Day 445 Toddler Mike 18/09/2012

Today we went to visit Rocio's friend Liz in San Jeronimo, a town about 30 mins outside Huancayo. We had a good time there talking and eating but the highlight of the day was going to the local park with Michael and him finally deciding that he can actually walk unaided. For the last month or so he has been walking very capably but only with someone holding on to him. As soon as you let him go he would sit or fall. Today he just took 4 or 5 steps alone and then 20 or so and then walked across the part of the park we we in, stopping and starting and turning corners and crossing the cobble stones with no problem. He was so very happy with himself for doing it and I kept taking him across the park away from where we were all sitting and he would walk straight back again. I am so proud of him Luckily we had Rocio's camera to capture almost his first toddle. as a bonus here are Rocio, Mike and Liz's daughter Fergie. So now we no longer have a baby, we have a toddler. Should be interesting.

Day 437 Getting wet 10/09/2012

Michael is getting very good at walking these days but he is still reluctant to walk without someone holding on to him. We often walk up the road to the shop with me just holding the back of his collar in case he falls and apart from him getting very easily distracted he can do it no problem. If I let go however he gets upset and sits down to start crawling. I don't think it'll be long though until he gets into it.
He is understanding a lot of language now in Spanish and English and even knows one word of Quechua "Wiksa" which means belly, if you ask him where his wiksa is, he'll lift his t-shirt to show you!
It was really hot today and Rocio was sitting in the garden washing clothes, we both miss England the land of washing machines, and Michael of course was getting as involved as he possibly could be. Which left him very wet all down his front. So we decided to give him what he has always wanted, time playing with water actually inside the sink.


He did eventually get really wet and cold but soon warmed up in the blazing sunshine here.


Michael had his Whooping cough immunisation the other day. It seems to be an endless series of immunisations for the poor thing. He has learnt to try to avoid the section of the doctor's where they do immunisations. This one seemed quite rough on him too. We were told to give him paracetamol every 6 hours for two days after it and I think he needed it. We all had a very sleepless night as Mike's arm was obviously hurting him a lot and it was quite swollen the next day. He avoided using it and was grumpy all day. I've never seen him suffer with an immunisation like this before. Still I have no idea what whooping cough is like and I intend to keep it that way. That's the deal, my poor boy suffered for a day with a sore arm but he will never die of whooping cough and he will never pass it to someone else so they die either.
They are very keen on immunisations here and can get quite forceful about it. You are best to always take baby's immunisation record card with you when you travel as we found out going recently to Mentushari in the jungle. The travelling doctors there were trying to insist on immunising Michael and I had to convince them that the doctors in Huancayo had it all under control thanks and Michael didn't need any extras.

Day 394 Santiago Season 29/07/2012

The family have been very busy recently making hats for the Santiago season. This is the biggest party/music/costume event of the year and the main time of year for buying a new hat. I think the family have made or mended around 200 hats. It's very labour intensive and tiring but they get stuck in and work really well as a team. Mum sewing on the machine, Nestor stretching the wet felt, Rocio sewing the ribbons on and me picking the tiny bits of cotton left behind off the hats being remade. It is all very tiring for Michael too who tends to get as involved as he can before suddenly falling asleep in the hot sun



Ademir and his new bride Shirley have also been repainting the house and doing a great job of it. It looks so much better now, if only I can get them to do our room too.



The family got together with two other families in the area to put on a Santiago event. They hired an orchestra (Uncle Adam's Principes de Huancayo of course) and a place for the stage and the beer tent and had little booklets printed to advertise the event.
Here is Rocio with Michael dress up ready for the event



Kerly too





It was and all day and then some affair starting with a breakfast cooked next door and eaten in our garden. We had arranged a videographer for the whole event but despite giving him our three mobile numbers and two weeks notice, and phoning him two days before and the day before and the morning of the event, he never showed up. We did speak to him on the morning after the breakfast has started and apparently his wife was in a taxi on the way as we spoke and she would be with us soon. I hope she has lots of money because the taxi hasn't arrived yet. Scenic route I guess.
All the guests were given soup for breakfast and the orchestra played in our garden and a few warm up beers were drunk before everyone set of dancing to the next location.





