Machu Picchu Rocks

I will be amazed if anyone is still looking at this blog. How many times would someone go to a dry well for a drink of water. But, for our own records I will do another post.

We were persuaded to to take a sightseeing trip to one of the most visited places in the world, Machu Picchu. First, I'm not big on crowds and second, add in the language barrier and you might understand why I didn't want the added stress. Since it is a very popular tourist destination I realized that there would be plenty of English speaking Peruvians. So, we made our reservations and waited for the departure date.

August 22 dawned and we rolled out of bed to begin our latest adventure. We stopped in the government office in Melipilla to request yet another extension on our visa application. We have been working on it since the end of March. We then proceeded to the Santiago airport to begin the international process.

We lifted off on schedule and sat back in the tiny little seats and tried to relax. I have a nephew that travels on airplanes for a living. Nobody has a smaller office that he does. I don't know how he does it daily.

We landed in Lima, Peru and noticed the abundance of bright colors. Peruvians love their bright colors.

Our connecting flight was a 7 hour wait. That put it on the next day so they wouldn't let us down the concourse until 1:30 in the morning. Evidently this is routine because we joined over a hundred people waiting on the floor.

Barb settled in for a comfy 5 hours.

The next photo shows how comfy and restful the floor was.

Now one and a half hours to Cusco.

Once in Cusco we negotiated a good price for our taxi ride to the Poroy train station. Another hour plus wait and a four hour train ride. Since the train station had everything we needed but heat, we decided to try the coca tea that was so recommended for tourists. Poroy is over 11,000 ft above sea level. We were told to avoid altitude sickness, drink the herbal coca tea. Since it was cold in the station the tea felt good, two cups each good.

Along the train ride I saw something I have wanted for a long time. They are used extensively in many countries around the world. It is called a Tuk Tuk. It is a three wheeled motorcycle with a body built on it and room for multiple passengers or cargo.

I could save tons of fuel for my truck if I had one of these babies to drive around.

We finally made it to Aguas Calientes and found our hotel. From the time we left Santiago we had been travelling just over 18 hours. The trip took a toll on Barb, who had been sick the Saturday and Sunday before we left. We checked in and decided to get some lunch. As we left the restaurant is was quite a climb back up the hill to the hotel. By the time we got there, Barb headed to bed and I headed for the aguas calientes. What a disappointment, not caliente at all. The pools were barely warm. The number 1 for the trip was of course, Machu Picchu, but I had been very grateful that all those years ago the Incas built close to the hot water. It was a strong number 2 for me, so I was very sad.

We finally got to bed after being up for about 27 hours. We had a bus to catch at 8:00 in the morning.

Sunrise was beautiful and we started our walk down to the bus station.

We had been worried about the rain, but this looked promising.

We had an hour wait for the bus, a 25 minute ride up to the entrance and another 30 minute line to enter the park. We had paid for an English speaking tour guide for the first two hours of the day, but then we were going to have the rest of the day to explore on our own.

You can see the road to get to the gate.

Part of the line at the gate.

We had expected cold morning air at the 8,000 ft elevation, but is was really quite nice. Not carrying a coat would have been nice.

The rest will probably be mostly pictures and they don't need a lot of explanation.

Two types of stone work. Is the top restoration work?

There are many many walls with this loose type stone work, so I don't think it is restoration.

This is another type of tight fitting stone work. Stones of various sizes.

A third type of stone work where everything is precise and straight.

I never found out why the different types of construction, but when you see the scope of the project, it is all amazing. This next view will give you an amazing look at the residential area.

From the previous picture you don't get the full impact of all the construction. When you see all the agricultural terraces, the place blows your mind.

A few planting areas

A distant view of many planting areas.

A door with a locking mechanism on the inside.

If you lived here, changing elevations was a constant thing.

After the people left and the plants took over, they figure the roots allowed water under the heavy wall and the sag began.

Just two of the many visitors this day.

Notice how steep the sides of the mountains are.

This is their sundial and it aligns perfectly with the four compass points.

Espejos de agua means water mirrors. Something used to view the skies we were told.

We spend a total of six hours on the mountain. It was amazing and we were glad for the opportunity.
Back to the hotel and out to eat found us at a great restaurant. Peruvian food is really good. The Chileans say Peru has the best food.

We caught the train the next morning and made our way back to Cusco. Arriving at that elevation again we had some more coca tea. We were tired so we just hired a taxi to take us around Cusco the next day. There were some other ruins we drove past, but couldn't get very good pictures.

At 7:00 Friday night we lifted off from Cusco, had another lay over in Lima and arrived back in Santiago at 6:00 in the morning. Clearing customs and a long drive home for tired travelers made us very happy to arrive at the farm.

