Bus Accident

Bus Accident near Puno kills 7, injures 42

Including one of our family members, Luz Nati Yucra Quispe, eldest daughter of Gonzalo and Pelajia. Fredy called from Puno to give us the news that around dawn on Monday, March 14, the bus from Tacna went off the road and turned on its side near Loripongo, about an hour west of Puno. Nati was coming home to Taquile for a visit, bringing watermelon and other fruits. Her brothers, Elias and Christian, were both at the bus terminal to meet her when they heard the news.

Nati was in the middle of the bus on an aisle, and was relatively lucky with the diagnosis of a splintered fracture on her upper arm, a break that would require surgery. Many passengers lost limbs and were horribly cut. The public hospital is fully covered by insurance, but private facilities are not. With the really terrible injuries triaged in front of her,Nati languished there for three days with very little care. Then suddenly the doctors slapped some plaster on her arm and prepared to discharge her. Corruption? Bus Company payoff of the doctors?

With help and advice from doctor and technician from the medical clinic on Taquile, we got her into a private facility where she had the surgery Thursday and is now recovering in a hotel room we rented for her and her parents in Puno. We are also helping to pay for the private hospital and medical bills, which must be paid up front. We are not certain if the insurance will eventually repay them.

News story on the accident says 5 dead and 30 injured, but the count went to 7 dead and 30 injured.

Nati rests and recouperates

 The driver was apparently drunk as empty bottles were found in the cab. He fled the scene but was caught. I highly discourage anyone ever riding in Transportes San Martin, the culpable bus company.

All of Nati's luggage was lost except the watermelon, which is reportedly broken and rotting in the Juliaca offices of the bus company.

Update March 30
Nati's parents brought her home to Taquile on March 24, for quieter and less expensive recuperation. She is weak and still has quite a bit of pain.

Sam helped her walk up the path from the boat.

Elias brought her on his new boat, so they were able to dock at our little port just below the house. Still quite a walk for one in pain.

Feeling a little better day by day

Nati can now walk around the patio--no big walks to neighbors or the plaza yet. Comfortable sleep is still a dream. Trasitional herbal and alternative healers are now stepping up for the long-term cure.

Real Life

Back on Taquile Island
The vacation was wonderful, yet back to real life on Taquile is the best.

We are still trading solar equipment for the excellent quality Taquileño textiles. Sometimes this gives us an opportunity to make friends with another lovely child.

Estefani (age 2 1/2) with Sam

School will start soon, so the kids head up a volley-ball game almost every afternoon.

Eufrasia goes for the ball, skirts and all.

Our big project was to install enough solar power to run a refrigerator in the store that Delfin and Eufrasia have, just across the path from the high school and near the elementary school. The taller panel is an excellent 80W, a couple of years old. The other two are 85W each, brand new. Probably the total will be 240W. He has been selling icecream from an ice chest. Now a cloudy day of less demand will not destroy the profits. Other options are grand. I believe that besides the Medical Center, this is the only refrigeration on the Island.

We visit the Plaza and hike to the highest point on Taquile, the ceremonial site of Mulcina, almost every day.

Visits to family members and friends are a special kind of hike. Mercedez is 96 years old and has lived her live in this high altitude sun. She still walks and works a bit in her field and sometimes weaves.

Grandma Mercedez with Silvano

Family Vacations

Memorable travels

Noemi and Alejandro on Taquile

We supported a couple of family vacations right away before the start of the school year. First of all, Noemi had not been to Taquile for 6 years, not since her oldest, Alexander, was a baby. She and Alejandro had come to introduce him to her home, but the the trip was riddled with bus breakdowns and cold weather and her new husband didn´t have any fun.
This trip they spent time on Llachon with Asunta´s family (thus wisely avoiding Carnaval), then came to Taquile to be with us and the rest of the extended family. On Taquile they spent a day working in the fields of her mother, Celbia, and helped father, Felipe, on a building project. Then we spent a day at the beach where we played volleyball and swam, and the kids made sand castles. Back on Llachon they went to a big church choral performance of Asunta and Armando´s chorus while Kusi and Sam and I babysat. The next day again we played Volley and swam. Alejandro will now be more willing to come visit Noemi´s side of the family.

For the children, Alexander age 7, Dayana age 5, and Bianca nearly 2, it was special for them to be in the country, playing freely outside in ways they could not in Lima, and also important for them to see the place and culture of their mother. 

swimming in Lake Titicaca

 

Celbia delighted to have her baby granddaughter, Bianca, with her

More Memorable Travels 

We had returned with Noemi and family to LLachon to Asunta and Armando´s house on February 19 mainly on Noemi´s solicitation. We then realized that if we were going to take this family for an excursion to Sicuani before school started, it needed to be right away. So we all took the bus to Juliaca the following Monday, Feb. 22, bade Noemi´s family safe travels to Lima, and brought a contingent of 8 people to Sicuani: Asunta, Armando, Kusi age 15, Sarita age11, and Yhoel age 7, plus Sam and I. We found a reasonable hotel with shared batheroom. Three beds in one big room for them and a double bed room for us. 

