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.

Cleaning a Water System

Goyo and the La Quebrada crew clean and disinfect the system

Coming up from cleaning the LG well - 300 yrs old

The crew cleaned and disinfected the water tank

I’m shocked to realize that this week marks 1/3 of my service time here in Peru. Blog # 108 will likely be my finale. If the last two-thirds are anything like the first third, It’ll be a Helluva ride.

The week started with a medical trip to Lima. I am still amazed at how well Peruvians sleep on the bus. They can be in Dreamland within seconds of sitting down. I figure they are either in perpetual sleep-deficit or motor transit makes them very sleepy. The only thing that seems to wake them, is if I crack a window – causing howls of “cerrar, cerrar” – Close that window !!. They can sleep right through even the loudest special effects type action movies.

I went to Big Lime for drugs – steroids – the same stuff the baseball players get. Sort of. While my daily stretches have increased the range of motion in my shoulders, I was still not 100%. I’d heard stories from a couple of my fellow PCVs about how well steroids worked for their Dads. That was my plan.

The Peace Corps Health Care is better than any other. They cover transportation, meds, go with us to appointments, hold our hands and offer great advice and compassion. Suni met me at the Clinic and even brought a 1964 National Geographic article about the Peace Corps. Back in the day, PC training was quite different. There were Outward Bound type training camps in the US and trainees were shown how to kill and dress chickens. Then they were dropped off at site and left on their own for 2 years. Way different now, with internet and cell phone connections and frequent visits from PC Staff.

We had planned to do the injections directly into the shoulder, but decided instead on a butt shot. I have to say, the results are impressive. The next morning, I was amazed at how much more range of motion I had (99%) with almost no pain. Stretches will continue and I’m adding some small weight lifting to the morning “work-out”. Win Williams talked about the 3 S’s (Shower, Shit, Shave) and I’ve added a 4^th – Stretch. 4S’s and my day is off to a great start.

A good day with my bike (yes, I still LOVE my bike). We started out early (6:30am) with Regidore Angel leading the way on his motorcycle and visited our three Kids Parks sites. One is next to a concrete soccer field / basketball court in the Town center. Concrete is the normal surface for soccer here – seems pretty suicidal to me. A pretty stark piece of real estate, but we can turn that around. The second is in the annex of Laura Caller, right next to a new elementary school, which will give the kids a great place for recess. I’m amazed that schools here are built with little or no recreation facilities. The ones in the “downtown” area have absolutely no place for kids to play. The LC site has some nice trees on it and a Parents’ Association that is willing to help with installation and painting. The third site is in a suburb called “Viviendas”. This site had some equipment at one time, but it was stripped by looters for scrap metal. Hopefully, a re-energized community association and use of recycled materials will avoid a repeat. We also visted a local welding shop to get costs on building the play equipment, which will include : swing set, jungle gym, teeter-totter, slide, tire mountain and tire crawls, along with new trees and landscaping. We’ll also be getting some scraps of Astro-Turf to use in critical areas.

Next, I rode out to San Antonio to check on the #2 biodigester site. Diebe has excavated a part of the trench and built a beautiful stone wall on one side. He plans to get the other side done “soon”. This site is not great as a demo location, as it’s out a REALLY rough road from town. But it IS a near perfect site for the biodigester. The pigs, house and digester are located near each other up on a small hill, with his fruit trees and chakra just down the hill. So, the “shit” will literally “flow down-hill”.

Then a ride out to La Quebrada to meet with my good JASS guys and see the progress on the new water lines and connections. Work is well underway and includes a new structure around the 300 yr-old well. They are finding that MANY folks in town did not have their own connection, but were tapped into a neighbor’s. This means many new user accounts and hopefully more revenue. They are still planning to do another cleaning and disinfection in July/August, after the work is done, followed by daily chlorination. At that point, I will be one pleased Volunteer. 2,500 people will have a reliable and safe water supply, with a JASS that is well-trained and stable.

The ride home from LQ is my usual “speed run”. I don’t know if it was my elation at the progress, the tail wind or even the steroids, but I shaved a full 8 seconds off my record and finally broke the 8 minute mark. The last ¼ mile was a dead sprint and I really would have liked another gear. I treated my trusty steed to a well-deserved bath and lube job and myself to an afternoon nap.

