instructor Willy. There I got to see how they make gourds into amazing works of art. On the gourds the carve stories into them and then they either paint them or use a stick that has been burnt and stains the gourds. They other technique is using pig oil and ash from a type of grass that fills in the grooves of the carvings. It is really fascinating how the work is done and they do not trace from a picture. They carve with just using what they think and it is unbelievable some of the gourds that I saw with such sophisticated designs on them. It was a nice day too and amazing views of the valley and farming lands.
Huancayo really reminds me of BC where all around you have mountains and a lot of rain. But they have thunderstorms which is awesome and reminds me of Windsor because of the storms and because the grow corn here. The past two weeks have a had a great impact on me and were a lot of fun. I have more confidence now with taking the Spanish classes and ready to move on to another new adventure.
