saturday, june 19, 2010
The Billinghurst Bridge
The Billinghurst Bridge over the Madre de Dios River in the Southern Peruvian Amazon is slated to be finished in December of this year - almost three decades from when the project was inaugurated.The $25.71 million effort to build the 722-meter-long span was begun in 1978 and the parts for the steel suspension bridge were fabricated in Austria and sent to Peru for assembly. But financial and social upheaval in the country put the project on hold.
Today, the consortium building the Interoceanic Highway, Conirsa, has undertaken the effort to build the bridge and plans to have it finished in time for the road's official opening in December.
My story on the bridge construction, "Peru Project Spans One River, Three Decades" is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record and a slideshow of images is on the magazine's website as well.
read more
monday, may 24, 2010
El Califa
There is a Platonic ideal for the local lunch joint. It's a place you'll find anywhere in the world, jam packed every day of the week by folks who know what the regional cuisine should taste like because they grew up with their grandmother cooking it.If you ever happen to wind up in Puerto Maldonado, Peru that restaurant is El Califa. For almost three decades the Portocarrero family has cranked out the best lunch in town featuring the jungle cuisine done in the best blue collar tradition. This place is so working class they also sell tractors on the side, just ask 'em.
At first glance, it ain't much; just a plain wooden structure at the end of one of the town's many dirt streets that only stands out because the paintjob is relatively fresh. The decor inside is similar ; a wide open room with about two dozen tables, each with a glass top and the menu underneath. But the clues are there. Among the usual tourism promo posters that adorn the walls is an aging portrait of the restaurant's founders - the hallmark of the great lunch joint. read more
wednesday, may 19, 2010
The Los Olmos Project
The Los Olmos project in Northern Peru is one of the most challenging engineering efforts in the world. The $247 million undertaking is designed to bring water from the Western slopes of the Andes to the dry Pacific coastland through a 20-kilometer-long tunnel.Two years ago I penned an article examining Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht's effort to build the tunnel, the second deepest being excavated in the world. It was slated for completion last month.
The delay has been caused by rock bursts which have been buffeting the tunnel boring machine boring the tunnel over the past year. One massive one that struck on April 29 has indefinitely halted work after damaging a key part of the machine.
My story on the difficulties the project is facing, Series of Rock-Bursts Throws Peruvian Tunnel Job Offtrack. read more
wednesday, march 31, 2010
Lima's El Metropolitano
Peru's capital city of Lima is set to unveil its $538-million integrated urban bus system commonly known as El Metropolitano in April.The system, based on Bogota, Colombia's successful TransMileneo system, will feature a 26-kilometer primary bus line built in the center lanes of the city's main north-south arterial roads, with a fleet of 522 natural-gas-powered buses. Officials say it will be able to handle up to 700,000 passengers daily when completely operational at the end of may.
The centerpiece of the project is an $18 million central terminal constructed beneath the Promenade of Naval Heroes in Central Lima designed to handle 110,000 passengers a day.
My story, Growing Transit System in Lima, Peru Bringing Order to 'Chaos', is in this week's Engineering News-Record. In addition, it features a slideshow of images from the project.
wednesday, march 31, 2010
South America Power Transmission
Last year, Brazil was hit by a massive blackout that plunged two-thirds of the country into darkness for hours. In March, Chile suffered a power outage that left almost 80 percent of the population without power for hours.Both incidents occurred when a localized failure in the power grid led to a chain reaction that caused a widespread failure in the country's transmission system. They serve as a warning for many countries in the region that have let the power grids languish while infrastructure development has been focused elsewhere.
Brazil and Peru are examples of two countries that have poured billions of dollars into the electric power grid infrastructure in an effort to stave off blackouts in the coming years. My story, In South America, Trouble on the Line, is in this week's Engineering News-Record.
wednesday, march 03, 2010
The Inambari Hydroelectric Project
The momentum behind a proposed 2,000MW hydroelectric facility in the Peruvian Amazon is gaining as Brazilian interests continue to back the effort.The Brazilian consortium behind the project, Empresa de Generacion Electrica Amazonas Sur S.A.C. (EGASUR), says construction of the dam on the Inambari river could begin by the end of this year and be completed by 2014.
If approved by Peru's Ministry of Mines and Energy the consortium would be required to replace more than 100 kilometers of the InterOceanic highqway slated for completion later this year.
