When normal Nike sneakers just won’t cut it..

You just might need to use the more specialized version:

Why are those two doggies stuck together..

Andrea has been researching today the dog ‘mating tie‘, as seen here.

Normally not found around the states too much due to the large amount of neutering going on.. looks painful, but I guess the dogs are enjoying it.

Andrea made it back to town..

After a quick week of training in Lima and a brutal return on a bus that was delayed on the highway by a day due to landslides in the area, Andrea is back in Molino getting back into the swing of things..

Getting her hair cut..

Drying her underwear..

 

 

 

 

Reflections on the desert..

Having spend the last week in Ica, one of the driest and hottest regions of Peru, during the middle of the summer here (Feb-March); I really kinda appreciate the rainy higher altitude life up in Amazonas a bit more.  Nonetheless, here are some observations from my early in-service training week in Ica and Palpa:

Every room, especially hotel rooms needs to have a fan. No questions asked. You will still sweat throughout the night, but slight breeze is key.

It really doesn’t matter that there’s no hot water heater.

Stay in the shade, towns are designed to have more.

People eat alot of ice cream and cremoladas (slushie drink) and raspadillas (snow cones).

Houses are a little less stable, and locals are proud of their grapes. And for good reason, Ica produces the country’s best wines and piscos.

Onward..

Ica and Huacachina..

No wonder this desert oasis town is such a popular place for gringo travelers coming through Peru, it’s pretty increíble.

The legend of Huacachina goes like this.. there was an Inca princess walking in the desert with a mirror to always see how good she looked. One day she saw a guy behind her in the mirror and got frightened and dropped and shattered the mirror at this spot. Some say she then fled and her dragged blanket made the dunes..other say she became a mermaid in the lake to save people who are drowning.

Upon arrival Seth and Shanawaz had the great idea to just start climbing the dunes.

Continually shifting, this fine sand got everywhere: in the ears and ears and unfortunately in the gears of the digital camera.

On top of the dunes is the best way to see the entire town of about 200 people. Started up around 1920 as a relaxation, and medicinal bathing resort.. it has since turned into a travelers mecca for dune buggy rides, sandboarding, and late night parties with other foreigners.

With that said, us peace corps folks were not going to miss out on the opportunity to ride around the terrain and try out our balance sliding down sand hills.

Here’s a quick look at the dune buggy experience, no easier way to get around..

Plaza Veo, the Walmart of Peru..

Perhaps we’ve been out living in rural Amazonas for a bit too long but when coming to
the big cities of Peru, I’m reminded of the mega variety stores that do indeed exist
over here.  Stopping by the Plaza Veo in Miraflores, Lima this week I cann’t help but
notice how similar it is to the walmarts of the US.

And continuing on to fresh produce..

And the drink and cooler section of the store..

Cleaning Beans and Making Coffee in Mendoza..

Grow the beans (coffee cherries), remove outer skin (pulp), dry the beans, remove inner skin (husks), toast the greenish raw beans to dark brown, grind, and pass the boiling hot water.  Wikipedia if you’d like..

Beans on the tree.

Drying beans in the sun after pulp, or outer shell has been removed.

Closer look at the fresh beans, still covered by their white husks, the darker beans are duds that didn’t grow right and will have to be sorted out by hand.

The beans are agitated to loosen the husks and then panned to try to blow off the husks and sort out the premium green beans to sell from the dark duds and the husks.

In Peru, they are very found mixing a concentrated coffee ‘essence’ with hot water for their cafe pasado..

Caverna de Leo, discovered but not highly promoted gem of a cave..

Actually it’s quite nice that this place hasn’t been visited much and was only discovered 6 years ago.  It’s an incredible collection of very fragile formations and unbelieviable sizes.  The largest space is ~70-80m high supposedly, and it would take days to explore all passages.  Going with the gentleman who found the cave and named it after himself.  Andrea, Professor Mario, and myself got the highlights during a few hours.

CAVERNA de LEO website, with plenty of better pictures..

I almost think the formations are bit better and more impressive then the Quiocta Caverns near Lamud, but each are quite nice trips and unique nonetheless.  Here’s some highlights from Leo in Omia:

Good times.

 

Drink Molopolies and Making Cañaso, Part 2..

Major commercial Drinks in Peru:

Softdrinks:

–

Coca-cola
Inca Kola (now owned by Coca-cola as of 1999)

Pepsi

–

–

–

 

Beers:

 

-Cristal (Backus Brewery, owned now by SABMiller group)
Pilsen Callao (Backus Brewery, owned now by SABMiller group)
Trujillo (Backus Brewery, owned now by SABMiller group)
Cusqueña (Backus Brewery, owned now by SABMiller group)
Brahma (from Brazil, owned now by Anheuser-Busch InBev)

With the softdrink and beer monopolies going on here in Peru, where does
the consumer turn for a locally made drink other then boiled tap water?  There are
basically the Chicha Moradas (made with purple corn, pinapple, sugar, cinnamon, and
clove), the Chicha de Jora (made with sometime w corn, sugar, but mostly chancaca based..sugar cane juice solid), the drinks made from grapes down in the south (cachina/vino/pisco) and those made from sugar cane (caldo/guarapo/canaso).

Still fascinated regarding the transition of squeezing cane to bottling
aguardiente.  Andrea and I recently got to visit a Mendoza area facility
which helps facilitate that process.  In my previous entry regarding sugar
cane (CLICK HERE), I explained that it’s not more then Caldo (juice) to
guarapo (fermented juice) to Cañaso (distilled product, about 30 to 40% alcohol).
But never realized it could look soo rustic.  Then again, out in the Peru countryside, most erected structures look rustic.

Sampling the final product with the family behind the operation, they grow sugar cane right next to their house to feed into the press for fresh caldo, or sugar cane juice.

Caldo sits in hollowed out tree trunks for 2 to 7 days to ferment into guarapo.

When ready to distill, fire is started in the chamber and guarapo is fed into the tube up top.

Alcohol rich vapors are piped into a water bath where it condenses into the distilled product and flows into plastic barrels for shipment to local shops.

Big thanks to the godfather of our spanish teacher, for the very nice tour of the operation.

Crazy Dunkin Donut Favors..

Want to try very much the Boston Manjar and Happy Faces..

– E.g.

Ubicación:Jose Gonzales,Lima,Perú