Vista Alegre Water System

The new pump arrives !!

The VA crew executes the Gringo plan for spring box

The completed security cover DONE !!

The new pump installed - 400 folks now have WATER !!

Fallout continues from the Cero de Oro burial ground adventure. In addition to the arqueologists coming next week, I led the intrepid PCV expedition of Will Jensen and Gabe G up the hill. We discovered more amazing artifacts: a nicely painted pottery shard, some intact jugs, a shard with some intricate markings of a face?, a mummy torso with crossed arms and legs, some very fine cloth which had two colors stitched into a checker pattern and some brightly colored cloth. The site continues to amaze excite and sadden me that all this culture and history is being destroyed. Hopefully, not for much longer.

Fiestas Patrias – the Peruvian equivalent of 4^th of July, is the 28^th. But true to form, the party has already commenced, with the usual bombs at night and early mornings. And parades. And music. And excessive drinking. Living a block from the Plaza and Muni is convenient, but the daily round of fireworks in getting annoying.

A long bike day (yes, I still love my bike) brought me to San Antonio to see Diebe progress on biodigester #2, which wasn’t much. He’s been busy harvesting yucca and working on his house, so has made no progress since last visit. A better result in La Quebrada water system, where the new well enclosure is ½ done and work continues on new water lines and house connections. This is complicated, since many newer homes did not connect directly, but through a neighbor and now must be re-plumbed.

Continuing out to Vista Alegre, I was delighted to find Caritas has delivered the new water pump (!!!) and I attended the first JASS (water committee) meeting and explained about what would be involved in system cleaning, disinfection, chlorination and maintenance. The more pressing issue is how to protect the beautiful new pump (2hp Pentex – 220VAC 9 amp) from theft – which was what happened to the first one. There were about 10 people at the meeting and 12 different security plans, all argued with vehement force, often at the same time. It was totally unintelligible to me, compounded by the lack of anything except my single pen and piece of paper, which was quickly covered in inept drawings. Discussions about how much each family should pay were equally futile. While PC always prizes “community participation”, it’s time for Peter, the Caritas boss and I to make an “executive” plan. But, the good news is that the 200 folks in the village will soon have access to some beautiful water.

Indiana Jones in Canete

"Indiana" Plimpton with some 1000 yr-old pots at Cerro de Oro

Thousands of skulls and bones, pots and cloth litter the Cerro

A full mummy, clutching a bit of burnt cloth

A pottery face

The adventure started out pretty tame. RPCV (Honduras) Xiah, who is now working on a Phd at Columbia, came by with really cool high-tech tools to analyze the soil near old mining sites for contamination with heavy metals. Fernando sweet talked our way into the mine site just at the north end of San Luis at Cerro de Oro. We wandered around and checked out the mine, which has been shut down for over a year. All of Xiah’s samples came back negative, which is a good thing for us.

Then we walked just up the Hill to see what ruins were there. Around one dune, there suddenly appeared a field of human bones that was as vast as it was gruesome. Clearly, gravediggers have been looting this ancient cemetery, leaving a wake of dug holes and ancient bones, pottery and funeral cloth. We’re talking THOUSANDS of skeletons, some with whole hands and feet, skin and hair intact, due to the “bone” dry conditions here. The bone yard was surrounded by unusual adobe walls, made of small, hand molded adobes (some with obvious thumb impressions) very unlike the massive adobe blocks of most ruins here. The whole scene was quite surreal.

Further up the hill were more conventional ruins, with massive thick adobe walls – hard as concrete – neatly stacked and perfectly aligned. My minds spins as I consider the extraordinary effort involved in such construction. All water had to be carted up the hill from rivers below, as did food and other living essentials. The view is/was spectacular, with immense long vistas in every direction. What was like life for these folks? Where was their pleasure, their passion and their dreams ? Whatever they were, they left some ancient clues that totally tickled my curiosity and wonderment.

As it was a “work” day, we visited the biodigester and transported a chimney to another site in Xiah’s slick rental car. The group enjoyed superb ceviche and Mahi-Mahi fish fillet. I was delighted to see that Cerro Azul has installed its Tsunami warning siren. The locals here will have about 25 minutes to get to high ground when it sounds, which should save some lives. On the way back, we stopped to sample some local Pisco and wine at a local vineyard, before calling it a day well-spent.

