Your Travel Blog Fix

Mike's sister Deb just posted a comment saying that she's suffering travel blog withdrawal. Since I don't want her or anyone else to detox, I'm supplying another fix.

Honestly, Mike and I are still being quite lazy. Most of our time is spent bumming about Huanchaco. I finished my first month of teaching English and am happy to say that I will only be teaching adults next month. Mike's been working hard on adding to his online photo portfolios, and he's gone on several photo missions in and around Huanchaco. Since we're light on news, I'll just hit you with some of those photos. Enjoy!



A piece of artwork outside a local business.



Surfing is big in Huanchaco. Just take a look at all of these people paddling out into the waves!



Here's a pic of a surfer a bit closer to the camera...



...and another of a surfer running through the sand.



This is a close-up photo of the reed boats that are so emblematic of Huanchaco.



This photo could very well have been taken decades ago. In fact, the cabalitos de tortora ("little horses of reeds") have been used for thousands of years in Peru.



Out on a bike ride one afternoon, Mike happened upon a dance competition.



This colorful couple was his favorite...



...in part because the boy was so enthusiastic. He is obviously enjoying himself immensely.



I love the elaborate costumes and the movement captured in this picture.



What a cool skirt!



On Tuesday Mike and I finally got around to seeing the Chan Chan ruins, which are a short 10 minute combi ride from Huanchaco. According to our LP guidebook, "Built around AD 1300 and covering 28 square kilometers, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Colombian city in the Americas, and the largest adobe city in the world." The Chimu people (not the better-known Peruvian Incas) are responsible for the fantastic desert ruins. Only one of the 9 palaces has been partially restored by archaeologists, so we took a tour of its sprawling grounds.



This and the previous picture feature carvings of "sea otters" which are very common in Chan Chan. The Chimu culture worshipped the sea, the moon, and the rainbow, as evidenced by their artwork. Archaeologists believe that the lines above the sea otters in the previous picture represent waves.



Pelicans are also heavily featured in the artwork.



The diamond shapes in this picture and the one above supposedly represent fishing nets, which would have held great importance to the sea-dependant culture of the Chimu people. The original walls would have been much higher of course, and this portion of the palace was likely used by priests and clerks. This photo helps give a bit of perspective in terms of how large the palace complex is. It is actually only a very small portion of the gigantic grounds that housed a mere 150 people.



This freshwater well lies within the palace walls and was used only by the royal family. There are two other smaller wells within the complex for the kitchen and the servants.

Okay, that's it for your fix -- after all, I have to keep you hooked and coming back for more!

Home Sweet Huanchaco

Quite frankly, I haven't been posting much lately because our lives have become much more predictable and "normal" now that we've settled in Huanchaco for a while. I teach, Mike works on the Internet, we cook and go grocery shopping, every now and then we go out to eat -- essentially, things have calmed down a lot. This is true especially when you compare the last three weeks to the nomadic lifestyle that has characterized our last six months of travel.

Of course, our "normal" routine in Huanchaco is not without its gems and oddities.

Gems:

1) The view from our 4th floor apartment. It's true that we have to look over the tops of several crummy-looking buildings and past crazy electrical wiring, but we still have an ocean view from our apartment windows. In fact, I can stand in my living room and see 180 degrees of ocean. Every evening, before I get ready to teach English classes, Mike and I watch the sunset over the ocean from our kitchen table. Never before has it been so convenient for me to watch so many sunsets. It's as easy as looking up from the book that I'm reading.



One of the cool things about being so close to the equator is seeing how fast the sun disappears below the horizon. You can almost imagine that you feel the Earth moving. Once the bottom edge of the sun touches the horizon, it's less than a minute before it's gone. Poof.

2) Funny t-shirts! A few phenomena fall into this category. First, there's the entirely inappropriate English-language t-shirt being worn by a young child (i.e. "Shut up and swallow or it's going in your eye!"). Then you have your English-language Ts that don't quite have it right ("Gorw your own everything" and "She locked good last night..."). Finally, there are a few t-shirts that just have cute, ironic, or unusual images. Mike bought a t-shirt picturing a cartoon banana slipping on a banana peel and spilling his groceries. I bought a series of three t-shirts with silly cartoon foods on them.



