Jungle, Titicaca, Arequipa and more!

A quick little entry to say that we are all still having a blast in Peru. We are all coming back from a short trip to Lake Titicaca, close to Bolivia, where the weather was definitely a little chilly, but the scenery was absolutely amazing! We had a chance to stay in families with natives inhabitants of the isla Amantani : what a cultural experience. We also had a chance to sail on Lake Titicaca, walk on floating islands and see a bit of the city of Puno. For the rest, the girls have had a chance to go for a nice trekk in the Cañon de Colca where they saw the flight of gigantic condors. Some of them got a little ill on the way back, but everything seems to be better now that we are all comfortably installed in our hostal in Arequipa (a gorgeous city with amazing shopping and restaurant!). Nick just came back from an amazing 4 day trip in the natural park of Manu in the Amazon jungle: what an experience! Tons of animals and a great stay in jungle lodges, rafting, ziplinine, hiking and more.

We are now approaching the end of our trip, with only 4 days left before we get back to Canada. We are all a little sad because we are getting so attached to Peru... Last plans: a few days more in Arequipa, where the weather is so nice. Trekking for some, rafting for others and eventually a plane or bus back to Lima to catch our flight to Montreal on the night of Monday to Tuesday. If all goes well, we shouls be back in Montreal late on Tuesday the 25th...

More pictures to come... (Internet access isn´t as easy these days...)

Machu Picchu

What an amazing and intense experience. 5 days of hiking for a grand total of more than 80 km overall. The reward at the end was extremely worth it: an amazing morning spent at Machu Picchu... The hike itself was great: we had an amazing package with porters, cooks, guides... all we had to do is walk... But the altitude was a challenge for some of us (we got to more than 4600m). The Salkantay trail was awesome and offered us some breathtaking landscapes.

From snowy mountains to the Peruvian jungle, passing by the dry tundry, we can say that the past 5 days gave us a great taste of the Peruvian wilderness. We will definitely have tons of pictures to share when we come back... But for now, we are heading in a few different directions, with Claire going back to Canada, Nick heading to the Peruvian jungle and the other 5 girls going to Puno. The next few days will probably be a bit more relaxing after this intense camping experience!

Cuzco!

Wow! What a change of scenery... We are now in Cuzco and we are getting ready for our 5-day trekk to Machu Picchu (it´s so exciting!). Our departure from the Hogar was pretty sad, as we were getting so attached to the staff and patients... But we are all pretty tired (departure time: 3:45 am)

Our flight to Cuzco was great: the scenery was breathtaking: mountains piercing the clouds at sunrise... We got to Cuzco in good time and met up with 4 other friends: Corey, Chloe, Lauren and David, who will be joining us for the trekk.

Our hostel here is great and we have taken advantage of the last 3 days to visit many museums, markets, ruins, restaurants, cafes... We are really feeling the change of pace from our work at the Hogar... we are now definitely on holiday! However, the high altitude here in Cuzco is making it a little tough for some of us. Our hearts are racing as soon as we climb a few steps... This didn´t prevent some of us from going mountain biking or rafting though...

More news to come and hopefully more pictures!

Farewell Hogar San Pedro...

Already 5 weeks have passed since we first set foot in the Hogar San Pedro. So many things have happened, so many good memories. The 2 last days at the Hogar were no different, or even, they can definitely qualify as the grand finale.

Yesterday morning, one of the patients at the Hogar San Pedro, Fortunato, got married. It was absolutely amazing! Him and his wife looked gorgeous and most of the patients at the Hogar attended the wedding. The sun was shining, the patients were all dressed up, the employees too: what a great experience. We were also so happy for Fortunato, a charming young man! The wedding was followed by a great lunch at the Hogar with the married coupled, their 2 children and their family. As volunteers, we decided to help out with the service in the kitchen and we ended up working really hard, to make sure that everything was nice... The organization of everything was a little chaotic, but in the end, we got to taste a bit of Pachamanca, and Papas a la Huancaina, the food that was served to all.

After everyone was finished with the chocolate cake, there was music, and most of the patients were dancing. Later on, since yesterday was the 30th anniversary date at the Hogar San Pedro, there were activities for the staff and patients: many small games where we all laughed and ran around! We are very sad to be missing the official 30th anniversary celebration with over 350 guests, which will be taking place on Saturday... We were sure it would be on the 5th, but then when we found out, it was too late to change our flights to Cuzco...

