Peru Sunday August 14, 2011
Got up early and zipped downstairs in hope of catching Rhonda and/or Colleen for an early am walk. Found them both and off we went. We took the same route that Colleen and I took a few days ago, up into the area where the locals live and have their little open air shops. I thought they would all be closed due to it being Sunday (very Catholic area) but they were open and running! Very interesting to see.
Back to the hotel for a final pack, hugs all around and promises to get together again. Marcy, Michelle and I caught a taxi to the airport. Our flight was a bit earlier than the main group.
Our flighton Peruvian Air from Cusco to Lima was late, again. Do not ever use Peruvian Air. We were so late that we missed “check in” and were denied boarding! They close check-in an hour before the flight is due to leave. We were 10 minutes late, 50 minutes before the flight was due to leave and they refused to let us check in. Peruvian Air refused to do anything to help because we should have planned to be in Lima 3 hours before our flight (we were only due in 2 hours before our flight and were very late). They said it is an “international law” that a passenger is due to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight so they take no responsibility for the missed flight.
We were due to fly out on Copa Air (part of Continental) and they were not being any help either. We finally got to talk to a supervisor, Mary, and got booked on a flight leaving at 3am on Monday (rather than the 2pm flight on Sunday). Which is better than the original offer of getting the same flights just 24 hours later! We are confirmed to Panama City then LA, but all the flights from LA to Seattle are booked. So we are on “stand by” and will see if/when we can get to Seattle….
I am currently in a Starbucks writing this blog… have eight more hours until our flight… well, at least I got caught up on these blog posts!! Still can’t get the photos to upload… so will have to fill those in when (if?!?!?) we get back to the States!! Wish us luck!
Hasta!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Back to Cusco
Peru Saturday August 13, 2011
OMG, woke up with SORE quads… hobbled around like an old cripple. OUCH!! The others were in the same boat. UGH!! We were not moving quickly or gracefully!
Had a nice breakfast at the hotel then went for a walk around Aguas Calientes. The town is very tiny and it doesn’t take long to stroll through most of it. Very few shops were open due to the early hours. It was a very quiet and pleasant time to stroll around.
Met up with some of the others and did a bit more shopping and strolling. Found a “chullo” for Woofie!! Chullos are the knitted hats that many Peruvians wear. Woofie, the little stuffed wolf, that goes on all my trips with me, has “collars” from several countries. I did not know what to get for him from Peru, but the bell hop at our hotel in Cusco had suggested a Chullo. Well, I found one his size!! He looks so cute in it! So he is sporting his little chullo and being a little Peruvian Woofie!
Our group managed to all come together at the train station and boarded to head back towards Cusco. We had changed our trip from late in the afternoon to mid morning. The train we were able to get on was not going all the way to Cusco, so our bus picked us up in another town. Longer bus ride, but great scenery. We went through several small towns as we climbed back up to 11,000 feet elevation. Sure noticed the thinner air!
We got to stop at the “Seminaria”, a ceramics/pottery shop owned by the parents of Cussy (a local vet that visited us at the clinics). Cussy and his wife, Emily (an American) helped us a lot at the clinics and were a super help in getting medical care for Michelle when she was bitten by the dog.
Anyway, the shop was beautiful. We had a tour then got to shop. And shop we did!! What a wonderful time.
Finally got back to Cusco late in the afternoon. It was like “coming home”! We got our same rooms and just moved right back in. We all scattered and walked around town for awhile. Most did more shopping. This was our first of any bad weather, it rained a little bit. Otherwise we have had the best weather.
At 7pm, the group got together for one last dinner together. We had a wonderful time.
Tomorrow everybody leaves at different times, so this was our last chance to be together.
Back at the hotel, Percy, the bell hop, asked where “Woofie” was. (He rides at my waist, tucked into my fanny pack belt). Percy’s mom had knitted TWO chullos for Woofie!!! Got a few photos of Woofie with his new friends and wardrobe! He is the best dressed little wolf around!!
We got all of our stuff repacked and ready to leave in the am. HoHum, our great trip is coming to an end.
Until next time….
OMG, woke up with SORE quads… hobbled around like an old cripple. OUCH!! The others were in the same boat. UGH!! We were not moving quickly or gracefully!
Had a nice breakfast at the hotel then went for a walk around Aguas Calientes. The town is very tiny and it doesn’t take long to stroll through most of it. Very few shops were open due to the early hours. It was a very quiet and pleasant time to stroll around.
Met up with some of the others and did a bit more shopping and strolling. Found a “chullo” for Woofie!! Chullos are the knitted hats that many Peruvians wear. Woofie, the little stuffed wolf, that goes on all my trips with me, has “collars” from several countries. I did not know what to get for him from Peru, but the bell hop at our hotel in Cusco had suggested a Chullo. Well, I found one his size!! He looks so cute in it! So he is sporting his little chullo and being a little Peruvian Woofie!
Our group managed to all come together at the train station and boarded to head back towards Cusco. We had changed our trip from late in the afternoon to mid morning. The train we were able to get on was not going all the way to Cusco, so our bus picked us up in another town. Longer bus ride, but great scenery. We went through several small towns as we climbed back up to 11,000 feet elevation. Sure noticed the thinner air!
We got to stop at the “Seminaria”, a ceramics/pottery shop owned by the parents of Cussy (a local vet that visited us at the clinics). Cussy and his wife, Emily (an American) helped us a lot at the clinics and were a super help in getting medical care for Michelle when she was bitten by the dog.
Anyway, the shop was beautiful. We had a tour then got to shop. And shop we did!! What a wonderful time.
