PERU PART 1: Lima

I'm sorry I didn't post to the blog while I was traveling.  Wifi access was usually only available at the hotel and by the end of the day I was too exhausted to do anything.

Peru was amazing.  I went with a group from Wheels for the World as part of a mission trip where we distributed wheelchairs to people who need them.  We spent the first 8 or 9 days in Lima.  We stayed in an area called Miraflores but our wheelchair distribution sites were ~ 1 hr north in the neighborhoods of Comas and Los Olivos.  The outreach lasted 4 days.  On the other days, we had lots of opportunities for sightseeing.

South America is getting ready for summer.  It's hot and humid.  Apparently, it NEVER rains in Lima.  It's very dusty and the humidity seems to make the dust stick to everything.  Peru has three main sections (from west to east): the coastal area on the Pacific Ocean, the Andes mountain area, and the Amazon rainforest.  They all have different climates.

We spent our first full day going to both churches to meet the Peruvian people we would be working with.  We talked and played games.  We sorted wheelchairs and walkers/canes/crutches and planned how things would flow during the outreach.

Hillside in Comas. 

We set up stations for each team (which included a therapist, mechanic, translator, and support person). 

 With all of those people on each team, it got very crowded in this room sometimes: 

The Peruvian people were so happy to get new chairs.  Peru is a harsh environment for wheelchairs and many people came in chairs that were falling apart.  

Out with the old blue chair... into a shiny new black chair!

Our team consisted of: myself, Thomas (mechanic who is only 17 years old and on his first trip) and Rosario (who has a 17 year old son of her own and LOVED picking on Thomas... she is native to Peru and was our tourguide for all the sightseeing).  I know I'm biased and all the teams were awesome, but our team was BY FAR the best!!!!  :) 

Exhausted at the end of day 1! 

Day 2 started with more people showing up with very poor equipment... uneven crutches... broken wheelchairs... taped equipment,etc.   

 Everyone had to work... I added a seatbelt to the chair while Thomas, the mechanic, worked on more difficult tasks (like cutting leg rests, etc).   At the end of the day I was usually covered in dirt and dust.  Luckily, I brought along some Tide and washed some clothes at the hotel... the water turned completely black.  We got filthy... every day.  

At the end of Day 2 we spent a little extra time loading up the remaining equipment so we got back to the hotel a little late.  We decided to stay in and ordered Dominoes.  

But, to spice up the meal and make it a LITTLE more Peruvian, our friend Cesar showed up with tons of native fruit.  He gave us all a taste and explained what everything was.  

Granadilla fruit

MY FAVORITE: Chirimoya!  Tasted like yogurt!  

Pacay fruit - looked like cotton! 

Dessert at one of the restaurants!
And I ate it all!!!  

Day 3 of the outreach was at the second church.  We saw some interesting things:  

The ENTIRE operation... towards the end... notice the lack of wheelchairs
and the FULL waiting area off to the left side of the picture.  

This was a difficult case for me: this guy had a diagnosis of "quadriplegia" however after talked with him and his mom we found out that it was a gradual onset starting at age 12 and now he's 15 and can't move at all except a VERY little bit of finger flexion.  He had full sensation throughout his body, excellent cognition, but no motor function.  I'm not sure what he had but it wasn't quadriplegia.  

 This little guy was Sebastian.  He was 5 years old.  His mom said they pronounced him dead at birth and he didn't breathe for 10 minutes.  Suddenly, he started breathing on his own.  He had never had a wheelchair before this one.  His mom had carried him everywhere in her arms.  

 At the end of the outreach the took the rest of the equipment and transported to a warehouse I think.  It was mostly pediatric wheelchairs and walkers/crutches.  The method of transportation was pretty interesting: they piled them as high as possible and tied them down with a large net. 

This picture sums up Lima in my mind: mountains in the distance; overcast skies; humid and misty; bright and colorful yet dirty and dingy.  

To celebrate the end of the outreach, we went to a dancing/dinner buffet on the last night.  It was amazing! I sampled all the Peruvian foods (my favorite was the ceviche - fish/octopus cooked in lime juice with onions and spices).  The show was amazing!  The dancers are so talented and she showed dances from the different areas of the country.  

We had lots of time for sightseeing.  

This was the old train station turned library:

The architecture around town was amazing.  There was beautiful rod iron everywhere;

We were able to tour the Convento de San Francisco:

 We walked through the catacombs: 

Yep, those are skulls and femurs.  

We saw the governmental buildings with their stoic guards: 

We visisted el Parque del Amor in Miraflores... right on the Pacific Ocean.  

There is a large statue of a couple kissing and every year there is a competition to see which couple can kiss the longest.  

Loren, Cesar and I went off in search of an adorable coffee shop we had passed several times.  It was great.  We sipped cappuccino, espresso and ate pecan pie and suspiro de limena (sigh of the Peruvian woman) - it was a type of pudding with whipped topping and pecans inside.  It was AMAZING!  

I was SOOOO happy to meet Loren!  She is hysterical!  

Oh so yummy! 

Thanks again Cesar!!!!!! 

Here's a video of an ambulance in Lima.  I think it explains what the traffic was like in Lima. 

And here's a video of Thomas and his mom dancing to the amazing Peruvian music that was graciously provided during the outreach to entertain the people waiting for wheelchairs.  

The next morning, about half of the group, including myself, left for Cusco/MachuPicchu.  The other half of the group left for the airport late that night to catch their flights back to the US.  It was really sad to say goodbye.  I have met some amazing people... and I plan to keep in touch with many of them if possible!  Thanks to everyone on the team for being so amazing!  And thanks to my new Peruvian friends for being so amazing as well!  

Stay tuned for Part 2: Cusco and Machu Picchu!!!!