A Time of Thanksgiving

We just finished fall in Chile. Fall at home means harvest and cooler temperatures, just the same as here. Fall at home also means special holidays and family. The special holiday of Thanksgiving is missing from our plans and activities here, but events have reminded me to give thanks.

First, we had a little incident the other day that at first seemed such a bother, but it made me feel grateful for a few things.

City car on a muddy farm road. Up to the axles.

You can see why I might be a little bothered. It was cold, it was night, and I needed help. Here are the things to be grateful for: No. 1 We have a new car to drive. It is reliable and usually fits our needs. No. 2 We were trying to get to our neighbors house to take his wife shopping. We have enjoyed opportunities for service. No. 3 This road was such a mess because of a brand new electronic gate. For the last year I drive to our gate, park the car, get out, unlock the gate, get in, drive through, park the car, get out, lock the gate, get in and drive away. No more, just push a button.

The new gate blocked Pancho's driveway so the driveway had to be repositioned.
This is the muddy road I was stuck on.

The electronic gate is something to be thankful for, no complaints about being stuck. Lastly No. 4 The guy that came to pull us out knew about a new fangled thing. While I was worried about lying in the mud and searching for some safe place to hook the chain, he went right to the trunk, retrieved an eye hook and used this nifty little hatch door.

In my accessory bag in the car is a special eye hook that screws into a socket inside this little hatch. I have washed the car many times, but had no idea what this was for. I was very grateful not to lay in the cold mud and risk bending up the car.

We have finished harvest. I am so grateful to have been here to witness this amazing process and to associate with such hard workers. If you have read the last couple of blogs you know it has dominated my attention. (Sorry the videos didn't play) These pictures show the first part of a post harvest fiesta for the workers. They were gathered in the mill to watch a brand new video that has been produced to highlight this farm. Maybe someday it will be shown between conference sessions.

Since it is a food processing plant while inside the mill everyone
wears hairnets. Even me for some reason.

They finished the celebration by eating as many empanadas as they could. It is a favorite here with the locals. The management let them sit and relax and enjoy a little down time. We have some good farm managers.

There are three houses on our side of the highway. We are blessed to have a backup generator for when the power goes out. That is almost every time it rains. The grumbly part of me gets a little annoyed that I need to keep it filled with fuel and test start it from time to time, the generator is in my yard. No one on the farm thinks about it until the power is down.

With the onset of winter and the cold damp weather, Barbara and I enjoy the fireplace we have. I could have never been a pyromaniac. Starting a fire for me is a mystery. I asked my friend here to explain the steps to start a fire that he followed; paper, little sticks, bigger sticks and then logs. All things I have tried. He said he just puts in a few big logs and then adds magic. With my puzzled look he smiled and held up a bottle of diesel fuel. "Magic!" he said.  Can you see that red can by the generator? It is filled with magic. I can now start a great fire.

I am thankful the generator is in my yard and I am responsible for keeping it full of magic.

We live on a very dangerous road and have to travel it many times a week to teach our students, shop for groceries or go to church. Besides all the pot holes that need to be avoided there are a wide range of vehicles of all speeds and driven by a variety of crazy people. We have seen some scary vehicles as well and have thought, "There evidently is no safety inspection program here."

We had a very troubling event here the other day that again made me very thankful for a few things. Chile has tons of buses. They drive me crazy with how they stop anywhere, anytime. Flashers make everything OK. One of these buses was traveling north through the farm headed for Santiago. It was nighttime and hazy as the fog gathers for the night. A truck traveling in the opposite direction lost a set of wheels and they started bouncing down the road heading for the bus. I am amazed that the bus driver saw them in time to redirect his bus off the road, over a ditch, through our fence and then into our young trees.

Some people were hurt, but no one lost their life. The driver deserves a great deal of praise.

So what makes me thankful here? We have a wonderful family that prays for us everyday. My grandson Krew never misses a day to ask his Heavenly Father to bless grandpa and grandma. Each of our kids, grandkids and friends has us in their thoughts and prayers. We also give daily prayers for safety and gratitude. We will continue to drive this dangerous road and trust in Heavenly Fathers response to faith filled prayers for our safe return home.

Thank you for all your support.

A New First and More

Our very first blog was titled "Let the Adventure Begin." We had a new adventure to experience the other day. I'll back up just a bit.

A few months ago we went to the Santiago temple and met a couple that are here on a medical mission. Elder (Dr.) Branson and Kathy Call are serving as the medical resource for several missions here in Chile. We hit it off and look forward to meeting each month. They called us the other day and invited us to go to a "cute little French restaurant" before our monthly temple session. "Great" we said before thinking about our decision.