Finally got back to Cusco late in the afternoon. It was like “coming home”! We got our same rooms and just moved right back in. We all scattered and walked around town for awhile. Most did more shopping. This was our first of any bad weather, it rained a little bit. Otherwise we have had the best weather.
At 7pm, the group got together for one last dinner together. We had a wonderful time.
Tomorrow everybody leaves at different times, so this was our last chance to be together.
Back at the hotel, Percy, the bell hop, asked where “Woofie” was. (He rides at my waist, tucked into my fanny pack belt). Percy’s mom had knitted TWO chullos for Woofie!!! Got a few photos of Woofie with his new friends and wardrobe! He is the best dressed little wolf around!!
We got all of our stuff repacked and ready to leave in the am. HoHum, our great trip is coming to an end.
Until next time….
MACHU PICCHU!!!
Peru Friday August 12, 2011
Wake up call at 4:30am, breakfast at 5am, met by tour guide at 5:30, rush down to the bus area…. Wait in incredibly long line to be amongst the first to get up to Machu Picchu!!! It was about a 20 minute drive up the mountain, another long line and finally WE WERE AT MACHU PICCHU!!!!!! This ancient Inca city is high up on a mountain top, surrounded by huge (and STEEP) mountain peaks. The views are breath taking.
Words and photos do NOT do this place justice. It is (I think) one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. This was an Inca city built in the 15th century as a higher place of learning. It was “rediscovered” in 1911 (100 year anniversary this year!) by a North American named Hiram Bingham. The local farmers knew about it and he paid an 11 year old boy to take him up to it. At that time it was totally taken over by the forest. I think he spent the next five years with a team doing excavations.
We had a wonderful guide, Jacqueline, who took us around for two hours and told us about the history and the hypotheses of each of the buildings and grounds. Absolutely fascinating. We had perfect weather, clear blue skies (it is often cloudy), warm with a light breeze. There are about 20 llamas that live up there and keep the grasses trimmed.
After the tour, we split into small groups and some of us went for hikes. My group hiked up to the Sun Temple to get some nice views of the area. We hiked for about 2-3 hours. Not super strenuous and steep, but not a stroll in the park (or on the beach) either!!
Then we headed up Machu Picchu Mountain to get the ultimate views of the city. We were told the hike would take about an hour up then another hour back… not sure who times it! Imagine: climbing up a ladder (that is how steep the trail is) made out of stone steps of all different heights… climb like this for two hours… and you will be at the top of the mountain!!! I only made it an hour before I finally had to call it quits. The mountain literally “whupped my bootie” (I actually was using a different word at the time). The others did make it to the top, with much stress, strain, cursing and sweating (and swearing). Most were in their 20’s. The only other 50+ was a tri-athlete. They were very proud of making it to the top, and they should be! It was quite an accomplishment. I am sorry I did not make it, but I don’t know if I could have made it down safely if I had kept on going!!
I went back down into the city of Machu Picchu and walked around on my own, laid in the grass for awhile and finally headed back to the bus area. I could not even consider walking back to town after that. My quads were so sore and shakey!!
The group members that did not do any hiking did different things like walking back to Aguas Calientes (again, steep stone steps), or just taking the bus back to the town. As we all staggered in at different times, the first thing was to take a long, hot shower! We were filthy!
Several of us went out for a nice dinner… managed to pack away a bit of food that meal! Followed by some yummy ice cream… their “helato” is a cross between our ice cream and gelato. Pretty tastey.
Our train ride back to Cusco leaves at 10:30 am tomorrow. Finally, don’t have to rush in the am!
Headed off to bed very early. I thing I was asleep by 8pm!! Michelle and Marcy followed closely behind.
Fabulous day!!
Wake up call at 4:30am, breakfast at 5am, met by tour guide at 5:30, rush down to the bus area…. Wait in incredibly long line to be amongst the first to get up to Machu Picchu!!! It was about a 20 minute drive up the mountain, another long line and finally WE WERE AT MACHU PICCHU!!!!!! This ancient Inca city is high up on a mountain top, surrounded by huge (and STEEP) mountain peaks. The views are breath taking.
Words and photos do NOT do this place justice. It is (I think) one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. This was an Inca city built in the 15th century as a higher place of learning. It was “rediscovered” in 1911 (100 year anniversary this year!) by a North American named Hiram Bingham. The local farmers knew about it and he paid an 11 year old boy to take him up to it. At that time it was totally taken over by the forest. I think he spent the next five years with a team doing excavations.
We had a wonderful guide, Jacqueline, who took us around for two hours and told us about the history and the hypotheses of each of the buildings and grounds. Absolutely fascinating. We had perfect weather, clear blue skies (it is often cloudy), warm with a light breeze. There are about 20 llamas that live up there and keep the grasses trimmed.
After the tour, we split into small groups and some of us went for hikes. My group hiked up to the Sun Temple to get some nice views of the area. We hiked for about 2-3 hours. Not super strenuous and steep, but not a stroll in the park (or on the beach) either!!
Then we headed up Machu Picchu Mountain to get the ultimate views of the city. We were told the hike would take about an hour up then another hour back… not sure who times it! Imagine: climbing up a ladder (that is how steep the trail is) made out of stone steps of all different heights… climb like this for two hours… and you will be at the top of the mountain!!! I only made it an hour before I finally had to call it quits. The mountain literally “whupped my bootie” (I actually was using a different word at the time). The others did make it to the top, with much stress, strain, cursing and sweating (and swearing). Most were in their 20’s. The only other 50+ was a tri-athlete. They were very proud of making it to the top, and they should be! It was quite an accomplishment. I am sorry I did not make it, but I don’t know if I could have made it down safely if I had kept on going!!
