Into the Heart of (ex) terrorist country - Perlamayo

One of the areas  we visit is Perlamayo, a lush coffee-growing area in a mountain valley.  It's a tiny little town straight out of a western, in a place where you would least expect to find a town!  So, in the late 80s, Trevor Loechel and his native companions went looking for a contact of someone who had professed in another area, and they came to this town.  There they met a man called Antonio Delgado, who straight away saw truth and made his choice to serve God.  Through him, many others who are still continuing today, came to also listen and receive the gospel into their hearts.  It was at the height of terrorism in Peru, a group called the Shining Path were agin the government and trying to reform people of their own accord. They operated throughout the country, but had bases in certain places, one of which was Perlamayo.  When I see it, I can see it would be a perfect place for terrorists to hide out, and hide their stash of arms.  It's surrounded by mountains covered in thick vegetation, and probably more so in those days when there was no road, and the only means to get there was walking (the workers walked several days to reach there).  The terrorists were very violent, blew up police stations etc, and would reign by terror...killing whole families sometimes if they deemed them to be off-side for some reason.

When the workers went in, the rumour went around that they were terrorists, or spies, spying out the land for mining companies!  So Antonio professed, but began to delve into village politics, and that led him to joining up with the terrorists.  He became quite high up, and the workers believe that perhaps he had a big part to play in the fact that they were never touched by the terrorists in their forays in there.

The day came when the National Army was beginning to get the better of the terrorists, and Fujimori who was the president at the time was offering amnesties to the lesser terrrorists in exchange for info on the leaders and where their arms stash was.  Story has it that the soldiers went in to Perlamayo, the little plaza full of them.  Antonio's mother went out and called for him to come out of hiding, pleading with him to come down and give himself up.  Eventually he did, and received protection for many years after showing them where all the weapons were. Antonio and his wife are still outside of the God's will, but now and then the workers visit them.  They always receive them gladly, and recognise that there is no other way...but!!  Hard to get back I suppose.

So this is how we get there!  Pack up all our stuff, put the backpack inside a big plastic bag to protect it from the elements, then go along to a depot from where the vehicles leave from.  The vehicles come down the mountain early, like 6am, bring their passengers into town, then return anytime from midday on.  So we go and wait for one to fill up, then pay our fare, pile in and we're off.  This is one such ute loaded with anything from sacks of corn, to live chooks.

A local - straight out of Lucky Luke

Some shots of the road over the mountain range to Perlamayo.  Definitely need 4x4!  It is the rainy season and there is a lot of mud and slips.

Part of the township of Perlamayo - where Antonio handed himself in

Two dear old faithful souls, Sofia and Camila.  They are part of the original group.  Sofia can't read, they are both up in their 80s.

Inside Sofia's son Alvaro's house.  Simple living!!

Looking down toward the township from the house...nice street!! All the waste water gets chucked down there.

After Sun am mtg

Alvaro in pink t-shirt is the owner of this house.  He was professing, but for some reason has stopped taking part.  Lady in blue top comes to mtgs when we are there!  The man in blue t-shirt is Camila's grandson, not professing as yet.  This was our Sunday am mtg.

Sofia's kitchen.  She greatly distrusts gas and declares wood MUCH better!

Palmira reluctantly killing and plucking the duck for lunch

Not bad for over 80! Washing clothes

No yoga or fancy garlic-crushers needed...

Palmira showing me the sister's "shower" in the old days 

Now a govt programme has built them all bathrooms and toilets like this one

Going down to Nora's house

Through the coffee plantation

Coffee starting to ripen

Branches laden!

Steep terrain

Nora's house made of local rock

Great view from her back yard! The workers came over the top of that ridge in the early days

Nora with lunch under her arm.  Palmira had to kill it - to her dismay!

All the nosy chook neighbours poking their heads out to see what the disturbance was all about - when "lunch" had been grabbed

Coffee drying house

Coffee dries on these racks.  The drying process makes a difference to the flavour

This is a seed pod that they use for food colouring and flavour!  Amazing

Nora's stove

Nora's kitchen.  Note the stinking fish drying on the rope overhead!!