This was great fun and not a little frightening as the roads were in no way closed and the passing cars lorries taxis and buses came very close and fast. There seemed to be a game led by the people at the front of the parade to make it as difficult and confusing as possible to get past us, by weaving the parade from side to side in the road. Our destination turned out to be a few blocks away where we stopped in the street outside someone's house while a tower of crates of beer was given away and drunk.



Some speeches were made and a little dancing before dancing on the the next location for more of the same.






Seeing the costumes I am sometimes surprised that all this seems quite normal to me now where at first in Huancayo I felt like I was in an edition of National Geographic. Two of these ladies are cousins of mine.




Although mostly drinking fruit juice Michael got into the spirit of the event.



This is how we spent the morning, dancing from on house the the next for beer and speeches. Somewhere amidst the chaos we managed to find another videographer and get them to come at no notice to find us and the video recording started. Around midday we made it back to our cousin's house on the edge of the city where a huge lunch had been made and where Rocio and I temporarily left he party to go find a veggie restaurant.



We found the party again after lunch they had all eaten and drunk some more and danced their way across Cajas Chico the small field with the stage in.
Here the Principes performed all afternoon and night and into the early hours. They really give value for money. More and more people came and a huge amount of beer was drunk and for an event with no amplification at all it was plenty loud enough.

Here are M


Michael (Aunty Gloria's boy) Christopher and another local boy giving a demonstration of Zapateado (Stamping dance) on stage with the band.
Rocio Michael and I danced and danced until quite late when it was time to lead Rocio's Mum and Dad safely home.



The video has come out very well really, despite a shaky start and I'll try to transfer some highlights from the DVD to post here.

But of course one day is not enough for Peruvians to party and early the next morning was the Cura Cabeza or Head-Curing, another breakfast and drinking event that went on in our garden all day. Much more beer was drunk and a wonderful local singer came to sing songs in Quechua with violin accompaniment from the violinist of the orchestra. I have recordings of this too and if you're reading an early version of this post you should check back for the audio enhanced updates soon.



It was decided somehow that the event should be taken out again on the the street and to a local park to play and sing and so we set out again. In fact the party got as far as the nearest beer shop and partied there and Rocio and I in fact had serious jobs to do (Michael health check up) so we left the party at that point.
The drinking went on in the street and in our garden all day and night and Rocio and I led our normal lives around it occasionally getting pulled back in to share a drink and a dance and mostly walking past with the washing up or going to the shop for cheese or whatever.

Day 385 Sports Day Parade 20/7/2012

Michael loves his food, especially whilst wearing his fashionable "Pikachu" hat.



Rocio was asked to be the godmother of the sports day at her college. This involved her dressing in a really quite impressive dress, made by the students from crepe paper and balloons!



There were speeches and singing of the Peruvian and Huancaino National anthems. I hadn't heard the Huancayo one before, only the folk music unofficial anthem. The various groups from the different sections of the college lined up and stood to attention through all this. There were woodworkers, welders, engineers, Rocio's Food Industry groups and others I can't remember.
If you look closely you can just make out Michael who had snuck into the back of the group to visit his friends before it all got too official for me to remove him.



They then marched a circuit of the arena and then the games commenced. Football for boys, volleyball for girls and table tennis. We had to leave a little early but I think they finished with three-legged races and egg-n-spoon races, thing like that.
Michael never likes to wear a hat but we try very very hard to keep one on him.
Here he is pulling it off for the hundredth time that day.

