Week One
After a last breakfast (Marmite on toast for me) we left Cusco at 10:30am with all our provisions for the next three weeks packed into our bus and 4x4. The bus journey took about an hour to the drop-off point. Here all our equipment was transferred onto mules for the trek to the village of Cancha Cancha, our home for the next two weeks.
The trek up the valley took about four hours, in the pouring rain, not the best welcome to the village. Cancha Cancha is a small village located at 4000 metres in the Andes and contains about forty families. There is no electricity or running water, apart from the freezing glacial meltwater stream!!! We camped next to the local school building which we transformed into our kitchen and general living space.
Home for two weeks
The main work we were involved with was to help with the continued construction of a community hall (Salon Communal) for the village. This involved the construction of a roof, doors, windows and small groundworks. This took up our time for most of the first week. See the picture below of the community building before work started:
Working inside the building
We had a free day on the Saturday and six of us went for a hike to some nearby lakes. The scenery here is stunning and the climb was incredibly rewarding: 
On Sunday we helped with the reforestation of a Polylepis forest. This was organised through ECOAN (an environmental charity) our partners throughout this community project. The Polylepis trees have been cut down by the villagers in the past, however they are an integral part of the environment. ECOAN are trying to show the locals how important it is to retain the trees by the reforestation work. The whole village turned out to plant the trees and it was great fun working with the locals.
A local child helps with the planting
In the afternoon we played football against some local teams although we were at a distict disadvantage due to the altitude (yes we lost badly!!!). It was a great way to end the first week of the project.
Warming up - for a thrashing!!!
If you can't beat them - join them!!!!!
Week Two
Work continued on the Salon Communal, we lifted all the roof trusses in place by Monday afternoon and also completed the exterior groundworks. Here some pictures of the roof taking shape:
Adding the roof trusses
Unfortunately I was laid low on Tuesday and Wednesday with a stomach bug, I guess it is one of the hazards of working in this environment (thanks for the words in the card Sara!!!). Practically everyone in the group suffered at some point or another. By Thursday I was up and running again and helped the ECOAN guys with some conservation research they were undertaking in a nearby forest. The work involved netting to collect statistics on the bird wildlife. Due to the weather we didn't catch many birds but it was wonderful being up in the forest seeing the all wildlife. For lunch we were treated to a meal of guinea pig and potatoes cooked by a local family. Guinea pig is a delecacy in Peru so we were all obliged to try it out:
At the end of the second week the play equipment for the school arrived and we set to constructing the swings and slide. We were also given the opportunity to visit the school and see some of the local children having their lessons. Here are some shots of the play equipment and the school.
Testing it out after construction!!
Saturday night was our last in Cancha Cancha and we all went up to the Salon Communal to celebrate the completion of the works with the local community. A lamb had been slaughtered and cooked in an underground oven along with the staple Peruvian potatoes. We all tucked in and drank some of the local moonshine called "Chicha". It was a fun evening especially when the dancing started - not sure I am a fan of the crazy "Wino" style them seem to love!!
The finished roof
Celebrating with the locals
On Sunday we left Cancha Cancha for a full day trek to the village of Quishuani where we would be spending some of the third week. The trek took us out of the valley and over a pass at 4600 metres. It was quite a tough trek but we were rewarded with great views and even waterfalls, a great way to end our second week.
Week Three
The village of Quishuani is slightly bigger than Cancha Cancha and even has electricity and a small shop - luxury!! Monday was a rest day after the trek so we settled into our new home and relaxed. We camped in the local school yard and again had the use of the school building for our general living. On Tuesday we all went to do some more reforestation of Polylipus trees with the local community. The whole village turned out again and it was great fun to be working with them.
I was on cook duty so our team had to russle up a meal for 21. It was starting to get a bit tricky as provisions were beginning to run low - tomato sauce and pasta anyone?
We left Quishuani on Wednesday morning for the short trek to a nearby lake where we would be camping for two nights before heading home. The lake was beautiful and it was a real priviledge to be able to camp in this area.
On Thursday evening we were all invited by a local family to visit their house and partake in a Rotichi ceremony. The ceremony is for a child to have his/her hair cut for the first time. Everyone cuts a small piece of hair and then donates some money toward the child`s future. We all squeezed into the family home complete with guinea pigs running around out feet. We each took turns to cut a small piece of hair from the son called "Wilson", not a typical sounding Peruvian name! It was a fascinating experience and gave us all a real insight into peruvian rural life:
Wilson is strapped to Mum's back
Cutting Wilson's hair
On Friday we prepared to leave the lake. All the local community arrived to help and we donated all our excess equipment to them. This included all our cooking utensils, leftover food and excess clothing. It was a good feeling to be able to give them something in return for their hospitality to us.
Giving away our kit to the local community
Our final destination was the town of Lares, about a 5 hour trek, where we spent our last night. The trek took us over a high pass and then down a valley to the town.
We camped at the hot springs in Lares which had three hot pools and "hot showers" too!!!! It was a wonderful way to relax after the three weeks community work.
Relaxing in the hot springs
On Saturday morning we packed up all our equipment and boarded the bus for the four hour journey back to Cusco. I was ready to head back to civilisation but will never forget the amazing experiences of the past three weeks. Next week we are off to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu before leaving Cusco and heading towards Bolivia. I will post another update after the Inca Trail so stay tuned for more news.........
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