All around Cusco solidarity in the face of a global pandemic continues. In Cusco at least, this really is bringing people together, fighting against enemy.
The rains have finally arrived! I woke up to a rainy morning in Urubamba, the kind of rainy morning that makes me hum the lyrics Im only happy when it rains by Garbage. Being born in Seattle is not the only thing that makes me love rain, the hills around Cusco which have either been either yellow with dry grass, or black with wildfires, will soon be green again.
It was a light, steady rain that hopefully will soak the hills without causing any mudslides. The heaviest rains in the Cusco region are in January and February, when torrential buckets of rain slash through hillsides, washing away towns and hiking trails. Last January 23rd, there was a landslide on the Inca Trail, which killed three porters and left several others injured.
Hopefully, light rains like today will help enough plants grow on the newly burned hills that they will be able to stabilize the slopes before January. If we had the relentless February rains now, there would be devastating landslides, washing away villages and potentially affecting Machu Picchu, since an area near the UNESCO World Heritage site
The family I stay with in Urubamba has a new puppy, named Maya, who was also happy with the rain. First thing this morning I saw her running around the yard and rolling in the wet grass. She just got a bath yesterday and was so white and fluffy, before she decided to go play in the rain. Her wet footprints were in and out of every room that didnt have the door firmly shut, and most of us got muddy footprints on our shins when she jumped up on us. She hasnt had much training yet, so Im glad shes still so little that her front paws dont even reach up to my knees.
This is the 32nd Sunday that nobody has been allowed to leave the house, except for emergencies. In March, April, May and June, this was strictly enforced by both police and military, who stopped anybody on the streets to ask what their emergency was. The police and military presence is significantly less now, than it was then, and peoples definition of an emergency is broadening. Auqui left the house today to see if he could find an
Maya is in that stage of puppy development when she chews on everything. Its hard to pet her without part of my hand or one of my fingers ending up between her teeth. Its also hard to walk around the yard without her attaching herself to my shoelaces or the bottom cuff of my pants.
open chicheria to buy chicha. He returned empty handed, saying that all of the shops were closed and nobody was in the streets. Still, he didnt see any police or get hassled for having left home. Technically, the rules of the lockdown havent changed, but the lack of enforcement the past few weeks has certainly changed the situation.
Were still in quarantine, with an 8pm curfew, but people are increasingly ignoring the restrictions. As long as they keep wearing masks, I couldnt care less if people are breaking curfew. Im still staying home as much as possible, maintaining social distancing and wearing my growing array of colorful masks.
This morning I left the house in Urubamba with another box of succulents and cactus for my new business Super Cute Plants. The van from Urubamba to Cusco takes about an hour and I made it home with my new plants in time to get online and be at work by 9am. Between work emails, I checked the news a bit to see what had happened in the world while I was spending the weekend unplugged in the Sacred Valley. My mom sent me some news
At the entrance to archeological sites, like Piquillaqta, the tourism board has set up hand washing stations. Most of these sites dont have buildings that can have extra hand washing stations added. Like Piquillacta, most of the park entrances are just a dirt road, where hand washing needs a contained system that doesnt need electricity or plumbing.
