Chapter 8: First Settlers from the Mountain Village

Friday 05.04.2019

Although April is usually the dry season, it was raining in the cordilleras. The clouds hung low and lined the peaks of the surrounding three thousanders. It was a bad day to visit Enzo’s village, just over 3000 metres up, but I had promised to bring him back today.

I was feeling much better after my serious illness. I poured the two full cans of diesel from San Huano into our half-full reserve tank in the container depot. Yesterday it would have been difficult for me to lift the canisters, but today it was no problem at all.

Despite all the warnings never to go through the Andes without reserve fuel, I took only three empty canisters with me on the trip. On the way to Trujillo, I wanted to fill up the canisters in San Huano, the small village with a diesel filling station, and buy some sweets on the way.

Alejandra was waiting for us outside the guesthouse. She had a basket of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and some skinned guinea pigs. The animals were wrapped in banana leaves. Unfortunately, I had not thought of gifts for the mountain farmer. Fortunately, Olivia’s grandmother had reminded me of this. The villagers should get a good feeling for us valley dwellers.

I quickly fetched three containers with six bottles of mineral water each and a box of chocolates from the cellar of the guesthouse. Olivia got a loving kiss before the departure and the journey continued towards the saloon in our village.

Enzo, Luca, and Diego were ready to leave. Like Alejandra, they had a basket made of alpaca hair with them, filled with potatoes, vegetables and the bananas that do not grow so well with us. But there were no bananas growing up in the mountain village. Enzo’s basket smelled tempting. His guinea pigs were already grilled, but also wrapped in banana leaves. There were lots of Coca tealeaves underneath. There seemed to be a great need for this in the mountain village. Carmen had only a small bag of provisions and water with her. She hadn’t thought about gifts. For her, the mountain dwellers were strangers.

Off we went. First, I explained to Luca how to drive the car so as not to start on the narrow mountain road. The inexperienced driver caused the car to bounce and jump as it started. He stalled the engine twice, but soon the boy was calmly keeping the Landcruiser in the lane. We practised braking, reversing, and starting on the hill. Luca soon had the car under control. He was allowed to drive us to the container depot. He skilfully manoeuvred the big Land Rover between the containers. Luca managed to drive backwards into the container without any problems. I was proud of the boy. As expected, he mastered our car without any problems.

We loaded a carton of tinned pears, pineapples, and cherries, still in a sealed container. Surely these canned goods were a luxury for the villagers. Enzo pointed to two old empty barrels. Carmen translated that they were needed in the village when they were waterproofed. After folding down one of the back seats, we struggled to fit them behind the seats.

Luca was to take us to the entrance barrier with the security bars. There we had erected a strong barrier against unauthorised entry into the valley, so that strangers could only force their way into our valley with great difficulty. But in no case would it be silent, and we would be informed. We overtook Daja and Kira on the way to their work in the village. They waved enthusiastically at ‘their’ Luca. He proudly drove past the girls. I honked the horn to greet them. At the security gate I opened the four locks, and we pulled aside the barbed wire barriers. After passing, Luca and Enzo pulled the barbed wire back on the way. For this we had hidden poles in a ditch. Diego snapped the locks back in and covered the locks and barbed wire with branches. The access was secured again.

The steepest part of our journey began immediately, with an estimated 15 to 20 per cent gradient over several hundred metres in some places. Incidentally, the navigation system had only indicated 1,400 metres above sea level in the valley, so I had misjudged our altitude. Soon we were at 2,200 metres. After an hour we reached the tree line. I complimented the young men on how well they had cleared the road. Carmen translated that some girls who used to work in the village had also helped, even sleeping in the mountains. Enzo wanted to reach and secure the Land Cruiser during my illness. Everyone worked himself to his exhaustion.

Once again, I learned a piece of the mystery of victory over wild nature. Priya, in consultation with Ramona and Luisa, had taken banknotes from my chest pocket. Each of the three Indios from the mountain village who worked on the road on the first day received one hundred SOL. On the second day, five helpers arrived early, and on the third day all the available men were on site. The two thousand sols Priya had paid in the end were a good investment.