This is Mike's favorite of my new shirts. I really like it too. Perhaps I like it a bit too much, but that could be because for the first time in months I have more than 2 shirts to choose from for daily wear!

3) Gloria! Actually, I don't know whether to put this amongst the gems or the oddities, but we'll keep it here for now. Gloria is the brand name for a prominent line of dairy products and other food items. Mike and I always buy Gloria leche to dunk our Oreos in or to pour on our corn flakes. Occasionally we pick up additional Gloria products. It's nice to have cold milk, but that's not why Gloria has made the "gems" list. What I like most about Gloria products is the excuse they give Mike to burst into song. You know the "Gloria" song, right? Now, picture Mike singing that in a high-pitched voice, inserting his own lyrics everytime I pull the milk out of the fridge. A gem, right?



Sorry that the pic is all fuzzy and out of focus. We all know that Mike is the true camera wiz. Still, I think I've captured a telling moment here....

Oddities:

1) Frenchy kisses. I don't know how or when the Peruvians picked up the frou-frou European habit of cheek kissing, but I'm not a fan. I find the greeting a bit uncomfortable and pretentious. A nice handshake or a small wave is far more appropriate in my culturally biased opinion -- especially when I'm being greeted by students.

2) Garbage pick up. Huanchaco is one of the cleanest Latin American towns we have been in, and certainly the cleanest in Peru. True, the beach looks like Hell on Mondays after the weekend crowds have dispersed, but most of the garbage has been cleared away by Tuesday. The rest of the town is generally quite clean, and it's hard to put too much blame on the sun worshippers because there really aren't any garbage cans near the playa. Anyways...

Everyday the garbage truck comes by our apartment twice, ringing a bell that makes it sound more like an ice cream truck. The first pass serves as a warning indicating that you'd better get your garbage out on the curb if you want it picked up. The second time around, the truck stops to pick up all the bags that have found their way to the street. While this very regular and dependable garbage pick up service keeps the town looking relatively spic and span, it would be a definite stretch to say that the garbagemen are conscious of the health hazards that go along with their job. Most of the garbagemen (and inexplicably there are generally at least 5 to a truck) lounge in the garbage. The other day Mike watched in horror as a one armed garbageman plucked a banana from the trash, took a bite, and hurled it back into the pile. Nasty!



Here's the garbage truck, passing by our apartment. Mike was quick to point out to me that there is a poor schmuck sleeping off a hangover in amongst the trash.

3) The "wash cycle." This is a term that describes (fairly accurately) what it feels like when you have been swept from your surf board into the onslaught of a wave. My ma seems to think it's odd that I've found an extreme sport that I'm not too enthusiastic about, so that's why my first surfing experience is third on the "oddities" list. Mike and I took a lesson on Saturday and tried surfing for the first time ever. Mike managed to stand on his board once for about 3 seconds, but I never even got past my knees. I can't say that I enjoy the feeling of being helplessly swept by a wave while I'm dodging my rogue surf board, desperate for air. Normally when I go to all the trouble of donning a tight wetsuit and plunging into saltwater I at least have a regulator that helps me breathe underwater. Sharks are far more manageable and predictable than waves, in my experience. My pansy attitude towards surfing has already earned me a few rebukes, so I may have to try it again, but I'm not planning on hitting the North Shore anytime soon.

Okay, that's it for my picks and pans of the moment, but I'll leave you with a few more pictures.



The pretty church that stands on a hill behind Huanchaco is the second oldest in Peru, according to our guidebook. It was built in 1540.



The beach can get very crowded and busy on the weekends.



Mike's not so sure this is safe. Some of the wooden planks seemed awfully spongy and rotten when we walked out on this pier. Can you imagine if a large wave came and swept away a few of the support beams?



That's right: Trujillo, the city so close to Huanchaco, has its own beer. Obviously, it's the only beer anyone drinks. Too bad it's gross. At least the Pisco Sour (a drink somewhat similar in taste to a margarita) is tasty.