I finished my Renewable Energy grant proposal for the Solar Water pump systems, second draft on the PEPFAR (HIV / STD / teen pregnancy prevention) complete and draft of the Kids’ Parks proposal. This is my first attempt at grant writing. It’s really a lot like planning a construction project, only more verbose. The fun part for me is the budget – trying to walk all the way through the project mentally and noting all the inputs is a fun challenge. The hardest part for me is making the “community contributions” come up to the 40% required by the Peace Corps. It is no secret that these numbers are often grossly over-stated – value of materials and labor values are routinely inflated. I understand it is the way the game is played, but it still tweaks my conscience. Though, focus on the ultimate good that will result eases that a bit.

A visit to the Health Center revealed a shocking 2kg weight gain. Too much office work and high living on the road – gotta get back to field work. Soon.

The latest fruit to top the local market fruit charts is Mandarinas – mandarin oranges. There are two huge “fondos” or plantations in San Luis – Arona and Don Augustino. Both packing houses are going 24/7, packing the sweet little organic oranges for export. The local markets are full of them and street vendors deliver them fresh to the door. The irony is that the “rejects” are the most ripe and luscious of the harvest – too ripe to ship. So, the locals are obliged to snack on the cream of the crop. Current street price is about US$0.17 / lb. But, if I ride the bike down to the packing shed, they sell for about ½ that. I am blessed to live in this fertile agricultural valley, with such a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. I hear pecan harvest is just about to start……

Today was “Dia de Banderas” (Flag Day) here in Peru. All the school kids got decked out in their para-military regalia for the big parade. I gotta say, they were pretty adorable, even while goose-stepping, which is the Peruvian march norm. The band for the ENTIRE parade was a 5 piece ensemble of bass , snare, trumpet, trombone and cymbal. Sousa would be turning over in his grave. What WAS impressive, however, was that all the kids actually sang the national anthem – which sounds a bit like the French anthem. The voices were much louder than the band, which was kinda nice.

Yet another 6.0 quake hit southern Peru this week. Only felt a small short tremble. This place has got SoCal beat for number of quakes, hands-down.

For many years, I’ve adopted the practice of ALWAYS carrying pen and paper, to jot down names and information. I’ve found that my short-term memory is not what it used to be and it’s the only way I can remember new names and project details and “to-do’s”. The problem is more acute in Peru, where many names have no English equivalent. I seem to remember town names IF they are San or Santa something – the Quechua names all get blurred, especially since they all seem to start with “Hua-something”. Pen and paper are pretty rare items here, so my practice often attracts attention. Folks always want to see what I’m writing down. The good news is that they get all excited when I write down their name. Lucky for me, they take it as a compliment. At most “charlas” or workshops, PCVs tend to give out candy or cookies as prizes. I’m planning to give out pens and small note pads instead.

Yet ANOTHER Patron Saint party last night. This propensity to very late night partying is remarkable. The drinking circles in the street start about 7pm, and I do my best to avoid them but “getting the Gringo to drink” seems a national sport. It may also stem from the previous Volunteer’s reputation of buying rounds. The procession or “parade”, including an elaborate icon carried around town usually starts about 10-11pm, followed by more alcoholic revelry and ends at daylight. As I write this (6am) the party is ending with the explosion of several of the loud M-80 style firecrackers being fired off around town, announcing the end of their day…and the beginning of mine. The regularity of these celebrations is stunning.

PC Director Visit

A lovely - and expensive - lunch at El Piloto

PC Director Carrie Hessler visits my site

Goodness, what a week. All of my community partners have been wonderful and patient with a seemingly endless stream of visitors of all sorts. They have demonstrated and explained biodigesters, improved cooking stoves, composting toilets, “bottle bulbs” and the new solar water pump system, with only minimal prompting from me. Visitors included a group from the Peruvian Catholic charity “Caritas”, Town Council member Angel, a high-level Peace Corps delegation and a group of 30 PCVs and their community partners from all over Peru. I am so gratified by their pride in their new technologies and willingness and ability to explain it all (well, the solar panel still seems like pure magic ). And many thanks go also to my dear Medical Socios, Gloria and Esther and the energetic Regidore Angel, for their willingness to discus their Peace Corps training experiences and their continued hard work on our HIV/STD and Kids Parks projects.