When the end of the work was foreseeable for Babette, she rode her bike back to the valley. Our doctor had made the nearly forty kilometres in a hurry, and then carefully brought our car down the steep descent with the helpers. Luckily, she had found the car keys in my pocket, a real masterstroke by our women!

Still, I was a little upset to learn that Babette had left the valley against my orders. I would have to sort this out with her in the next few days. An order is an order. Everyone’s safety was our top priority, especially now, after the raid and the threat of new attacks.

There was still a lot of work to be done to secure our valley against another attack. It occurred to me that I had still not got the satellite phone working. This had to be done on my return. At the moment, however, our future food supply was at stake. If no families from the mountain village moved to us, I wanted to recruit three or four poor families from the villages around Trujillo as farmers. But it would soon become clear whether my original idea would be feasible with the Indios from the mountain village.

In the car I listened to the lively conversation between the two Indio boys and Enzo. The eleven-year-old ended up talking to Carmen. Carmen translated Diego’s wish. He also wanted a steady girlfriend or wife, preferably Kira, who was so nice to him. Our interpreter had to tell him that it was too soon. In a few weeks, younger girls would be moving into the valley. Then he could get to know the girls in peace. If the girls were interested, he would have a chance. It would be important for him to speak English better and to attract the girls’ attention with his work. Diego promised me right away.

Soon the vegetation had receded from the road and the slopes. The traces of my wild ride through the bushes on the road twelve days ago were still clearly visible, but had just been partially removed by some men. They were using oxen and mules to haul logs to the village, as there was little firewood on their plateau. That’s why they cleaned up parts of the road, but unfortunately only on the width of an ox.

Because of this, I had to push hard to overcome the obstacles. Enzo thought that his ox and mule cart would not get through, so his move would be difficult.

Tomorrow, I was going to bring a larger squad from San Huano to clear the trees and remove the roots. Enzo said the men from his village would be happy to do that. A daily bonus of 100 SOL would be a much sought-after resource for the Indios. Luca and Diego also were ready to help.

When we got to the point where the road was largely clear, Luca was allowed to drive again. I made up for it. The track was to be driven in second gear at a maximum speed of 40 kilometres per hour. The boy had not yet dared to drive over the first boulder. I patiently let him go in reverse. Then he went over the stone with a bang. He tore the handlebars a bit, but I held on tight. The next boulder was just a hop. Then it was fun for the thirteen-year-old, but the two women in the middle seat were particularly buffeted. Carmen scolded. Luca really should slow down on the obstacles.

Arriving at the under wash, Enzo and I checked the stability. We used a hammer and a pickaxe to hit smaller stones between the larger stones that had been piled up days ago. Soon everything seemed more stable and secure. I decided to take a few bags of mortar with me next time and let it flow between the stones.

After three hundred metres we, dived into the low clouds for the first time. Damn, you almost couldn’t see where the road was going. Of course I took over the driving now.

At walking speed, we continued to torment each other. As soon as a free piece came, I stepped on the gas. Different to my plan, Luca was not allowed to drive now. On the contrary, he had to walk the next bit in front of the car and show me the course of the driveway. At last, we came to a place where the wind from the valley had driven the clouds higher. In the distance we saw the village. Luca was completely drenched by the rain. Alejandra took two of the worn T-shirts out of a cardboard box so that the boy could dry off a little. The dear lady dabbed some more water from his face and neck.

About 500 metres before the village, I let him drive. I had turned up the car heater. My mistake was that I had not expected such low temperatures up here in the mountains. We were not dressed warmly enough, and some were freezing. Alejandra took two of the little T-shirts out of a cardboard box so that the boy could dry off a little.

Finally, Luca drove into the village and honked vigorously. His father and his little sister came out of the house, incredulous at the surprise visit and Luca as the driver of the big car. Diego and Luca were overjoyed to see their family again after four months. But there was no time for that. The boys’ mother was very ill.

“High fever, nausea.” translated by Carmen.

I let everyone get out, unpacked the presents. The barrels were received with special gratitude. Almost everyone from the village had gathered at the car by now.

