Orepensa

On the way to the sister clinic in Orepensa.

The inside of the clinic. It was very airy and peaceful, with abundant natural light.

Veronica exploring the outside of the clinic.

The scrubs kind of mar the beautiful background.

Eating "chicharron", or toc toc as they call it in Peru. In Cuba we call fried pig skin chicharron.

Unloading the supplies we brought for the clinic. They were so grateful!

The cathedral in Plaza de Armas.

View from inside the Museo Inka.

Entrance to Museo Inka. 

Hi everyone,

Today was another very exciting day. Veronica and I went to a sister clinic in the mountains in the town of Orepensa with a Spanish doctor (Dra. Patricia) who is helping out at the clinic. It took about 45 minutes to get there. As you can see, the clinic was in a breathtaking locale. It was the only structure in a 100 mile radius and to get there we had to travel down a dirt road. The clinic had glass windows everywhere, a lot of colorful flowers, and a beautiful chapel. The patients were all terminally ill cancer patients, so the day was pretty rough. They ranged in age from 29 years old to 96 years old (we saw about 15 patients). The younger ones really hit me hard because they weren't much older than me. It makes me incredibly grateful for my good health.

After we arrived back in Cusco, we ate lunch at the clinic (another delicious meal, this time lamb, prepared by the sisters). Then we went with Dra. Patricia to the local Museo Inka for a couple of hours. Dra. Patricia is a general practitioner visiting from Madrid, Spain. She's been in Cusco for a couple of months working at the clinic, and is leaving on Friday. After spending the day with her in Orepensa, I can honestly say she is a credit to her profession. She's incredibly patient, caring, and astute. We will miss her dearly!

We went to dinner at a "chifa" restaurant. Chifa food is basically the Peruvian word for Chinese food. Like the pizza place yesterday, this place was also delicious and very affordable! Now we are back at home and I'm beat. I don't know if it's the altitude or being at the clinic, but I find I'm exhausted by 9pm every night.

Saludos,
Annelys