Vilca

April 15

Vilca is a small community of about 30 families.  There aren’t very many families with young children, only seven children in elementary school. Most of the young adults have gone to the larger centres for further education or employment.  The livelihood of the villagers is subsistence agriculture with cattle and sheep roaming the mountains.  They have built stone fences and enclosures on the mountainsides to keep the cattle penned as needed.  Llamas, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys, and dogs run through the town square.   The hills are also covered in small terraced garden plots where they grow a variety of root vegetables.  They also supplement their income with tourism and every second house, it seems, either is a little restaurant or has guest rooms.  All are very basic rural comfort! 

The people have been very friendly and welcoming.  We haven’t picked up much Spanish and are very glad to have a translator accompany us everywhere.  Dave is holding meetings with various community members as part of his project and it’s been wonderful to be invited into their homes for visits.

The food here has been wonderful.  They have created many different soups and dishes, most often involving potatoes or other root vegetables, and perhaps trout, lamb or alpaca for meat.  We have been well fed and it’s always been tasty.  

Cancha - delicious roasted corn snack

Today was a beautiful day, as usual, a wonderful morning for a walk. We saw a glimpse of a snow-capped mountain in the distance, the Pariacaca, famous because it’s the source of the water for Lima. Seeing this mountain is like seeing Mount Robson in the Canadian Rockies.  It's usually hidden in the clouds.  But we are already at almost 4000 m above sea level so imagine the height of that one!

 Most days were same weather-wise. The sun would come out and we’d be too hot in sweater and windbreaker.  Then the sun would disappear and we’d be cool again.  By mid afternoon the skies would cloud over and there might be a thundershower.  As soon as the sun disappeared behind the mountain the temperature would drop like a rock and by dinnertime we were wearing our heaviest sweater and a down jacket.  The locals also wore layers and the women had the wonderful alpaca shawls.