The following day, I led a team from the Municipality back to the site. While they knew the ruins were there, they had no idea of the extent of the destruction by treasure hunters, and were as astonished as I was the day before. We discovered that the burial area is even bigger than I’d thought – estimated at 10ha (25 acres). We found beautiful intact pottery, some had been painted. A very distinctive burial cloth with a striped pattern was found at every site. Small pieces of fishing net and shells were found, indicating a reliance on the nearby seafood. Google Earth image shows pretty clear outlines of the ancient city, which covered the entire hill. When the Alcaldesa saw the photos, she was shocked. Plans are already in the works for some sort of site protection and to contact someone who can date the artifacts. There was also talk of some sort of museum. Early indications are that this is was a city on the Huasi civilization which flourishes here between 500 and 1100AD. Who knows where this adventure will lead….

Photos of the site at :

https://picasaweb.google.com/114324927553623472875/CerroDeOro02?authuser=0&feat=directlink

More earthquakes. 4.3, 4.1 and a fair size shake of 5.8. The larger one was quite noticeable, while walking down the street, though it was short and no damage. But many of the locals still come running outside with each tremblore.

4^th of July celebration was fun. 10 ex-pats enjoyed real US style burgers and fries, red, white & blue and English all night. Will found some “illegal” fireworks in the shady area of Imperial, which brought out the fire-bug in all the boys – lighting off hand held bottle rockets. The bombas were smaller than the one that nailed me last week, but still bigger than the standard M-80. Some were on rockets, and had some effects which were pretty good. It all reminded me of the scene in Apocalypse Now, where Capt Kilgore and the Air Cav have a beach party in Vietnam. “The more they tried to make it like home, the more they missed it.” 

Sad to see the luscious mandarina season come to a close. The trees are clean and the packing plants are shutting down. I’ll miss my little orange friends. Lots of regular oranges are coming on the scene, but just not the same. I think I’ll go with the sweet red plums – they’re small, but very tasty. And cheap.

Valeriano sold out of eggs early today. He raises the layers and boils them and sells them from a push-cart. They are nice brown eggs, which peel easily and taste great, especially with a little home-made Huancaina sauce on them. The hens produce between 90-100 eggs a day, which he sells for 70 centimos each ($0.25), though he seemed to have only a vague idea of input costs. Economics aside, he always has a big (largely toothless) smile and is set on teaching me his native Quechua. So far, I can say Ishkay Runtos (two eggs) and Tiki (name).

With the last of my current Cocinas (improved cookstove) completed, I revisited each and every one, to monitor progress. Here’s the report and lessons learned:

10 of 15 Cocinas still in regular use. One destroyed. Three folks switched to gas and use only for big meals. One lady ran out of small wood and has only big (>4") gnarly wood that can't be split. Three ladies complained that it is hard to start fires with big yucca root and another commented that she needed help to lift her big pot, when full. Another said she has to have one of her kids tend the fire so she can do other things. Otherwise, happy customers and well-used stoves.
LESSONS learned:
a) Make SURE users have good access to appropriate size wood (<3cm diameter is best) 

b)Ask if they are planning to get gas and maybe build somewhere else where the Cocinas is more needed.

a)    Better explain fire-starting techniques. I’ve found that some accelerator – kerosene, diesel or alcohol (NOT gasoline) – works well. No need for paper, kindling or patience. Larger diameter or damp wood are no match for incendiaries. Soak the wood first and let it absorb. Don’t apply after the fire is started – dangerous and not effective. Also, I’ve started making “long matches”, by splitting wood to fine diameter and soaking one end on kero. These make lighting much easier and safer.

b)    Avoid using large (>25cm diameter) pots. When full, they can be hard to lift. Also, consider lowering the Cocina top by omitting one or both base adobe layers. This will give easier lifting height for vertically challenged users.

c)     Better explain behavioral changes in fire tending. Once an open fire is started, the user can walk away and do other work. The Cocina fire MUST be tended in the early stages, before it dies down.