I went back down into the city of Machu Picchu and walked around on my own, laid in the grass for awhile and finally headed back to the bus area. I could not even consider walking back to town after that. My quads were so sore and shakey!!
The group members that did not do any hiking did different things like walking back to Aguas Calientes (again, steep stone steps), or just taking the bus back to the town. As we all staggered in at different times, the first thing was to take a long, hot shower! We were filthy!
Several of us went out for a nice dinner… managed to pack away a bit of food that meal! Followed by some yummy ice cream… their “helato” is a cross between our ice cream and gelato. Pretty tastey.
Our train ride back to Cusco leaves at 10:30 am tomorrow. Finally, don’t have to rush in the am!
Headed off to bed very early. I thing I was asleep by 8pm!! Michelle and Marcy followed closely behind.
Fabulous day!!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Off to Machu Picchu!!
Peru Thursday August 11, 2011
We got up at 4:30 this morning, had a quick breakfast in time to catch the bus at 6am… that didn’t arrive until 7am! Peruvian time at its best! We had an hour bus ride to the train station, then a 3 ½ hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, the town by Machu Picchu! The train ride was beautiful!! We traveled into the Peruvian Andes, past little towns, saw gorgeous snow capped mountains and rushing rivers. There were some ruins along the way, local people working the land, and animals staked out to graze. I wanted to take a nap, but I didn’t want to miss anything!
Arrived in Aguas Calientes and got checked into our hotel: Gringo Bill’s! It was actually very pretty and a lot nicer than we were led to believe. We immediately noticed we could breath more easily. We had dropped from 11,000 feet to 8,000 feet elevation. Whew! What a difference!
We all scattered to find lunch, go shopping and wander through the town. There are no vehicles in the town itself. You walk everywhere. The roads are fairly steep and there are steps on one side and a smooth path on the other side. This allows wheel barrows and hand carts to be moved easily. It was very amazing to watch two men move a refrigerator on a hand cart, one pushing and one pulling up the incline, and even more exciting to watch them move something down the incline… often at a trot or run!
Aguas Calientes (means hot waters, named for the hot mineral springs) is a very tiny town and we had explored most of it by the end of the afternoon. We did get a little shopping done. Found a little Chollo for Woofie! I went ahead and bought it, I am not sure that Percy will really have one for Woofie… and I really want him to have one! He looks soooo cute in it! What a little Peruvian wolf!
We tried to go to bed early… we have to meet the tour guide at 5:30 am to go to Machu Picchu!!! Another early morning!! This is the highlight we have all been waiting for. We will be amongst the first groups to go up to the ancient Inca city in time for the sunrise. Exciting!!!!!
Hasta Manana!!
We got up at 4:30 this morning, had a quick breakfast in time to catch the bus at 6am… that didn’t arrive until 7am! Peruvian time at its best! We had an hour bus ride to the train station, then a 3 ½ hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, the town by Machu Picchu! The train ride was beautiful!! We traveled into the Peruvian Andes, past little towns, saw gorgeous snow capped mountains and rushing rivers. There were some ruins along the way, local people working the land, and animals staked out to graze. I wanted to take a nap, but I didn’t want to miss anything!
Arrived in Aguas Calientes and got checked into our hotel: Gringo Bill’s! It was actually very pretty and a lot nicer than we were led to believe. We immediately noticed we could breath more easily. We had dropped from 11,000 feet to 8,000 feet elevation. Whew! What a difference!
We all scattered to find lunch, go shopping and wander through the town. There are no vehicles in the town itself. You walk everywhere. The roads are fairly steep and there are steps on one side and a smooth path on the other side. This allows wheel barrows and hand carts to be moved easily. It was very amazing to watch two men move a refrigerator on a hand cart, one pushing and one pulling up the incline, and even more exciting to watch them move something down the incline… often at a trot or run!
Aguas Calientes (means hot waters, named for the hot mineral springs) is a very tiny town and we had explored most of it by the end of the afternoon. We did get a little shopping done. Found a little Chollo for Woofie! I went ahead and bought it, I am not sure that Percy will really have one for Woofie… and I really want him to have one! He looks soooo cute in it! What a little Peruvian wolf!
We tried to go to bed early… we have to meet the tour guide at 5:30 am to go to Machu Picchu!!! Another early morning!! This is the highlight we have all been waiting for. We will be amongst the first groups to go up to the ancient Inca city in time for the sunrise. Exciting!!!!!
Hasta Manana!!
Last day of clinics
Peru Wednesday August 10, 2011
Last day of clinics. Only one tent had blown down overnight, it was put back up quickly, equipment was redistributed, and the work began! The other veterinarians and I did a fair bit of teaching this morning, then just got down to business in the afternoon.
Carmen assisted a lot, then I had her help with a cat spay. She did very well. Francisco did part of a dog spay. It was his first time to do any surgery and he did pretty well! He was very excited to get to actually do part of a surgery. Several other local vets came to visit during the day, also.
The wind really picked up again in the afternoon. Makes for rather miserable conditions to do surgery. It also cools off quite a bit so the animals get cold. Luckily the recovery area was indoors and it was very snug and warm for the critters to wake up. We did over 60 animals today.
Rhonda and I were getting pretty punchy and started singing and dancing. Michelle was ready to deck us as she was trying to place a catheter. We had to leave the area… and sing elsewhere!!
There was a Peruvian Hairless dog at the clinic. This is Michelle’s favorite breed. I told her she could not bring one home (so she found a t-shirt with one on it!). That is A-OK!!
