CHEERS !!

The Arona Hacienda today - the original Spanish landgrant in Canete

The Chinese community center - now a Muni storage facility

Sweet little Chapel on the Hill

A week of seemingly endless interviews in the ‘Burbs for my eco-bano rehab and Community Diagnostic projects. Information will hopefully be of use later on, but I’d rather be working on tangible stuff. All will be compiled and presented later, so this blog will be mostly “cultural exchange”.

Except for one service related headline :

Don Oscar Biodigester Fully Operational

Eureka !! The Peace Corps project I’ve been working on since November is finally up and running. The big plastic tube really works. It has been fully extended with gas for some time and the gas storage bladder inside the house filled to capacity, as well, with gas coming out the over-pressure valve. I got tired of waiting for the family to buy a stove, so assembled my own “McGuyver” version for $8 worth of hardware. Set it up, struck a match and the rest is, as they say Hiss-tow-ree. The flame was every bit as big as their existing gas stove, but didn’t seem as hot. Bio-gas is 70% methane, 20% CO2, and 10% other stuff, so that would make sense. But, the price is right – this family now has a FREE gas supply for life. Not only that, they’re not dumping the pig doo in the canal. But wait, there’s more….free liquid fertilizer. Not sure of the analysis yet, but my fellow PCVs Dan and Carrie hooked me up with a local agricultural college, which will analyze, but the literature suggests about a 2-1-1 NPK, not as convenient as the 40-0-0 urea they use, but loaded with organic nutrients and free. They called all the neighbors over to see it, so word will spread. We boiled some water for hot chocolate, which tasted especially sweet. I love it when a good plan comes together……And once again the Peace Corps “Band of Brothers” (& Sisters) comes through with assistance. It is wonderful to know that 280 bright, creative and energetic folks have my back. Always. Wonderful.

The Sunday morning “Search & Enjoy” Recon mission was fruitful, as ever. The old Arona Hacienda was my first stop. Down a long, well-maintained road , lined and shaded by magnificent, tall cedar trees, I found a piece of Peruvian past. The grandeur of this Hacienda cannot be overstated. It was once the home of Don Arona de Tolosa, one of the original Spanish land grants in Peru, which extended from Cerro Azul to the Canete River and back into the mountains. The land produced mostly cotton and cane, with the help of a few hundred African slaves, whose descendants still populate the area, and who gave their rich heritage of dance and “cajon” music. Now, it is owned by a Spanish Duke, who never visits, since the structure was deemed uninhabitable after the 2007 earthquake. This information is all from conversation with Filipe, the current caretaker. I don’t know if it was my Peace Corps patch and explanation or just my charm, but he eventually agreed to let me inside the gate and to peek inside some windows. The view was spectacular, or would have been hundreds of years ago, when I’m sure the marble floors and mirrored walls glistened with the candle-lit reflections of elegant party-goers, as characters in the ornate ceiling gazed from above. A library now stands with barren shelves, their literary treasures all packed into large wooden crates that litter the room. How sad that this grand piece of history is not restored and enjoyed. Then again, perhaps it is an era that most Peruvians would rather not memorialize.

Second exploration was a hilltop chapel, just outside of San Vicente. It looks like fairly recent construction of charming design and quality execution. The approach is on a steep (but not too steep for my good bike) eucalyptus lined cart path. There was no one around to pump for information. A small stream, running down the hill caught my attention, as I was a good 100ft above the valley floor. Investigation through a thicket, revealed the source to be a hilltop spring. What quirky forces of nature could conspire to force water up and out of this elevated ground ?  With panoramic views of the entire Canete valley and ocean, beautiful old trees and its own water source, this would make quite a nice retirement home – just sayin’.

On the way back to San Luis, I noticed a smart agricultural idea. Some farmer has decided to switch from annual row crops to citrus production. Since it could be several years before the trees start to bear fruit, the income gap could be a big problem for a small farmer. This farmer solved the problem by raising corn between the citrus rows. While his yield will be less than usual, due to the rows lost to citrus, it looks like a good way to bridge the production gap. This would only work here, where crops are still harvested by hand, since the citrus rows would be hard for tractors or big harvesters to work around.