2) Over half of the rebars that support the pots had fallen down or were loose.
LESSON: Use some broken brick or small stone to support the rebar during construction or you’ll likely be adding them later as retro-fits. The adobe on the sides just doesn’t seem to be strong enough to support the pot weight. Another reason NOT to use large pots, which are REALLY heavy when full.
It is clear that a Cocinas project is SO much more than just construction. Good conversations must take place before and after construction. Follow up is ESSENTIAL if our efforts are to yield long lasting results. Any projects should allow AMPLE time after construction for follow-up. More attention needs to be paid to fire techniques and the behavioral changes they present.
And that’s a week wrap at warp. I keep thinking there will be a break in the action, but the hits just keep on comin’.

Chasing Pigs

Goyo chases pigs back to pen with trusty broom

Last of my Cocinas is built

Another satisfied customer - Felicita

A biol sample from biodigester for Sanjay

Peruvians make a big deal of birthdays. It seems no matter how modest a families means, there are always funds for a birthday party – or a party of any kind, for that matter. Camila’s 9^th was no exception. Balloons and sheets of fabric covered the walls. She and her friends played endless rounds of “musical chairs”. Most of the music was either in English or Korean. Both are popular here – I have no idea why – especially when played with FULL bass and LOUD. Even at 8 and 9, the young ladies copy the dance moves pretty well. Margarita made an over-the-top elaborate Styrofoam board with much glitter and plastic décor. Sugar was served in great abundance and in about every conceivable form. I was kept busy answering all manner of questions about Estados Unidos – nobody here calls the US “America”. When I overheard one of the girls tell Camila “Your Gringo is very tall and smart”, I wasn’t quite sure how to take it. Though, it is clear that having a Gringo live at your house is held in high esteem.

My sister Darcy sent two books on George W Carver, the “peanut” inventor – in both English and Spanish. Camila likes to read out-loud to her younger brothers. And she did. For most of the next day, beginning at dawn. She especially enjoys “reading” English. Though she doesn’t know most of the words, she’ll stop and translate to her rapt audience when she does know one. Her pronunciations of English are often hysterical and point out what a totally illogical language English is. Then again, I’ve gotten more than a few chuckles when I mangle some Spanish words. Darcy also sent a big bubble wand, which was pressed into service. Thanks to Senor Goog-lay, I discovered that a good bubble solution is just hand soap, water and either sugar syrup or glycerin – the former being more available. We made some whoppers, which elicited great squeals of delight.

On the other side of life, I live right next to the cemetery entrance. And see a plethora of funeral processions. These are a bit like the New Orleans style – lots of VERY slow walking with a band playing – only the bands are awful and there are LOTS of public tears and wailing. I’ve attended just one of these events, which is one more than I care to. The idea of putting a dead body in a box, carrying it around town and then sealing it in a crypt baffles me. Some say I have no reverence for the dead. It’s just that I prefer to save my reverence for the living. I wonder how many of the hundreds of “mourners” who attend these grim parades spent time appreciating the deceased while they were living? Or brought them flowers they could actually enjoy? Well, there will be plenty of beer and Pisco at the reception. Maybe that’s reason enough to attend.

Well. Down off the soap-box and back to work….

Finally finished the last of the Cocinas improved cook stoves. Felicita was delighted as we fired it up right after finishing. Her son, Manuel was a better than average “helper”. He actually wound up doing most of the work, after we finished the brick firebox and should be able to re-create them for others. He perked right up when I told him that the going rate around here is 200-250 soles, only 100 soles of which is materials. While I’m not in the Small Business Development program, I see this as the best way to make the project sustainable. I aim for locals to be building these stoves and biodigesters and solar powered stuff long after I’m gone.

Another in the “Only in the Peace Corps” dept : As I pulled up to Usevio’s farm to deliver labels for the Biol he hopes to sell (more on that later), he threw me a broom and said I needed to help him catch the two female pigs who had escaped their pen. Turns out, pigs – unlike cats – are pretty easy to herd, and after considerable squealing and grunting (by them, not us), we had them back in piggy jail PDQ. What was interesting is that the three fat boys were all up on the sty wall, apparently cheering the girls on. At least, that’s how it sounded. I am grateful beyond words to the Great Piggy Gods for not having to even attempt a manual capture. Unlike greased pigs at the State Fair, these porkers are perpetually covered in their own shit and the smell was revolting. But, all ended well and the pigs went back to making ever more raw materials for the biodigester. Although, the next morning, I found a painful pulled groin muscle was the price for a spirited chase over uneven ground.