The PC “Brass” treated at a lunch at the famous “El Piloto” restaurant on the PanAm Hwy in San Luis. I’ve walked or biked past this place a hundred times, but this was my first visit as a guest. The Piloto parking lot is always filled with big SUVs, Mercedes, Jaguars and BMWs, which seem strangely out of place in my little town. Prices for lunch run about 45 soles (about US$17) per person, far above the standard 5 sole (US$2) lunch or 20 cent sandwiches “pancitas” that San Luisians normally enjoy. The food was excellent and the service superb. What was most amazing was that the place was packed with over 50 folks in addition to our group.

The lunch was a great opportunity to appreciate the interests and concerns between the admin types and PCVs. I think we gave them some good and practical ideas to take home to Washington. It was also nice to spend some more time with Sanjay, our Country Director here in Peru. He was such a pleasure to work with on the Bike Policy and seemed absolutely delighted to have some time away from the Office in Lima. I also enjoyed a discussion with Carrie, the Deputy Director about service by “older” Volunteers. We could both see a future role for me in the promotion of service for retired folks. We really do have a lot to offer – here are my draft notes:

Advantages of “older” Peace Corps Volunteers

1-   “Real World” business skills and experience – we bring years of special abilities, skills and expertise to the table

2-   Accumulated life experience and people skills – older Volunteers have worked with hundreds of co-workers, customers and governments. This translated into an ability to rapidly assess situations and solve problems.

3-   Age = Respect. This simple equation is very true in many of the developing countries, where Peace Corps works. Younger Volunteers, especially the women, have a much harder time earning that respect, which comes automatically to the “older” Volunteer.

4-   Ability to focus on tasks at hand. There is not the worry about “What will I do after Peace Corps?”, which can be distracting.

5-   Confidence – Older Volunteers know their strengths and weaknesses – they’ve been fire tested. Many talented younger Volunteers are just discovering how good they are.

6-   Lack of dependence on electronic media. We grew up in a world before the iPod, iPad and Kindle. This better frees us to interact with the Communities which we serve.

7-   No need to “Party Hardy”. We got over the College / Fraternity culture of heavy drinking years ago.

8-   Older Volunteers need not worry about age - related illness. The Peace Corps Medical Office provides the Best Medical Services you will ever have, including all medications and pharmacy needs.

9-   Older Volunteers fit-in just fine with the 20-something PCV majority. You can learn about their culture and share yours.

10-                   Peace Corps service could also provide some Very High Quality time with your spouse – Married couples are some of the best PCV’s and serve together.

11-                   Serving the people of the World with the Peace Corps is far more satisfying, educational and fun than “retirement”.

So, if you are of “a certain age”, maybe give some thought to serving with the Peace Corps or some other community volunteer group. This may mean a step outside your “Comfort Zone”, but it will also provide access to the “Adventure Zone” and a chance to improve “Quality of Life” and promote friendship and World Peace in a real and direct way.

On a medical note, I’ve decided to go ahead with cortisone injections in my shoulders. I’ve done the stretching exercises every day, which has helped, but I’m still not back to 100% range of motion and still require NSAIDs to keep the pain down. The turning point was a talk with two of my fellow PCVs, whose fathers had both had the same problem and both had complete recoveries after the treatment. So, I guess I’ll find out what all the Steroid fuss is about first-hand.

My friend and Town Council member Angel was largely responsible for a new mural wall at the southern entrance to our little town. Photos are attached. We’ll be submitting a tree planting and paving job to make our “entrada” even better. Peru has an amazing program where millions of soles are made available for local projects directly from the federal government (which is running a serious budget surplus this year). Much of this money goes unused because towns just don’t ask for it. That’s not happening on our watch.

ECPA and Chiclayo with Angel

Angel & I became dear friends at the PC grant training workshop

Our Gangsta Rap project orsentation

Kail demonstrates a hydro generator at the ECPA conference in Ancash

We visited the Sipan museum in Chiclayo

Two weeks is a long time to be on the road, especially in Peru and on a tight business schedule. I started to write this last week, but the combination of being tired and inconvenience conspired against it. When I’m not at home, Internet access is in “cabinas”. These are definitely NOT like US “business centers”. They are poorly lit (to accentuate the video games that most are using), and the keyboards have most of the letters rubbed off and the keys often stick. That’s not an excuse, I’m just sayin’…..

