Covid in Cusco: Week 14

Sunday, 14 June, 2020

92 days of quarantine down, 16 to go … and then … 

What exactly do I think will happen? With the State of Emergency extended into September and the hope of a vaccine still in the distant future, what can I expect to happen in 16 days? I’m hoping that the all day Sunday “curfew” will end and that there will be more transportation options, although I certainly don’t want anybody from Lima coming near Cusco. I do hope that it will be easier for me to travel to small villages to take emergency food aid to people who really need it.

I don’t actually think anything will change 16 days from now but maybe I should look for a new title for these blogs. What comes after quarantine? Post-quarantine? Extreme Social Distancing? Covid Recovery? The shit show? 

One of the most difficult things about this pandemic, since it started to hit international news in February, is the crushing uncertainty. We have no idea what is going to happen. We have no idea what will happen when restrictions here lift. Although, if Peruvians follow the lead of every other country that has eased restrictions, we’ll have another rise in cases and maybe even a full outbreak. 

Maybe the only certainty that we have is that this will not be over anytime soon. We will be dealing with an ebb and flow of waves of outbreaks across the world until we not only have a vaccine, but are able to administer it to 7.8 billion people. With that in mind, I decide to spend the afternoon working on the Covid Relief Project. It will be a while before tourism resumes enough here for porters to have jobs again. 

I’m trying to expand the network of people who know about the project. Besides my own personal contacts, I’ve been reaching out to guides in Cusco. First, I ask them to spread the world among all of the guides in the area, then I ask each of them to contact any tourists that they have worked with and still have contact information for. Still, the bigger the network, the better.

I’ve also been messaging with a person that I will call Maria in this blog. She has worked with porters here in Peru and also with porters in Tibet and Kenya. The Inca Trail, Mt. Everest and Kilamonjaro are apparently the three places in the world where trekkers almost always have porters. They are also three places in the world where workers’ rights and indigenous people’s rights are easily ignored in the quest for profit. You can probably imagine that a person who is working directly against the interests of the majority of the tourism industry is going to make enemies. 

Maria called tonight to talk with me about the Covid Relief Project. She’s not in Peru during the quarantine and is unsure when she’ll be able to come back. I had messaged her to ask for her help in reaching out to people. I know that she has a giant network around the world and I thought that if she promoted the project, we would get a lot more visibility and hopefully more support from people who care about the welfare of the porters here. 

She said that she was interested in the project and would quietly reach out to a few people, but that her name should not be at all associated with the project. Apparently the enemies she made here are still quite angry and she is afraid that if she is publicly part of the project, then her enemies will become my enemies and then they will take down the project. It sounds extreme and perhaps ludicrous to people who don’t know much about tourism in Peru. I absolutely understand what she is worried about.

Tourism is 80% of the economy here. There are a few international trekking agencies that have a strong presence in Cusco and on the Inca Trail. There are also several national companies that are big enough to have a pretty big piece of the pie here. 

Online shopping being what it is, with people so used to Amazon’s model of undercutting the competition by a few pennies, people are very used to price comparisons now. All of these companies try to offer the same services, for just a little less than the competition. When they cut a little off the price, it doesn’t take from the food budget, or the transportation, or the permit prices for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. It generally goes off the salary of the porters. 

The low end of the daily wage for porters on the Inca Trail is pathetically low: 50 soles per day ($14). The good companies pay twice that, but for the work they do, it’s still tragically low. One thing that Maria has done is also expose the treatment of the porters: How most don't have their own tents, sleeping bags or sleeping pads when they’re working the trail. That there is no healthcare or protection for them if they’re hurt on the job. Considering the massive loads that they’re required to carry every day, most end up injured at some point.

When I first heard about Maria, and her project, last October, I was shocked at the information that she was exposing - but not because I didn’t know about the dark side of the Inca Trail. I was shocked that she was getting away with producing a documentary about this and that porters were showing their faces in the trailer for the documentary. (It’s really easy to figure out who Maria is, if you do a little bit of research).

I am not at all surprised that she has enemies here, that she hesitates to come back to Cusco and that she’s worried that her enemies will try to take me down. I’m glad that she warned me, because I really don’t want any enemies here.

Monday, 15 June, 2020. 

Today’s day 93 of the State of Emergency conference started with President Vizcarra’s plea to Peruvians to care for themselves as a way to care for their families, their neighbors and their coworkers. He said that starting with the president, who will not let his guard down, it is the responsibility of every Peruvian to not let their guard down until we have defeated this virus. He read out exactly how many people who have tested positive 232,992 and how many have passed away, but also how many have recovered and gone home healthy from the hospital. After outlining some plans for economic recovery, he took questions that were obviously prepared ahead of time, because all of the ministers who responded were reading prepared statements. What I was impressed with was the nature of the first question that they addressed.

The question that President Vizcarra took first was: “There is a sector of the population that is politically disenfranchised, socially denied, epidemiologically in danger and economically devastated. Does the Peruvian government have a specific plan for the relocation and social and economic recovery for the more than 100,000 sex workers who will have difficulties returning to work without danger of contagion?” 