Earlier, I had donned my sales & promotion hat and visited a few of the worm farms out on the Pan Am Hwy. Big business here, as worm castings “humus” is very popular with the organic crowd. After last weeks eye-opening visit with a Biol vendor and using farmers, it seemed appropriate to sell Biol to the same customer base as the humus producers. They liked the idea, though one fellow noted that he used to sell Biol, but nobody knew how to use it. Hopefully, that can be remedied with some informational flyers and a “Biol for sale here” sign. Anyway, now we need to bottle some of it up, label it and get it to them – on Usevio’s donkey cart – I’m looking forward to that trip.

On other fronts, it’s been a great week in the Grants Dept : I was delighted to learn that my Solar Pump project has been approved !! This means that 5-6 families will no longer hand-carry water from a contaminated well, but will have it pumped right to a secure storage tank at the house. Water will be better quality – though still not drinkable without treatment – and lots of it for bathing and cleaning. More importantly, I’m hoping that when folks see the solar panels, they will come up with any number of other uses for the power.

AND, the HIV/STD/Teen Pregnancy prevention project was approved, as well ! Our team made all the last minute changes to get this one done. It will be the first comprehensive program of its kind here in San Luis. We’ll be teaching teens and training teachers. Gloria and Esther are excited about the 10 part Pasos Adelante program developed by Peace Corps Volunteers here in Peru.

More revisions – hopefully the last - to the Kids Parks project sent off. My Socio, Angel has been great to work with and an enormous help. He’s full of optimism, good humor and seems to know everyone. He’s not one of the Socios (community partners) that Peace Corps assigned to me, but sometimes you just have to find your own…..And moving forward with the huge milk producer “Gloria” on funding the Eco-Bano rehab project – just a few t’s left to cross. They are excited about all the good PR they will get and loved my suggestion to put a Gloria sticker on each Bano we re-do. They also wanted to know if they could send down a representative with a photo crew. Photo ops at no extra charge.

In the midst of all that funding fun, I got to teach a Business Development class about Operation Plans, as guest Gringo profesore. These teens are all hoping to start their own businesses, which is exciting. Mostly, I just told them about my own experiences with my Thermalbar thermometer – invention, production, packaging, sales, promotion, etc. My plan was to then take one of their plans and work on it, but their questions just kept coming. Afterward they said that they enjoyed some “real world” information, instead of the usual hypothetical stuff. I’ve mostly been avoiding teaching classes. I don’t see it as sustainable, unless you are teaching teachers. I especially don’t get teaching English, which is a popular project among PCVs. But, this was good – the kids are all there after school and really WANT to learn. That kind of crowd, I can handle. And it was fun remembering all the adventures I had starting that company some 30 years ago. (see FB “Note” : Thermalbar)

An RPCV gal, Xiah, who is studying environmental contamination from mines for her PhD at Columbia Univ, is coming to visit next week. It seems that the abandoned gold and copper mine just north of town showed up on an aerial scan as a “hot spot” for possible lead contamination, and she wants to get some samples. Fortunately, Fernando knows the caretaker there to get us in. If the tailings are contaminated – what to do with that soil? I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we cross it.

A few traffic notes: In all of San Luis, there are zero traffic lights and even fewer traffic signs. And even less traffic accidents. Think about this. Do we REALLY need a sign at EVERY intersection, telling us to stop ??  Or how fast to drive ?? Isn’t common sense, courtesy, good judgment and fear of injury or death enough to ensure traffic safety ?? Seems to work quite well here. I wonder how many billions of dollars are saved by not investing in all the signage and signal infrastructure. Some informational signs would be nice though – the only semblance of that here are KM markers on the few paved roads. Lights do exist in the cities – even San Vicente has them, though they seem to be completely ignored unless a cop (or two) is present at each signal intersection. They don’t seem to mind “J” walkers at all. Most of these signals have a VERY short yellow and rely instead on a “count-down” light, which displays the number seconds until the light will change – an eminently more useful indicator than our yellow system. Additionally, I note a distinct lack of road-kill here, compared to the large number found on roads in Florida or CA. Are dead animals removed from the road faster, are there less animals or are Peruvian critters just smarter ?? You be the judge. And finally, a trivia question : How many passengers can you fit in a standard Peruvian combi ?  Answer: (always) one more.

