Monte A - Peru

Monte A here in Lima, Peru.



After a few full days of travelling and very little sleep we finally arrived in Peru and were onto our first destination, Huaraz. Our accomodation was fantastic and it was lovley to sit on the roof of the building eating our breakfast of bread, jam and tea and looking out over the beautiful town surrounded by snow-capped mountains. As we acclimatised in Huaraz, it gave us a good oppourtunity to explore the town and try some of the local cusine which was fantastic!
Then we began our four nights of trekking. Many of us were pushed to our limits on the trek, however being accompanied by the wonderful trekking team, who set up all of our tents and who cooked all the delicious meals for us certainley made it worthwhile!
The second full day of trekking we climbed the Punta Union Pass. It was certainley challenging reaching the top however the feeling was incredible standing at 4750m above sea level, staring out across all the beautiful lakes and mountains. The scenary throughout the entire trek was truley breath taking and lots of photos were taken across the four days! What a relief it was to finish the trek! Yet sad at the same time to say goodbye to Christian, Marco and the rest of the team! After the trek we all got on the bus and headed back to the Huaraz!
 
We spent another half a day in Huaraz buying some more gifts and having our last meal in a nice bistro overlooking the Plaza de Arms before we got on a bus and headed to Lima. We arrived quite late so that night we stayed in a hotel, however we got picked up and taken to the Womens house by bus in the morning ready to begin our community project (where we currently are now). As soon as we arrived, Sister Joan introduced us all to the women, making us feel very welcome and at home, giving us a little brief about what we would be doing and giving us a tour of the house and the sort of classes they run. We then made our way to the other womens house, Tres de Maio, where Father Noel Kerins gave us a very interesting talk about the history of Peru and the current political and economic hardships the country and its citizens face today. Having an understanding of the background of Peru certainley gave us good understanding of some of the hardships people face in the country.
 
Today we had the Chocolatada!! Over 500 children gathered participated in the event which consisted of games, activities and the handing out of bread, chocolate milk and presents (which were so generously donated by the Monte community). We were all assigned to help in anyway we could whether it be by talking and playing with the children, handing out tickets, distributing the milk and presents, preparing everything or dressing up as Santa and entertaining the children, all help was greatly appreciated by everyone and we all felt a great sense of joy in helping out during such a special time in the year!
 
We continue at the community project all week and then we are off to see some of the sites of Peru!
We are all well and safe and having a fantastic time! Adios!