There was a municipality party after we finished clinics. Michelle had to go get checked out by a local physician and I went with her, so we missed the get together. But we had an interesting time at the doctor’s office! We were able to get all the vaccines needed to finish her rabies series. The entire series (five injections) needs to be of the same type of vaccine, and we could not be sure that the same type would be available in the States. So it was great that the doctor was able to get the vaccines for us to take home. He also put together a cold pack for carrying the vaccines and supplies. Cost way more than we were led to believe, but a ton less than it would have cost to have everything done in the States. Hopefully we won’t have any problems getting the supplies back into the country! When we get home, Michelle gets to send paperwork to the travel insurance company and get appts with her MD to finish the rabies series.
We figured we missed dinner with the rest of the group, so we went to a roasted chicken place and had a great meal! We started with a yummy salad bar (very different than ours), then a HUGE ¼ chicken and fries. We were stuffed! And it was only 12S/ (most of our meals were 35-50S/!!)
Percy, one of the bell boys, has been very helpful and friendly. He loves Woofie and said Woofie needs a “chullo” (one of the colorful knitted hats). What a great idea! Woofie has different collars from countries he has been to, and the chullo is the perfect Peru addition. Percy said he would get one for Woofie! Too exciting!
We stayed up late getting packed to head to Machu Picchu!! We could only take a backpack with a maximum weight of 11#!!! So we all just planned to wear the same clothes for the couple of days. Oh well, we are all in the same boat! We were total ding-a-lings trying to get packed… we were buzzing all over the place! Finally went to bed after midnight, and had set up a wakeup call for 4:30 am….
Last day of clinics. Only one tent had blown down overnight, it was put back up quickly, equipment was redistributed, and the work began! The other veterinarians and I did a fair bit of teaching this morning, then just got down to business in the afternoon.
Carmen assisted a lot, then I had her help with a cat spay. She did very well. Francisco did part of a dog spay. It was his first time to do any surgery and he did pretty well! He was very excited to get to actually do part of a surgery. Several other local vets came to visit during the day, also.
The wind really picked up again in the afternoon. Makes for rather miserable conditions to do surgery. It also cools off quite a bit so the animals get cold. Luckily the recovery area was indoors and it was very snug and warm for the critters to wake up. We did over 60 animals today.
Rhonda and I were getting pretty punchy and started singing and dancing. Michelle was ready to deck us as she was trying to place a catheter. We had to leave the area… and sing elsewhere!!
There was a Peruvian Hairless dog at the clinic. This is Michelle’s favorite breed. I told her she could not bring one home (so she found a t-shirt with one on it!). That is A-OK!!
There was a municipality party after we finished clinics. Michelle had to go get checked out by a local physician and I went with her, so we missed the get together. But we had an interesting time at the doctor’s office! We were able to get all the vaccines needed to finish her rabies series. The entire series (five injections) needs to be of the same type of vaccine, and we could not be sure that the same type would be available in the States. So it was great that the doctor was able to get the vaccines for us to take home. He also put together a cold pack for carrying the vaccines and supplies. Cost way more than we were led to believe, but a ton less than it would have cost to have everything done in the States. Hopefully we won’t have any problems getting the supplies back into the country! When we get home, Michelle gets to send paperwork to the travel insurance company and get appts with her MD to finish the rabies series.
We figured we missed dinner with the rest of the group, so we went to a roasted chicken place and had a great meal! We started with a yummy salad bar (very different than ours), then a HUGE ¼ chicken and fries. We were stuffed! And it was only 12S/ (most of our meals were 35-50S/!!)
Percy, one of the bell boys, has been very helpful and friendly. He loves Woofie and said Woofie needs a “chullo” (one of the colorful knitted hats). What a great idea! Woofie has different collars from countries he has been to, and the chullo is the perfect Peru addition. Percy said he would get one for Woofie! Too exciting!
We stayed up late getting packed to head to Machu Picchu!! We could only take a backpack with a maximum weight of 11#!!! So we all just planned to wear the same clothes for the couple of days. Oh well, we are all in the same boat! We were total ding-a-lings trying to get packed… we were buzzing all over the place! Finally went to bed after midnight, and had set up a wakeup call for 4:30 am….
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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Dear friends that have sent comments...thank you!! I tried to publish them, they are in the "published" file, but got marked as "spam" so they are not posted. Looked up help and it says in spam I can mark as safe... but they are not IN spam, they are in published. And I can't figure out how to get them really posted! So thanks for the comments and the birthday wishes and if anyone knows how to fix that, let me know!!!
Second Day of Clinics
Peru Tuesday August 9, 2011
It is my birthday!! Happy birthday to me! Somebody asked “what do you want to do for your b-day?”… I think I will spend it in Cusco, Peru… “what do you want to do?”… I think I will spay/neuter as many dogs and cats as I can!!! SO that is what I did!!! HaHa!!
Went to our new site in a park area… and nothing was set up! There were supposed to be several large tents set up for induction and surgery and tables and chairs set up for the owners and pets and check-in and prep/surgery area. NOTHING. So we got to work getting things rolling and finally got to start about 10am.
Michelle was taken to a clinic for her first rabies vaccination. Cost: 0.0S/ (that would convert to $0 US!). We will be in Aguas Calientes for the second of the series, so we have to find the clinic in that area. She will finish the series in the US. I don’t think the cost will be quite the same… hopefully, though, it will be covered by her travel insurance and/or her health insurance. Sheesh! Her nose looks amazingly good. The doctor did a really good job stitching her up!
As we were working on getting the clinic area set up, the local vet students showed up with a huge birthday cake for me and sang Happy Birthday in English and in Spanish!! It was very fun!