Today was also a great day at the Hogar San Pedro. In the morning, after a packing sprint, we all went to the nearby municipal healthcare center, where we
were shown around and got a chance to shadow a pediatrician and a gynecologist for a little while. We were also explained the Peruvian healthcare system in great depth by a very sympathetic doctor whom we had met at the medical campaign on Tuesday. It was awesome to see a bit more of the rural Peruvian reality.

Finally, this afternoon was a very emotional one... After giving away gifts and clothing to some of the patients and staff, we starting taking our last pictures and saying our last goodbyes. It is so sad to be leaving this wonderful and peaceful place. We got so attached to the patients and employees: it will definitely be hard not to come back...

So I guess this marks the end of the official MSAHI 2009 experience... we are now heading off for a bit of travelling: Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Cañon country and Lima. We are also hoping to spend a day with a doctor who has become our friend to finish our trip on a medical note... More pictures yet to come!

Only 2 more days at the Hogar San Pedro...

Incredible... Only 2 days left at the Hogar San Pedro... And so much to do still.

The last few days were very busy as they were filled with many different activities. It has also been great to have one more person living with us in our little volunteer´s house: Louise L´Hérault, from the Montreal-based Fondation Père Ménard. She had helped us organize our trip (she was our contact with the Ste-Justine hospital) and is now visiting the Hogar for its 30th anniversary celebrations, which will be starting tomorrow.

A few highlights from the last few days... On Friday, after spending an extra day in Huacachina and a day in Lima, Glynn came to join us at the Hogar San Pedro for one last supper in Chosica, at our favourite local restaurant: Mama Elsa´s. A great night, even though we were all a bit tired from the big week we had just had. The next day, Jess, Claire and Nayima went back to Mama Elsa´s for an authentic Peruvian cooking class: a blast! On the menu, Lomo Saltado and Pisco Maracuya... delicious! Glynn finally left the rest of us on Saturday, as he needed to catch his plane to Canada. Although all 3 of the boys, Amine, Glynn and Constantin made it safely back to Canada, Glynn had quite an adventure at the customs in Toronto... One thing is for sure: never carry someone else´s luggage when it´s time to cross the customs...

On Saturday, we received the visit of Dr. Enrique, a friend we made in Lima during our Tuberculosis class and with who we went out in Miraflores. It was great to spend some time with him and get to learn so much about the Peruvian medical system. We are also organizing to spend a day with him in his rural clinic in Cañete at the very end of our stay in Peru. Also on Saturday, some of us took place in a typical Peruvian even: the Hogar´s 2nd "Pollada",or Grilled Chicken sale to raise funds for the upcoming celebrations.

On Sunday, at the patients´request, we prepared a 2nd bingo afternoon and made our famous pancakes with maple sirup after supper. An other success! Sunday was also our last sprint at the farmacy to finish sorting the medications for the Medical campaign which took place today (Tuesday).

Speaking if the medical campaign: what an AWESOME day! The medical campaign took place in a small school in a nearby village and was open for free for anyone who was seeking medical attention. There were also donations of clothing and medication, all from the Hogar San Pedro. During the day, we shadowed doctors (3 GP, 1 pediatricia, 1 dentist, 1 ophtalmologist, 1 obstetrician and 1 gynecologist), gave little health awareness workshops, helped with the triage and carried lots of boxes around to help make everything happen. It was great to see so many healthcare workers at work in Peru. Hundreds of children and adults were seen today, and we had the occasion to learn a great deal about typical Peruvian medical condition. We were so sad that the 3 guys missed this wonderful experience. Laura was also unable to make it, as she is still recovering from a pharyngitis (but already feeling a lot better).

We are very much looking forward to our last 2 days at the Hogar, knowing very well that they will fly by... We are also looking forward to Machu Picchu and the rest of our trip, but very sad to be leaving this wonderful place where the sun always shines... On Monday morning, we were each given a special "thank you" certificate during the morning mass. It was very touching to see all the patients and staff so appreciative of our coming to the Hogar. We will definitely keep the Hogar in our hearts for many years...