As I thought more about our plans I became concerned. First- I could only name 5 French foods, and I don't think toast and fries really count. I wondered what I was going to order. For sure escargot was out, so that left baguettes and croissants. Second-  Every town I know of has a Mexican restaurant. They also have Chinese, Italian, BBQ, Thai and an occasional place for Greek. I couldn't think of a single French restaurant. There has to be a reason. We had to come all the way to Chile to go to a French restaurant for the first time in our lives.

Eventually cheese and wine came to mind, but that much cheese would really stop me up. We went, as you can see, and because we were in Chile our choices were limited for supper. If we had been there for lunch we could have had quiche. Oh yeah, QUICHE, food number 4. But because it was the evening meal in Chile we were limited to salads and sandwiches; I don't really consider those French. As we walked in I could see I was saved by a full display of French pastries.

I'm being a little sarcastic, because we really had a great time with Calls as usual, but quick, name me a French restaurant. See what I mean?

The highlight of our month was a visit from our Mission Directors. They came in on a Thursday and stayed with us until Sunday evening. We toured the farm during harvest. Last blog I included many harvest pictures, but let me give you a few fun movie clips.

Barbara with the Hynes

Removing the olives

Filling the box

Loading a full box

We went through the mill to see the extraction of the oil, (see last month). We held a Zone Conference about the Leadership of Christ, traveled to the walnut farm in Alhue -

and lastly went to the tourist town of Pomaire, remember the pottery. The best part of their visit was in the evenings we sat around the house and visited about families and life. We thoroughly enjoy the Hynes and are grateful for their support.

The week after Hynes headed for Argentina, Barbara and I took a Saturday to go see the reason for one of our biggest challenges. Most every weekend we get into some terrible traffic going or coming from Santiago. Remember this line? "If you build it, they will come." Many times at night as we are on the road trying to get home, we find ourselves in the middle of an endless line of headlights and taillights crawling south towards Lago Rapel or going north to Santiago. About twenty five miles south of our home is a lake that must have some magic magnetic pull on the people from Santiago. They will spend hours on the road in bumper to bumper traffic to go swim in frigid water.

Here is the cause of the lake.

This was built and all the people come

Not the lake, just a look downstream

Lastly, we were invited to the first birthday party of a sweet little angel, Emilia.

This is Emilia's first English lesson. Push the button and it says "I love you." in English!

We have made some great friends and feel blessed to be included in their family activities. We get to go to holiday gatherings, school concerts and dance competitions as well helping with shopping trips. Our service mission is a lot of fun and we hope to develop a habit of serving others for the rest of our lives.

TTFN

(that's from Tigger)

Tiempo de Consecha

All of us North Americans have memories of the fall and Harvest Time. The days get a bit shorter, the weather cools as occasional storms roll through and every redneck in town can be identified at the start of September cause he starts to wear his hunter orange in anticipation for the October hunt.

Here in Chile we have seen two of the three. Oddly, we don't miss the third.

Looking a little fallish don't you think? No, that is not a volcanic plume. (I don't think)

Love the April color on trees, beautiful.

It just screams pumpkins and May day.

The fall storms brought us 5 inches of rain in just a few days.













Many items here harvest year round, but we saw a few the other day that we hadn't seen before.

Evidently it is time for GIANT  avocados. (Paltas)

Imagine the campfire with these babies. Hersheys and Keebler better get busy.

The olives are ready and the trees are loaded. We started on April 19th checking out the milling equipment and tuning things up after being shut down for a year. The the equipment starts rolling and the ten hour shifts begin with two shifts per day. It is a 24/6 schedule with the two main engineers covering 4 hours themselves. They say it keeps them connected to the process.

Follow these pics through the process without much comment.

Trucks pick up the containers and transport them through the farm to the mill. The first step  is to record the weight and temperature of the olives. They are then dumped in the reception hoppers and begin moving through cleaning and processing.

Leftovers from the cleaning process, leaves, sticks and lost bolts from the harvesters.

This is the laboratory where the olives and the oil are tested for various chemical properties as well as fragrance and taste.

After crushing the Malaxers are the first step of extracting the oil from the pits and the water.

Spinning at 3000 rpms this horizontal centrifuge does the main separation.

These small vertical centrifuges spinning at 6000 rpms finishes the separation, mostly.

We have oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the finest quality. 

The final stages of separation is accomplished with nature's own gravity.

Any fine, fine particulate and water that is left in the oil after processing is settled out in these tanks. From here it is moved to the tank farm for temperature controlled storage.

Well, thanks for your patience. This post was probably more for me than anybody else. I want a record of the process even after I am home. Which now, by the way, is only 8 months. We will finish winter here, see spring and come home to winter.

Hasta la proxima.  Until next time.