My story, Brazil Backs $4-Billion Peruvian Hydropower Project, is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record.
thursday, december 31, 2009
Five Years in Peru
For the first two months of 2010, a collection of my photographs will be on display at The Bunna Coffee Tea & Market in Chandler, Arizona. The exhibition, Five Years in Peru, will feature a dozen or so of my photographs taken between 2003 and 2008 at locations across the Andean nation.In 2003, I arrived in Peru with the intention of spending a few months digging up a freelance story or two to try and sell when I got back to the states. Instead, I ended up staying semi-permanently and creating a freelance journalism career pretty much from scratch. In conjunction with that, I became a photojournalist somewhat by accident.
Five Years in Peru is an opportunity to show my work for the first time but it is also a deliberate attempt to educate people about the mysterious and often misunderstood Andean country. read more
thursday, march 19, 2009
Machu Picchu
A plan to build an elevator to ferry tourists up to the famous 'lost' city of the Incas, Machu Picchu, has been proposed by the regional government in Peru.The regional tourism board for the Department of Cusco says the elevator will ascend 1,500 feet from the level of the Urubamba River to the ridge where the ancient citadel is located. (Tourists presently use a bus service that winds it's way up a dirt road on the side of the mountain.)
If built, the number of tourists could increase fourfold over the current daily maximum of approximately 2,500. That concerns many who feel the site is already in danger due to the influx of visitors.
My story on the project, Peru Proposes Elevator to Increase Access to Machu Picchu Site, is on ENR.com.
friday, march 13, 2009
Latin America Infrastructure Development
Nations across South and Central America are taking a recognizable tack in their efforts to stave of financial collapse - stimulus packages. Notably, multi-billion dollar programs that emphasize infrastructure development.Brazil has inaugurated a $270 billion effort and is preparing a program to construct 1 million homes for low income families. Argentina is preparing a $21 billion package, Peru has pledged $3.3 billion and Chile is planning to spend $4 billion.
To this effort the World Bank has said it will provide $100 in financial support for developing nations, of which a third is likely to go to infrastructure.
My story on the situation, Latin America Pinning Recovery On Infrastructure Spending Plans, is at ENR.com.
tuesday, february 10, 2009
Peruvian Dinosaur Tracks
The construction of a road in the central highlands of Peru has uncovered hundreds of dinosaur tracks and fossils estimated at more than more than 120 million years old.The discovery was made in 2006 when workers with the Peruvian mining company Antamina were starting work on a road in the Ancash region about 250 miles northeast of Lima. Hundreds of tracks and fossils from dozens of animals - herbivores and carnivores of all sizes - have since been excavated at the site now called Cruz Planta.
My story on the find as well as a similar one made recently in Argentina, Dinosaur Tracks Uncovered During Peru Road Construction, is over at ENR.com.
tuesday, august 26, 2008
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is - by far - the most visited locale in South America. During the peak of the tourist season as many as 2,500 visitors will overwhelm the famed "lost city of the Incas."
More than 750,000 people visited Machu Picchu last year boosting the country's economy by more than $40 million. And the numbers are growing every year. And the concerns the popularity is endangering the unique site are growing as well. One study projects the maximum number of daily visitors to the site could double within a decade.
In 2007 the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) opted to remove Machu Picchu from its list of endangered world heritage sites this week, after Peru vowed to regulate tourism on the mountaintop.
thursday, august 07, 2008
Machu Picchu
Last week, the American Society of Civil Engineers dedicated a plaque designating Peru's famed "lost city" of the Incas - Machu Picchu - part of the organization's Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program.The honor was partially fueled by the zeal of ASCE member Kenneth Wright who has, with his wife Ruth, documented the engineering expertise of the Andean civilization.
Because, as visually stunning as Machu Picchu is to the casual visitor, it possesses a similar magnificence for trained engineers who can marvel at the achievement it's construction five hundred years ago represented.
According to the Wrights, as much as 60 percent of the building effort went to site preparation, drainage and foundations. Almost half the work that went into the site lies below the surface itself. read more
monday, august 04, 2008
Southern Peru: A Photographic Journey
My father came to Peru two weeks ago and I was pressed into service as a bit of a tour guide during his time here. We traveled to Cusco and, from there, into the Sacred Valley as well as the obligatory visit to Machu Picchu. Then we headed further south into the highlands beyond Urcos.Along the way we got to see the salt mines of Salinas (above), the Lord of Earthquakes in Maras as well as the Incan ruins of Tipon, Moray and Pisac. We saw local residents cooking oven-baked pig, making adobe bricks and even playing foosball in the town square.
