This picture is me with an 'Alpaca' in Cartavio. I look fat in the picture, because then I was 30 pounds heavier than I am now. People parade these animals around with the intencion of ripping tourists off by making them pay to get their picture taken with the animal. I figured, 'what the heck.' and payed the guy a sol to have my picture taken with it. This is the first area in which I served. I was here for about 6 months straight. It was the first place in Peru I actually considered to be 'home'. I pretty much liked the Cartavio, except for it being a dust bowl.
      Cartavio is basically supported by the sugar factory (one of the biggest in Peru) and the rum company "Ron Cartavio". Probably the majority of the people that live in Cartavio work in one of those two companies. Like in most cities in Peru, there is a lot of alcohol, therefore a lot of drunks and bumbs (sort of explains why the crappy economy). On a positive side they are real friendly people.
      It was really cool living in Cartavio. How many tourists actually go there. While most tourists see all the everyday, already heard of, tourism stuff. I was actually able to get deep into their culture, and actually see what the people are like on a very up close and personal basis. While in Cartavio, I had a pensionist, who was a lady we payed to cook for us. She cooked basically the tradicional Peruvian food, which means rice, beans, soup, and stuff like that.
      For most of the time I was here, I was still learning Spanish, and I couldnt speak very well at all. I couldnt understand a lot of what people told me for either. That was like 6 months of almost hell. Despite the fact that I was Peruvian illiterate, I made a ton of really close friends. Some of these people were like family to me. (Especially when on rare occasions I couldnt stand my companion) Amongst all the friends I had in Cartavio some of the closest ones I had were the Atoche family, which includes Juan, his wife Fanny, his mom Gloria, sister Claudia, and others. Also, Marlyes, Lorena and her family, my pensionist and all her family, Violeta, Jimena, and the list goes on.