Sometimes I wish there were other species of hummingbirds that I saw as often as the Sparkling Violetear. However, seeing this one every day at home and every time I go for a hike, Ive definitely had the time to get some really amazing shots.
What exactly do I think will happen? With the State of Emergency extended into September and the hope of a vaccine still in the distant future, what can I expect to happen in 16 days? Im hoping that the all day Sunday curfew will end and that there will be more transportation options, although I certainly dont want anybody from near Cusco. I do hope that it will be easier for me to travel to small villages to take emergency food aid to people who really need it.
I dont actually think anything will change 16 days from now but maybe I should look for a new title for these blogs. after quarantine? Extreme Social Distancing? Covid Recovery? The shit show?
One of the most difficult things about this pandemic, since it started to hit international news in February, is the crushing uncertainty. We have no idea what is going to happen. We have no idea what will happen when restrictions here lift. Although, if Peruvians follow the lead of every other country that has eased
This hummingbird was craning his neck at such an odd angle, the pose makes me laugh every time. With my thousands of opportunities to photograph this guy over the past 14 weeks, Ive gotten some rather shots.
Maybe the only certainty that we have is that this will not be over anytime soon. We will be dealing with an ebb and flow of waves of outbreaks across the world until we not only have a vaccine, but are able to administer it to 7.8 billion people. With that in mind, I decide to spend the afternoon working on the Covid Relief Project. It will be a while before tourism resumes enough here for porters to have jobs again.
Im trying to expand the network of people who know about the project. Besides my own personal contacts, Ive been reaching out to guides in Cusco. First, I ask them to spread the world among all of the guides in the area, then I ask each of them to contact any tourists that they have worked with and still have contact information for. Still, the bigger the network, the better.
Ive also been messaging with a person that I will call Maria in this blog. She has worked with porters here in Peru and also with porters in Tibet and Kenya. The Inca
Like the Sparkling Violetear, I never tire of the view of Mt Ausangate. It is one of the most sacred mountains, which the Quechua call Apu.
Trail, Mt. Everest and Kilamonjaro are apparently the three places in the world where trekkers almost always have porters. They are also three places in the world where workers rights and indigenous peoples rights are easily ignored in the quest for profit. You can probably imagine that a person who is working directly against the interests of the majority of the tourism industry is going to make enemies.
Maria called tonight to talk with me about the Covid Relief Project. Shes not in Peru during the quarantine and is unsure when shell be able back. I had messaged her to ask for her help in reaching out to people. I know that she has a giant network around the world and I thought that if she promoted the project, we would get a lot more visibility and hopefully more support from people who care about the welfare of the porters here.
She said that she was interested in the project and would quietly reach out to a few people, but that her name should not be at all associated with the project. Apparently the enemies she made here are still quite angry and she is afraid
The more time I spend up at the Temple of the Moon, the more time I have to spot the resident kestrels. The hummingbirds might be both out my windows and on my hikes, but the kestrels are only to be found up in the hills. Quilichu is the Quechua name and even though my conversational skills are minimal, Im learning quite a few animal names.