Well, we hope you continue to keep us updated on your lives as well! TTFN!

New Year

Wow, I've been slacking lately. It seems as though I have a lot of things to catch you up on.

We'll start with a brief discussion/description of my volunteer job. As I already mentioned, I'm teaching English for a school called Espaanglisch. It's a slightly disorganized operation, so I'm pretty much left to figure out everything on my own. We have very few books (and I don't really like the ones we do have) and almost no other materials. The classroom is not so much a room as a space, since it doesn't even have a roof. There is electricity though, so I don't have to teach in the dark. The students have desks (you know, those one-piece desk-and-chair combo deals) and the room has a large white board for me. The walls are made of muddy bricks and the floor is dirt. Usually the desks are coated in a layer of dirt as well. I'm just trying to set the scene for you.

I teach 3 classes a day, 4 days a week. First up is the Kids' English class. I co-teach this one with Paul, who hails from Ireland. Together we try to live through an hour of class with about ten 8-13 year-olds. We play games like Pictionary or Bingo; sing songs like The Hokey-Pokey and Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes; and color pictures with vocab words. Mostly, I just try to survive. Some days our lesson is a hit, some days it flops and they just want to run around. Usually I leave crying or with a headache. Just kidding....the kids can be cute little monsters sometimes.

At night I teach two more classes by myself. Each class usually has 1-6 adults in it. Attendance is rather fluid. The first one is more or less beginner level and the second is for students who can already speak and understand simple sentences fairly well. We work on pronunciation, vocab, and grammar in both classes, with a conversation element in the more advanced class. I like teaching these classes, but often have to decide what to teach shortly before class begins. Some materials would certainly make my life easier. Ah well...

Mike and I have been taking it pretty easy since we got to Huanchaco -- we've kind of turned into homebodies. We've been doing lots of reading and Internet surfing. I have developed a sick obsession with politics lately, and I find myself on CNN.com more often than is healthy. I suppose with my ASU online courses kicking off again next week I will soon be too busy to waste my time watching news clips.

Along the lines of the last post, I have a few more anecdotes/observations to share with you:

1) Grocery stores are fascinating places in Peru. Most are little more than a convenience store, in truth. The one next door to our apartment, the one I previously described as "the largest grocery store in Huanchaco," is no bigger than our one-room apartment. Nevertheless, it carries most essentials like sugar, flour, milk, eggs, fruits, veggies, corn flakes, and Coke. If we want anything special we have to go to the big grocery store in Trujillo.

The grocery store in Trujillo is in a Tottus, which is basically a Super Target. While the grocery section is easily 20 times the size of our grocery next door, it only carries twice as much in terms of variety. "Why does such a huge store have such a pathetic inventory?" you might ask. Because they fill the shelves with thousands of whatever they do have in stock, of course! No room for anything else.

One aisle in the Tottus was devoted to vegetable oil. I'm talking 47 feet long, by 5 shelves high, by three feet deep of vegetable oil. There were a few different brands, sure, but c'mon! I don't know about you, but when I buy vegetable oil it lasts for a good long time. I use a third of a cup to bake a cake every now and then and that's it. One bottle might last me 6 months or more. Of course, the vegetable oil is merely an example. Try the rice aisle, the tea aisle or the Inca Kola aisle, and you get pretty much the same phenomenon repeated.

Peruvians have the option to buy more items from a bin as well. You know how some movie theaters sell candy in bulk? It's the same idea. Pick up a scoop and you can measure out the perfect amount of flour, rice, sugar, pasta, beans, spice, or even french fries. Of course, your selection won't be as sanitary as those neatly packaged items an aisle or two over -- flies and even licked fingers go delving into the sugar.

I do have to admire the produce section, however, because as I've mentioned before there are loads of fruits and veggies that we don't see in the States. And many of the fruits or veggies we do have are far cheaper in Peru.