Unanue Castle

The Unanue Castle - a Bavarian castle transplanted to Peru in 1850

All the wood, marble and metal work from Bavaria

Arctic Blast !!  52°F this morning. Walking around town on Dawn Patrol this morning, you’d think it was freezing. Folks all bundled up with double jackets and hats. Me in shirtsleeves. Fortunately, I know the sun will warm things up during the day. Can’t wait for Senor Sol to head back south next week. Looking at the historical record, the coldest months are actually August and September.

Not a bad weather record: record high of 93 and it has NEVER gone below freezing ! Annual rainfall is 2.5cm or just 1”. Overall, this is one of the most comfortable climates I’ve ever lived in. There is never a thought about rain or “bad” weather or whether roads will be washed out, like the PCVs in the mountains face.

Speaking with a Volunteer from the Sierra last week, I realized how much more time I have on a daily basis to get things done. My bike, good 24/7 water, power, phone and even WiFi, plus easy access to banking, food, transportation and building supplies all contribute to my ability to get things done.

I was delighted that Victor came home for a visit on Fathers Day. Though he works in Lima just 2 hours away , he hasn’t been home in 2 months. He’s been making big money – for Peru – and working 6 day weeks. But still, the kids would love to see him for even just that one day. He’s also been sleeping on the couch, which may help explain his lack of interest in home visits. His mood is good though – he really loves his job – repairing electrical stuff for a big mining company – and was excited about my new solar panel system.

Speaking of Fathers Day, I visited the cemetery on Sunday and was met with walls of fresh flowers. The flower vending ladies were loving the brisk sales. One of them sold out by mid-day. Surprising that they sell so much more than on Mothers Day. The beer vendors also had a very Happy Fathers Day, as did the consuming Fathers.

Writing grant proposals is an interesting experience. On the one hand it is tedious and detail oriented – gathering the facts, measuring, checking prices, designing, planning and laying it all out in a coherent manner. While every funding program has its own unique format, they all serve to help organize the project and think about all the details of justification, budget and follow-up – also known as Monitoring & Evaluation. I’ve come to appreciate how important this last bit is. Even the best planned and brilliantly executed project can be just so much hot air and wasted activity if there is no provision for follow-up and sustainability. Still, XL spreadsheets and narratives is no-one’s fantasy of “development” work. And then there are revisions. I’d rather be in the field building, organizing and teaching.

More earthquakes this week. (5.0, 4.6, 4.5)  My friend Mike Healey has a more rational explanation of the increased activity – “The Earth is on an elliptical orbit around the sun and there is more angular  momentum late spring and late fall than at any other time. The earth being a thin hard crust on a molten ball squishes more, creating cracks (increasing earthquake & volcanic activity). This year we will have an additional force of planetary alignment with the galactic center pulling on us in November & December along with increased solar flares (11 year cycle) and more weight from the increased liquid water (the last time it happened we were in an ice age) pushing down on the tectonic plates.”

The locals get pretty spooked by the tremblores, running outside with every shake. Can't blame them really. Houses came tumbling down here in 1974, 1996, 2001 & 2007. I've been working with the Muni on a tsunami evacuation plan. All we've done so far is identify the "safe" areas (above 20M) and map where folks should go. The plan is to print evacuation instructions and pass them out in the low-lying beach areas. Kind of a joke really - without some warning sirens. In any case, a quake on the off-shore fault would only allow 25-30 minutes before the wave hits shore. Even if folks on the beach started moving the moment they feel the shake, many couldn't make it to high ground in time. Huge tsunamis in 1586 and 1746 virtually wiped out Lima and many coastal towns. We could be over-due for another Big One. Fortunately, San Luis is just above the 20M mark. But if I’m out at the beach when a big one hits, I’ll be happy to have my trusty bike handy.

The young lady who was the conductor on the combi today caught my attention. Her energy and good cheer were far above the norm, and she made change like lightening. Turns out, her name is Marie (not Maria), she’s 13 and this was her first day of being conductor for her Dad, who was the driver. Her pink baseball cap turned sideways and bright smile made her absolutely adorable. She leaned WAY out the window, shouting “San Luis – a San Luis, Arona” at top (squeaky) voice. And seemed genuinely disappointed when folks waved her off. Her one mistake was telling her Dad to slow down to pick up a woman who didn’t want the combi, earning some harsh words from Popi. It really is an art-form the way the conductors can read the body language of folks way up the road and KNOW whether they want the bus or not. Still, it is always a pleasure to see someone give 110% to the job, no matter how mundane. Bravo, Marie.

