Piura

We got to Piura this past Friday evening. We went from Ica to Lima (5 hours), then hopped on a bus 20 min after getting to Lima that took us all the way to Piura. It was supposed to be a 15 hour bus ride...but we got slightly confused so it ended up being longer. We thought that Piura was the last stop of the bus we were on, but we were wrong. We ended up going 4 hours north of Piura, before realizing that we had gone too far (nobody was anouncing stops along the way, apparently we're not supposed to be tourists, and we're just supposed to know where we are at all times...). We had to get off and go the 4 hours back. In the end, we were on a bus for about 30 hours, great fun!

Piura has actually been very successful moneylender-wise though! Juan, the IPA project director here, has been incredibly helpful. We had 2 interviews the first day we were here! Then today, we had a meeting with the PRISMA microfinance office. They were great. Two of their loan officers spent all morning taking us around to moneylenders they know and we got FIVE more interviews! We have been completely blown away. The people in the north are known for being more open and friendly, but I can't believe the impact its having on our work. We have a few more promised interviews in the next few days. Pushing our interview total in Piura far above that of Cusco, in only a few days!

Today I also tried ceviche for the first time. I haven't tried it yet because I assumed I wouldn't like it because it has onions (and I have a great aversion to onions). However, I was pleasantly surprised. Turns out raw fish 'cooked' with lemon and covered with onions is actually really good!

Another fun fact is that I traveled around all morning on the back of a motorcycle. I had 1/2 promised myself I would never ride on one b/c they look so dangerous, but I make exceptions when it comes to moneylenders...so off we went. Turns out that its actually pretty fun! Also the loan officers are really nice guys who invited us to go to the beach with them this weekend. The beach is only about 45 minutes away from here, and the weather has been pretty nice (even though its winter) so we may go.

The only downside of Piura is the vast amount of mosquitos. I have over 20 bug bites on my face, and literally too many on my arms to keep track of. I don't even see them, but they seem to really be liking me :(