2) Watching the escalator can be nearly as much fun as watching a comedy show. Many people in Peru have never seen escalators before, but the new mall in Trujillo has a pair in each of the two large department stores. Stand at the bottom where people get on, and you're in for a treat. There are often lines backed up because almost everyone pauses and looks at their feet before cautiously edging onto the crazy moving staircase. Old ladies often have to be guided on by a brave young man after a minute of contemplating the frightening "electric ladder," as Peruvians call it. Some people take giant steps or time things perfectly so they can be sure to stand on a whole step rather than a crack. Mike just stands at the bottom and stares at the people, blantantly laughing at them. I find the spectacle equally amusing, but feel a bit awkward gawping as he does. It's quite funny to watch, though.

Well, that's all I can think of now for "Peruvian Phenomena that Amuse Us," but we'll be on the lookout for funny cultural differences. Now, onto some way overdue pictures:



There are loads of oil wells like this one in the deserts of northern Peru.



This is a typical Peruvian shanty town. Peru appears to be quite a bit poorer than Ecuador is.



How would you feel if you had to bike across miles of desert with strong headwinds...



....with sand or garbage the only scenery?



Mike calls this photo "Peruvian Shoe Store."



I'll admit that the sand dunes looked pretty cool, even though I was less than pleased about the rest of the desert.



The scenery changed whenever we got close to a town. In one section, rice was a common crop.



It looks a lot like southeast Asia, except for the mountains in the background and, as Mike says, the lack of pointy hats.



Yay! Rice!



The sign says, "Smile...you're in Pacasmayo," but I didn't really feel like smiling at that point. Besides, we were still a good 5 km from Pacasmayo and the wind was brutal that day! Looking back, this stunning photo of Mike makes me smile, though.



Inca Kola is the choice beverage in Peru, but it's pretty nasty. Tastes like bubblegum. Bleh.



Pacasmayo turned out to be a pretty nice town. Look at this pretty church, for example.



Pacasmayo has one of the longest piers in Peru.



It also has a giant cement factory.



Because it is right on the ocean, Pacasmayo has a strong fishing industry. Here, some fishermen are repairing the nets.



Not all of the boats were out to sea.



Pacasmayo had several lovely parks, but sadly the seahorse fountain was not working. This is not too surprising, however. It's worthwhile to note that the town is in shambles behind this elaborate fountain, which is also typical. Due to all of the construction and all of the unfinished projects we see, Mike likes to joke that the motto or slogan for this counry should be "Peru: Coming soon..."



This was weird. Out of nowhere this giant chicken restaurant appeared in the desert. There was a tollboth nearby, but literally nothing else. The closest buildings were mere shanties.

Okay, this brings me to the end of my current post. I have only one more image to leave you with:



This is a life-size doll, dressed in its owner's old clothes, and ready to burn. This is one of many New Year's Eve traditions in Peru. The symbolism is rather obvious, I think -- basically, you say good-bye to the old you and make room for a new year. In order to ensure that it is a good year, you wear lucky yellow underwear and eat 12 grapes under the table (one for each month). If you plan to do any traveling, you pick up your suitcases and run around the block, which will make your travels smooth and enjoyable.

Far fewer Peruvians seem to have guns than Hondurans or Guatemalans (for instance), so it's NOT a tradition to shoot your gun into the air at midnight. Fireworks do just fine.

Well, I hope 2008 is going well for you so far!

Galapagos Birds -- Part II

Good news! We're finally back online. We purchased a new computer the other day so we can once again share our pictures and conduct our business. Even better: we have 24-hour free Internet access! Mike has barely left our apartment since we set up the computer (just kidding). It will take us a little while to recover programs and get caught up, but we're glad to be fully functional again.

This is also good news for you because it means that you finally get to see some boobies -- blue footed boobies, that is! That's right, here's your final installment of Galapagos wildlife. Better late than never, right?



A lone booby perches on a rock. Although there are some places in the Galapagos where boobies are abundant, forming entire colonies, we only managed to see a few stragglers.



Look at those blue feet! Boobies are also fun to watch because they unexpectedly plunge into the water from time to time. They look like they are dive-bombing the surface.



Boobies are best known for their awesome name. The blue feet also earn them bonus points. But on top of the cool name and the colorful tootsies, boobies also know how to get down. They are famous for their dancing abilities; case in point, this one's certainly in a groove.