Had a pretty good day taking care of local animals. Many more cats than expected. Nice to see. Many dogs showed up in clothes including jackets, hats and booties. Pretty crazy! Again, the people are so nice and very appreciative. And it is nice that there are a few animals that will now no longer contribute to pet overpopulation!
The day started off quite cool and sunny. Warmed up pretty fast. We were well protected by the tents, but it was getting a bit warm! We had to carry a sedated animal and/or an instrument tray from the pre-op/instrument cleaning area (in a small building) past the waiting and reception area and across a yard to the induction and surgery tent, do surgery, then carry the sleeping critter and/or surgery pack back to the recovery area (back in the little building). The sun was so bright, even through the tent, that I started doing surgery with my sunglasses on. Later in the day, the clouds started moving in, the temperature dropped and I wondered why I couldn’t see well… hmmm, had never taken off the sunglasses!! Things sure improved when I took those off!!
Anyway, as the day progress, the winds REALLY picked up and kept trying to blow our tents down, over or away!! (And I huffed and I puffed….) It made for some very excited surgery time! At one point I was pushing on the side of the tent with my bootie, while it was trying to blow right over my surgery table and patient!! Never had to do surgery under those conditions before! But we made it through and all people and pets were fine.
We finally finished surgery about 5pm. We had to wait for the critters to wake up before being discharged. We knew it would be a wait… so we all had birthday cake!! There was nothing to cut it with, so Michelle and I took our lives into our hands and crossed the BUSY, four lane blvd to go to the market!! OMG!!! There are NO rules about pedestrians having any right of way, oh no! And as I mentioned in a previous blog, they are crazy drivers here! So we stood right behind some locals, and ran across the street when they did!! Holy cow! It should have been videotaped!! It would have been hilarious to see!
Well, we were able to but little tiny disposable plates and tiny plastic forks. No plastic (or any other) knives! So, once again, taking our lives into our hands, we crossed the blvd back to the clinic. I used the handle of this tiny fork to demolish the cake into a semblance of pieces and shared with everybody. The fork kept twisting and made it very difficult to cut any decent “piece” of cake, but it still tasted great. There was one tiny piece of cake left, Francisco put a little lighted candle in it for me to blow out. Then he squished the cake into my mouth! I was laughing so hard, I thought I would choke on it! Michelle got it all on pictures. What a fun time!
We finally sent the last little doggies home and got on the bus back to the hotel. After a quick shower and change, we went out for another nice dinner and fun visiting. What a great group. Colleen and I plan on going for a walk in the morning. We don’t have to meet until 8:30, so we will have time to go for a nice walk and get back for breakfast. But I wouldn’t have time to finish this blog…. So I am finishing it tonight. It is only 9:45 pm, but I am bushed and my roomies (Michelle and Marcy) have been asleep for quite awhile! Time to turn in!
More tomorrow (and I will continue to try to post photos!
Hasta Manana!
It is my birthday!! Happy birthday to me! Somebody asked “what do you want to do for your b-day?”… I think I will spend it in Cusco, Peru… “what do you want to do?”… I think I will spay/neuter as many dogs and cats as I can!!! SO that is what I did!!! HaHa!!
Went to our new site in a park area… and nothing was set up! There were supposed to be several large tents set up for induction and surgery and tables and chairs set up for the owners and pets and check-in and prep/surgery area. NOTHING. So we got to work getting things rolling and finally got to start about 10am.
Michelle was taken to a clinic for her first rabies vaccination. Cost: 0.0S/ (that would convert to $0 US!). We will be in Aguas Calientes for the second of the series, so we have to find the clinic in that area. She will finish the series in the US. I don’t think the cost will be quite the same… hopefully, though, it will be covered by her travel insurance and/or her health insurance. Sheesh! Her nose looks amazingly good. The doctor did a really good job stitching her up!
As we were working on getting the clinic area set up, the local vet students showed up with a huge birthday cake for me and sang Happy Birthday in English and in Spanish!! It was very fun!
Had a pretty good day taking care of local animals. Many more cats than expected. Nice to see. Many dogs showed up in clothes including jackets, hats and booties. Pretty crazy! Again, the people are so nice and very appreciative. And it is nice that there are a few animals that will now no longer contribute to pet overpopulation!
The day started off quite cool and sunny. Warmed up pretty fast. We were well protected by the tents, but it was getting a bit warm! We had to carry a sedated animal and/or an instrument tray from the pre-op/instrument cleaning area (in a small building) past the waiting and reception area and across a yard to the induction and surgery tent, do surgery, then carry the sleeping critter and/or surgery pack back to the recovery area (back in the little building). The sun was so bright, even through the tent, that I started doing surgery with my sunglasses on. Later in the day, the clouds started moving in, the temperature dropped and I wondered why I couldn’t see well… hmmm, had never taken off the sunglasses!! Things sure improved when I took those off!!
Anyway, as the day progress, the winds REALLY picked up and kept trying to blow our tents down, over or away!! (And I huffed and I puffed….) It made for some very excited surgery time! At one point I was pushing on the side of the tent with my bootie, while it was trying to blow right over my surgery table and patient!! Never had to do surgery under those conditions before! But we made it through and all people and pets were fine.
We finally finished surgery about 5pm. We had to wait for the critters to wake up before being discharged. We knew it would be a wait… so we all had birthday cake!! There was nothing to cut it with, so Michelle and I took our lives into our hands and crossed the BUSY, four lane blvd to go to the market!! OMG!!! There are NO rules about pedestrians having any right of way, oh no! And as I mentioned in a previous blog, they are crazy drivers here! So we stood right behind some locals, and ran across the street when they did!! Holy cow! It should have been videotaped!! It would have been hilarious to see!