Tuesday we bought a picnic and caught the taxi car up to the Aguas Termales, about a half-hour ride back up near the pass. Sam and I had been there last year and loved it, with the multiple, many-temperature pools. The kids had swum in Lake Titicaca and, indeed, the water is not as cold near Llachon as it is off Taquile, but still their water skills were sparse. At first they would scrunch up their faces and hold their ears lightly so no water would enter anywhere. I recalled my old swim intructor skills from my youth and we played. They let go of their ears rather quickly and bagan blowing bubbles, learning the simple skill of taking a breath out of water and blowing it out underwater. After a while they were doing the breaststroke more or less. I was astounded at the progress, particuarly of Yhoel and Sarita. We returned Thursday for another day of water play. By the end of Thursday, even Kusi was floating on her back in comfort. The littler kids were paddling around the pool. I started calling Yhoel a little fish, pescadito.

In the evenings, in their big hotel room, we played a rhyme game and when someone missed and had to do their penalty, it was a joke or a dance or a song or being arranged as a statue--lots of laughter and wholesome family fun. One evening we recalled memories from our 30 years of visiting Lake Titicaca, how Sam taught Sarita to walk in 2006, how Kusi would say HO-LA with her mouth exaggerating the shape, how we were digging potatoes and Sam grabbed Asunta´s brown, potato-colored toe! More laughter.

Raqchi

Sarita, Yhoel, and Kusi in front of the Viracocha Temple wall

 Wednesday we went to the ruins of Raqchi, in the other direction about a half-hour bus ride. These are the Inca temple of Viracocha. We hired a local guide, Deniz, who was knowledgable and spoke very clearly. He led us around for an hour and then we were on our own.

the hospedaje of the Inca when he came to worship

 

Celbia made friends with a local woman

Ceramic Studio Visit
When our guide, Deniz, learned that we are potters, he invited us to visit his father´s studio. Wonderful! Collegues in clay! I understood all his techniques and we were invited to come and work together someday.

In the ceramic studio of Gonzalo Rodriguez Moron

Museo de Tupac Amaru
After such a full day, we still had one more stop. The town of Tinta, a little bit further, has the house of Peruvian Revolutionary and Inca descendent, Tupac Amaru. I found the story more than chilling, as it portrayed not only the leader´s birth and  committment to the freedom of his people, but the terrible torture that the Spanish Conquistadores visited upon him and his family.  
 

Solar Trades 2016

Trading for solar technology

At the request of several family members, we brought four 1000w inverters. Natalia and her new man, Herman, needs to be able to work with power tools for carpentry, as do Lino and Fredy for boat making; Delfin wants to power his new freezer in the store;  and one more. The efficient 7.5w LED strips are always a popular item. We didn´t bring enough of the 100w inverters which EVERYONE needs to charge their cell phones.

Carnaval had the great side effect of letting every citizen on the Island know we are here so we could spread the word that solar equipment is available in Delfin´s store--and for trade.

Goddaughter, Natalia, with new man, Herman, showing trade for big inverter, lights, etc.

Elvis and his family happy with their new lights and charge controller

Delfin and Eufrasia with trade goods

Arrival and Carnaval on Taquile 2016

Jumping Right In

After an overnight airline flight from Grand Junction, Colorado that started on Februry 4, a visit and lunch and nap with our goddaughter´s family in Lima, then an overnight and all day (!) bus ride to Puno, then a noisy hotel (after all, Candalaria in Puno is the second biggest festival in all of South America after Rio´s Mardi Gras), and a bit of early Sunday morning market day--we climbed onto Fredy´s new boat happily on our way to Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca. 

The new seats on Fredy´s boat. Thanks to those who pitched in!

Carnaval started the next day, Monday, February 8, with a group of dancers starting out from our neighbor´s house. We skipped day one, resting and settling in, getting our Carnaval outfits ready, hugging everyone and remembering why we are so much in love with this extended family and community. Also talking about pending solar and LED light trades.

But we jumped in full force on Tuesday and danced for the next 6 days, progressing from house to house in swirling procession. The youngest and most animated girls and women lead the way in swishing skirts and swirling yarn pom-poms, wichi-wichis, the men are next with flutes and drums, followed by everyone else. Sometimes Tara is in front with the lively ones, and sometimes trails with the grandmas and baby-carrying mothers (and sometimes the drunks) at the end of the parade.

detail of phenomenal complex weaving on a man´s poncho

The autoridad, the officer in charge of the group, lead the men, and his wife brought up the rear as the sweep, making sure no one was left behind. When we arrive at the next house, the cooks bring out a big pile of hot finger food: steamed potatoes and chuño (Peruvian freeze-dried potatoes), cooked corn kernals and fava beans, and maybe some fish--all served on a beautiful cloth on the ground in a place of honor. Each household has its own special hot sauce served frin a bowl in the middle of the pile. All the guests come forward to get their food. Carnaval came early this year, so I´m lucky to get there in time for the few new potatoes fresh from the field. Next the watermelon is served, and the beer. We have to eat and drink it up quickly to get on to the next house. The more popular leaders have many invitations. 