Day 381 Immunistaions 16/7/2012

A little late due to having to go to Lima too often we took Michael for his 12 month immunisations. It was at the same place we went for his health check and like the other time we waited for a long time in the alley next to the clinic with many other Mums and children. Michael had a fine time again getting to know the other children. Eventually we went in and pretty soon Michael had his injections, one in each arm. He did cry, especially with the second one which didn't take him by surprise, but only for about a minute then he was fine.
Since then he has looked a bid sad and not been up to his normal energy levels but he has been laughing and messing about and getting into trouble so we're not too worried.

Day 380 House Warming 15/07/2012

So we were invited to a house warming celebration at our cousins place in the fields on the edge of Huancayo. The house isn't actually finished yet but by Peruvian tradition there must be a celebration for the new roof.
It was a wonderful warm afternoon. Now it's full summer in Huancayo there are always wonderful hot sunny afternoons. It hasn't rained for weeks now and everything is dust dry all the time.
Rocio, her Mum , Michael and I went first to town to buy presents. Lots of sweets and plastic toys and importantly flowers.
We met Uncle Adam on the way up the hill to the party, he was with the other orchestra members getting ready to play at the party. We tried to buy beer to take too but strangely couldn't find any in the local shops.
The party was very laid back by Peruvian standards, not much drinking and dancing, in fact only Rocio's Mum and I danced. There was much sitting around talking and watching the men put the concrete roof on the house.






Here is Michael with some of his many relatives who were there.



He had a wonderful time crawling around on the grass. He had a bit of learning to do as the grass was a bit steeply banked but he got around quite nicely in the end.
Uncle Adam's orchestra "Los Principes de Huancayo" (The Princes of Huancayo) played




My Uncle Adam is third from the left in picture but 1st 4th and 5th are also his brothers, my uncles. The clarinet player on the far right was very kind to me and lend me his clarinet for a while. I had never played one before but I managed to get a few notes out of it. Not that I need to take up another instrument when I'm still fighting the violin.


They gradually got more members in the orchestra as they turned up. At one point Uncle Adam received a phone call from and missing member and stood to "Call" him with some loud , but tuneful, blasts of saxophone.



There was meat and potatoes and salad to eat. As it was just getting dark the real ceremony started, with Rocio's Mum and the Madrina, or Godmother of the event.



She stood on the very new roof of the house with the flowers and gave a short speech before the all important throwing of the sweeties. We all fought to get as many sweeties and plastic toys as possible in the growing dark and then it was time to go home.
Here's Michael in the bus on the way home. He loves the buses and almost always makes friends wit the people around.

Life in Lima again Day 371 6/7/2012

So we had to go to Lima again. I am still fighting to get my residency in Peru sorted out and it's still not going that well.
We took the overnight bus from Huancayo again, an expensive on this time with super wide seats for us to sleep in, which really does make a difference when, as Rocio does, you are sleeping with a baby. The trouble is always that it isn't all that far from Huancayo to Lima and leaving at 11.30 at night we get to Lima at about 6.00 a.m. Lima is miserable at any time of day but what can you do with a one year old at 6 in the morning? We just have to hang out in the bus station until we can go for breakfast somewhere. It's boring AND stressful. Bloody Lima seems to have a policy of not being comfortable anywhere at any time. At least in a city like London for example you could find somewhere to sit down. In Lima everywhere is dangerous and dirty. After much walking about and buying drinks we didn't want in dirty cafés we eventually got into the first office of the day and after some arguing got Rocio's ID card sorted out. This took until about midday but was by Lima Bureaucracy standards quite a success. So we went to the Krishna Restaurant to eat. We had a disappointing time last time we were there but this time the food was great and the people friendly and we can now recommend it again. Mike had a fine time crawling from table to table introducing himself to all who were there. He also managed to eat a lot too. He is so good at eating these days.