That smartness duly noted, to photograph the field, I had to step over a huge windrow of trash accumulated by the side of the Pan Am. Not so smart. This not just small pieces of wrapping. There are full trash bags, as though someone took trash from their home and disposed of it on the road. But, this was a long way from any town. And speaking of not smart, pesticide spraying is accomplished here with gasoline powered backpack sprayers. Ag chemicals are mixed in buckets and poured into the backpack tanks. Required safety equipment consists of a cloth wrapped around the face. End of safety gear list.

A final stop at the local Health Post was somewhat disappointing. My recent feasting on bargain mango and lack of hard labor has resulted in a 2 kg weight gain since last visit. Maybe I’ll cut back to just one big, fat, smoothly succulent, ambrosial bit-o-Heaven per day. Maybe. Sadly, they just seem to be getting better as the season goes on. Even this week’s price jump from 25 to 32 cents(US) per pound has not deterred my indulgence. Maybe there’s a local branch of MA.

Another of my local favorite foods is the “liquado” fruit smoothie. My standard is banana, strawberry and mango blended in fresh squeezed OJ. There are several liquado tiendas in Canete. Only one in San Luis and she is usually out of berries, (and they are “expensive” - $1.50) so this is only an occasional treat. Also in the Canete market is a slushie machine that dispenses icy fruit juice (at least they claim it’s pure juice). Another shopping treat. For San Luis street food on the quick, I have a nearby vendor of stuffed potatoes and corn-on-the-cob, served with hot oil and cheese mixture – very nice.

I’ve been watching the construction project going on next door. They are adding a single room on the second floor at the street end of the house. The houses in town are built with zero lot line. In fact, parts of our hose share a common wall. They are long and narrow – ours is 15’ x 160’. This means a LONG hallway with all rooms facing the hall and NO external windows. My room is about 2o feet from the fresh air and sunshine at the open end of the hall. Without my shade tarp and fan, it would be a rough go.  But, I digress. First step was to remove the old standard bamboo & mud roof. This was cleaned and saved and later re-installed on the new second floor. The scaffolding supports for the new concrete floor were not the standard adjustable steel supports like in the US. 3 to 4” diameter sticks were used, height adjusted by leaning them at an angle. A jumble of form boards supported the pour. Rebar was about what I’d use in the States. (This is an EARTHQUAKE zone) . They actually brought in an electric cement mixer. I won’t discuss the taped wire connections needed to reach power – too scary. Mind you that all this is going on while a family is living below. I should also mention that the stairway to the second floor was built a long time ago, so the floor was tied into that. Next came the brick work. All materials are hand-lifted to second floor. The sloppiness of local brick work is only exceeded by the excellence of the plaster/stucco work. These masons are masters at turning a rough and tumble wall into a picture of flat perfection. I don’t like the long wall expanses without column support, but always appreciate the optimism expressed by the rebar that extends up from every corner column. Also, don’t understand why so little provision is made for wiring in the walls, which is added after construction. And the window and door to the balcony will be added later.

Looks like a tobacco war is brewing here. British American Tobacco has pretty much had a monopoly on cigarettes here for decades it seems. Still, prices are very low compared to the US (probably no taxes?). A packet of 20 “Hamilton” sells for about $1.78. But now, here comes US tobacco giant RJ Reynolds, promoting “Pall Mall – famous American Blend” for $1.33. If they can sell at that price here, think of the profits they must be making at $6 a pack in the US. At least it’s not like Mexico, where Big Tobacco gave away free 4-packs in the Plaza to any kid who wanted them. Drug dealers in Harlem are not even that aggressive. The packs here already have the “graphic” warning labels, which really are pretty disgusting looking. Get ready America…..