The trip started with Will Jensen, the closest PCV to my site. His parents served in the Peace Corps, where they met and later served with my friend Jim Davidson, one of the (in)famous Coronas surfers. It’s always fun travelling with Will, since he’s hard to lose in a crowd, standing a good foot above the Peruvian norm. We rode up to Lima on the commuter bus and then got on Movil Bus, one of the first-class lines for the day trip up to Huaraz. We shared the front seats on the upper deck with a couple from Colorado. I’d seen the coastal scenery north of Lima before – a very desolate desert landscape extending right to the shore break, punctuated by a green agricultural valley now and again. Surprisingly, the beach resorts, which dot the shore south of Lima are not found to the north. And just as well, since there was a recent kill-off of hundreds of dolphin and fish. The official reported cause was a “sonic event”, which sounds like a Tourist Office cover-up to me.

When we turned east from the coast and headed up 8,000 ft to the mountains of Ancash, we certainly got the “E-Ticket” ride in those front seats. Switch-back after switchback of hair pin curves rocked the bus side to side. On this route, there is a driving crew of 3 who watch the road ahead and make possible blind-curve passing and speeds that I wouldn’t try in a sports car. There were many times, I looked straight down – a LONG way down. Guard-rails were sporadic. We arrived just after dark and were greeted the next morning by a SPECTACULAR view from the hotel of the nearby snow covered peaks and glaciers.

I was quite glad to have hot water for the first time since arriving in Peru. I have scoffed at some of my fellow PCVs for not showering for weeks on end. But I take it all back. I live in a warm climate where cold water is more like cool – sometimes borderline tepid. But, in the mountains, cold water is icy. Combine that with rainy, frigid climate and outdoor showering facilities, and I well understand the bathing aversion.

The Renewable Energy conference was well run and informative. We covered solar, hydro, wind, climate change and micro-finance. Some of the small-scale demos were effective – a solar oven actually melted the black plastic used as heat trap. By far the best demo was Kail’s hydro generator. He actually hand-made a simple generator from wrapped wire and magnets and fabricated the water turbine from plastic spoons, which produced 10VDC. The best tip I got was to use a centrifugal pump in reverse as a generator – brilliant simplicity. Except, I have no high velocity water source, like the Vols in the mountains. Climate change is clearly demonstrated by the RAPID melting of the nearby ancient glaciers in Huaraz. They are losing close to 5% of their volume every year, which has created some spectacular glacial lakes in the mountains. A field trip to a biodigester, very similar to mine, was interesting. I got to see the solids that are produced, which should come from mine in a few months – just as nice as the liquid fertilizer. Since most of the participants were from my Peru 18 training group, it was a family reunion of sorts. Huaraz is a completely tourist friendly city, which offers all manner of adventure sports and glacial hikes and camping.

After an all-night bus trip, we arrived in Chiclayo for training on funding procedures. Here, I was joined by Angel Garcia, one of the Town Council members from San Luis. Angel is only 31, but an up-and-coming town leader. It was great to have the time to get to know him. He is bright, funny, articulate, with a great sense of humor. He proved this during our project presentation, when we acted out “Original Gangsta”, followed by original lyrics to Petula Clark’s “Call Me” (NO, not the Blondie version).

En este pueblo bonito

Tenemos problema chiquito

No hay lugar por los ninos

No hay lugar por los ninos – a juegar.

(translation)

In this beautiful town
We have little problem
There is no place for children
No place for the children - To play.

He actually thinks we should sing it for the Mayor, to assure her support for the Children’s Parks. I’m game. In addition, Angel found a new friend in Will’s socio, Roberto from nearby Quilmana. The course was presented with great clarity and energy by Luis Ly, one of our Pre-Service trainers and “Hurricane” Katrina, who trains the small business groups.

We were treated to a rare day-off on Sunday, before jumping back into Water & Sanitation training on programs called “Healthy Homes” and “Healthy Schools”. These are comprehensive educational programs that we can use in our communities to encourage basic sanitary practices. They include segments on a vast array of things that we very much take for granted in the States, like brushing teeth, washing hands, storing food and dishes off the floor and organization.

