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| My new friend and ham radio operator, Jimmy Bell |
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| First "Bottle Bulb" installed |
Sunday bike ride (have I mentioned lately how much I love my
bike?) took me back to Los Olivos, one of my distant annexes. I was intrigued
by its “spread out” design. Most Peruvian villages build houses right up
against each other, often sharing a single wall between “structures”. In Los
Olivos, the homes are all very separate, each with an out-building or two. Some
are downright upscale, which seemed odd to me for such a remote location. I was
also intrigued by a huge radio antenna array, which is why I went back to check
this out. My curiosity led me to an attractive home behind high hedges and a
massive gate. I rang the buzzer and a young man came to the gate, took a quick
look at me and rushed away. A painfully long time later, an elderly man appeared.
He did not seem happy to see me. Until I asked about the antenna and blurted
out my radio call “KD6ZCC”. “Zulu-Charlie-Charlie” he exclaimed and threw the
gate open.
My persistence was well rewarded by a visit with a new “Ham”
radio friend, James Bell. That’s right, a Peruvian named James Bell; descended
from the British family that brought Pima cotton to Peru, way back when. And who speaks
near perfect Queen’s English. On air, “Jimmy” is OAA5 (oscar,alpha,alpha,five).
This was originally his grandfather’s call sign – the FIFTH ever issued in Peru – and he
now holds it. His antenna array is the best I’ve ever seen. We had a jolly good
time, sipping gin & tonic (with REAL ICE!!) and sharing tales of ham radio.
He was impressed with the half-wave 80M antenna I built in Mexico and I was impressed with his
whole set-up – state-of-the art – which is housed in its own room in a VERY
nice home. It was seriously hard to believe I was in Middle Nowhere, Peru. His
lovely wife, Isabella, very politely listened to us yammer on and on about
radio stuff and kept our glasses and tummies quite full with an amazingly good
guacamole – first time I’ve ever seen it in Peru, despite the abundance of
avocado. I feel like I’ve just been to another world. Jimmy now runs what is
left of the family holdings in Peru.
The family plantation was down near Chincha, about 30 miles south. He still
grows some cotton locally, though just for “tradition” and is a partner in one
of the big commercial fisheries which produces fish-meal. He doesn’t like the
“snobs” in Lima
and prefers a simple (but VERY comfortable) life in San Luis. I REALLY like
this guy.
Not much of a bike ride, but it was certainly a great day. I
am so appreciative of how the willingness to explore, to take a chance and
knock on a total stranger’s gate in a foreign land, will often be richly rewarded.
And that I’ve had the opportunities in my life to learn about and experience so
many of the hidden worlds like ham radio, scuba, solar power, aviation, etc –
which so often build an instant bond with others. This web of connections gives
me enormous pleasure every day. Lately, I’m particularly grateful for all my
family and friends and fellow Volunteers, who provide technical advice and
support for my service here with the Corps. So much of what I do depends on
channeling information from others into solutions for problems here. And in
being that conduit, I get to learn all manner of new stuff. Which is nice.
Victor, the Dad of my three little kids has a new job. It’s
good news and bad news. Good, because he’s making a good wage – about 2000
soles/month (US$740). He was making about half that here in town. And that’s
the bad news – the job is in Lima.
So, he will join the ranks of the many Peruvians who commute long distance to
the Big Lime every week, returning home for a day visit with the kids. I’m
happy for him, but sad for the kids – of the two, he is certainly the better
parent. He’s really excited about it, finally getting to do the electrical work
he trained for. Unlikely he would ever find anything like it around here. Maybe
the reason he didn’t last long at the menial jobs he took in San Luis. And I’m
guessing he is thoroughly enjoying the solo life in Lima.