Well, we were able to but little tiny disposable plates and tiny plastic forks. No plastic (or any other) knives! So, once again, taking our lives into our hands, we crossed the blvd back to the clinic. I used the handle of this tiny fork to demolish the cake into a semblance of pieces and shared with everybody. The fork kept twisting and made it very difficult to cut any decent “piece” of cake, but it still tasted great. There was one tiny piece of cake left, Francisco put a little lighted candle in it for me to blow out. Then he squished the cake into my mouth! I was laughing so hard, I thought I would choke on it! Michelle got it all on pictures. What a fun time!
We finally sent the last little doggies home and got on the bus back to the hotel. After a quick shower and change, we went out for another nice dinner and fun visiting. What a great group. Colleen and I plan on going for a walk in the morning. We don’t have to meet until 8:30, so we will have time to go for a nice walk and get back for breakfast. But I wouldn’t have time to finish this blog…. So I am finishing it tonight. It is only 9:45 pm, but I am bushed and my roomies (Michelle and Marcy) have been asleep for quite awhile! Time to turn in!
More tomorrow (and I will continue to try to post photos!
Hasta Manana!
First Day of Clinics
Peru Monday August 8, 2011
Got up a little bit early today and went for a walk around town. It is light by 6am. Only local and a few hearty souls out at that time. It was a bit chilly (but it is a “dry cold”!!) and the locals were bundled up in coats, scarves and hats. I had my scrubs and a flannel jacket on… very nice, crisp and cool. No effects of high altitude (thanks Coca Tea, medicine and following directions!) though I did get a little winded on the steeper streets.
It was nice to walk around and see everything in the early morning light. It is very beautiful here. The plazas have pretty fountains, statues and gorgeous gardens. Many stray dogs roaming around. I thought I had paid very close attention and knew where I was at all times, but I did get a bit disoriented. Finally recognized our plaza and made it back in time for breakfast!
We had a nice buffet breakfast including a local cereal made with quinoa, fresh juices (more like nectars) and made to order omelets. Then we met and were ready to head off for our first day of clinics! Our bus was to leave at 7:40… and we did… in “local” time, which is about 30 minutes later (sound a bit like “beach time”, doesn’t it?!). The driving here is quite an experience. If there are laws, they must be mere suggestions! Vehicles whip around here and there, honking “hello” or “get out of my way” or “I am biggest and I am going first!” (I am sure they know what each other is saying!). Our bus is big, so it usually got its way.
With many “detours” along the way we finally made it to our clinic site, just to find out that we could not use the building after all. So we were off to another site. Many of the volunteers were already cleaning up the new site that had a huge courtyard and big building. Got to work setting up “reception” and waiting area, induction and pre-surgical, tables for supplies and surgery and recovery areas. It worked out very well. It was a much better site than the original one.
We had local veterinary students and veterinarians there to help and observe. The volunteers were doing a great job. Over 60 animals were brought to the clinics, but only about 41 would allow surgery. This is the first time ever there has been any type of sterilization of animals and many people did not understand and would not have any part of it. Well, hopefully, the people that had had pets altered will spread the word about how good it is and future clinics will be busier. They need a lot of education to start to understand the importance of animal care.
In veterinary school, in the Central and South American countries, very little clinical work is done. They have to get experience outside of school. I had a local vet, Carmen, with me during the afternoon and she has only assisted in surgery. Some of the vet students have been lucky enough to get a little clinical experience. Another assistant with me was a third year vet student named Francisco. I am not used to having a surgical assistant so I would forget to have him help (he wanted to use gauze to clean away blood as I closed the surgery site.) I got better at letting him help. Carmen asked me to spay her dog tomorrow and repair an inguinal hernia. She will assist me. I also had a student observe. Juan is a local fellow, but his dad lives in LA, so Juan lives there now and attends a university there. He is pre-med. But he said he may change his mind after seeing what we do!
Michelle rocked at doing induction. She and Morgan (Dr Karen’s assistant) were placing catheters like champions and keeping us in surgical patients. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, she was helping in recovery and got bit in the nose for her efforts! Karen and a local vet and his wife (both fluent in Spanish and English) drove them to the hospital for care and stitches and post exposure rabies injections. There has not been a case of rabies in the area in many years, but it is not worth the risk. The visit to the emergency room, including exam, supplies and suturing the wounds came to 20S/ (the local currency is “nuevas soles”, $1 US is about 2.70S/). So her entire bill was about $7.40 US!! OMG!!! She has to go to a clinic tomorrow to have the first of the four post rabies exposure injections.
The group of us went out for a very nice dinner for some local food. It was very good and we had a good time. When we finally got back to the room, I wanted to work on the blog. It was already 11pm!! Sorry, had to hit the hay. That is why there is the delay. I hope to catch up tomorrow.
Hasta!!
Got up a little bit early today and went for a walk around town. It is light by 6am. Only local and a few hearty souls out at that time. It was a bit chilly (but it is a “dry cold”!!) and the locals were bundled up in coats, scarves and hats. I had my scrubs and a flannel jacket on… very nice, crisp and cool. No effects of high altitude (thanks Coca Tea, medicine and following directions!) though I did get a little winded on the steeper streets.
It was nice to walk around and see everything in the early morning light. It is very beautiful here. The plazas have pretty fountains, statues and gorgeous gardens. Many stray dogs roaming around. I thought I had paid very close attention and knew where I was at all times, but I did get a bit disoriented. Finally recognized our plaza and made it back in time for breakfast!
