4 March 2018
The poorest of the poor in Peru can only get medical treatment in government hospitals. In areas outside of Lima, government hospitals often lack basic surgical instruments, so the poor are referred to hospitals in Lima. Unfortunately, the poor can seldom afford to travel to Lima, so they go untreated for a host of conditions.That is where we often are asked to assist.
The Regional Government Hospital of Arequipa sees around 20 patients per month who have tumors, growths, and cancers in their throats. The best treatment involves operating through the patient's open mouth (called microlaryngeal surgery). Unfortunately, the hospital in Arequipa has none of the equipment to do that surgery, so the regional government made an appeal for aid from us.
The request is for the surgical microscope that doctors look through as they operate down the throats of patients. The other surgical instruments (scissors, forceps, and other tools) are frightening because they are so long. But the outcomes of these surgeries (because they are so non-invasive) are good.
Currently, when the hospital needs to perform a microlaryngeal surgery, they have to rent the equipment. The cost to rent is $500 per surgery, which the patient must pay. Since the patients are dirt poor, they simply don't have the money to pay for the rental. They then get the surgery the old-school way, which involves going in through the throat and cutting open the larynx, and that greatly increases the chance of complications.
We take this request by the government for help and turn it into a project which our Area Leadership will review. We hope to have this project approved this week and then move forward with obtaining the equipment and making the donation. We estimate that thousands of poor patients will benefit over the coming years.
This one project is part of more than a half dozen that are currently in the review/approval cycle. With some luck, we may be able to finish all of these pending projects before our mission ends in 4-1/2 months.
On our day off, our favorite escape is to the suburb of Miraflores about 10 miles from here. Miraflores means "look at the flowers", and there is always something in bloom there.
We often rent bikes when we go to Miraflores, and we bike about 9 miles on bike paths that wind through the city and along the coastal cliffs. Biking is a joy in Miraflores whereas biking anywhere else in Lima would be suicide.
We have seen more bananas in Peru than we have seen anywhere else in the world. Bananas grow throughout the jungle and in many coastal regions. We've seen boatloads unloaded at jungle ports on the Amazon and Ucayali Rivers. They are a part of the daily diet in many areas where potatoes don't easily grow. We eat them instead of potato chips, french fries, or baked potatoes in many areas around the country.
Grocery stores around Peru stock an incredible assortment of bananas. Here is a shot from the store in our neighborhood with probably a dozen varieties. These range from giant cooking bananas to tiny finger-size sweet bananas. Prices can be incredibly cheap. For example, the bananas shown closest to the camera sell for S/ 0.49 Peruvian Soles per kilogram - which works out to about $0.08 USD per pound.
Bananas substitute for potatoes in many areas around Peru. It seemed strange at first, but now we love them whenever we are in the jungle. These bananas are plantains, which are not sweet. Due to their high starch content, they taste more like potatoes.
Finally, we are all familiar with Mexican tamales cooked in corn husks, but here in Peru, they cook their tamales in banana leaves. They tie them up with string or plant stems to keep them together until they are cooked.
The many varieties and uses of bananas here in Peru has been an interesting part of our adventure.
We learned once again this week that Peruvian time and American time are two very different things.
We were invited to the wedding and reception of the daughter of Lily Davalos, who works with us in the Area Office as a volunteer part-time service missionary. We attended the temple wedding in the afternoon, then traveled south to their suburb in the evening for the wedding reception. The invitation said the reception started at 7 p.m., so we arrived at 7:30 p.m.
We thought (by North American standards) that things would be well underway when we arrived, but that was not the case. The wedding party (bride, groom, and attendants) finally showed up 9:15 p.m. No one at the reception seemed surprised - this is normal in Peru.
Once the bride and groom arrived, the party finally got under way. Unfortunately, we left a few minutes later to get out of this somewhat-tough neighborhood before it got too late.
Part of being in a foreign land is realizing cultural norms can be very different from your own. By North American standards, starting a wedding reception 2 hours late would be unheard of. In South American, it is expected.
(Note that we were the only guests to show up so early - everyone must have thought we were crazy.)
Gas ranges in price from $4 to $5 per gallon in Peru, depending on the octane. The interesting thing for us is that there are no self-service gas stations in Peru - everything is full service. You pull up to the pump, a uniformed attendant asks what you want, and then fills your tank and takes your money.