As usual, the venture was an opportunity for me to take more photographs of this fantastic region and I have built another little slideshow documenting the adventure.
tuesday, june 10, 2008
St. Rose of Lima
St. Rose of Lima is the patroness of the America's and the Phillipines. She was born Isabel Flores de Oliva in Lima in 1586. Her devotion to her faith was clear from an early age and he claimed to experience visions, revelations, visitations and voices. She died at the age of 31.
She was canonized in 1671 by pope Clement X. Her feast day is celebrated on Aug. 30 in Lima and hundreds descend on her shrine in downtown Lima built on the site of her birthplace. The faithful write their prayers on letters and cast them into the well there for her intercession.
thursday, may 29, 2008
Ausangate: A Photographic Journey
Earlier this month I traveled to the highlands of Southern Peru with my uncle and my cousin on a bit of an impromptu hiking trip. The goal was a six-day jaunt around Peru's second-highest mountain Nevada Ausangate.Needless to say we had bitten off a bit more than we could chew. Even though we drastically shortened our itinerary, we ended up hiking more than 60 miles at elevations touching 15,000 feet over the venture.
It was a brutal effort given the thin air, vicious cold and long hikes across never-ending ridges. But, that isn't to say the adventure wasn't worth it. The sheer sublime glory of Ausangate more than paid in full for the physical demands it took to reach it's rarified locale.
As usual, I had my trusty Canon in tow and took several hundred photographs along the way. I offer this little slideshow for you all to get a little glimpse of what we were able to see during our odyssey in the highlands.
wednesday, may 28, 2008
The InterOceanic Highway
The sheer elevation of the Peruvian Andes makes the challenge of building a highway across them a formidable one. Paving a road at elevations touching 16,000 feet means looking for unique solutions and that's precisely the tack being taken by a company trying to complete the first trans-oceanic highway across the breadth of South America. |
wednesday, may 28, 2008
The Los Olmos Project
The coast of Peru is a barren scrubland which proves fantastically bountiful when water is brought to it. And, for centuries, the problem of how to bring the abundant waters on the Amazon side of the Andes to the Pacific coast has perplexed engineers.Today, the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht is working on a massive $190 million irrigation project that will dam the Huancabamba River on the western side of the Northern Peruvian Andes and then funnel the water through the mountains to the dry Los Olmos riverbed. To do this a 20-kilometer-long tunnel is being bored through the continental divide.
Although the unshielded Robbins gripper TBM is tunneling through one of the lowest reaches of the Andes, it is still one of the deepest tunneling projects in the world with 6,890 feet of overburden at it's deepest point. It is bested by only the Gotthard Base tunnel in Switzerland buy just a few hundred feet. read more
tuesday, may 27, 2008
Cañazo
A woman in Tinque, Peru pours the sugar cane rum called cañazo from a bucket into a plastic bottle for sale. This locally-made raw liquor (also known as yonque in northern Peru) can be more than 50% alcohol content - although its common for vendors to water it down for resale.
It is essentially a type of Aguardente derived by the fermentation and distillation of sugar cane imported from the coast. Most often it's drunk as a shot, serving as a crude but effective means to keep the sharp cold of the Andean nights at bay.
friday, may 09, 2008
Death in the Andes - Mario Vargas Llosa
Sometimes, when the enormity of reality is simply too great a burden for the mind to comprehend, literature can serve as a midwife to understanding. It certainly is the case with Mario Vargas Llosa's novel Death in the Andes.The Peruvian writer's effort to distill the sense of helplessness and horror that gripped his country for the better part of two decades due to a bloody and violent Maoist insurgency is an astonishing accomplishment. It's also essential reading for those who did not experience that terrible period firsthand (such as myself) to have any hope of understanding what transpired in the Andean nation in those years.
Beginning in 1980, the Shining Path guerrillas began a civil war in Peru from the highlands. Ardent and hard-line Maoists, their intent was nothing less than to destroy the government of Peru and begin a worldwide people's revolution. read more
wednesday, may 07, 2008
An Interview with Alfred C. Glassell Jr.