We had a nice buffet breakfast including a local cereal made with quinoa, fresh juices (more like nectars) and made to order omelets. Then we met and were ready to head off for our first day of clinics! Our bus was to leave at 7:40… and we did… in “local” time, which is about 30 minutes later (sound a bit like “beach time”, doesn’t it?!). The driving here is quite an experience. If there are laws, they must be mere suggestions! Vehicles whip around here and there, honking “hello” or “get out of my way” or “I am biggest and I am going first!” (I am sure they know what each other is saying!). Our bus is big, so it usually got its way.
With many “detours” along the way we finally made it to our clinic site, just to find out that we could not use the building after all. So we were off to another site. Many of the volunteers were already cleaning up the new site that had a huge courtyard and big building. Got to work setting up “reception” and waiting area, induction and pre-surgical, tables for supplies and surgery and recovery areas. It worked out very well. It was a much better site than the original one.
We had local veterinary students and veterinarians there to help and observe. The volunteers were doing a great job. Over 60 animals were brought to the clinics, but only about 41 would allow surgery. This is the first time ever there has been any type of sterilization of animals and many people did not understand and would not have any part of it. Well, hopefully, the people that had had pets altered will spread the word about how good it is and future clinics will be busier. They need a lot of education to start to understand the importance of animal care.
In veterinary school, in the Central and South American countries, very little clinical work is done. They have to get experience outside of school. I had a local vet, Carmen, with me during the afternoon and she has only assisted in surgery. Some of the vet students have been lucky enough to get a little clinical experience. Another assistant with me was a third year vet student named Francisco. I am not used to having a surgical assistant so I would forget to have him help (he wanted to use gauze to clean away blood as I closed the surgery site.) I got better at letting him help. Carmen asked me to spay her dog tomorrow and repair an inguinal hernia. She will assist me. I also had a student observe. Juan is a local fellow, but his dad lives in LA, so Juan lives there now and attends a university there. He is pre-med. But he said he may change his mind after seeing what we do!
Michelle rocked at doing induction. She and Morgan (Dr Karen’s assistant) were placing catheters like champions and keeping us in surgical patients. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, she was helping in recovery and got bit in the nose for her efforts! Karen and a local vet and his wife (both fluent in Spanish and English) drove them to the hospital for care and stitches and post exposure rabies injections. There has not been a case of rabies in the area in many years, but it is not worth the risk. The visit to the emergency room, including exam, supplies and suturing the wounds came to 20S/ (the local currency is “nuevas soles”, $1 US is about 2.70S/). So her entire bill was about $7.40 US!! OMG!!! She has to go to a clinic tomorrow to have the first of the four post rabies exposure injections.
The group of us went out for a very nice dinner for some local food. It was very good and we had a good time. When we finally got back to the room, I wanted to work on the blog. It was already 11pm!! Sorry, had to hit the hay. That is why there is the delay. I hope to catch up tomorrow.
Hasta!!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
We are in Peru!
Well, we have internet here at the hotel, but the pictures won't upload the photos. So I will post the blogs and will have to put up photos later!!
Peru Saturday August 6, 2011
Michelle (and her mascot, Terry the Terrydactyl) and I (with my mascot, Woofie, whom you have all met on previous blogs!) are at the Tocumen Airport in Panama. We left after work yesterday evening to Seatac to begin this journey! Wow, this trip has been planned for sooooo many months (and dreamed about for years!) and we are finally on our way!
We left at 12:55 am from Seatac, had a two hour layover in Houston (and you can buy BAR-B-QUE at 7am!! I did refrain… but took a picture of Woofie at the restaurant!), then off to Panama City. We have a five hour layover here. We will arrive at Lima, PERU(!!!) at 10 pm tonight.
Peru Sunday August 7, 2011
After a six hour layover, we arrived in Lima about 10 last night. Our trip leader was delayed 3 hours trying to get our veterinary supplies into the country. We had brought two bags of supplies and the customs form asks specifically about vet supplies. Michelle and I had marked yes… but then found out from Karen that we needed special permission and paperwork to bring vet supplies into Peru. Oops. We did not get that memo! Soooo (should we admit this….?) we tore up those forms and filled out new ones…. Saying we do not have vet supplies… and here we are! (Ha, not in jail, like you expected!). They just waved us through. They were x-raying much of the luggage… oh, but it was late at night, so they waved a bunch of us through. Whew!!
FINALLY, Karen got through Customs, we met up with our liaison, and took a bus to our hotel/hostel. It was very nice. We got to go to bed about 2am and had to get up as 6am for breakfast and bus back to the airport for the 9:30am flight to Cusco. We will be at 11,000 ft…. we are drinking Coca tea (yep, from Coca leaves…you can figure out what else can be done with the leaves) to help with high altitude sickness. We are to go lay down for two hours once we get there, eat a light lunch (eat lots of carbs), avoid caffeine and salt and only do light activity.
This am, when we arrived at the airport, we found out our flight was delayed two hours. So, once again, here we sit in the airport, catching up on our blog. Our first clinic is tomorrow in one location (in a “shanty town” outside of Cusco) then two days at another location (a park in the middle of Cusco). The sign up lists are already full and there is a waiting list. We are going to have about 5 local vets and 10 local vet students joining us.
Our team is really neat. Several of the members have been on WV trips or other vet trips and many have done a lot of traveling. We should have a wonderful week!
Our delay/layover ended up being 5 hours. Ugh. Not much to see or do, but we did get to visit a lot. Finally got to fly UP to Cusco, which is at 11,000 feet! We are drinking lots of Coca tea provided by the hotel. We also bought Coca candy to help (maybe??).
