Peru - Nov. 2005

In November 2005, Rick traveled to Ayacucho, Peru as part of the Care Corps and Cross-Cultural Solutions organizations. Ayacucho is a city with a population
of nearly 100,000 people at 10,000 feet in the Andes. In prior years, it was the city where the Shining Path rebels were headquartered, but now is peacefully
trying to join the 21st century through economic development. While there, Rick helped young orphan boys with their homework, accompanied young children
of imprisoned women on field trips, tutored high school girls in English, and horseback-rode to a llama farm via a 15,000-foot mountain pass.
Rick's emailed observations to his family about his experiences are at the bottom of the pictures.

	(L) Cathedral on Central Plaza in Ayacucho, Peru.	(L) Pedestrian walkway in Ayacucho, heading toward the arch.
	(L) Rick dancing at "gringo plaza" in Ayacucho.	(L) Care's Food Security Program (local development) in village near Ayacucho.
	(L) Brick "shithouse" -- the most modern and sanitary latrine design - village near Ayacucho.	(L) Adorable little girl on the street in village near Ayacucho.
	(L) Local food sources include "farm-raised" guinea pigs. It's what's for dinner! Perhaps like fried chicken or stroganoff?	(L) Herd of llamas near start of Rick's horseback trek into the Andes.
	(L) Landscape along trek into the Andes.	(L) Llama herders and a flock along the trail.
	(L) Rick takes a break (so is his horse) on his horse-ride and trek to the Llama farm at 15,000 ft. pass.	(L) Typical home in the impoverished Andes.At 13,500 feet, no crops can grow but llama herders can live.
	(L) Village at 13,500 ft where an NGO built a latrine for sanitation. But villagers use it for storage and "do their business" wherever is convenient.	(L) Andean horses are small as the people. Rick's feet almost dragged on the ground.
	(L) Rick is at the end of his trail, at 15,000 feet, literally "into thin air."	(L) These baby alpacas are lounging in their luxurious pasture at 15,000 feet in the Andes.
	(L) Huari ruins near Ayacucho. These Peruvian natives existed 500 years before the Incan Empire.	(L) Monument for the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824 which led to Peru's independence from Spain--the 1st country in South America.
	(L) The San Francisco Monastery in Lima.	(L) "The Cathedral" in Lima on Plaza des Armas.
	(L) "The Cathedral" interior is as elaborate as any in Europe.	(L) Statue of kissing couple in Lima's Lovers Park (did Rick miss Wendy back in Calif.?).


`November 7, 2005 – Ayacucho, Peru -` `Guess what? The internet is everywhere` `Our first day is pretty light. We had an orientation this morning and then visited some of the places we can volunteer:` - `A prison with about 1000 inmates, men and women, mostly in for drug trafficking. It’s interesting, there is no problem with coca farming but drug trafficking gets long sentences - 10 to 20 years, and 90% of the coca crop goes to cocaine. The women in prison get to keep their children with them up to age 3.` `- A soup kitchen that feeds about 100 people all of their meals` `- A boys orphanage where the kids were fascinated by my automatic umbrella and everyone had to try it - a medical clinic where the actual work is limited, but they do births and offered that we could watch.` - `l'll be mostly working at the boy's orphanage. Not sure what I’ll be doing to keep them amused. The young man that I’ll be working with is 18 and speaks no Spanish.` `Our group is about 14 people, mostly college age, some before some during, one woman from Tulane taking off a semester. We have two women in their lates 20’s or early 30’s and two women from England who are approximately my age.` Driving around Ayacucho is very interesting. The center of the city is reasonably well built with mostly paved roads and sidewalks. However, as you get out of the center city, the paving quickly disappears. All of the houses seem to be under construction, which they are. Since people cannot get loans, they build their houses as they can afford to, often a floor at a time. Consequently, there are a lot of single story houses with rebar sticking up in anticipation of the day when the owners can afford to build the second story. `I could talk a lot more, but I’ll stop for now. Your loving husband and father`