The Minister of Health answered first, saying that in the Peruvian constitution, health is considered a basic right and that it’s the government’s responsibility to care for the health of every Peruvian. He continued that sex workers are considered a particularly vulnerable population for the Ministry of Health because of the special health risks inherent in their work. Work, which he notes, could be forced or voluntary. Regardless, the government is still responsible for their health. As they have been provided special health care to help prevent HIV and tuberculosis, they will also receive special consideration in the fight against the Coronavirus. 

The Minister of Labor, Silvia Cáceres, next took the mike and said that “through the department for the protection of women and children, a budget has been designated and is being distributed through organized collectives for sex workers. For the Ministry of Labor, this is a serious worry for the economic recovery of sex workers who have lost income. Like all vulnerable workers, they have received financial assistance from the government. In the recovery plan that the President has outlined for us today, the Ministry of Labor has the responsibility to promote job opportunities for all sectors of the population. The Ministry is designating resources for these and all workers as we work to recover the economy.”

Regardless for how well or how poorly you think the Peruvian government is responding to the pandemic, I’m happy to hear them address not only the special health risks of sex workers, but also to hear them talk about sex work as work. Obviously many governments around the world (including my own) do not treat sex workers as workers. Many presidents would not take that question during a presidential address and even if they did, it probably wouldn’t be the first question they took.

Score one more for Vizcarra on my personal presidential approval rating.

Tonight while listening to El Sonido I was trying to figure out how many Peruvian artists I first heard on KEXP. Definitely Novalima, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Kill Amigo, Quechuaboi, Los Mirlos, Fracaso Band, Comité Pokofló and more. Chilly recommended a playlist to me once which introduced me to Gala Briê, La Nueva Invasión, Menores, Santa Madero and Rivière (which sounds French but is Peruvian). I do hope that outdoor concerts and some other “safe” ways to enjoy live music will return soon.

Tuesday, 16 June, 2020

I am determined to not let anybody politicize the Covid Relief Project and one way to ensure that is for me to stay out of politics. Still, my motivation for this project is knowing how unprotected porters are. They get paid by the day and none have what I could consider to be a contract with a company, guaranteeing them employment or wages. 

There is no unemployment system to give them any kind of income during the pandemic. I have a couple friends and relatives drawing unemployment in the US. More than one of them is actually getting more per month on unemployment that they were when they were working. That is not the case in Peru.

I hope that, when things return to something close to normal, or at least when some tourists return to Cusco, my project will no longer be needed. I’m not trying to start an NGO or a big charity. I just want to help people during the pandemic when there is absolutely no possibility that anybody will be able to work with tourists.

Still, maybe when tourism resumes, I will be able to be a part of the major structural change that “Maria” is working towards. Maybe by then I will know so many small communities through the work that I’m doing for the Covid Relief Project, that I’ll have a better idea of how I could help improve working conditions for porters on the Inca Trail.

For now, I’m just going to keep my head down, protect the project from being hijacked by trekking agencies who want to use me for marketing and from people who might want to use it for political reasons. I have plenty of time on my hands. I am confident that I can raise enough money to help a few more communities while the need is so great. I don’t need to ask for help from other organizations who might want to politicize or monetize my humble little project.

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Today after work it was finally nice enough to go for a walk up to the Temple of the Moon. The past few days it was windy and cloudy in the afternoons but today was beautiful! I walked past the Temple, crossed the stream by the sign for Inkilltambo and walked up the trail to a spot I’ve been scoping out for watching hummingbirds. It’s a hillside covered with wildflowers and I found a good rock in the shade for my stakeout. 

It didn’t take long. After only a few minutes the hummingbird that has claimed this hillside was flitting around near me. I watched it perch in trees in the sun, chase off other birds from its flowers and perch near flowers in the shade where it was difficult to get a good shot. It’s a Sparkling Violetear, the most common hummingbird around here. Almost all of my hummingbird shots from my living room windows are a Sparkling Violetear. They’re loud and flashy and very territorial. 

After my hike, I went back to see Jorge, the wholesaler that I worked with to buy food for Sut’uc-Pacchaq. I told him that on the 27th we will be taking food to 100 families and that my budget per family is 35 soles. The first time we did the project my budget was 18 soles per family. The second time it was a fabulous 88 soles per family. 

With 35 soles, I negotiated 5 kilos of rice, 2 kilos of oatmeal, 2 kilos of sugar and 1 liter of vegetable oil. We won’t be able to afford panettone this time, but that seemed like such a miracle last time that I didn’t actually expect to be able to repeat that.

This evening I got another taste of normalcy. My friend Juanita invited me over for a game night with her roommate and two other friends. It was a gathering of just five people, but they were five people that I haven’t been quarantined with! Scandalous! 