A word about bread : In my town, there is only one kind – the “pancito” – a fist sized, dinner roll shape, crunchy-crusted on the outside and tender on the inside. A white and slightly sweet, plain Jane staple sold in virtually every tienda in town. All come from one of the three local bakeries. I like going to the nearest “panaderia”, as the rolls are always warm there. Less convenient, but worth the effort. Loaf bread – US style – is found only in the mega Kmart type stores (Plaza Vea, et al) and is mostly WonderBread clones. There is one bakery in Canete that sells pancito in whole wheat – much tastier, but decidedly unpopular. In this Land of Carbohydrate, white bread rules. The same goes for rice – all white. I have not seen unprocessed “brown” rice in ANY store, even in Lima.  It still baffles me why 98% of the rice consumed on this planet is stripped of fiber, nutrients and taste, before consumption. And no tortillas. Peruvians don’t even have a word for the ubiquitous “tortilla” found EVERYWHERE in Mexico. Here, the word “tortilla” means a fried, potato/egg/vegetable pancake-like food, which is actually quite tasty. It is a favorite at breakfast and is commonly served inside a pancito. Gotta love those carbs….

Pleased that my “handyman” reputation is spreading around town. I’ve got as good or better tool set as any here. The battery drill never fails to impress. It’s a good way to meet the neighbors and make sure electrical connections are safe. And, I always get some bananas or baked goods for thanks. The hardware is disappointing – really cheap crap. Electrical outlets have contacts of very thin sheet metal and quickly bend – just asking for a spark. And it’s 220v, so they often get a good “pop” when plugging in. The only good part is that the cheap hardware is really inexpensive. They still sell the old style capacitor start fluorescent rings, right out the 60’s in the US. I installed one of those the other day. The old “fixture” was a socket hanging from bare wires. That was the on-off switch – the socket was lifted off the wires. I’ve put new faucet washers on a few faucets, though the owners felt it was not needed. Dripping faucets are simply not a priority here, even though if they waste enough they WILL pay a surcharge. Truth is, you’d have to leave a faucet full on for hours to hit the surcharge. So, waste away. I had a strange comment about my shade tarp, as it can be seen from the next street over (and folks know where the Gringo lives): “Don’t you get cold without the sun? In winter, you’ll be very cold”. These folks have a different thermostat that me. And I probably will take the tarp down in winter, when the temperature can plummet to the 40’s….

A new twist has arisen in the combi game. The starting point for trips from San Vicente (Canete) to San Luis is now policed 5-minute limit for loading. While most combis would wait only a polite time in the loading spot and count on (over)filling on the way out of town, some greedy combis would wait until (over) full before pulling out. They also put up a nice shade tarp/tent over the loading spot, so that passengers waiting for the van to leave are cooler. I would help if they just opened the windows, but for some reason, Peruvians are totally adverse to open windows. They prefer to swelter in a hot van, packed with 10-12 others. And speaking of packed – another behavior I can’t grok: Everyone knows getting into the combi what the fare will be. But, instead of thinking ahead and having said fare in hand, they act surprised when the conductor comes to collect. This necessitates all manner of “Twister” moves within the crowded van. Gringo Logic says Retrieve change BEFORE entering van and enjoy the ride. Still, the energy efficiency and convenience of the transport system cannot be overlooked. While I’m on the non-sequitor rant, the tradition of watering the street in a desert area still makes me smile. They say it is to keep the dust down, but the street quickly reverts to dust again in the bright sun and sea breeze. Meanwhile, the section of street briefly becomes a muddy, impassable mess. In particular, the tire tread on my bike has a special affinity for the street mud material, which eventually works its way out of the tread and onto my back. Peru has a current multi-billion dollar initiative for road and street paving. I’m hoping some of that finds its way to my street.

And all the gripes are small potatoes, compared to living in a small town with no crime, a sea breeze, perfect weather and that’s kinda like “CHEERS” – everybody knows my name “Seńor Goyo” (or Seńor de Paz – which I like even better) and they’re really glad I came.