Tara and Sam on Wednesday of Carnaval

Wednesday is the first REALLY BIG DAY when women wear the most skirts and the men wear multiple coca purses (chuspas) and EVERYONE wears beautiful red handwoven mantas. Tara wore 7 skirts, rather heavy and very full which give some real inertia to a spin. Sam work 18 chuspas. 

Thursday, Friday and Saturday kept the colorful costumes and the processions going. We danced most of the time with autoridad Tomas Mamani and his wife, Yolanda, who are our co-parents, sharing the godparent duties for Dina,s little girl, Chasca/Yanet. As it turned out this group had quite a following with lots of young animated girls leading the way in their bright yellow and green skirts. One day we couldn,t find the group and travelled for a couple of houses with another leader. Suddenly, a woman asked us if we´d like to go to Tomas´s group and she knew were they are. Sure, we said. Then it turned out that her husband was too drunk to carry his big base drum and she needed us to carry it up the hill!

I learned that this festival has greater significance than merely a party: When the 4 sizes of quena flutes are playing correctly together, and the bass drum is played with power and precision, this week will bring the needed rains for the rest of the rainy season. It seems to have worked.

Sunday´s day-glo skirts

  Sunday is the final day. Around 4pm at the last house of the afternoon, suddenly the girls are switching their skirts around so only the brightest yellows and pale greens show, and the young men are removing the outer layers of black jackets, red mantas and sashes revealing their white shirts and white and black vests, Lighter, whiter, brighter. We dance to the main square as dusk sets in; the young dancers in their new costumes making new steps, weaving in and out of each other´s lines, dancing around the strong center of men with flutes and drums. Beer is served, More dancing. Fireworks!

Around 9:00pm each of the 7 groups dances into the night, back to the home house of the Leader where they started on Monday morning. Speaches of gratitude for our participation, hot soup, more beer, and--in our case, at least--reggaeton and cumbia amplified in the courtyard. Tomas and Yolanda changed their clothes and dropped their role as Leaders as mere hosts at their own home.

This festival is by Taquileños for Taquileños. They welcome visitors, but most tourists only stay for the afternoon. Lucky ones this week saw beautiful swirling skirts and listened to enthusiastic music before they caught the 2pm boat.. I saw only 7 who participated: a trio from the Sacred Valley who had been in Puno for Candelaria,and  two Spanish travellers who couldn´t leave after they saw the Sunday night excitement, followed the party to the final house of Tomas and stayed at our house,

Chiara & Johanna

The best were two university students who also stayed at our house. Chiara is from Lima and Johanna is from Spain, here to work on her thesis about indigenous musical traditions. We introduced them to as many experts as we could name, and they found their own. They did not dress up in the many layered skirts, but followed the dancers and enjoyed theirselves even with the overt attention of varyingly drunk Taquile men who wanted to marry them (!). We studied stars on Chiara´s mobile star gazing app, talked politics, and made a friendship which, I believe, will last.

Thirtieth Anniversary Trip

Fifteenth Visit in Thirty Years

Our first visit to Taquile as tourists has transformed into a deep and rich family relationship and transformed us into family members. We are called padrino and madrina, copadre and comadre, even papa and mama. We brought the first solar panel to Taquile in 1988. The community found their own sources for solar panels as they became more common in the world and now just about every household has enough electricity for lights and music. 

The community also figured out how to use solar energy to pump water and tears well in my eyes when I recall that Silvano told me that, "no one has to haul water anymore." Many years ago, back in Colorado after a rather dry year when we helped haul our daily water for the household, it took me months to accept my own running hot and cold water as normal. Grateful.

Right now we prepare to conclude some pottery business, leave our beautiful Colorado winter and go to the rainy growing season of the Peruvian Altiplano. We are ready to dance in Carnaval (Mardi Gras), trade efficient lights and solar gear, help with early harvest, play with the growing children and help buy their school supplies--and generally live our "other life" on Taquile Island.

I will post to this blog whenever I can in Peru over the next 2 1/2 months. Please follow it and comment as you wish. 

Hanging out with family, eating watermelon

Textiles at Holiday Shows 2015

Please join us at our holiday art shows, selling textiles that we fairly traded for solar gear with our family and community of Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca. 

Our home show in December:

Paonia Holiday Art Fair

Friday, December 4, 3-8pm

Saturday, December 5, 9am -5pm

Blue Sage Center for the Arts
228 Grand Avenue - Paonia, Colorado

We'll be showing TEXTILES plus our own Handmade Pottery 

Sam all dressed up at the Holy Family School Holiday Show

 

Did I tell you that the Taquile Island community has been deemed a 

UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site? 

Read down this blog to learn more about our relationship with the people and place of Taquile. We are planning a trip for 2016, so follow this blog for more stories.

~ ~ ~

November 7, 8am and 3pm

Holy Family School

786 26 1/2 Rd, 

just north of interstate 70 in Grand Junction, CO

Our booth will be located between the two buildings, outside. Weather promises to be sunny and cold -- just the right weather to try on the exquisite knitted wool hats! 
We will bring a small sampling of our pottery to this show.