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John Wood of Architectus Melbourne and his wife Anna, are the second participants in Irwinconsult's sponsorship to Peru's Challenge.
They have spent four weeks in Peru, volunteering and helping in community projects with Peru's Challenge, and then travelling enjoying the beauty and natural wonder of the Peru. John even packed his surfboard packed to sample some of the world's longest waves along the North coast. Follow his adventures with his diary below.
 Arriving in Lima at midnight and having a driver waiting for us amongst the throng of 400 or so people was a great relief. With all the stories we had heard and read, it was comforting to know we were being looked after by the Peru's Challenge people. Although our driver didn't speak my dialect of Spanish, we did meet, get our bags and surfboards into the van and head off to Miraflores, a 45 minute drive from the centre of town. This part of Lima is a bit more up market and located 100 metres above the Pacific Ocean. How the whole coast line doesn't wash into the sea is truly amazing, considering the geology is a combination of river pebbles and dust. But then again in this part of the world it just doesn't rain.
Somehow the condensation of sea mist keeps the plants growing, along with the plentiful supply of fresh water from the mountains.
Waking into the grey misty sky we made our way towards the shopping area to get some lunch. We had slept 11 hours after 36 hours of travelling via Sydney, Auckland, and Santiago. Watching surfers 300 feet below, from the balcony of the restaurant, we savoured the seafood paella and a couple of cold beers.
Miraflores is a safe and calm introduction to Peru and we were able to walk around and take in the sights without the constant hassling as often happens in this part of the world. A tour of the historical parts of Lima on the second day opened our eyes to Peru's magnificent past, which goes much deeper and further than the Inkas.
The architecture is a mix of Moorish, Wari, Inca and Spanish of course. For me one of the most striking elements to observe is the scale of things. The Peruvian people are not large in stature and the scale of buildings, streets and spaces seem to reflect that condition, giving an intimate, yet open feel to the city.
There is also a sense of humbleness to the place. Not brash and flashy but a quiet confidence that underlays their culture.
Tomorrow we are off to Cuzco where we will be based for the next 4 weeks.
The Andes are calling.
Anna and John
17 August 2009
Hi Guys
 Cuzco is at 3,400m, or 11,300 ft. That's as close as I can get Stephen. We arrived here on Friday morning after a 6am start in Miraflores. Flying over the Andes Mountains takes your breath away and landing in Cuzco replaces it with a massive headache. It's dusty at road level, and apart from the diesel fumes, the air is clean and clear. The views are limitless towards the mountains in the distance, with their white tops and bare slopes beneath. This place again is full of magnificent architecture, town squares, restaurants, bars, travel agents, and street side stalls of people trying to scratch a living from the 1.5 million tourists who come here each year. That's 4 or 5 times the population of the city.
We were again picked up at the airport by one of the Peru's Challenge people, along with a few laughs from the locals; as not many Gringos pass through this area with surfboards in hand. The house we are sharing, with other volunteers, is in the residential area of town and very low key. There is a great degree of security required, as it could be seen as tourists who have so much, while the locals have so little.
There are 4 blokes in the house: a 21 year African American, 22 year old Australian, a mid 20s Peruvian, me and 14 women. The other 3 guys are working in the office part and administration, 2 of the girls are located there as well; 5 of the girls are from a university in the states, all around 20 to 25.
The remaining women are the ones I have to keep under control, from Oz, UAE, and Ireland. Have pity on me boys. We are all working at the school in varying capacities, in the classroom, garden or building.
Acclimatising has been more difficult than anyone thought, but it is happening slowly. We have been in the house a bit over week now, getting used to boiling water for everything, and the cold to luke warm showers in the morning are a treat when its typically 1 or 2 degrees.
A 15km dirt road snakes its way up the mountain that gets us to the village of Pumamarca at about 3600 metres. The air is much thinner than in Cusco and when moving 100 or so 25kg mud bricks by wheelbarrow, you tend to appreciate the altitude even more. The village is very poor even though it's only a half hour by car from the house. There are lots of 1, 2 or 3 room mud brick houses that the local live in, that don't have glass in the windows. It's too expensive. Some of the locals also don't have electricity, hot water, beds or blankets in which to sleep, consequently they huddle as a family on the floor and cover themselves with their clothes to keep warm. This is a pretty tough gig when it's MINUS 10 or 15 degrees.