I got invited to a Quinceañera – 15^th birthday party – for one my neighbors. I was told the appropriate gift was a bottle of Pisco, and thusly arrived. The bottle went to a table where it found the company of uncountable other Piscos. As usual, I was on-time, and by that I mean early by Peruvian time. I sat next to an elderly lady, who nodded politely at everything I said, but said not a word. I latter discovered she was mostly deaf. The “hall” was elaborately draped in big sheets of shiny pink and white cloth, dotted with pink balloons and plastic roses. About a half-hour after the invitation time, folks arrived, dressed up better than I’ve ever seen in this little town and everyone sat in chairs along the walls – in awkward silence.

Finally, the Birthday Girl and proud Papa were led into the big “hall” by a small band and paraded around the guests. Emma was dressed in an elaborate, but ill-fitting gown with MUCH too much make-up. She then did a waltz? with her Dad, followed by every young man in the place. Due to the dress being a size or two large, she constantly had to pull up on her bust and did not appear happy at all. When the rituals were complete, a lovely sangria – in shot size glasses – was served and the older folks danced. It appeared that the minimum drinking age for this event was about 6 – only the toddlers were denied beverage. It reminded me a bit of the awful Princeton “Mixers” in Dillon Gym, with the majority plastered against the walls and a few brave souls rocking in the center, made more uncomfortable by the big dresses. A huge cake arrived, complete with sparklers – adding delicious cinders to the icing. I was surprised that “Happy Birthday” was sung in English, followed by a Spanish version. I was pushed to the front, ostensibly to assist the band with correct pronunciation. At some point the teen-aged gals all changed into “informal” dress – skin tight jeans and off-shoulder tops – all dreadfully over-made-up. That part of the hall resembled a “muffin-top” Junior Harlot convention. After that, the Pisco Sours started flowing and the band stepped-up tempo. I survived until about 10pm and was told that the festivities lasted many hours after that. Happy 15^th Birthday !!

Spent more time with Dan at his new biodigester. Got the greenhouse cover on and gas line plumbed. It’s all filled with manure and water, ready to start cooking some gas. To kick-start the process, Dan decided to add the contents of a cow stomach – something he heard from another digester user. The theory is that the bacteria in the stomach will inoculate the digester tube. So, there it was…..a whole cow stomach. It attracted every fly for miles around and smelled as bad as you might imagine or even worse. The contents looked a lot like cow manure, only drier and less digested. Ours worked fine without it – I trust the nastiness was not in vain. Where else but in Peace Corps service could I enjoy such a….unique.. experience? I love my “job”.

We also visited a magnificent vivero (tree nursery) nearby. The owner runs a clean, well-organized operation with exclusively fruit trees. He produces his own compost and Biol and uses both in the nursery. It’s always a pleasure to meet a Peruvian in the rural area who “does it right” and whose mental wheels are always turning. The norm is more like – sit back and wait for something – a product of generations of cultural dependence on the Plantation system?

We LOVE parades in San Luis – they happen all the time. Everything from anti-abortion to stop smoking to brush-your-teeth. Today’s parade was to celebrate the 55^th anniversary of one of the local colegios – high school. This one was historically mostly black – there is a large population of slave descendant Afro-Peruvians here. The school is still largely black. What was surprising – and somewhat troubling – was that all the kids in the parade, who were not black, were painted in black-face and many had “Afro” wigs on. Beyond that, there were a couple of kids in gorilla suits. In the US, the NAACP and ACLU would have shut this thing down in a NY minute. The whole parade seemed in incredibly bad taste to me. But then, so did the anti-abortion parade with kids carrying photos of aborted fetuses. I asked Fernando about it and he said it was just fine – celebrating their history.