On a clear spring day off the coast of Peru in 1953 Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. didn't let the big one get away. The Texas oilman reeled in a black marlin that weighed 1,560 pounds that remains the largest bony fish ever caught with a rod and reel.Originally from Louisiana, Glassell served in World War II in North Africa and then settled in Houston, Texas afterward. He founded Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp., and was instrumental in the construction the first gas transmission system from Texas to New York. Active in both the oil and gas industry he saved his valuable leisure time for big-game fishing.
In the early 1950s he and famed sportswriter and fellow sport fisherman S. Kip Farrington founded the Cabo Blanco Fishing Club that became legendary for sheer quantity and size of the fish caught there during a decade-long spread. Glassell, now 95, was kind enough to talk to me a while back about his life as a sport fisherman and the famous Cabo Blanco Fishing Club: read more
friday, march 28, 2008
Incan Petroglyphs
Incan petroglyphs near the village of Chahuaytiri, Peru in the Sacred Valley.
tuesday, september 04, 2007
The Interoceanic Highway
Last week Peru awarded the final two contracts of the 2,500 kilometer Interoceanic Highway project to a par of consortia comprised of Peruvian contractors.Consorcio Interocánica and Concesionaria del Sur will handle the repair of more than 1,000 kilometers of existing paved roads that lead to three costal cities. The two contracts are valued at $285 million.
Work on the three contracts that include the building new road across the difficult mountain and jungle terrain of Southern Peru began two years ago.
Peruvian officials say the final pair of contracts, although almost a year behind schedule, will be completed by the 2009 deadline for the entire project.
My story on the issue, Final Two Sections Awarded For Transandean Highway, is on ENR.com. A sidebar looking at progress repairing roads in the wake of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck three weeks ago, After Quake, Crews Scramble To Fix PanAm Highway, is online as well. read more
wednesday, august 22, 2007
The Peru Earthquake
After the intial shock of the powerful 80 earthquake that struck southern Peru on Aug. 15 began to receed, rescue efforts ground into gear.At first the focus was rescuing the survivors, then it became the grim task of recovering bodies.
Providing aid to those living in the shattered wreckage was a monumental problem from the first hours as well. Water, food and medical supplies for the thousands who remained in the devastated area were extremely limited.
On the third day the goverment began looking for engineers to help the clean up and start the rebuilding. It will be a daunting task. Whole cities lie in ruins and the region's infrastructure is in tatters. Basic services and access to region is spotty or nonexistant.
My story on the situation, Cleanup and Reconstruction From Peru Quake May Take Years, is in this week's issue of Engineering News-Record (It also features a slightly different slide-show of the devastation). In addition, my account of my visit to the disaster zone, Life in the ruins of Peru, is recounted on my ENR.com blog, Points South. read more
monday, august 20, 2007
The Peru Earthquake
Last week, Southern Peru was devastated by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. The death toll has already topped 500 and is expected to climb substantially in the days to come. Whole cities have been razed to the ground.This weekend, I traveled to one of the towns hardest hit by the temblor, Pisco. Authorities there say more than 70 percent of the city has been destroyed. Having seen it myself, I have to say that's probably a conservative estimate.
I have arranged some of the photographs I took there into a slideshow to show a bit of what "normal" life is like in Pisco right now. If you would like to help the relief effort, I urge you to do so through Oxfam America who are one of the best organized groups laboring to get assistance to those affected across the region.
tuesday, august 07, 2007
Pisac Ovens
Cesar Flores pulls a batch of empañadas from one of the giant wood-fired ovens found in Pisac, Peru. These ovens are common in this part of the Sacred Valley near Cusco. They are used for baking a wide variety of items such as cakes and pastries but also for roasting various meats such as trout, whole pigs and that notorious Peruvian specialty, cuy.
friday, july 20, 2007
Pisac, Peru
Each Sunday is market day in the streets of Pisac, in the Sacred Valley of Peru. After a mass celebrated in the Indian language of Quechua, the mayor, holding his silver staff of office, and various other men of the town have a small procession.
friday, july 06, 2007
Painting Machu Picchu
Luis Casanova Sorolla is a 23-year-old painter traveling across South America this year documenting his travels on the canvas. Peruvian by birth, he is now based in Austria. His current adventure has him returning to Peru where, during his time here, he made a pilgrimage to Machu Picchu in order to capture "the lost city of the Incas" in acrylic. His current project has him setting up his easel in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil. You can find out more about Luis and his art on his website.
friday, july 06, 2007
Interoceanic Highway
After the rainy season eased off earlier this year, construction crews went back to work on the $1.3 billion Interoceanic Highway in Southern Peru.Turns out, things have come quite a ways since my visit to the project last year.