Another WATSAN treat was a group visit to the Sipan Museum in Lambayeque. The Lord Sipan was a ruler well before the Incas to the south. His kingdom had expired long before the Spanish came to Peru, but his golden treasures surpassed anything they got from the Incas. Their construction was not on the level of the Incas, but their metallurgy more than compensated. They worked mostly in gold and copper and turquoise. The Lord Sipan, when in full regalia,  carried an estimated 80+ lbs of metal around. Except that he was carried everywhere – and suffered early arthritis as the price. The loot in his burial vault exceeded that of King Tut and any of the Incan kings. He was also buried with his full staff, who were sacrificed upon his death. Talk about a bad job…..

While the quantity and level of fine workmanship was indeed impressive, a small sample of copper ore was what got my mind racing.  Consider for a moment what accidents of nature must have combined with acute human observation and innovation to realize the very first metals, which we so take for granted today. Perhaps an ore-rich rock fell into a fire, which melted out a small sample? And then some astute person saw the little glob of metal and played with it long enough to realize it could be of use? And then made the connection back to the ore, which was mined and refined? THAT is the achievement that I find far more impressive than any ornate jewelry or bead-work.

Speaking of bead-work, all the Sipan beads were made of shell, each tiny bead hand-crafted and drilled, then dyed with local plant dies. All this remarkable output came from a civilization that numbered in the thousands, not millions (of mostly slaves) like the Egyptians. I guess if you don’t go on vacations or watch TV, it frees up a LOT of time.

The only downers of the trip was my bus ride home. I had secured a lovely “full cama” seat back to Lima. This is a seat like 1^st Class on an overseas flight – full bed with privacy separation and personal TV & audio. The snag was two drunk Peruvians, who insisted on harassing the young lady behind me and playing audio LOUD. After politely asking for some courtesy, I finally called the attendant, which only made matters worse. Despite confirmation by the lady behind me and the couple in front of them, the attendant simply asked me to be tolerant, since they where “a little drunk” and had done no “violencia” – YA THINK ??  She did get them to turn down the volume – for about 30 seconds after she left. Not-so-subtle calls of “Gringo Muerte” and “Suenos Dulces, Gringo” and an occasional spit-ball lobbed my way, did not make for a comfortable sleep, despite my ample accommodations. There is not an airline on the planet that would have boarded those two clowns. This is the first time I’ve experienced the business-end of Machismo in Peru. It’s not pretty. And I empathize with the female PCVs, who endure it on a regular basis.

And when I got back home, the bad was all but forgotten, when the three little kiddles came running down the hall to greet me.  The boys had been worried that I had left for good – 2 weeks is an eternity when you’re 4. But, Mamita Camila had reassured them by lifting them up to see in my window that my computer was still there. They know I’d never leave THAT behind.

My first full day back in site was right back into the deep end of the work pool – building Cocinas losas (tops) with Gersan from the Catholic charity “Caritas” in Vista Alegre. My secondary agenda was meeting some of the ladies of the “Mothers Club”, who apparently carry some pretty good clout in the village. They would LOVE to get the water supply they’ve been waiting for (for some time now) and agreed to talk up my proposal of 3 soles ($1.15) up front and 1.5 to 2 soles per month, with their hubbies. For less than $1/mo per family, they could all get a 24/7 water supply, with decent pressure and chlorination. That’s if 80% of the folks pay, which would be a new record for Peruvian water payments, where they tend to feel that water comes from God and should thus be free. I tell them that the water is indeed from God, but the electricity for the pump and all the tubes are not.

Gersan also came out to visit the biodigester, along with my buddy Dan and Anna Kingman, A PCV from up north, who is about to start building a digester. While we do get excellent training and support from the PC staff, an enormous amount of information and experience is shared among the Volunteers – we Band of Brothers (and Sisters). I’m delighted to be part of that tradition and do what I can to assist, as I have been assisted.

One random news note: Peru is once again upping minimum wage – this time to about $1.20/hr, per Prez Humala’s campaign promise. Keeping a campaign promise – what a quaint concept.

Next week is a corker: two grant proposals to write – HIV program with Gloria and Esther from the Health Center and Kiddie Parks with my new buddy Angel. Also, revisions to make on my solar pump project. Then, I am honored “for my early service accomplishments” by a visit from Sanjay, the PC Country Director for Peru (aka the Big Boss) and a V.V.I.P. – the Peace Corps Deputy Director from DC. “Dog & Pony” are already in training for the event, which includes lunch at the Very Upscale “El Piloto” restaurant – the most expensive meal in all of the Canete area. Their treat.