A lot or most, of these people grow whatever food they can in the fields that the extended family owns. How this ownership works I don't know, but it appears that whatever is sold at the markets in Cusco, is then shared amongst the total family. This equates to about 5 to 15 Soles a week, about 2 to 7 dollars Australian per person or family I'm not sure yet.
At the school we have been assisting in the sustainable garden, helping with computer classes, physical education and the new classroom buildings. They actually want me to take a computer class next week which should either be a complete hoot or will shut down their system totally. Mark Wilde might even give me a spot on the IT committee, but somehow I doubt it.
The majority of my time has been repairing a narrow timber bridge that we drove off the edge of, labouring, and constructing the bamboo ceilings to the new adobe buildings. A small hot house where propagate plants needs the plastic sheeting repaired, but at 1000 Soles a roll for the plastic it's out of the question and we need to think of some other method.
Currently I'm trying to develop a framed window, so to speak, of discarded plastic water bottles that are everywhere, fill them again with water and stack them to form some form of thermal window exposed to the northern sun. It could be used in the houses we are helping build.
As Mel and her husband Matt, from Irwinconsult will testify, these people have nothing by our standards, and it makes one feel incredibly lucky.
At the other end of the scale, the horse-back ride we did through the Andes Mountains, the food at Jacks Cafe, the Chilean reds, and the people that make up Peru's Challenge have all been fantastic.
John and Anna.
PS I'll try and attach some photos as soon as I learn how to do it. The IT class should be exciting for the kids don't you think.
1 Sep 2009
 Since our last dispatch, the last two weeks have been full of the most extraordinary experiences, which only reinforces why you should think about spending some time in Peru. Whether it is volunteering or just travelling.
Catching the Rapido, the local small bus transport system, into Cusco is an event in itself. Carrying between 12 and sometimes up to 26 people, it is the cheapest form of transport around. A 30 minute ride into town costs about 25cents. There is a max of 5 people who can stand up without the driver being picked up by the transport police, so everyone squashes in and makes do. Pickpockets can be an issue, but if you keep your wits about you things are ok. That last comment doesn't apply to me though.
Family dynamics here are something to behold and while there are the same problems that exist in Oz, family separation etc, I have never seen young children look after their brothers and sisters in the way they do here. It seems it's part of their nature to cherish the family, as this public expression is everywhere to be seen. Carrying a baby in a fabric wrap over the shoulder, by a 5 year old, is not something common to Australia, as far as I have seen at least. The way a child holds the hand of their brother or sister with such tenderness is something to see.
Machu Picchu is such a unique place to visit as is Doctor Victor's Clinic. Both will take you to extremities of existence in one way or another, and when you are back on firm level ground again, you feel as though the trip was worth it. Several of us have been lucky enough to experience both of these extraordinary places.
Today I visited another village about 20 minutes walk from Pumamarca, where last week 20 scouts from Canada and local Cusco scouts built a new chicken coop based on ESD principles and a my design. What this means in reality is that the chickens have started laying eggs, the children at the kindergarten have additional food for lunch, and the additional eggs get sold at the market which believe it or not produces a profit for the community. A sustainable outcome everyone says, simply by making the chickens warm. The next phase is to apply these principles to the classroom buildings; considering that the local community can now see how things can operate.
Tomorrow Anna and I leave this home of life's travellers, to venture further north to find some sun and surf, and finally stop the locals laughing at seeing a surfboard at 3500m. We both will cherish the friendships we have made and carry the memories for a long, long time to come.
Thanks Phil.
See you soon.
John and Anna.
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A ‘topping off' celebration for the structural completion of the new Royal Children's Hospital was held in November marking the important milestone in the completion of this vital infrastructure project.
Alek Cirakovic is a proven performer, having not only delivered significant projects in his home market of Melbourne, but also nationally and internationally. Project examples include the Eureka Tower, Melbourne, University Square development at Melbourne University, and Qatar National Bank, Qatar.
Mike brings 25 years of experience in electrical design in the UK and Australia, and leadership of multidisciplinary teams, to Irwinconsult's Building Services team in Melbourne.
John's extensive international mechanical engineering experience in the UK and Asia with commercial, retail, and specialist communication facilities adds further depth to Irwinconsult's Building Services engineering expertise.
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