Will Jensen, my closest PCV and I took a morning “off” to go visit the Unanue Castle, just south of San Vicente. We passed it every time we’ve gone south on the PanAm Hwy and it seemed time for a visit. It is an ancient Bavarian castle, that was moved piece by piece, starting in 1843 and completed about 1900 and was abandoned after the big earthquake in 1970. Musta been quite something in its day, but 30 years of neglect and looting and earthquakes have taken their toll. The wood-work, parquet floors and metal work are superb and still in good shape and most of the marble floors are still intact. A slate billiards table still stands in the Billiard Room. The garden area was once home to all sorts of exotic animals and fish and plants. The “castle” was built atop and old burial mound and the only “down-stairs is a magnificent reception room and some underground housing for servants (I was glad Will brought a flashlight), connecting via trap doors to the Masters’ Quarters above. Living on the second floor, with 20ft ceilings and wide porch verandas, would be a must in the Canete summer heat. Another garden housed a deep swimming pool with rotting 3M diving board. The place ought to be a tourist attraction, but no one seems to want to fix it up or maintain it. And, it was kinda fun exploring on our own – especially the underground part.

The PCHQ very kindly sent me one of the new bike maintenance kits that will be issued to Peru 19, et seq. It includes a sturdy lock, air pump and multi-tool, with more parts than I know how to use. I’m hoping Ben’s Maintenance Manual comes out soon. I use the bike most every day and it has been a Godsend to my service.

More Biodigesters

Adding a cow stomach as "starter" to the biodigester

Dan did a great job on his Imperial biodigester

Plant a seed and watch it grow… Works with plants and biodigesters. The first successful biodigester in Don Oscar has attracted interest from PCVs all over Peru. Projects are now underway in Piura, Ancash and La Libertad. I spent the day with Dan Flemming in Nuevo Imperial to help install his new biodigester tube. Dan made a beautiful presentation to many of the locals on the theory and operation of the digester. He also had two local organic farming advocates on hand to extol the virtues of the Biol (liquid fertilizer). It turns out, this stuff is being sold for upwards of 2 soles a liter, as a natural insecticide and plant conditioner.

The whole discussion raised my biodigester interest to the next level. It took me back to my Grandmother’s side in her organic garden. She studied with JJ Rodale, one of the pioneers in the field, who started Organic Gardening Magazine. She produced her own Biol in a bucket from the neighbor’s cow manure, had a compost pile, and spent hours hand-picking Japanese beetles from her plants. Dan’s guest echoed her theory that, while Biol is probably not an insecticide, it does improve the plant health to the point where its natural defenses protect it from pest attack. Anyway, I’ve now got more work to do, promoting sales of Biol and educating local farmers on the benefits.

Dan did a beautiful job of constructing the BD trench – exactly to spec, with hoop bases in all the right places. We lined the bottom with sand and the sides with cardboard – not as durable as the Styrofoam, but certainly cheaper. The tube inflation was, of course, the fun part. We didn’t have much of a breeze, but still managed to squeeze air into the big tube and lay it neatly in the trench. The only bad part for me was getting bitten to distraction by some small unseen bugs. I found relief in a small bottle of alcohol – the rubbing kind.

Peace Corps HQ has a new training plan called “Focus In – Train Up”. What it means is : give more in-depth training on fewer topics. As I life-long generalist, this rubs against my grain. My tool related analogies of wanting “more tools on my toolbelt” and “If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”, apparently struck a chord with the Admin types, who are re-thinking the policy. I feel it is important to have a general knowledge of many possible solutions. When we get to sites, we then look around and see what problems exist – and more critically, are important to the locals – we have a bigger “tool belt” (more solutions) to offer. The idea of only learning one project in great detail – like Cocinas Mejoradas – is limiting.

The Patron Saint celebrations continued for yet another night, which impacted me – literally – more than usual. I was walking home and came around a corner past a group of teens, who shouted at me as I went past. They were actually warning me about a bomb they had just lit in the street, but just then it went off about 15 feet away from me. Apparently, my heart is in fair shape, since I’m sure it took a good hit. I felt the impact of the shock wave all over my body and my ears rang like crazy, as I was “pushed” into the wall beside me. I can only imagine the trauma caused by an IED, as this was quite a jolt. I was stunned for several seconds, unable to move. The ringing took 2 days to go away. Even more tragically, I heard the next day that some poor kid was taken to the hospital, with damage to a hand and arm. These explosions, which are so common during celebrations, have taken on a whole new edge for me and made me even more of a Humbug – if that were possible – of the party practices here. Surely, there is a better way to “celebrate” than all-night drinking and explosive devices. At a minimum, there needs to be some better supervision of the explosives.