And so to the Immigration Office in the afternoon to finally get my residency application applied for. Only to be told that they are not open in the afternoon. So infuriating. Why not open in the afternoons? They are packed out in the mornings. This of course meant staying and extra day in stinky Lima, in a hotel again and delaying our return to Huancayo where Rocio needed to help her Mum with making hats for the very important Santiago season. The busiest time of year for hat making anmd a good time for the family to make money. The officials in Lima don't care about any of this and so far have delayed me applying for residency for about 3 months. I only have a 3 month visa each time. So this is very annoying. Each time my visa runs out I have to leave Peru, if only for a minute, by crossing the border with Bolivia or Chile or Ecuador but this means about three days travelling and hotels and all the other wastes of time and money.
We went to our favourite hotel near Immigrations and in the evening across the road for chips. We know all about this little part of Lima by now as we have spent several days here being messed about by Immigrations. One of the best things about being in a hotel in Lima is the hot shower and we made very full use of it. It is really luxurious after months of cold showers in Huancayo.
We were back at Immigrations very early next morning and used Rocio's "Preferential" status to jump all the queues. My silly problem with officially having returned from Bolivia despite never officially leaving has now been rectified I'm told but it's still bad news about the application for residency.
Apparently the officialised ( I don't know a better English translation for this very Peruvian pass time ) copy of our wedding certificate that we took them is now out of date. They only last three months and ours was three months and about three days old. So we have to get a new one from Huancayo, take it to Lima again, pay to have it officialised again and try applying again. Of course more travel and expense and hotels etc. etc. It is getting very near time for a new visa for me too, so perhaps I'll have to go to Chile AGAIN too. I've been to Chile I think 4 times now. In total I've been in that country for about 1 hour. I cross the border, get a bus tot he nearest town, buy a fizzy drink paying with Peruvian money and get the bus back to the borer.
So we had nothing else to do in Lima and wandered about for ages before going to the bus station very early, buying our tickets to Huancayo and waiting about 10 hours for the bus.
We were bored silly buy the bus station but Michael had a really good time. He loved crawling about on the big slippery floor and introducing himself to everyone. He learnt how to operate the light switches and turned the lights on and off and on and off. He found a group of older children with balloons to play with. They were very kind to Michael and made sure he could join in all their fun. He learnt how to open a screw top bottle.



He discovered the headphones on my MP3 player and how to unplug and plug them in again (Fiddly work for his little hands but he is so determined in these things) he also seemed to discover his own ears and where they are. At first he was putting the ear piece just anywhere on his head but he soon caught on that he could hear the music if he put it to his ear, so he did that to himself and to me and danced to the Santiago music it was playing.
The bus journey back was really hard. This bus was not luxurious and Rocio hardly slept as Michael hardly slept. He seemed realy uncomfortable and we were not best pleased when the bus broke down a couple of hours from Huancayo. It was still dark and we were far from and town. It seems one of the air filled bags that act as suspension had burst and it looked like it would be hours before any help arrived. Many passengers were trying to hitch hike with passing cars and lorries or trying to pay to get on other passing coaches. We managed to beg a ride with a car that I don't think was stopping to help. Just stopping to let the children inside change seats. The couple in the car were friendly and really helped us and I appreciate it but they did not want to talk so we sat almost silent in their car for an hour or so until a town called Jauja where we got a bus to Huancayo. It was very strange to me they weren't at all interested in who we were or what had happened or anything. Still they were kind to us and I'm grateful.
Bus and taxi later we arrived home and Rocio's Mum made us a great breakfast. Which Michael didn't want to eat. We found out later why when he started throwing up. Just like the other time. Great fountains of projectile milk. He was very floppy and unwell and Rocio and I carried him around all day. He didn't want anyone else and he really didn't want leaving anywhere. Luckily we still have his sickness medicine from last time and it's still in date so he is back on that.
Now the next day he seems much better, he's playing again and quite lively and there is no diarrhoea so I think he is on the mend. We are blaming it on a banana drink he had in Lima which might not have been made with boiled water but just the muck that comes out of the taps there. We will be more careful in future and perhaps avoid taking Michael to Lima at all.