Return to Pedregal Alto

The other day we visited the comedor at Pedregal Alto with Sister Dora, a Josephite Sister who is coordinating the operation. She and Sister Clare are now living in this area and supporting the local communities in their endeavours.


The changes since we were last here are nothing short of amazing. In the first instance the dusty, rocky, unmade road has given way to a bitumen surface virtually all the way up to comedor. Half way up the road a brand new four storey health institute is being constructed and it is not too far off completion. Land invasions have taken place all through this area; people move onto the land, take possession and construct a basic building on the site. The actual population seems to be increasing by the day. Remembering that we were last here only eighteen months ago!


We were greeted by both some of the ladies who are helping in the comedor and the local children. There were smiles, hugs and kisses all round. They were so thrilled to see us again, even if it did mean that the children benefited from a chocolate and dry biscuit, or two!

The Sunraysia Sacred Heart community are always remembered here and the comedor is operating extremely well. Your support has done wonders for these people. Over thirty-six children and some adults receive healthy meals three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Sometimes you wonder if the dogs even sense some small offering, and so they wait patiently!

Christmas Eve - Christmas Day

Off to the Christmas Eve Mass in the Guadalupe Chapel in the outer area of the Huandoy Parish. Leo decided that we should leave at 7.45 p.m. to get there in time for the 9.00 p.m. Mass, this was due to the expected traffic snarls. Would you believe it, the traffic was so light that we were at the Chapel just before eight! No problems, a few had already arrived for Mass so we were not on our own.

The crib was on display in all its glory. Many figures, literally dozens of sheep in all shapes and sizes and even the three wise men topped by flashing fairy lights in sync with ‘jingle bells’ music.
According to local tradition the infant was on the altar ready to be placed in the crib after Mass.
As the crowd gathered so did the number of infants, they were also placed all around the altar awaiting Leo’s blessing. An unbelievable array of sizes and attires, one tiny figure even was wearing a minute cloth nappy!
All the bottles of water in front of the altar will be used to liberally splash over both the infant figures and the congregation.

By 9.00 a large crowd had gathered and Mass proceeded without a hitch, although the incessant exploding of fireworks imposed a fairly serious distraction mainly because the term ‘bomb’ could be a better used to describe the fireworks. The noise must play havoc with the canine population of Lima!
The traffic back to the Center House was far worse as people were going in all directions, rushing to get home to prepare their Christmas meal, this begins at midnight. We even saw a few collecting their roast turkeys from the bakeries as we drove. Charles Dickens’s ‘Christmas Carol’ readily sprang to mind.
If we thought the fireworks were loud during Mass, as we approached midnight they assumed battle ground proportions.
Christmas day dawned bright and hot and after breakfast we all pitched in to prepare the Center for the expected crowd of visitors, approximately sixty. Tables were set all around the grounds, food cooked and fridges stocked. As expected the meal consisted of all the traditional Christmas meats of turkey, chicken and ham, different roast vegetables with homemade plum pudding to finish off.
It was a wonderful lunch and we caught up with many of our old friends, in fact we were still sitting around after dark sharing stories and nibbling on toast and cold meat.

Feliz Navidad - Happy Christmas

To all our family and friends, wherever you are - we think of you all the time.
Be well and take care.
Every happiness and blessing to you all for Christmas and the coming New Year. May this time be a time of happiness and peace.

Each flag on the mantelpiece represents the birth nation of each Columban, both male and female, presently working Peru.
Also if you are wondering why so many are attending the birth of Jesus, the answer is simple. The tradition here is to add another figure each year to the crowd. This could create a massive population problem in the coming years!

Excitement coming back from Cayara.

