Rain Rain Rain

As if coming back to from an amazing beach vacation to a busy work schedule wasn't hard enough, this past week in Ayacucho was certainly frustrating as water was cut off from the city for almost a week straight. Apparently heavy rains last week caused a landslide that broke a part of the main pipe that brings water to the city. While it was being repaired, Ayacucho received water sporadically from another sources, but for a few days some parts of town(such as the apartment) were completely dry. It was very frustrating but surely one of the realities of living here. I think the water is back on for good now but am not willing to celebrate yet. We still have a few buckets of water stored just in case...

For those of you that don't know, "summer" in Ayacucho is actually the rainy season, and though it doesn't rain daily, when it rains it really rains. I'm talking about strong strong down pours that often leave the streets so flooded, it is impossible to cross them without soaking your leg up to your ankle. Some of my friends and co-workers describe this year as the worst rainy season Ayacucho has seen in 20 years. Many seem to also agree that climate change is the culprit. What I do know for sure is that the rains have been particularly damaging this season and last. Last December, a flash flood and landslide occured in the city itself and caused a fatal multi-car pile up in the center of town. Because of this, the city is now finally building a huge drainage system to deal with rainwater. They have actually been working on it since we arrived and though aren't done, have made quite a bit of progress in the past six months. This season, besides the water pipe breaking, many homes have been damaged outside the city and several roads in the area have washed out. In fact 7km of the main highway between Ayacucho and Lima was washed out last month. We ended up purchasing plane tickets at the last minute to Lima for our trip instead of taking the bus.

The good news is that the worst of the rainy season should be coming to an end. Typically February is the worst and should be over by the the time April comes.

Travel post coming soon but for now, check out my pictures here!

Lindsay