Cusco-Puno Corridor - Day 2

When I return from my walk to the amazing sacred temple site, the van Mamita is waiting for me as arranged. I bid goodbye to the lovely women of Raqchi and we head off to our first stop, which is only a short distance up the road in San Pedro. 

We bang and bang on the door of a farm house but nobody's home. We are going by the schedule I have been handed by Agro Rural and not too sure where to from here.  I decide to phone Ciro at Agro Rural who manages to convey to me in Spanish that I've got it all mixed up (duh, who made this schedule?) and we should go see this other mob first and return to San Pedro later on in the day. So we head for a place called Marangani (near Sicuani), which is about an hour up the road, to visit an assocation of guinea pig farmers. Hoorah, I get to witness guinea pig farming after all and can only hope the mob will be around ~ according to the schedule we are not expected until early afternoon. 

When we get there, we are greeted at the entry road by the association leader who says he's been waiting for several hours as he was told we'd get there first thing in the morning ~ duh, who made this schedule?  Thankfully, he doesn't seem to fussed and leads us up the road to the association's common quarters where a bunch of women are waiting to speak with me. Out comes my list of Spanish questions and I get a picture of what life is like for this association of guinea pig (cuyes) farmers. 

They are a group of 18 families who received technical assistance from Agro Rural to build sheds to house the guinea pigs, how to feed them (the guinea pigs eat organic alfa alfa, ray grass and other greens that are grown by the farmers) and market them. Both the men and women work in the guinea pig business which means they can stay put in their village and do not have to go elsewhere to generate income. They average production of 50-80 guinea pigs per week, which are sold at local markets, at fairs and the association also has the ability to freeze the guinea pigs. They proudly show off the array of prizes they have won over the past years and socio-economic conditions in the village have improved considerably.

There is no Internet signal in this area and the farmers use mobile phones to communicate with clients and other communities. They would like to export but do have any access to market or marketing knowledge. They would also like to open a restaurant and become more commercial, serving an array of cuy recipes. I am keen to clamp eyes on the actual rodents and we take a tour of the shed where the cuyes are housed. I am amazed at the variety of guinea pigs that are there. The short haired ones look like rodents, the long haired ones almost like cute little dogs.

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In the afternoon we do indeed make it back to San Pedro and find the people home. Not that they were actually expecting us. They thought we were coming yesterday! Whatever, I'm there and we are having a chat. Associacion de Productores APROLAC started out in 2003 with some 16 families. Today only 5 families are active. They make yogurt which they sell to the local market. It is a labour intensive process which takes 3-4 hours everyday and this is done on top of their regular jobs as they all work in the community as well as farm. 

The association does not have refrigeration and given their low capacity, their output is relatively low as well. They would like to expand beyond the Cusco-Puno Corridor and get their product to Arequipa but aren't really sure how to go about it. They do not have Internet at home and say that when it works in the community it is too slow to search for new ways to improve their yogurt making technology (they are keen to get Dutch knowledge transfer) and learn much more about marketing. They received initial technical support from Agro Rural but do not have the funds to expand. The best part of this visit is the yogurt, which is super fresh and delicious.

After we leave Aprolac, it is time to drop me off at the bus station. We get back on the road and suddenly the van is turned into public transport. Hang on, didn't I pay a considerable amount to hire the van for private use? Cheeky indeed, but by then people have started piling into the combi and are handing Mamita money for the transport ~ there's no point making a fuss. At one point mamita even puts her hand out to me to pay up and I give her a puzzled look. Ah, no, not you, she apologizes with her toothless grin. 

By the time we get to the bus station I am again the only passenger and mamita gets out with me, pushes her way through hordes of people and helps me buy a ticket. It turns out she'd bought me a ticket for a combi (apparently mini vans arrive an hour faster than the big buses). The van is late and I chat with two women patiently waiting for transport.  When the van finally takes off, I find myself crammed in the back corner. By now it has into quite a long day and I am tired. But not as tired as the woman squeezed in the middle seat next to me, who begins snoring and lowers her head onto my shoulder.  Don't think the bus fare includes being a cushion, so I gently shake her awake. Perhaps I should have let her rest... she ends up babbling all the way back to Cusco.

Raqchi

Our next stop is Raqchi, an eco-tourism spot popular for its archeological dig.  It is quite a long drive from San Salvador and we stop for lunch before we make the trek to Raqchi. Ciro takes us to his favourite fried pork restaurant. Not my thing so I opt for the only other item on the menu ~ chicken soup, which turns out to be a very large bowl indeed, sporting the biggest chicken leg I have ever seen and I struggle to make my way through it. It appears I've made the right choice as my MIMDES host gets violently ill that night ~ apparently eating greasy food on one's first day in Cusco while adjusting to the altitude is a lethal combination !

