La vida Abanquina - Life in Abancay

You’ve been requesting photos of Abancay, and it’s about time I did another update, so here they are.

Abancay is on the main route from Lima to Cusco so has paved roads (also some unpaved), regular buses, but not many tourists or foreigners who stay.  The nearest airport is in Cusco (5 hours away) and Lima is 16 hours away.  I came from Lima by overnight bus, and was woken up by violent and frequent hairpin bends at around 3am, but wedged myself in, pretended I was on a boat, managed not to be sick and went back to sleep.  The views at breakfast were stunning but I didn’t see the highest part. Having survived it I expect I’ll do it again.  It’s a bit slower than the bus-to-the-airport route but a lot less complicated.

Abancay is beautiful, at about 2400m above sea level and yet deep down in a valley surrounded by mountains. It’s about the size of Shrewsbury, everywhere I need to go is within about a mile, and it’s all on a very steep hill! The rainy season is just starting (late) so everything is about as dry as it gets, and will soon be much greener.  

The flat I’m staying in is part way up the hill, and I’m on the 4^th floor (UK translation, 3rd floor) so have lovely views of the town and the mountains. I’ll be here about 6 months until the girl who rents it comes back and I have to find my own place. There’s mains electricity (one power cut so far), internet (generally slow for everybody, but better at 5am), and mains plumbing but cold water only.  I cook using gas which I need to get delivered when it runs out, and yes I do have an electric water-heating system for the shower, but not one with loose wires hanging all over the place!

From the 5am reference you may guess I’ve been waking up early - because of the sunrise, the dogs barking and the cockerels crowing.  My Saturday lie-in consisted of getting up around 8…

Yesterday I took some photos of my walk to work:

Steep streets!

Across the river to the office

Outside the office - building new classrooms

 our morning meeting room - all those boxes in the corner are full of Quechua New Testaments!

local church leaders on a church planting workshop - breaktime

   

Outside the stadium - "Apurímac: soon... free of illiteracy"

It's election time so of course the roads are being dug up (just like home)

 

 More photos coming soon!