Three more earthquakes (5.1, 4.8, 4.4) in S Peru this week. Didn’t even notice one of them. Locals say that there are always more quakes this time of year “when the weather changes”. They could be right. And the weather has definitely changed here – “winter” here means the morning marine layer of clouds stays around until noon or even lingers all day, which has lowered temperatures. I’ve taken down my roof shade tarp and turned off the fan. Much to the surprise of the townsfolk, I’m still wearing shorts and NO jacket. To look at them, you’d think we were in the Arctic. Temperature is upper 60’s in the AM and 70’s during the day. Perfectly comfortable to me, though I do bemoan the lack of sunshine.

While I’m still enjoying the current glut of mandarin oranges, I discovered a new taste treat – fried coconut, coated with a tad of sugar and refried. I know it’s not as healthy as an orange, these little morsels are “wicked good” as they say Down East. The other Bad Boy treat in town are the Chicharone pancitas – a small fried pork sammich, with a slice of fried camote (yam) onion and a squirt of extra oil. I could go on…but I’m getting hungry.

Peru is a pretty “Green” country. They get 90% of electric power from hydro plants – most of which are NOT dams, but simple diversions of river water. Sadly, they are building gas-fired plants to give a market for new domestic gas production. They’re also totally self-sufficient for petroleum – no foreign oil needed here. Peru has only 68 vehicles per 1000 pop (compared to 808/1000 in the US), so transportation is MUCH more efficient. Oil consumption is just 1% of US level. Unfortunately, there are no emissions testing and most vehicles emit clouds of smoke. Recycling is well established in many areas – buyers go around on converted bikes or motos and buy door-to-door, selling to scrap yards. On top of that, most all beer and much of the soda is sold in returnable bottles. In fact, Coke just introduced a new returnable with a plastic screw-off cap. Water and (sadly) an increasing amount of soda is being sold in plastic. Peru’s biggest contribution of greenhouse gasses is the deforestation in the Amazon basin, though this accounts for only 0.4% of the world total. Sadly, Peru is one of the countries that is most affected by Global Warming – its glaciers are melting at a shocking rate.

The first solar water pump installation was tested – and passed with flying colors. The little pump-that-could lifted water from about 15 ft down and delivered it to a storage tank at the house – an additional lift of 12 feet at a distance of 215 ft. We got almost 350 gallons from the first day, in spite of the lower solar insolation caused by seasonal clouds and the sun being about as far away as it gets. Another issue was that we were close to running the well dry. It filled up the next day, but we’re right at the limit of what this well can yield. We can now proceed with cleaning and disinfecting the well and building a protective cover to keep out the animals and trash and dirt that has been blowing in. Also, by digging it out, there may be increased water. The plan was to share the water with the brother-in-law next door, but there seems to be some internal politics going on. Not sure how to solve this.

I enjoyed an afternoon with my friend and fellow PCV Dan. We went out to visit a guy who is selling Biol – the lovely liquid fertilizer that is produced by the biodigester. He is making his in batches in 55 gallon drums. He just puts manure and water in the drum, seals it (with a gas vent) and waits 3-4 months (or until the gas stops). He then bottles it in used soda bottles and sells the stuff for 3 soles (US$1.15) per liter. It was unclear how much he actually sells, but if we can sell any significant quantity of Biol at that price, Usevio will be a very happy (and wealthier) fellow. He produces about 150 liters per week !!

After that, we met another PCV, Pat from Lunahuana to help him with teaching a business class. We’ll be teaching a segment on “ethics” in late July. Should be interesting teaching ethics in a country where bribes are a way of life. So much of the business here depends on it. If you want to sell supplies to the Muni, some kick-back is simply expected. If you want to avoid paying a traffic ticket, just “tip” the cops. If you want to jump the line at the bank – the door guard can arrange that. And nobody will bat an eye.

I noticed a HUGE influx of flowers on the corner this morning – for Fathers’ Day. Turns out, the ladies say that this weekend will out-sell Moms Day 2:1. I still think it’s sad that all the flowers go to the dead. Still, I get to enjoy the beautiful aroma all weekend. On the other hand, the big Baccus truck was unloading stacks of beer cases. Baccus is THE major Peruvian liquor distributor (60% of beer and 70% of hard stuff – no mention of wine). Fuel for the fire.