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| A wonderful return to my training host family in Buenos Aires. Just after this photo, it stared to rain, causing massive landslides - see video link below |
Sunday Bike Recon/Joy Ride took me to the twin annexes of San Pablo and San
Antonio. Each has about 30-40 families. It’s really
just one village on opposite sides of the road, but the fellow I asked about it
said he didn’t know why. Very rough road. This is only my second trip out there
and did more exploring than before. Some NGO built pit latrines, which are now
in deplorable shape. The one I actually looked into was beyond full and the
other reeked so bad, I ‘bout lost my breakfast. Pit latrines are an old
solution, far inferior to our new eco-bano (composting toilets). They allow
mixing of liquid and solid waste, which is just plain nasty, even when new.
They also need to be MOVED when full. Problem here is that the base is a thick
concrete slab and would be a bitch to move, especially on the hilly ground of
these villages. The enclosures were built of corrugated metal sheet, which I’ll
bet is a roaster in the afternoon. After I rehab the Beach Banos, I may have to
come back here and figure a solution. Water system in San Pablo is a nice spring up high on the
hill, which just rolls downhill in tubes and open aqueducts, terminating in an
open tank where the San Antonians, dip in buckets and carry to their homes –
good place for a solar pump.
“Adios” (to God) is the universal Spanish farewell, although
“Se via bien” (travel well) and “Via con Dios” (travel with God) are common.
Peruvians have also borrowed “ciao” from Brazil
(and Italy)
– sounds the same, but it is spelled “chau” and is used only with friends and
family. Even more friendly is “chaufa”, not to be confused with “Chifa”, which
is Peruvian Chinese food (very popular here). In Portuguese, it serves as
greeting AND farewell – like “Aloha”. Here, it is a farewell only.
Now that Ben and I have succeeded in getting PCHQ to change
the bike policy, we are down to the gritty of selecting a good quality bike.
The office staff has proposed a couple of slick looking bikes – one even has a
snazzy dual suspension – but not the best quality accessories or construction.
It will be the classic battle of cost vs quality. I’m really hoping quality
wins, since distributing an inferior bike would be counter-productive.
Will wonders never cease? Dept: A HUGE highway cleaning crew
– at least 60-70 workers – raking the sides of the PanAmerican Hwy. A line of dump trucks
are loaded by pitchforks and speed away. Not sure I want to know how the trash
will be disposed of. Please don’t burn all that plastic, Please……
The family intrigue continues : Victor came home this
weekend, but only briefly. He arrived late Saturday, slept on the living room
couch (not a good sign) and left again Sunday AM. He’s been working 65-70 hours
a week and VERY excited when he talks about his job, overhauling and repairing
electrical devices and systems for a big mining outfit. His dramatic increase
in income has meant lots of toys and stickers and new clothes for the kids.
Maybe they’ll even think about a refrigerator? The other big change is that
Margarita has hired a cleaning lady, who comes in every afternoon. Delia is a
large black woman and leaves the kitchen, bathroom and floors spotless and
orderly. Clothes don’t sit in the machine or on the line all day. With her red handkerchief
headpiece, she reminds me of Aunt Jemima – the original one. She’s not a jolly
person, but cleans like a Holy terror. This leaves Margarita free to do what
she does best: watch TV and make party crafts.
The week has been slow as far as service projects go. Most
folks are in vacation mode for Semana Santa and/or in recovery from the
previous night’s festivities. But I did manage a few meetings with school
directors to talk about doing environmental talks and organizing teams for the
tree planting and sat down with the director at Caritas to lay out my plan for
the Vista Alegre water system. The tree that Katy and I planted was doing well,
until someone broke off the top. We had decided to turn down the protective
plastic screen enclosure, to let in more light. But, now see the wisdom in
extending the protection all the way up – a good (albeit sad) lesson learned
from the pilot planting.
But, it has been a good time to go back and do follow up visits where I’ve built the improved cook stoves. That’s one of the things that makes me proud to serve in Peace Corps is that we don't just build it and walk away (like some NGOs). We go back and see how things are going. Worked out well for me, too, as I was gifted with a couple of fresh, ripe Lucama fruits at one house. I enjoyed my first Lucama fruit. It’s a good, sturdy propane model that just needed the flow restrictors drilled out. So glad I brought that drill.
One of our local bakeries has started a new business – PIZZA
!! Everyone in town seems excited that this “exotic” food has come to our
little town. Margarita LOVES it, since it means she doesn’t have to cook – just
grab a pie and a 3 liter Inca-Kola and dinner is served. I truly bemoan this
mentality- it’s what got America
into such bad eating habits. But, young Antonio, who is taking over his family
business is quite proud of his innovation, and rightly so. Business seems
brisk. But don’t worry about Peruvian Pizza catching on in the States – it is
generally REALLY pathetic and Antonio’s is no exception. A thick, airy crust,
slightly under-done, with VERY little sauce or cheese and even skimpier
toppings. His signature pie is sliced bologna with a few pineapple bits, which
makes even the worst US
pizza look luscious by comparison. This mirrors the arrival of soft-serve ice
cream in Canete – another progressive step backward for eating habit.
