Beyond the four mountains among the four dwarves
Peru is made up of three totally different climate and landscape zones. To the west “Costa” (the coastal region) with its sand-dunes snuggles up to the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of the country the mountain ranges which make up the Andes, run north to south – this zone is called “Sierra.” To the east “Selva” (the rain forest) extends hundreds of kilometres well across the border into Bolivia, Brazil and Columbia.
The Costa is 13, the Selva is 10 hours by car from Curahuasi.
The people who live in the Costa are mostly Latinos and therefore ethnically mixed. They have an extroverted and happy temperament. To Europeans they seem to be positive but somewhat superficial. The Quechua Indians who live in the Sierra tend to be melancholy and taciturn. They work hard on their steep fields. Life in their villages is 20 to 50 years behind ours. The things that could be done tomorrow do not need to be attended to today. As the climate is hot and humid a siesta (a break) can never be a bad idea. Lima, the capital is miles away, and in some regions the drug barons hold more sway than the local police.
Through TV-reports most Peruvians across the country have heard of the Hospital Diospi Suyana. (Chris Welch took all the photos).