We get to Raqchi quite late in the afternoon and the women have been waiting for us since 3:00 PM. We apologise for our late arrival and have a quick chat with the women. Raqchi runs an eco-tourism assocation and the women promise to come see me later for an extended chat.

I am a bit confused as to what is happening but as it turns out, I am the only one staying overnight in this eco tourism resort, whilst the rest of the gang heads back to Cusco (a 2.5 hr car ride). I will be visiting other associations in the area the next day before heading back and we have to find a driver that can take me around. 

We get back on the road and drive to San Pedro to sort my transport. The only thing available is an overpriced minivan ~ normally used to ferry locals up and down the highway  ~  owned by a toothless mamita who does not speak a word of English, but my choices are limited (none actually), so we settle on a price and pickup time in the morning. 

 

By the time we get back to Raqchi it is pitch black and it is with some trepidation that I say goodbye to the gang.  I enter the guesthouse and my host comes in to set the table for dinner with beautifully colourful ceramic plates for me and her kids. Am afflicted by the altitude and a bit pale around the edges. I can't stomach much other than a bit of dry bread and cheese. Pity really as she has put together a nice meal and her kids tuck in heartily. In between giggles they tell me about their school and what they want to be when they grow up ~ the 12-year old boy wants to be a chef and maybe enter the tourism business. The 10-year old girl wants to be a doctor. Later on another son ambles in, he is about 15 and speaks a tiny bit of English. He too wants to enter the business.

My room

toilet/shower

After dinner there is a knock on the door and one by one the women file into my reasonable spacious room. They strike down on the floor and soon the room is awash with colour, talk and laughter. I pull out my Spanish questions and amazingly we manage to communicate between the women speaking Quechua, my simplistic Spanish and the tiny bit of English translation from the eldest son. 

 

There are 13 families in the Raqchi eco-tourism association (known as turismo vivencial in Spanish) and a total of 4 different homes to stay (the women have a rotation system for bookings). A stay costs $35 which includes dinner and breakfast. The association was assisted by the Cusco-Puno Corridor funding, receiving technical assistance to build kitchens, bathrooms and furnishing guest quarters. An Internet cafe was also set up in the Raqchi village square as part of the Cusco-Puno Corridor project. 

There are other eco-tourism destinations along the Cusco-Puno Corridor and the women rely on agents in Cusco and Puno for client bookings. They do not use the Internet themselves and when I ask why they just laugh and say it is for the young people, who like to use it for their homework. When they can, that is, as I am told that the signal has been down for over a month and nobody is rushing to fix it. Perhaps by the next generation Raqchi will be able to make its own bookings.

The families complement their income selling handicrafts and ceramics ~ many sell the beautiful dishes I've been eating off, which have unique family designs. Life has improved significantly for these villagers now that they have a reasonably steady income. They are now able to afford better nutrition ~ creating better health conditions ~ school uniforms and supplies for their childre. Some are even able to afford costly tertiary education for their children. 

Conditions remain 'primitive' ~ or at least by western standards ~ the bathroom is walking distance from the room but it is dark at night and one could easily stumble over the various steps. There is no hot water for showering despite the assurance that the contraption hooked into the fuse box will deliver. But the bed is comfy and cozy with piles of blankets for a cold night in the mountains. We discuss their desire to get solar panels on their homes for consistent power and hot water. It would reduce their footprint and enhance the eco-tourism experience ~ what a treat talking to these switched on women.

The next morning there is a knock on the door at 7:00 AM and breakfast is brought in. The kids are heading off to school and drop by to kiss me goodbye. I chat with the women in the courtyard while they wash dishes and spin their yarn. They tell me I should go to the square and see the ruins, which will take about 45 minutes. It will only cost 10 soles.  I can't imagine I'll be there all that long but nod and stroll into the square and onwards through a small lane into the open field and wow.... 

Raqchi is home to an ancient temple of the Inka, Wiraqocha Temple. There in front of me, in all its glory, are the huge remains of the walls, buildings and stones of a simply stunning archeological site, which for most of my visit I have all to myself.  Not visible from the road and entirely unexpected having arrived on dark,  I am awe struck by the sacred beauty of Raqchi and my previous night's reluctance to stay here turns to gratitude for this magical gift.