'fútbol' and following in the footsteps of Indiana Jones

प्रकाशित: 09.07.2024

After four weeks, I have completely settled into my new life in Peru. I feel comfortable in the community and have adapted well to the climate. Currently, on weekends, I am in Santa Rosa with my 'family' and during the week, I am in the little village of Pucallpillo living with an older woman. She has a few rooms and cooks for the Choba Choba crew. So, we usually move around as a team: we have breakfast together, go up to the office, return to the village for lunch, take a nap, and work again until around 5:30 PM.

At 5:30 PM, you suddenly hear different people shouting 'fútbol' through the village, signaling that it's time to play soccer again :-). If it doesn't work out, you hear 'uno más' or 'uno falta' calls echoing through the village until someone joins and we can start the game. Everyone here enjoys it a lot that the 'Gringita' (as I am lovingly called here: Gringa = foreigner, Gringita = because I am tall ;-)) also plays. It has become a routine that in the evening about 10-12 men and I play soccer for 5 Soles each. The soccer field is anything but in good condition. Occasionally, we have to shoo away the chickens, dogs, horses, and other animals from the field before we can start. During the 30 minutes of playtime, there is really nothing else but soccer. Many from the village are there as spectators, visibly enjoying this 'spectacle.' After the game, we often sit together in front of a house and chat about missed chances, fouls, or just about everything under the sun.

Darkness falls around 6:30 PM here, so I usually spend some time in the hammock before dinner around 8:00/8:30 PM (depending on the discussions after the soccer game).

In the past weeks, I have not only played soccer but also had the opportunity to accompany visitors from Europe (chocolatiers from Switzerland and Germany) in their activities. We have looked at all the steps taken here to ensure that the dried cocoa beans can eventually be delivered to Switzerland. Organic farming and high quality are top priorities at Choba Choba. In the photos, you can see some steps of the process.

On the last day, we all went to the 'Parque Nacional del Río Abiseo' National Park. The Choba Choba Foundation supports the preservation of the primary rainforest and participates in various conservation projects within the 'Parque Nacional del Río Abiseo' (more information here: Link to project description community-based nature conservation by the CC Foundation, Link to the website of the working group with information on nature conservation). We took a boat ride about 1.5 hours upstream until we found the 'El Breo' waterfall. The journey was once again spectacular: the valley became narrower, surrounded by tall trees and beautiful rock formations. This environment gave me an Indiana Jones feeling: I could vividly imagine myself wandering through the rainforest for days, discovering various plant and animal species, and finding a secret entrance to a long-forgotten treasure behind a waterfall...

When we reached the 'El Breo' waterfall after about 10 minutes of hiking, it was a truly overwhelming feeling: here we suddenly stood at the foot of a huge waterfall in the middle of nowhere, seeing nothing but forest and a bit of sky. We spent some time at this beautiful place and then enjoyed our picnic down by the river. On the way back, as we passed a rapid, we all got a little showered. Fortunately, it's not cold here! ;-). Afterwards, as the ride became calmer, some people dozed off from time to time. It had been a very exciting day, and now we had to digest these experiences. The music of Indiana Jones played in my head for a long time...



उत्तरम्‌ (6)

Claire-Lise
Hallo Anja. Grâce à toi je découvre un endroit magnifique avec beaucoup de gratitude. C'est une expérience incroyable que tu vis là. Je pense très fort à toi et profite de chaque jour et je pense que ton Master est déjà réussi. A bientôt. Bisous 😘

Anja
Liebe Claire-Lise Schön von dir zu hören und schön, gefallen dir meine Abenteuer hier in Peru :-). Es ist wirklich eine wunderschöne Erfahrung und ich versuche, so viel wie möglich aufzusaugen. Hoffe, dass es dir gut geht und du gut in deinen wohlverdienten Ruhestand gestartet bist. Seid ihr wieder im Bündnerland in den kommenden Tagen? Liebe Grüsse und machs guat!

Claire-Lise
Hello Anja. Oui pour ma part ça va tout bien. Je profite de mes vacances prolongées et c'est génial : ) plus de wäcker le matin... on sera dans les Grisons fin août pour 1 semaine. Je me réjouis de revoir la famille et aussi de pouvoir partager ton indiana jones avec eux. Sloane a eu un troisième enfant début juin. Un petit Loris qui fait le bonheur de sa famille... et à moi aussi : ) aujourd'hui je vais partir quelques jours à Avenches et l'occasion de voir ma maman. Alors à tout bientôt et passes de belles journées. Bisous tchüss

Liebe Claire-Lise Schön, wenn du die Zeit geniessen kannst und nicht mehr so oft den Wecker stellen musst ;-). Wünsche dir spannende Tage mit dem kleinen Loris - er wird dich sicher auf Trab halten :-). Und später dann ein paar schöne Tage in Cumbel, hoffentlich bei gutem Wetter und bei guten Spaghetti Bolognes. Liebe Grüsse an alle

Philippe
Liebe Anja Es ist gut zu hören, dass Du gesund und zufrieden bist im fernen "Dschungel" ! Deine Berichte und Fotos eröffnen mir eine neue, bisher unbekannte Welt, wofür ich Dir herzlich danke. Gerne würde ich auch mal das Indy-Feeling spüren! Bei uns ist der Sommer endlich angekommen und so können wir das heimische Leben in vollen Zügen geniessen. Vor Kuzem haben wir meine Geissenpatenschschaft (Geschenk meiner Kids) "en famille' mit einem herrlichen Besuch in Guarda (so heisst auch "meine" Geiss) auf der Alp Suot gefeiert... Bliib gsond ond und heb's guet!

Anja
Lieber Philippe Danke für deine Nachricht 🤗. Freut mich sehr, dass dir meine Berichte und Fotos gefallen. Falls ihr einmal in diese Gegend in die Ferien gehen wollt, einfach melden, gell...😉 Die Wanderung in Guarda sah super aus und bestimmt schöner so, wenn das Wetter mitspielt. Tolle Idee mit dieser Geissenpatenschaft 😉. Viel Spass weiterhin beim Sommer geniessen 😎 bis bald 🤗

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