Lunchtime Speaker – George Major – The Original Cockney Museum Absent

In the absence of the scheduled speaker, Graham and Diane Fagence and Terry Smith spoke about their visits to Peru. Graham and Diane went to Peru ten years ago. They flew to Lima and travelled to Cuzco by train. Diane described their visit to Machu Picchu, an Inca city dating from the 1500’s. They travelled by train which slowed down enough for them to jump off. They then walked up the path to Machu Picchu, which is some 2,500 feet above the railway station. She described the magnificent sight that you see when walking through the gate. The city is 8,000 ft (2,430 metres) above sea level. Terry and Mary Smith visited Peru this year. They flew to Lima, via Madriid and then flew to the Peruvian part of the Amazon where they transferred to a boat. The boat had 12 cabins accomodating 24 people. There were also 4 skiff boats, which can reach speeds of up to 40 mph, which are used to explore the narrower inlets on the river. They encountered many types of birds and fish as well as boa constrictors and tarantula spiders. Terry described how the locals construct their houses of wood and corrugated iron along the river. They are two storey buildings. In the rainy season, the river floods and the lower storey is under water, so the inhabitants retreat to the upper storey. Schooling is a major issue in the Amazon region. Children attend school only up to the age of 9. Terry was trying to find out whether Rotary could help older children to learn, perhaps using remote learning via laptops powered by solar panels. Terry and Mary also visited Machu Picchu. They went by train and then by a bus. Since Machu Picchu is so popular with tourists, visitors are split into three groups to visit different parts of the site. They visited the lower part of the site. Both Graham and Diane and Terry and Mary greatly enjoyed their visits to Peru. They all thought that it was well worth the effort to get there. Brian Nettleingham thanked Graham and Diane and Terry for their very interesting talks, which were particularly impressive given that they had had little notice.