EARTHQUAKE

It was indeed an earthquake I felt when I was sittng here on Friday writing my blog. It was reported as being of magnitude 6.9 on Richter scale and centred round a town called Ica which is about 185 miles south of Lima.

No people were killed but buildings and houses were destroyed. It shook buildings here in Lima but caused no damage in the city. It was near to where a magnitude 8 quake killed more than 500 people in 2007. Though I was not in Lima at that time I visited the area and saw all the damage it caused. The doctor I use in Cuzco went to help out with field hospitals there and showed me some of the photos he had taken for their records.

Quite frankly I'm glad I don't live in an earthquake zone. But you just get on with life and don't think about it. The locals take it all in their stride and don't even mention that they felt the tremor.

Malkovich made a joke on Thursday night, before the quake, to the effect that he was doing a world tour of earthquake zones with his play. Funny at the time but would have been less so in other circumstances.

This is now Sunday afternoon and I'm off out to see the world and pay one last visit to the book festival which closes on Tuesday.