It has been almost 40 years in the USA since I saw a full-service gas station, but it is the norm here.
Cultural events take place all over Lima almost every day of the week. On Wednesday, one of our coworkers in the Area Office gave us extra tickets to one of these dinner shows at a place called Las Brisas del Titicaca (Breezes of Lake Titicaca).
The live band was top notch, playing both traditional Andean musical instruments and more modern instruments. Interspersed with the dance show was the chance for everyone to get out on the dance floor.
And so this week, we are on the road as we head deep into the Andes Mountains to develop humanitarian projects in an especially poor region. We hope to survive the 12,000-ft altitude and the altitude sickness we sometimes encounter.
The poorest of the poor in Peru can only get medical treatment in government hospitals. In areas outside of Lima, government hospitals often lack basic surgical instruments, so the poor are referred to hospitals in Lima. Unfortunately, the poor can seldom afford to travel to Lima, so they go untreated for a host of conditions.That is where we often are asked to assist.
Surgery Aid in Arequipa
The Regional Government Hospital of Arequipa sees around 20 patients per month who have tumors, growths, and cancers in their throats. The best treatment involves operating through the patient's open mouth (called microlaryngeal surgery). Unfortunately, the hospital in Arequipa has none of the equipment to do that surgery, so the regional government made an appeal for aid from us.
 |
| Photo of Microlaryngeal Surgery using Surgical Microscope |
The request is for the surgical microscope that doctors look through as they operate down the throats of patients. The other surgical instruments (scissors, forceps, and other tools) are frightening because they are so long. But the outcomes of these surgeries (because they are so non-invasive) are good.
 |
| Extra-long scissors and forceps used for the surgeries (along with the surgical microscope) |
Currently, when the hospital needs to perform a microlaryngeal surgery, they have to rent the equipment. The cost to rent is $500 per surgery, which the patient must pay. Since the patients are dirt poor, they simply don't have the money to pay for the rental. They then get the surgery the old-school way, which involves going in through the throat and cutting open the larynx, and that greatly increases the chance of complications.
 |
| Outcome from the microlaryngeal surgeries are much better because no cutting is required on the outside of the patient. |
We take this request by the government for help and turn it into a project which our Area Leadership will review. We hope to have this project approved this week and then move forward with obtaining the equipment and making the donation. We estimate that thousands of poor patients will benefit over the coming years.
This one project is part of more than a half dozen that are currently in the review/approval cycle. With some luck, we may be able to finish all of these pending projects before our mission ends in 4-1/2 months.
Escape to Miraflores
On our day off, our favorite escape is to the suburb of Miraflores about 10 miles from here. Miraflores means "look at the flowers", and there is always something in bloom there.
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| A rainbow of color in bloom at Park Kennedy in Miraflores |
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| Surrounded on all sides by city, the parks in Miraflores offer an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. |
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| The cathedral in Park Kennedy and entrance to the park. |
We often rent bikes when we go to Miraflores, and we bike about 9 miles on bike paths that wind through the city and along the coastal cliffs. Biking is a joy in Miraflores whereas biking anywhere else in Lima would be suicide.
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| Tunnel of Trees - City streets on both sides of the bike path and parks through the heart of the city. |
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| Bike rack at Park Kennedy in Miraflores - a popular destination point for Lima bikers. |
Land of Bananas
We have seen more bananas in Peru than we have seen anywhere else in the world. Bananas grow throughout the jungle and in many coastal regions. We've seen boatloads unloaded at jungle ports on the Amazon and Ucayali Rivers. They are a part of the daily diet in many areas where potatoes don't easily grow. We eat them instead of potato chips, french fries, or baked potatoes in many areas around the country.
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| Bananas, fresh from the jungle, being unloaded in the jungle port city of Pucallpa (the day after Christmas, no less). |
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| Family bringing home a bunch of bananas on a motor-taxis in the high-jungle city of Tarapoto. |
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| My favorite shot of a little boy waiting patiently for his parents to finish their bargaining in the Pucallpa banana market. |
Grocery stores around Peru stock an incredible assortment of bananas. Here is a shot from the store in our neighborhood with probably a dozen varieties. These range from giant cooking bananas to tiny finger-size sweet bananas. Prices can be incredibly cheap. For example, the bananas shown closest to the camera sell for S/ 0.49 Peruvian Soles per kilogram - which works out to about $0.08 USD per pound.
 |
| Lots of varieties to choose from - some are for eating raw, others are cooked like potatoes. |
Bananas substitute for potatoes in many areas around Peru. It seemed strange at first, but now we love them whenever we are in the jungle. These bananas are plantains, which are not sweet. Due to their high starch content, they taste more like potatoes.