In the “why I love my new home-town” column: trust. Shop keepers
here still run tabs for their customers. Some folks come in, get their supplies
and just tap on the counter, at which point Paulina pulls out and marks a
well-worn ledger. Try that at your local 7-11. Reminds me of the small town
grocery I knew in my Mom’s home-town of Gilford,
NH. When I visited my
grandparents there in the summers, I was often sent “to fetch” Nana some
cooking ingredient from the Village Store (that was its name). Never had to
carry a dime. And the thrill of discovering a bottle on the side of the road
was like finding treasure. It was quickly whisked away to the grocer to
exchange for candy treats. But, as sometimes happens, I digress. Paulina never
turns them down, though I have heard her recount the pending balance a time or
two.
More notes on the transportation situation: While bikes are
quite popular, the quality is pretty low. Most have no gears, shocks or brakes.
My shining, well-lubed Trek, with shocks, brakes, 15 gears and handlebars
extensions, gets a LOT of attention. I’ve had
many inquiries about its value and offers to buy it. Nobody wears a helmet,
except me (required by PC). Many bikes have been converted into transporters of
goods. They are universally dirty and lacking in any visible lubrication.
Fortunately, our little town has a GREAT bike shop and mechanic – Oswaldo.
During training, we were warned that Peruvian drivers were less than
considerate of bike riders. Fortunately, I’ve found that NOT to be the case.
Even the big buses will yield a little road.
The most dangerous place to ride is the PanAmerican Hwy, which goes right by San
Luis. It is just about the only good road around, but shoulders are not wide
and the big, fast interstate buses and 18-wheelers come barreling down, while
an eclectic mix of taxis, combis, moto-taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, donkey
carts and pedestrians weave in and out along the narrow shoulders. Bear in mind
that this is the ONLY road running north-south and connecting to Chile, Bolivia
and Ecuador.
It looks like an average State
Road in the US. The only other smooth, paved
roads I enjoy run from San Luis to La Quebrada and to Laura Caller, with almost
no traffic. In town, only one street “Comercio” is paved. All other roads are
dirt, with many loose rocks and VERY bumpy. It is my good fortune that it
rarely rains here, or there would be a muddy mess. The Peruvian government just
announced a $21 million road initiative. ( an odd quirk here is that they don’t
say “million”, it’s “thousand, thousands” – God only knows what they do for billion
or trillion). In the US,
we tend to take good roads for granted – Please Don’t. They are such a blessing
and save untold repair and inconvenience.
I built another Cocina Mejorada (improved cook stove) at the
church in Don Oscar. The church also serves as a social center of the little
village. They serve food after services on Sunday and on religious holidays. Up
to now, they’ve been cooking over a HUGE open fire in a covered kitchen area
behind the church, covered in soot. Three church members showed up to help, all
skilled in adobe work, so my job was mostly supervision and tech guidance. Upon
completion, it was duly blessed by the Padre and sprinkled with Holy Water. We
burned it in, immediately upon completion, and it seemed to do just as well as
the residential models. Though again, the adaptation to smaller wood and
constant tending will take some behavior change. They plan to now better
enclose the “kitchen” and are running a water line and out-going drain to a
grey-water pit. Progress – poco a poco
The construction project next door needed help with some
electrical work. Mostly what they needed was my drill and battery tester. We
had to run a line through a recently poured concrete wall. Why they didn’t put
some conduit in the wall when it was cast, will never be known. My ceramic bit
cut easily, but wasn’t long enough the go all the way through, so the hole was
completed by hand, with an (Un-sharpened) piece of rebar and hammer – talk
about crude, rude tools. ½ hour later, they cut through the remaining 2”.
Against my advice, they decided not to line the hole with conduit and left TWO
splices in the line instead of heading to the store for a longer piece of wire.
And this is 240 VOLTS ! With no wire nuts, the first time we pulled the wire,
it parted and had to start over. Really frustrating. But, that’s the way it is
down here with all construction (except maybe in Lima) – no thought to safety, durability or
maintenance (or even appearance). In the end, it worked and that’s all the lads
cared about. I did NOT give my usual warranty on the work.
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