Getting It Done

The Japanese cemetery at Cerro de Oro

The complete Eco- Bano rehabilitation

Two completed Cocinas with Will Jensen in Quilmana

Another Regional Meeting of the 30 or so PCVs in the “Licah” (Lima-Ica-Huancavelica) regions. We meet once a month to swap info and share some together time. This meeting was in Ica – not my favorite Peruvian city. About ¾ of town is “off-limits” for security reasons. The only respite from the brutal sun and heat is the extraordinary ice cream (gelato) parlor in the Plaza – pecan is emerging as my go-to favorite, with coconut and chocolate close behind. I presented my “Bicycle 101” PowerPoint and updated the crew on recent bike policy changes. These will mostly affect the incoming PCVs, however a little extra training in safety, riding and maintenance can’t hurt.

After the meeting, I toured the Maestro hardware store nearby, which is as good as any Home Depot or Lowe’s in the US. Some folks window shop in clothing or shoe stores – my favorites have always been hardware and electronics stores. (plus the AC felt really good) I found some nifty “biodigesters”, pre-fabbed from plastic roto-tanks. While these are really septic tanks, they could easily be adapted to regular biodigester service – quick and easy installation. If you live near one of these super-stores.

Two earthquakes hit Peru this week : a 4.4 located just offshore of Ancash (where I’m headed on Sunday) and a larger 5.1 about 70 miles SSW, near Ica. The 4.4 happened at midnight while I slept and had potential for tsunami, but none reported. The 5.1 was a long one – something like 30-40 seconds. Everything rattled and vibrated, much like a large freight train going by next door. After years in SoCal and feeling 7 or 8 here in Peru in the last 6 months, I’m pretty used to it, though there is always the wondering when they start, of just how far they will go. The big fear, of course, is for the “big” ones (over 7) that do damage to the poorly built houses here. Even worse, would be a large quake off-shore, on the huge fault-line / tectonic plate ridge. This could cause tsunami wave, several of which have caused devastation in the past. My friends at the beach would be wiped out, though I’m up 20M and would be quite safe in San Luis. However, if I’m working at my sites out at the beach and we get a good shake, I’m spinning off on my bike AFAP.

I had a sweet visit this morning from one of the kids who built a Tippy-Tap at my Health Fair booth. She had taken hers home and painted it with markers and wanted to show it off. She was also wondering if she could get some soap and paper towels, which I was delighted to provide. After that response, I need to go to the schools and do some classes. So VERY delighted that at least one child really got into the Tippy-Tap idea. I haven’t really gotten into teaching in the schools much – most of my work has been with adults in the field, which is my comfort zone. Time to step out-side for a bit, though I’ll still shun the teaching English gig that is popular with many PCVs.

Back in my comfort zone, I completed the first Eco-Bano rehab, which included all the essentials for the fully functioning "Compleat Composting Bano”: Slick new plastic toilet seat, water bottle to flush urine tube, bin to hold ash/lime drying material, stick for adjusting poop distribution in hole and new door handles. And what good bano would be complete without every PCVs favorite accessory - the Tippy-Tap for hand-washing after toilet use. In addition, I re-educated the family in proper use and put a reminder poster on the door. Then, we cleaned out the old compost, which was really nice stuff and spread it around some plants by the house. Total cost was about US$3. I’m hoping this project will be funded by the milk company Gloria, which buys milk from all the farmers on the beach. Plan is to re-hab 40-50 of these well-built composting toilets, which have fallen into dis-use for various reasons, mostly rusted bolts and hinges.

Had a nice LONG walk with Fernando out to San Pedro, my second most distant annex. I tried to borrow a bike for him, but it wasn’t available. Actually, it was a good chance to chat with him. Even though we live in the same house, he doesn’t spent much time at home except to watch soccer and sleep. We took a “short cut”, which may have saved a few hundred yards, and was certainly more interesting than my usual bike route. We went by some old ruins and the Japanese cemetery.

The ruins always get my imagination going – about what it might have been like to live back then. And of extraordinary amount of effort those people put into construction that would last hundreds of years. Fernando says the secret to their extra hard adobe was pressure. But, hard to imagine what kind of engineering they had to compress some huge blocks – and don’t even get me started on the logistics of moving those suckers, very precisely, into place. There is a big complex, way up high, which must have an incredible view, but musta been a bitch to supply with food and water. And what was the sanitation? Fascinating.

