::: QUEST FOR PAITITI FIELD JOURNAL :::
ENTRY FOUR (June 9, 2004) "RADIO DAY"

Today we went to "Radio Tawantinsuyu", the radio station beamed in Spanish and Quechua into the highlands and valleys and jungles to the north and east of Cusco, with a large portion of its programming being that of messages read aloud to people living out there, beyond the range of electricity and out of the economic range of ever having a cell phone. Paulino put out a message to those he knows way out there, who have horses and mules, for them to meet us as close as possible to the exploration zone. The radio station human dynamo, a Spanish and Quechua-speaking woman named Dolores, not only took our message, but brought us all into the studio with her as she read the message, and added her own kind words on air about her foreign guests, the "cineastas norteamericanos" (American filmmakers), the North American and Peruvian explorers there with her. She was a perfect example of the
grace and luck that comes out of the blue in this magical world to those with good intention and some daring.

Before we meet the helicopter, we still have our work cut out for us in finishing preparations, and in getting out: our street is totally full of stalls of beer and food-sellers, and the street is blocked to vehicle traffic, because it is the epicenter of the Corpus Cristi Festival. It will be a challenge pushing our way through the crowds to try to meet our vehicle to the airport, loaded down with gear--thanks to EMS--as we will be. Then, it´s off to the Pantiacolla Plateau...

~ Greg Deyermenjian