Here we have a booby in flight, coming in for a landing near another booby and a pelican. This gives me a nice segue into the pelican pictures. I know, I know, you want to see more boobies. Well, too bad. It was an overcast day and they really weren't putting on the show we'd hoped for.



Pelicans may not be as silly or rare as blue footed boobies, but I like this picture.



The pelicanos liked to hang out on the back of the small boat our cruise ship was towing.



Coming in for a landing!



Now this is a cool perspective...



And of course we all know about Darwin's finches... Here are a couple specimens enjoying a bird bath.

There, I feel much better now that we've fully covered our Galapagos wildlife sightings. Of course we really didn't come close to seeing everything there is to see. Next time we go back we will have to seek out the red footed boobies, and we'll need to bring along an underwater camera to catch the animals we see when we're scuba diving.

Now, back to the present; I have a few anecdotes to pass on:

1) We've made our first enemy in Peru. Unintentionally, of course. We dined tonight in a restaurant across from our apartment. We got to the restaurant, found the menu ourselves after waiting a while for a server to show up, and placed our order after about 20 minutes. Another 40 minutes later our food made it to our table (How long does it take to make a ham and cheese sandwich? C'mon! Sadly, the wait time is typical). Mike also ordered a Coke and got a glass 2 inches tall and half filled with ice. Naturally, he finished the Coke in about 1 sip, and there's no such thing as a free refill in Peru. He therefore ran across the street to a bodega (convenience store) and bought a liter of Coke so that he could refill his glass himself. Meanwhile a wet purple dog (the purple spots were some kind of medicine and he was wet from a trip to the ocean with the local kids) and a couple of kittens were running around the restaurant, which is also not too surprising in Peru. The food was pretty tasty, which made up (somewhat) for the other disappointments (my ham and cheese sandwich was fancy with balsamic vinagrette, etc. and Mike had a Thai curry). When the American owner swung by our table and asked how our food was, we said that it was "good." He remarked that this was the "worst compliment" he's received and that normally his guests are over the moon, praising his cooking. Whatever. We paid and left. When I passed by the restaurant a few minutes later on my way to teach I heard him complaining to other guests that he's never heard such a shoddy compliment as "good" before. *Me, rolling my eyes* Jackass.

2) Next topic: whistle blowers. Not exactly the same as those corporate tattle-tales in the U.S., whistle blowers in Peru actually blow whistles. Loudly. All night long. Think of them as your neighborhood watch. In nicer and medium nice neighborhoods in Peru, local residents pay a night watchman to patrol their streets. He does so, ensuring that no miscreants wreak havoc in the middle of the night. But how are the residents to know that this watchman is doing his job and not sitting in a bar getting drunk? Why, by giving him a whistle, of course! The whistle blower circles the neighborhood from dusk til dawn, blowing his whistle. The locals can rest easy knowing that their property is well protected...except for the fact that it is difficult to actually rest when every five minutes someone is tooting a whistle at full volume beneath your bedroom window. I fall asleep and wake up to the whistle blower everyday. Such comfort, knowing he's there!

3) Roof dogs. Now here's a Peruvian phenomenon I can get behind! With limited yard space, many Peruvians relegate their mutts to the flat roofs covering their humble abodes. Although there are certainly plenty of dogs freely roaming the streets still, I like how the occassional pooch is left to guard its house from above. I have little fear of doggy jaws when they are 12 feet off the ground. *Roof, roof!*

4) Cebiche is another check mark in the "Pro" column for Peru. This is a local dish that I find surprisingly tasty, considering how I thought I hated seafood only months ago. Nearly every restaurant serves it. Basically, it consists of raw fish marinated in a limon and onion mixture for several hours. Cebiche is best when it is a little spicy, too. Usually it is served with yucca, which is one of my favorite vegetables (I think it's a veg...at any rate it is similar to a potato in taste). Although I can't get enthusiastic about eating Cebiche everyday (especially since you usually have to pick out the fish bones yourself), I do like to have it every now and then.

Okay, that's it for anecdotes today, but don't worry -- we'll have plenty more to share. Also, I finished my first day of teaching English, but I'll save that saga for another time as well. Toodles.