We took a bus ride to Cusco. It is a very beautiful area. The plaza is gorgeous: fountains, old buildings, all surrounded by mountains. Our hotel, the Royal Inca, is very nice. It is beautiful! Very nice rooms, court yard and sitting areas. A few of us had a drink in the bar during happy hour, and it included guacamole, extra yummy!! Took a short nap, as directed, then met the group for more info gathering, then off to dinner. Pizza is very popular here! Many pizzerias next door to each other. Very thin crust with many toppings, lots of veggies that I would normally not think of on a pizza, cheese, with “mayonnaise” and salsa to top it off. Scrumptious! I drank a local “kool-aid” made from corn. Very good.
A few of us went to a local small market to get more water: need to drink a lot and do NOT want to drink any of the non-bottled water in Peru.
We are now back at our rooms to get to bed early so we can get up early to start clinics!
AND we have internet service in our room!! So we will keep you updated on our trip!! Yippee!
Peru Saturday August 6, 2011
Michelle (and her mascot, Terry the Terrydactyl) and I (with my mascot, Woofie, whom you have all met on previous blogs!) are at the Tocumen Airport in Panama. We left after work yesterday evening to Seatac to begin this journey! Wow, this trip has been planned for sooooo many months (and dreamed about for years!) and we are finally on our way!
We left at 12:55 am from Seatac, had a two hour layover in Houston (and you can buy BAR-B-QUE at 7am!! I did refrain… but took a picture of Woofie at the restaurant!), then off to Panama City. We have a five hour layover here. We will arrive at Lima, PERU(!!!) at 10 pm tonight.
Peru Sunday August 7, 2011
After a six hour layover, we arrived in Lima about 10 last night. Our trip leader was delayed 3 hours trying to get our veterinary supplies into the country. We had brought two bags of supplies and the customs form asks specifically about vet supplies. Michelle and I had marked yes… but then found out from Karen that we needed special permission and paperwork to bring vet supplies into Peru. Oops. We did not get that memo! Soooo (should we admit this….?) we tore up those forms and filled out new ones…. Saying we do not have vet supplies… and here we are! (Ha, not in jail, like you expected!). They just waved us through. They were x-raying much of the luggage… oh, but it was late at night, so they waved a bunch of us through. Whew!!
FINALLY, Karen got through Customs, we met up with our liaison, and took a bus to our hotel/hostel. It was very nice. We got to go to bed about 2am and had to get up as 6am for breakfast and bus back to the airport for the 9:30am flight to Cusco. We will be at 11,000 ft…. we are drinking Coca tea (yep, from Coca leaves…you can figure out what else can be done with the leaves) to help with high altitude sickness. We are to go lay down for two hours once we get there, eat a light lunch (eat lots of carbs), avoid caffeine and salt and only do light activity.
This am, when we arrived at the airport, we found out our flight was delayed two hours. So, once again, here we sit in the airport, catching up on our blog. Our first clinic is tomorrow in one location (in a “shanty town” outside of Cusco) then two days at another location (a park in the middle of Cusco). The sign up lists are already full and there is a waiting list. We are going to have about 5 local vets and 10 local vet students joining us.
Our team is really neat. Several of the members have been on WV trips or other vet trips and many have done a lot of traveling. We should have a wonderful week!
Our delay/layover ended up being 5 hours. Ugh. Not much to see or do, but we did get to visit a lot. Finally got to fly UP to Cusco, which is at 11,000 feet! We are drinking lots of Coca tea provided by the hotel. We also bought Coca candy to help (maybe??).
We took a bus ride to Cusco. It is a very beautiful area. The plaza is gorgeous: fountains, old buildings, all surrounded by mountains. Our hotel, the Royal Inca, is very nice. It is beautiful! Very nice rooms, court yard and sitting areas. A few of us had a drink in the bar during happy hour, and it included guacamole, extra yummy!! Took a short nap, as directed, then met the group for more info gathering, then off to dinner. Pizza is very popular here! Many pizzerias next door to each other. Very thin crust with many toppings, lots of veggies that I would normally not think of on a pizza, cheese, with “mayonnaise” and salsa to top it off. Scrumptious! I drank a local “kool-aid” made from corn. Very good.
A few of us went to a local small market to get more water: need to drink a lot and do NOT want to drink any of the non-bottled water in Peru.
We are now back at our rooms to get to bed early so we can get up early to start clinics!
AND we have internet service in our room!! So we will keep you updated on our trip!! Yippee!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Off to Peru!
Michelle, Woofie and I are leaving for Peru after work today! We fly out of Seatac about midnight and will arrive in Lima, Peru on Saturday night. We will be at about 5000' ... so we can start at our increased altitude. Sunday am we will fly to Cusco which is about 11,000 feet!! We have been given many pointers on how to avoid, or reduce, the signs of high altitude sickness. Wish us luck on that part!!
We will be doing our veterinary work in Cusco. Towards the end of the week we will go to Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca civilization located high in the Peruvian Andes. It was "rediscovered" by an American 100 years ago!
I don't know what our internet access will be. If we have internet, we will update with stories and pictures daily. If we don't have internet... you will have to wait until we get home!!
World travelers...off again to help dogs and cats in other countries!
Stacy, Michelle and "Woofie"!
We will be doing our veterinary work in Cusco. Towards the end of the week we will go to Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca civilization located high in the Peruvian Andes. It was "rediscovered" by an American 100 years ago!
I don't know what our internet access will be. If we have internet, we will update with stories and pictures daily. If we don't have internet... you will have to wait until we get home!!
World travelers...off again to help dogs and cats in other countries!
Stacy, Michelle and "Woofie"!
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