Juanita had seen somebody selling Monopoly sets on the street and splurged. It definitely looked like somebody had made it in their living room, but we still had a fantastic time. She had a beautiful spread of appetizers and wine. I stayed out till the 9pm curfew, then ran the two blocks home because it was 9:05. Kerry was worried about me when I got home, but I was just so happy to have had such a normal afternoon.

Thursday, 18 June 2020

While I am starting to find a little normalcy here, hiking, and visiting friends, I have still been following news in the US. The past several weeks it has been grim. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, and far too many more is devastating. However, there has been some good news coming from the US and I am always on the lookout for any good news.

Today was a proud day for immigrant rights in the US, as the Supreme Court upheld DACA in direct opposition to Trump’s attempts to destroy any recent improvements in US immigration law. I am so thankful that something is going right!

Earlier this week the Supreme Court also ruled in favor of protections for LGTBQ workers. This is probably the biggest news for LGTBQ rights since marriage equality. 

I’m not brushing aside all of the tragedy happening around us, but it’s so comforting to see good news is still possible too.  

Friday, 19 June 2020

Today after work both Henry and Auqui came over for our first face to face meeting about the Covid Relief Project. Our first order of business was the destination for the 27th. Initially, Maria had asked us to go to Huilloc Alto, where she worked with porters on her project. Since she hasn’t been able to get back to Peru during the pandemic border closures, she has had a hard time getting news about how her friends here are doing. 

She gave me the phone number of the main community leaders she had been working with and Auqui has been in communication with both him and the mayor of Ollantaytambo. As with the first two events, we need the mayor’s office of the closest town to arrange both transportation and police permission for us to leave Cusco.

Auqui went to Ollantaytambo to meet in person with the mayor and was told that tomorrow the trekking agency Alpaca Expeditions will be taking aid to Huilloc Alto. They also told Auqui that an NGO associated with Lima Tours had already taken aid there. The mayor asked us to change our location and suggested Perolniyoc, which has yet to receive any aid.

Henry and I were all for the change and we moved on to talking about how to spread the world, how to involve other guides and when we should start saving for Christmas. We are very aware that even if the borders open in a month or two, very few people will get any work at any point in 2020. We want to help until tourism really gets going again and people can find jobs. Christmas is going to be very bleak for a lot of families, so we decided that on September 1st we will announce a separate campaign to start saving to take food, clothes and perhaps even toys to some of the communities who need it most.

Henry had a great idea about inviting a new guide along with us at each event. I already have lots of photos of both Henry and Auqui helping people. Tourists who have done treks with these two are already donating to the project. They see a face that they know and trust helping, and they feel good about donating. The more guides who participate, the more trusted faces people will see supporting the project. We called around and found a guide named Edy who is willing to go with us on the 27th.

Saturday, 20 June 2020

Today is winter solstice. Growing up, Winter Solstice in Boise was a big deal in my family. It was a cause for celebration as the shortest day of the year, not because it was a short day, but because every day afterwards would be longer. It was always a day of hope for me, knowing that every day would be longer and that eventually the long summer days would be back.

Here in Cusco, today is the shortest day of the year. So close to the equator, today is only an hour and 36 minutes shorter than the December Solstice. It’s certainly not as noticeable as the 8:25 minute difference in Seattle between June and December Solstices. Still, it’s a very sacred day for the Quechua people, many of whom still follow traditional Andean ceremonies, which have changed little since Inca times.

The normal festivals have all been cancelled, as have gatherings of all kinds all around the world. Covid has ruined the famous Inti Raymi festival of Cusco. Still, I was hoping that there would be a way I could still celebrate Solstice.

Yesterday I stocked up on fruit, cookies and coca leaves, hoping that Auqui would let me participate in a traditional Solstice ceremony. We packed up all the food, plus some other items like white paper and white thread, and hiked up past the Temple of the Moon, to a cave that I had in mind. Every time I have been by this cave, I’ve seen piles of coca leaves stuffed in crevices or burned in clay dishes. I thought it would be a good place and Auqui said it was perfect. 

Besides the coca leaves, nothing we had in our ceremony was ever used by the Inca. We included mandarin oranges, bananas, oreo cookies and several other sweets. We didn’t have corn or quinoa or potatoes or chicha. Still, Auqui led me through thanking the Pachamama and several steps of praying before we wrapped up all of the food and coca leaves in the paper, tied it with the white thread and buried it at the food of a nearby tree.

Afterwards, we sat under the tree, near our buried offering, to eat the late picnic lunch we had brought with us. Hummingbirds surrounded us as we sat until it was almost dusk. We sat still as they flew so close we could feel the wind from their wings. In Mexico the hummingbird was traditionally revered as a messenger from the gods. It was so magical to have the birds so close to us, it felt to me like the Pachamama was sending us messages. Perhaps she liked our offering or wanted to tell us that she’ll answer our prayers. I certainly don’t know enough about traditional Andean beliefs to have any idea what a hummingbird is saying to me. Still, it was a beautiful moment and felt like a very special Solstice.