Carmen was supposed to clarify whether we should take Triana, the sick woman, with us to the doctor in the valley, while I drove quickly to San Huano for refuelling and for a few errands. I bought sweets, cosmetics, fresh bread, and packaged goods such as biscuits and waffles for more than eight thousand SOL. The shelves of the gas station were emptied in a flash. Furthermore, I received five kilograms of salt and two bags of sugar.

With gestures and a few words I explained to the nice man that I would be back in three weeks and that I wanted to buy fifty kilos of salt and the same amount of sugar. I wrote it down and showed him on a calendar when I wanted to come back. Paying by credit card worked up here, despite the remoteness. I had a few thousand dollars in my pocket just in case, but I did not need any cash.

Suddenly, the man gave me a jar of golden honey. There was no honey in our valley. I looked at him gratefully. Did he have any more? Yes, he did. I bought the six glasses in stock for twenty SOL, paid in cash, of course. I should take the glasses back to him, he gestured to me. The attendant became more and more friendly. We smoked together. For the first time I enjoyed a cigarette after my illness, so I was healthy again.

I almost forgot to call Claudio. There was some sad news. His grandmother was in hospital with the same symptoms as the girls. But she had been better for two days. He would probably be able to pick her up the next day. All eleven girls were now in a better condition. But they were very hungry, he laughed. I asked him to hire a woman so his mother could get some rest. I would pay for the help when I would pick up the girls. We agreed on 800 SOL a month for four hours work a day. For this salary he would get a good help. The English lessons were going badly. The children were not very willing to learn and were often tired.

We agreed that Claudio should pass a message from me to the little ones, which he should translate online into the eleven different languages. He should write my best regards and the condition that only those who know some English should come to our paradise. Claudio promised me to deliver the messages to the girls.

“Please, Claudio, do your best. The children need to learn English as soon as possible.”

He had some interesting suggestions and assured me to get additional teaching material. With the tablets, almost all the girls would still have problems using them. That’s what he wanted to practise with his pupils every morning.

After the phone call, it was a tight ride to the next cloudbank. I struggled my way to the mountain village. They were waiting there in a state of excitement. Luca’s father wanted to accompany his sick wife. Enzo explained to me, translated by Carmen, that this would cause big problems for the rest of the family. I told Luca’s father that he had to stay here with his children. Luca and Diego could help his wife with our doctor.

He looked astonished and had to confirm several times that we had a woman doctor. Then he agreed. I didn’t even know that there were such misunderstood problems here, for example with medical treatment. I had only experienced this in Arab countries. Unfortunately, I had to experience again and again how conservative many families are here in the poor mountain villages.

Enzo and Lucas’ father put the sick person in the back seat. Luca, Diego, and Alejandra sat in the front row, and Carmen sat next to me. I was given an old, battered bucket, which we filled with fresh water. With the two dirty shirts that Luca had used to dry himself, he now had to make fever-reducing calf wraps for his mother. The woman moaned and groaned.

In the end, I didn’t dare go any further in the thick fog. This time Diego went in front of the car. Fortunately, the clouds had lifted by midday, and we were able to pick up speed again. It still took us over two hours to cover the almost 100 kilometres. We immediately took the sick Triana to the hospital room that Esther had finally left in good health.

Ramona told me, “She is sleeping, but the fever is still very high. The boys are not allowed to visit their mother for three days. You have to be careful. Maybe they had been infected too”.

Daja and Kira, our new hairdressers, were supposed to be cutting and thinning the boys’ hair, but they were forbidden to do so. The boys had to be quarantined for at least ten days after coming into close contact with their sick mother.

Unfortunately, our doctor was right. Two days later Carmen took Luca and Diego to the doctor’s room with the first signs of the illness. Fortunately, she kept enough distance. We pushed another bed from the doctor’s room into the room for intensive treatment. Again, the boys graced themselves while undressing. I had to help. Carmen, on my behalf, told the boys not to be so stupid. At the latest the day after tomorrow, Esther has to wash them and help them defecate if they are expected to be unconscious. They knew from their mother how helplessly she was stretched out and was no longer capable of anything. At some point they gave in and put on the short treatment shirts.