Day 223 9/2/12 Nestor´s Surprise

This morning almost as soon as I was awake I bumped into Nestor, Rocio’s other brother. I didn’t know he had come back to Huancayo from living in another part of Peru and to the house in the early morning and was already on his way out to work.
I feel almost normal today It’s still cold and rainy and I am desperate for the sunshine but at least my head only hurt when I bend down now., I made Yorkshire tea for everyone at breakfast today with some fresh unpasteurised milk we bought from a woman at the door who was looking for the house that had ordered it. She didn’t seem to mind selling it to the wrong people and even went over the road to knock on the neighbour’s door to get me some change. The tea turned out really well despite the water never seeming to boil fully. I’m not sure it was a great success with all the family but dad really liked it I think and it did me the world of good.
Here is Bob trying his strength with Jean Fernando




Later Rocio, Bob, Michael and I went on the buses to a village outside Huancayo called Sapallanga. Mum goes there ever week to the market to sell hats and to take and return hats for repair. There were lots of friends and relatives there and once again Michael went off to be passed around and admired by all. I was especially please to see Rocio’s Granny there and she was tearfully happy to see Rocio again. Granny is quite ill these days and in a lot of pain but she still works and walks and was happy to hold Michael on her lap.



We sat in the market and ate yuyo and chuno. I can’t explain details about all the wonderful Peruvian food but these two are a couple of savoury snacks that Rocio and I have been missing for 5 years in England.
On the way home we went by bus and I had the moment I have waited for. Bob in Peruvian bus seat.



In the afternoon we went into the city centre to open a bank account. On the way as we were passing her door anyway we called on Rocio’s friend Milagros. It was great to see her again and her little boy called Carlos. Milagros didn’t want any photos taking as she wasn’t prepared but she promised to visit us soon.
Here are Michael and I playing with the camera in the living room


This evening Nestor started drinking after work and carried on into the night, a sort of impromptu party. Bob, Nestor, dad, aunt Yola, mum and others sat on settees in the downstairs hall passing round the beer bottles, listening to music and getting quite loud. Any other day this would have been quite fine but the thing is this happened to be the first time his brother Ademir had brought his fiancée to the house to meet the parents. Ademir and fiancée Shirley are both Mormons and opposed to drinking. In fact we missed Ademir terribly at the welcoming party even though he was in the house at the time because he wouldn’t enter the room where people were drinking. This caused him various problems as he couldn’t get to his own room without going through that hallway and so was left standing outside in the rain. I invited them both upstairs where mum was preparing tea but for some reason they still stood in the rain. It all worked out like a farce with prodigal son drinking with the father and the good son left in the rain trying to put on a good show for his fiancée. They did eventually come upstairs to eat with us whist Nestor continued shouting and drinking downstairs. To be fair she seemed to take it all in her stride and chatted about theology with Rocio. After she had gone and Ademir disappeared again I went done to the party with Michael and had a sing with them all. It was all good and I did some translating for Nestor who was upset that he couldn’t make Bob understand what he was trying to say. It turned out to be the important message “I love this beer, it is my life, it is better than women”. So that little problem cleared up the party continued and Nestor was soon floppy drunk so Rocio, Michael and I went to bed.