The more I think of this journey the scarier it becomes in our minds, not only for what could have happened but also for what did happen.
About four hours from Ayacucho and just outside the town of Cangallo, Freddy, our driver, was very slowly negotiating a dry river causeway as a second bus raced past us and smashed off the driver’s rear vision. No other damage, just the broken mirror. The offending bus did not stop to see what had happened; he just drove on into Cangallo. We followed and proceeded to block his path and confront the driver. What followed was rather messy; the owner of their bus was on board and turned out to be a very angry and nasty woman.
All Freddy wanted was some form of compensation for the broken mirror, especially in the light of the fact that the bus was hired for this particular journey. In reality all he really got was a large amount of very verbal abuse and some pushing and shoving. We also had a very strong suspicion that many in the passenger bus had been drinking, however, not necessarily the driver.
While trying to settle the situation, some others of our party took off to get the police to attend. Seeing it had started to rain rather heavily they showed absolutely no interest in meeting with either of the two parties!
Eventually the other bus took off amid much waving and yelling and headed to Ayacucho. We followed them around the mountain roads in quite heavy rain and, at one stage, passed the bus as it either dropped off or take on passengers.
Freddy decided to ring the owner of our bus and organise him to meet us on the outskirts of Ayacucho in order to help us sort out the problem. This plan did not work, so as an alternative one, we organised to pick up an off duty policeman, handcuffs and all.
When this policeman managed to confront the driver he was simply abused and once again the bus drove off to a nearby bus depot. By this time we are well and truly in Ayacucho and the traffic was quite heavy and roads very wet.
Things then became quite physical, the female owner of the bus had really lost the plot and this incited others to follow her example and eventually Freddy was punched to the ground. This all took place on the footpath outside the depot and in front of the policeman. What did he do? Nothing!
What was the eventual upshot of all this? The owner of our bus has made Freddy pay for the new mirror because he did not have any insurance. The police were not the slightest bit interested to press assault charges due to fact that the incident did not happen in their district! And the owner and driver of the offending bus seem to have nothing to answer. It was also very interesting to note that the driver who initially smashed off the mirror was not the same driver who drove into the bus depot hours later!
As I said at the beginning the issues were not only what could have happened but also for what did happen.

Both photos show the roads we were actually driving, however, you have to remember that it was also raining at the time. The bottom photo was taken of the valley floor as I looked out the bus window!

The cuy project in Cayara.

After leaving Ayacucho in Freddy’s rented ten seater van we headed for an evening stay in Huancapi. This year we stayed at a different hotel, not quite the same number of ‘stars’ that we normally stayed in. Apparently they are renovating our normal accommodation.



Words could not really describe the beds we almost slept in that evening. The shower was exactly like standing under a hose, one strong jet and very cool! Refreshing at the very best.
Early next morning we were off to Cayara, another hour’s drive on roads that both amaze and terrify you at the same time. Have no fears Freddy was an excellent driver.
We met most of the ladies involved in the cuy project, the actual number has risen to twenty three. A real success story for the district.


Marion had prepared a Christmas hamper for each of the twenty three. What did the hamper include? Combs, hair clips, elastic hair bands, a tooth brush and tooth paste, a small purse, a packet of Avena – a high protein breakfast food similar to porridge and a small Australian badge. These were all wrapped inside a small plastic water basin.

Dina is the local lady coordinating all the women of Cayara involved in the cuy project.
You cannot imagine the joy these women express regarding the support the mission money gives them. Most cry when they express their thanks to Marion, they are so grateful. It has made a difference to their lives.

A message of thanks on the wall of one of the houses.
And it has certainly developed into a very sustainable program provided for by the Sacred Heart Mildura School community and beyond.


The children also had a great day playing the games that the nurses had organised for them.



Finally the entire Cayara community lined up for their chocolatada, a warm chocolate drink, a panetone and some sweets. A real Christmas treat for all, again supported by the community of Mildura.

Hotel Tres Máscaras

In English, Hotel Three Masks, and do not ask me why! A delightful eighty year old Spanish type villa with hotel accommodation attached. We have been made very welcome by the landlady Señora Socora.
The hotel has a wonderful garden and is completely secure by being enclosed by brick walls.

We have already booked our room for when we return for classes, she has allocated a larger one with extra table and chairs. She has even given Marion permission for us to make coffee in our room and also for her to use the kitchen. It looks as though I will soon be back on duty delivering an early morning coffee to Marion’s bedside! Some people are so spoilt!
The negotiated cost for all of the above is 600 soles per month, that is about $150 AUS per week.
Although we will have a larger bed we will definitely have to purchase a pair of pillows. The local pillows, like their beds, would be described as solid – at the best.
Señora not only has two parrots that screech “ola” all day when someone passes by but also a little dog by the name of Lucas. She thought it was a huge joke when she realised that Lucas is my assumed name in Peru!
Under the circumstances I can put up with both issues.

