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| The Arona Hacienda today - the original Spanish landgrant in Canete |
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| The Chinese community center - now a Muni storage facility |
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| 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.
