After lunch, we immediately went out to look for orchids.  The first one is this, Maxillaria sp.  The flowers are around the centre of this plant.  Can you see?

After check-in, we went into the restaurant opposite the hostel.

“May we see the menu please?” said Saul and Cesar in Spanish.  “No, we don’t have a menu.”, was the answer.  What????  Looking around, I saw several people eating a soup with lots of vegitable in it.  “I will have that one”.

Cesar had the same one, followed by “Arroz con pollo” (Peruvian chicken with rice), followed by a magcup of tea.  This is Peruvian 3 course menu.  How much?  It was s/3.  About 50p.  Wow!      

After the vast, endless mountain range, a small but civilized town appeared.  It was Paucartambo.  It has its own square and was crowded with people. 

First of all, we went to find a place to stay.  Among several hostels, the one Saul chose was Hostel Victoria.  The hotel in Tarma was reasonably spacious and had a hot shower.  They changed bed linen to clearn starchy ones every morning.  The price was s/52 for a doubleroom per night.  About £8.7.  On the other hand, this Hostel Victoria charged s/25 for a double per night which was about £4.2!!!  Very cheap!

We entered the room.  It was very small.  There was a small double bed and free space a bit smaller than the bed itself.  However, there was a big TV and a toilet and a hot shower.

There was one thing missing.  Normally there should be this.  Can you guess what it was?

It was a door between the bedroom and the shower room (with toilet).  There was no door!!!!

In order not to repeat the same miserable thing happened at San Ramón, I slept in my sleeping bag this time.

We turned right at Cathuamayo into a minor road to Paucartambo.  A vast mountain range like this continues on and on. 

A flock of alpacas.

On the 31st of August, one day before going back to Lima, we left Tarma where we stayed 6 consecutive nights for Paucartambo, 2500m (8202f).  As it takes 4 hours by car from Tarma to Paucartambo, we planned to have breakfast at the restaurant next to our hotel at 6.30 am before leaving.  Unfortunately we found the restaurant still closed then, we left Tarma without breakfast. 

Soon after leaving Tarma, the scenery changed to pure mountainous region.  Mountains after mountains and nothing else.  Just so vast that it is very difficult to think it is the region more than 3000m (9843f) above sea level.  It is just like normal plains.

We turned right at Las Vegas into a major road(3N) towards Huánuco 1910m (6266f), driving through San Pedro de Cajas and Junín.  Junín is the centre for the production of Maca.  “Look!  There is Maca field there!”, “Look!  There too!”, said Saul.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing there but plateau, and occasional small towns appeared suddenly and disappeared into vast plateau again.

Another small town started to appear and we found this restaurant.  We decided to drop in for breakfast.  I ordered coca tea here as well. 

“What is the altitude around here?”  A surprising answer came back, “4125 m (13533 f)”  Wow!

The wonderful thing is that these floats were all hand-made by the children of the class.  I imagine that the children had a great time creating these floats together under the guidance of the teacher.  Simple but clever device was used.  I was very impressed.

This fiesta recalled me to my high school days.  We made a big paper doll of our class teacher after school in order to cheer for our team at the PE day.  Its hands and legs didn’t move.  It wasn’t illuminated either.  But even now, XX years after that day, we still cherish the memory when we gather together.     

These children will cherish the days of creating these floats together in the future.   

On our return that evening, we found Tarma having fiesta again.  You could see the letters “SR” on the photographs, which is the abbreviation of “San Ramón”.  This fiesta was the one for the San Ramón School. 

“A fiesta for one of the schools from THE San Ramón where I was bitten 15 places!  It is a surprise as San Ramón is in quite a distance from Tarma!”, I thought first.  Actually there is a school named San Ramón in Tarma. 

Each class made their own float mostly illuminated so that they reminded me of Nebuta Fiesta in Japan.  On each float was the children of the class and they looked very proud and enjoying the fiesta.

Telipogon sp. 

This reminds me of Protea. I wonder what this is.

*****

This is Oreocallis grandiflora.  It is in Proteaceae so no wonder it had reminded me of Protea.  This genus with 1 species in South America (Ecuador and Peru).  Ruiz and Pavón called this “Embothrium emarginatum” and it is in the first volume of “Flora Peruviana et Chilensis”, 1798.

Saul, the guide shouted for joy.  He found several flowers of Telipogon ariasii.  To be honest, I hadn’t known the genus Telipogon at all until this moment.  I loved it at first sight.  The width of the flower was about 4.5cm.

The name of this orhid was named after the surname of Manolo, Arias.