It REALLY stinks the place out

Nora's little vege garden, all the earth made up of coffee waste

On the road out...

Up into the Mountains - San Jose

This field includes both jungle and mountains.  Bagua Grande where the bach is is around 400 m above sea level.  Our forays into the mountains take us up to around 2,500 m above sea level - all in a 1-2 hour car trip, winding up gravel tracks.  So you climb steeply!  Our friends are scattered around in the mountains behind Bagua Grande.  Most have come in touch through one original man called Antonio Delgado who saw truth and professed.  Sadly, he later became involved in village politics and ended up joining the terrorists.  He is still outside today, but maintains that what he heard was truth.  From time to time the workers still visit him and his wife where they now live in the jungle, always receiving a warm welcome.

We went to a locality called San Jose at 2,500 m above sea level to have a few days, and the Sunday am mtg with a couple Silverio and Aleja.  As a young man, Silverio worked for a man Samuel who had come to meetings through Antonio.  Samuel would invite him each time the workers (Norman Nash and cos) would come to his house.  Silverio was worried he would dock his pay while he attended the meeting!  But Samuel promised him no, he would pay him all the same.  Silverio and his wife both decided to follow Jesus, and at this stage, just one of their nine children did the same - more or less at the same time as his parents professed.  While we were there, three of their sons and respective wives and kids came along to the gospel meeting, so there is hope yet...

This is the scenery while travelling in the vehicle climbing steadily up the mountain.

Silverio meets us where the vehicle leaves us, with his pack horse to take our backpacks

Taking a pack horse without a rider is like driving an empty car alongside passengers walking...I got the horse as Palmira doesn't ride due to back/hip problems.  Which by the way all these native mountain workers suffer, due to  having lugged heavy loads in their childhood/youth.  From here it was an hour's walk/ride in to Silverio's farm.

This is still the "highway"

Leaving the road to start crossing farmland

Beautiful bush and farmland!

Smelt a very familiar scent...Pongas!!

Arrived.  One of his sons lives up on that hill

Wow, this place is advanced!!  Solar panels bring electric light!  We each had our own bed!  Mine is pictured behind the curtain.  The meeting room is the part you don't see.  The family sleep behind a partition that goes beyond the curtained "passage".  Every morning tough grandma gets up at 5 to milk her 9 cows.  Her grandchildren who were staying for holidays would go with her.  Come back and rush off for the (cold) shower (high altitude at 8 am isn't particularly tropical temps).  Milk is made into ricotta cheese, then eaten with mandioc and/or spuds for breakfast.

Kitchen scene.  Grandma stoking fire, Palmira peeling spuds while two little cousins watch on.  

I said this place is modern...a separate curtained off shower and longdrop.  The shower consists of a hose connected to a shower head.  You turn the hose on up at the house, and it comes out high pressure freezing water!!

Flashest longdrop I've seen in a long time!

Johanna, the 7 year old granddaughter who would delight in skimming up the tree when she saw me go off on a bathroom visit, then give me a fright as I walked back under it! Cute.

Dusk, from Silverio's back yard...cool palm trees

Sunset over the mountains

Grandma Aleja frying up guinea pig for tea!

Looks much better when it turns golden brown!

Taking corn off the cob (maize) to make tamales - a kind of dough made of ground corn, then wrapped in the husks and steamed, sometimes cheese in the middle.

Post-meeting football match amongst the cousins!  Got pretty heated!

Silverio and Palmira out in the yard after meeting

The weather is very changeable.  Usually rains/drizzles at this time of year, temps not freezing cold, quite pleasant really.

One of the grandchildren, cute little gumboots

She was fascinated by me and couldn't take her eyes off this strange white-haired, tall person!

No shortage of kids around here

Johanna and her cousin and the donkey

Relaxing Sunday afternoon

Keeping order during the football match

Palmira Rojas and I.  She also has a sister in the work, called Celmira

Johanna fascinated by Palmira's ribbon embroidery

Adios San Jose...beginning the pilgrimmage out at 6am.  Silverio accompanied us again with the packhorse (so I got to ride out).