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| Tired of steak and potatoes? Try steak and bananas in the jungle city of Iquitos. |
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| In the jungle city of Moyobamba, we ordered this smoked meat and sausage dish that came with fried bananas. It reminded us of hash browns. Yummy! |
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| Another favorite we always order when we are in jungle cities are the round, fried banana balls they call 'tacacho'. The plantain bananas they use are not sweet, so they taste like potatoes. |
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| Better than potato chips, we can buy these banana chips (called chifles) all over Peru. They are not sweet like in the USA, but they are salty and are an excellent snack that reminds us of the best potato chips we have ever eaten. On a trip back from the northern coast, we brought back 10 bags with us (we bought them from the guy who owns the factory in Tumbes where they were made, and they were superb). |
Finally, we are all familiar with Mexican tamales cooked in corn husks, but here in Peru, they cook their tamales in banana leaves. They tie them up with string or plant stems to keep them together until they are cooked.
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| Peruvian tamales - cooked in banana leaves. |
The many varieties and uses of bananas here in Peru has been an interesting part of our adventure.
Wedding - Peruvian Style
We learned once again this week that Peruvian time and American time are two very different things.
We were invited to the wedding and reception of the daughter of Lily Davalos, who works with us in the Area Office as a volunteer part-time service missionary. We attended the temple wedding in the afternoon, then traveled south to their suburb in the evening for the wedding reception. The invitation said the reception started at 7 p.m., so we arrived at 7:30 p.m.
We thought (by North American standards) that things would be well underway when we arrived, but that was not the case. The wedding party (bride, groom, and attendants) finally showed up 9:15 p.m. No one at the reception seemed surprised - this is normal in Peru.
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| The wedding party finally arrives (only 2 hours and 15 minutes after the reception was supposed to start). |
Once the bride and groom arrived, the party finally got under way. Unfortunately, we left a few minutes later to get out of this somewhat-tough neighborhood before it got too late.
 |
| Lily and Jose Davalos, parents of the bride. |
Part of being in a foreign land is realizing cultural norms can be very different from your own. By North American standards, starting a wedding reception 2 hours late would be unheard of. In South American, it is expected.
(Note that we were the only guests to show up so early - everyone must have thought we were crazy.)
Peruvian Gas Stations
Gas ranges in price from $4 to $5 per gallon in Peru, depending on the octane. The interesting thing for us is that there are no self-service gas stations in Peru - everything is full service. You pull up to the pump, a uniformed attendant asks what you want, and then fills your tank and takes your money.
It has been almost 40 years in the USA since I saw a full-service gas station, but it is the norm here.
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| Every gas station in Peru is full service. The attendants wear uniforms like in the USA back in the 1950s. |
Tickets to the Show
Cultural events take place all over Lima almost every day of the week. On Wednesday, one of our coworkers in the Area Office gave us extra tickets to one of these dinner shows at a place called Las Brisas del Titicaca (Breezes of Lake Titicaca).
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| Live music and dance - this dance celebrated high-society Lima culture. |
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| Celebrating the many regional cultures in Peru. |
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| Tying the ribbon around the pole is celebrated in many regions of Peru. |
The live band was top notch, playing both traditional Andean musical instruments and more modern instruments. Interspersed with the dance show was the chance for everyone to get out on the dance floor.
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| Joining in the fun with the live music. |
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| We even got our chance to hit the floor. |
And so this week, we are on the road as we head deep into the Andes Mountains to develop humanitarian projects in an especially poor region. We hope to survive the 12,000-ft altitude and the altitude sickness we sometimes encounter.
Those surgical tools are really long! Wild, but useful since you can't get your hand back into someone's throat to remove a growth!
ReplyDeleteI loved the picture of the tree lined bike path. It looks so inviting.
Stay safe and don't get sick being so high this week! We're praying for you.