I’ve started a new activity with the kids – SINGING ! It
happened quite by accident, when Camila walked by and started humming along to
the tune I was humming ( a frequent habit). We just kept it up and pretty soon
the boys were in on it. Our group repertoire is still some what limited,
consisting of “Row, Row Row your boat” and the famous “Campanero” (Frerre
Jacques) and the first verse of El Condor Pasa. When we try to do either of the
rounds, little Amir gets quite upset. In his mind, everyone should sing
together. As soon as I start a second part, he protests “no, no, no” and stops
the show. So, Camila and I save round singing for when he’s absent. She has a
strong, clear voice, with excellent pitch, and can mimic English words really
well, even the “th” dipthong – a stumbling block for most Spanish speakers. This
little girl’s got great potential.
Mid-week, it was time to get out of Dodge and visit with my
dear Host family (the Alderetes) from training back in Buenos Aires, about an
hour east of Lima. I must say, I’m pleased at how easily I navigate the
transportation system here, even beating back the outrageous fares offered by
taxi drivers, who jack their prices 2x or 3x when they see a Gringo coming.
There are a few who don’t employ this annoying tactic, and I always let them
know how much I appreciate their honesty.
The trip back to Chosica and Buenos Aires was like “going home”. In many
ways, this is my Peruvian birthplace. The sights and sounds and smells were all
wonderfully familiar. As I walked up the street to Jaime’s house from the Buenos Aires Plaza, the roof dogs came out to greet
me, as did the Plaza gardener. Jaime had painted the house a nice golden color,
but it was still welcoming, as were Crisanto and Jaime, who greeted me with
good Peruvian Hugs. OK, yes, I teared up. I’d almost forgotten, how much I love
these guys and what dear hosts they were during training. My old room was
waiting, just as I’d left it. We were joined by Mishell, Jaime’s perky daughter
and Crisantos’ wife Estella. We enjoyed some delicious food, which reminded me
how very well I was fed during training, versus the total lack of home-cooking
in service site. I recounted my adventures via photos of my projects and
adventures. A round of Piscos and it was time for bed. As we retired, a light
rain began to fall, but I really didn’t give it much thought. We had seen some
sprinkles in Santa Eulalia during training.
But, overnight, it continued to rain for about 6 hours, steady, but not hard. The next morning, things were quite wet outside and there was news on the TV of disastrous “huaycos” (earth-slides) in nearby Chosica. We decided to go investigate. There was a dearth of taxi/combi traffic, so we walked all the way down to Chosica. To our amazement, many of the swales that cross the road were choked with sand and rocks and plastic trash from the hills above. The road was covered in basketball size rocks, which had fallen from the cliffs above. The there was mud – EVERYWHERE. The closer we got to town, the worse it got. One street was 6 ft deep in sand and boulders. The main road from Chosica to Santa Eulalia was blocked and traffic, which included big trucks and tons of tourist busses and other vehicles, was churning through some nasty mud. It seems the sewers had filled with sand and were flowing down the streets. Mind you, all this was happening at peak tourist travel time, during the Semana Santa vacation time.
As we got to the beautiful Plaza in Chosica, we found it covered in mud and water. Fire/Rescue vehicles were all over, especially on the far side of the Rimac River, which was swollen, but not dramatically so. In the hills above, near the school where Jaime teaches, there had been a couple of disastrous land-slides at dawn. Some spectacular video is found at this link:
We wound up having to walk all the way back to Buenos Aires, since
traffic was still at a halt. There had been a similar disaster about 10 years
ago, in the same area, but clearly, lessons were not learned. A later walk to
Santa Eulalia revealed other damage from the rain: a ravine that many of us
Buenos Airians crossed daily as a “short-cut” to the training center, was
unrecognizable. It was totally impassable and filled with debris and trash.
Where the ravine crosses the main road, the chain-link fence was covered 8 ft
high with trash and the stream of water was still flowing. The training center
itself was untouched, but very lonely. The trees were brilliant green, having
been washed clean in the night. The giant stairway, descending from Buenos Aires down to
Vista Alegre was covered in sand and mud. All roads were well pot-holed. Two
other unrelated changes are the completion of the computer facility in the
Plaza and the little Nativity by the Big Stairs. Later, I enjoyed another
wonderful meal with the family and Jaime’s perfect Pisco Sours led to another
good night in my old spacious digs. The only sad note to the visit was that
Deri, Jaime’s wife was working (as a pre-natal nurse) in Lima and was cut-off by the road closures, so
her company was sorely missed.
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