For your information look up the hotel website – http://www.hoteltresmascaras.galeon.com/

Our flight to Ayacucho

Although the flight leaves at 5.30 a.m. and the fact that you are expected to report to the Lima International Airport two hours beforehand we did manage to discover one unbelievable positive in all this, experiencing the amazing sight of the sun rising over the Andes on a very clear morning.
To view peaks of five to six thousand meters above sea leave covered in snow and bathed in sun light was breathtaking to say the least. Even more amazing were the extremely deep valleys, the lakes and the rivers between these peaks.
Would you also believe that during the entire flight over these mountains we could get glimpses of pueblos precariously perched all through the area? You could not begin to comprehend how these people gained access to the so called “outside world”! I could only think that walking was their sole method of transport.
Star Peru was our carrier, and a good one at that. The plane could be best described as having four jet engines, two hostesses and over one hundred passengers, a classic description by someone who has very limited knowledge of planes! We landed forty minutes after takeoff and my only regret during the flight was that I would not get to my camera to see if I could take some shots of the area.
As expected Anne Carbon was waiting for us at the airport to take us to our hotel for the very first thing you do when you fly into altitude, two to three hours in bed resting and getting used to the rarer atmosphere.

The Sunday roast.

The Sunday roast at the Columban Center House took on a whole new meaning for us when the cuy frito, or fried guinea pig, was served with associated vegetables.
The ladies in the kitchen took great delight in showing us beforehand how they prepare these little critters using garlic, limes and chilli!
You must remember that cuy is an absolute delicacy for most Peruvians. All I can say is thank heavens they also prepared roast chicken!

The Columban Center House.

The Columban Center House in Los Olivos will be our residence for the next week. And I can assure you a very welcome one at that, especially with regard to security. Twenty four hour gate keepers to make sure that only the right persons get in and out!
The gardens are always looking this neat and tidy. A stark contrast to what is outside the front gate.


Over the next few days we will go visiting to catch up with our 2008 friends and this will mean quite a few metropolitan bus rides.
We have already booked our plane tickets for a flight to Ayacucho next Wednesday and as usual this flight departs the Airport at 5.00 am and we have to be there at least two hours beforehand! Another trick at the Lima International, most flights leave very early a.m. or very late p.m. each and every day!

Arrived safely.

We have arrived safely in Lima after nearly thirty hours travelling. No hitches, even the luggage followed us across the Pacific. Although I must admit that my case was virtually the last to make an appearance onto the luggage carousel! I was even beginning to look around for the person to whom you report missing luggage!
They have this one last hurdle, or trick, at the Lima International. As you make you way to the final exit you have to press a button, if the light turns green you go straight out the door to meet the adoring public, however, if the light turns red to have to present yourself for a final check of your luggage via a massive X-Ray machine. You guessed it, we got the red light! The young lady inspecting my case could not believe the amount of computer, camera and data projector leads, connections and batteries that I carried! It must have looked terribly like bomb components on her screen!
Leo was in the crowd waiting for us as we exited immigration on the stroke of midnight.
The airlines we travelled on, Emirates and LAN, were faultless in both comfort and service. Nevertheless, I used to think that air travel and airports were the most fantastic experiences one could have, I now think they can be one of the most boring experiences, especially long waits at airports!
Lima seems to have changed very little; however, we have been reliably informed that the traffic is now far worse – hard to imagine.

Fundraising complete, packing almost complete.

The fund raising has been completed and the money forwarded to Father Leo Donnelly in Lima. The Sacred Heart Primary School community has done a fantastic job in raising such an amount; they have also been supported by other groups within the Sacred Heart Parish community. The final figure of $17,520.00 is just ahead of that shown by the Grade 6 children in the photo above. All that now needs to be done is to finalise the actual allocation of this money. That will be one of the first tasks when we arrive in Peru.



The final selection process has begun in earnest, what to take and what to leave behind? Obviously books are a priority and their selection is based on two criteria, educational content and actual weight! When the bags are finally packed we drive to Melbourne on Wednesday 8th December and fly to Lima via Auckland and Santiago on Thursday 9th December. About eighteen hours flying and another twelve hours sitting in airports! Once we have sorted out the internet connection the next blog entry should be from Lima.