Got up before 5am so I could get ready and walk over to meet Franz and Eva near their place. We got to the camion, picture a grain truck with two doors and ladders on each side, we climbed in and it wasn’t full so we were able to sit down and stretch out, a luxury on these I am told. They were speaking German so I put in my iPod and relaxed, the trip took about three hours. I don’t see what everyone complains about these trucks are pretty good way to travel. It was less than a dollar for the ride. We got off just outside Quilla Quilla, the starting place for our hike to Irapampa and then on to Maragua. (I do not know how to spell any of these places but this is as close as I can get!)
The hike started off mostly uphill on a road, then we took off on a little trail. I was wearing flip-flops and this added a degree of difficulty but was very manageable. I really had no problems other than loose rocks finding there way under my feet. The off road hike was great; we went up and over a ridge going down into the crater. The view from above was very nice; it was a bit hazy so I didn’t take any pictures. The rest of the walk was downhill. We stopped for lunch at the little place in Iripampa where we were going to stay the night. It was a needed break after the hike, and we kinda just relaxed and ate lunch. We talked to the guys out back who were building the new eco toilet we were financing, they told what else they needed and were coming along well.
About 1 we headed to Maragua to drop off a bunch of medical supplies with the nurse, before the class at the school. The nurse was helpful and grateful for all the supplies. We walked up to the school and met with the director, sorta like the principle, and figured out where we were having the class. There were 15 teachers who were to be our students. We got set up and Eva began class, I did a dry run of the class the night before in English, and she was doing it today in Spanish. The class went very well, the teachers looked interested and asked questions. Franz and I demonstrated a lot of the practical exercises. We also got the teachers involved and people had fun and were laughing. Over all I think it was a success. I would have liked to have more practical exercises but we didn’t really have time, with all the information we put out.
The walk back didn’t take long, and we got to see a great sunset over the rim of the crater. Once back at camp, we played a few games of Yatzee or (Knueffle in german???) Some locals stopped by to chat but I fell asleep.
More later…