The Japanese Cemetery is striking contrast to the haphazard construction in the regular Peruvian cemetery. Very clean and simple designs in that wonderful minimalist orderly Asian style. The Chinese workers also had their own cemetery on the other side of town, but they took most of the markers with them , when they left en-masse after an earthquake in the 70’s. Strange that blacks were buried in the Peruvian cemetery , but not the Orientals. Paulina says they were not allowed, but Fernando says they didn’t want to. So much for local history.

The annexes of San Pablo and San Antonio are really just one village separated by a road. Together they total about 150 people. Like the beach annexes, there are mostly dairy farms, with some goats, pigs and burros thrown in, along with the accompanying small farm plots (chakras). But, very different terrain – rocky outcroppings, with delightful little green ravines, with small springs all over. There are a wide assortment of fruiting trees – fig, mango, cherimoya, apple, banana – and a sweet little treat called cirvuelo? There is also a good sized cuy (guinea pig) farm, which is the biggest thing in town, besides a HUGE concrete soccer field.

Our mission was to find a good site for the second biodigester, which we did. Instead of a “Boy named Sue”, this is a guy named Debbie (spelled Deibe), but that’s how it sounds. His location is a little more remote than I’d like, for demonstration purposes, but he is the first person I’ve found willing to pony up the cash (and do the hard work) for an installation. He’s 35, has a nice small farm on a hill, with chakra field down below, which will make the liquid fertilizer easy to use, since he can just send it down in a tube – adding new meaning to “shit flows downhill”. He’s almost finished with a new brick home for his family of 3 (with one on the way).

I had an enjoyable morning helping Will “Pono” Jensen, the closest PCV from my WATSAN 18 group, build a second “industrial” Cocina Mejorada at the Zoo in his town of Quilmana. Yes, I said Zoo. Quilmana is only about 10km NE of San Luis, but there is no direct service, so it takes the better part of an hour to get there. Huge gorgeous Plaza and even a town Zoo. The cages are like an old style US zoo, sparsely furnished, but clean and the wide assortment of animals and birds seem well cared for. They have two soccer/basketball courts, a water park, and replicas of Machu-Pichu and the Great Wall of China. He built a residential and industrial “improved cook stoves” at the ranch style “Ponderosa” restaurant, since they will get excellent exposure to the big weekend crowds. They will also keep smoke from blowing into the faces of the cooks and diners.

Amazing that a small town can maintain such a beautiful facility. It’s about the same size as San Luis, but seems MUCH more progressive. The municipal “obras” (Public Works Dept) beats the pants off mine. Very well stocked and manned, with lots of transport vehicles. Within town limits are a cotton mill, a large seed producing fondo (plantation), a yogurt/cheese plant, and a Gloria milk processor. The four-term mayor lives in a magnificent home on the main road. I must admit to a bit of “site envy”. These folks do not have the same liaise-fare attitude that exists in San Luis.

As I mentioned earlier, cotton harvest is in full swing in the area. Many folks might feel that Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (1793) was the historical revolution in cotton production. I say, it was Taylor & Paige, who invented the mechanical cotton harvester (1850) and here’s why : I sat next to a woman on the combi who had just finished a day of picking cotton by hand. Anyone who’s been in a ripe cotton field knows how incredibly sharp and hard the bolls become – four razor sharp barbs guard the fluffy-white contents of each boll. Her hands were covered in cuts and scratches and swollen like small boxing gloves. She held them in front of her in obvious pain. When I asked her about it, she responded that “it’s only for the 2 months of cotton harvest”. They apparently have some concoction of Aloe and an herb that is used to kill the pain and help the swelling. The pain is endured because the pay is huge by Peruvian standards. A good picker, paid by the sack, can make US$30 a day – about 5 times the average pay for a woman. So, while the cotton gin saved millions of hours of tedious seed removal, the harvester saved BILLIONS of hours of hand pain. We rarely think about the pain and back-breaking sweat that goes into producing the food we eat or the clothes we wear. Maybe we should start.

 

I’m headed out on a 2 week road trip on Sunday, that will take me to Huaraz in Ancash for a renewable energy conference and then far to the north in Chiclayo, Piura for more Water & Sanitation training. There may not be a blog next week.