Conirsa, the Odebrecht-led consortium building two sections of the road totaling more than 700 kilometers, was able to pave more than 100 kilometers before the weather turned bad - but now they are facing new obstacles.
The roadway in the deep jungle is succeptible to cracking due to the lack of aggrigate. The company says the cracking isn't a thread to the road's stability but it has had to implement various measures to retard the process including sealing the fissures with an asphalt/polymer prior to pavement. read more
friday, june 29, 2007
La Red
The far north section of Miraflores roughly along La Mar Avenue has been transformed into an epicenter of Peruvian seafood establishments. More than a half-dozen of Lima’s premier eateries featuring the abundance of the country’s waters are to be found in this little neighborhood.Many of these places have opened in recent years – major restaurants backed by well known chefs – but there is at least one that is a long-time landmark here, so much so it is pretty easy to miss it when you venture into this little cluster of streets.
From the street, La Red looks like one of the countless neighborhood markets found across Peru. Most likely, this was originally a home and an informal restaurant was opened in the front room. The back-story certainly lends credence to that theory. read more
friday, june 15, 2007
Chuyay Tinkaykuy
Students from the Instituto Technológico KHIPHU practice the Chuyay Tinkaykuy dance in the San Blas plaza of Cusco, Peru. They are preparing for Cusco's Inti Raymi - or Festival of the Sun - celebrations which mark the founding of the ancient Incan citadel which kick off this weekend.
thursday, june 14, 2007
Los Mundialistas
Finding decent Peruvian food in the heart of Cusco can be an uphill battle. While there are a few high-end locales that boast excellent novoandino fare, you are mostly besieged with an onslaught of pizzerias and a bland imitation of what this country is capable of in the kitchen.In such a situation it is usually best to go where the natives go and in Cusco that is to the small side street Pampas del Castillo. This half street/half sidewalk a handful of blocks from the main square boasts a dozen or so hole-in-the-wall chicharoneria’s – restaurants serving freshly fried pork plates.
And, one of the most famed chicharonerias on this little boulevard is Los Mundialistas. For more than three decades this emporium has been serving meals to Cuscos working stiffs and artists. It’s packed every day and there are damned few gringos to be found hunched over its tables. read more
wednesday, may 30, 2007
An Interview with Guillermo Cock
In 1999, an international team of researchers led by Peruvian archeologist Guillermo Cock began the excavation of an Incan graveyard in the eastern section of Lima. It was a race against time to save the remains buried there before the influx of thousands of people built their homes over the site.Three years later his team had recovered more than 2,300 mummies and tens of thousands of artifacts at the Puruchuco-Huaquerones site interred sometime between 1438 to 1532 – the largest such site ever discovered in the Americas. It was an incredible find that garnered quite a bit of attention due to the coverage of National Geographic who helped finance the effort. read more
tuesday, may 29, 2007
Puruchuco
The Puruchuco archeological site in the outskirts of Lima has become famous for the discovery of several thousand mummies in 1999, but this pre-Hispanic Incan settlement has been an important location for study for half a century. Work on the site began in 1953 with the efforts of Peruvian archeologist Dr. Arturo Jiménez Borja. Since then numerous important discoveries have been made here, notably pristine examples of Incan khipu, or the mysterious ‘knot language.’ This is an urn on display in one of the public spaces of the re-created Incan huaca, or manor house, at the site today.
monday, may 28, 2007
1491 - Charles C. Mann
In terms of the general understanding of history there is a huge gap that pretty much starts when the Mr. Columbus stumbled into that uncertain Caribbean island in October of 1492 and extends back a good 20,000 years.Two years ago, author Charles C. Mann took a big step toward rectifying that situation in the mind of the public with the publication of his best-selling tome, 1491. The problem isn’t that we don’t know about who lived in the Americas prior to the European arrival, it’s that the public preconceptions of these people is often flat wrong.
There is, Mann asserts, a prevailing assumption of the peoples that inhabited the Americas as existing in an Edenic native state; ecologically pure nomads scattered across the two continents living off the abundance of nature. Over the past half-century or so, scholars and scientists have instead discovered that the Americas were filled with civilizations every bit as urbane, populous and advanced as what Europe could offer. read more
friday, may 25, 2007
The Weaver
Five hundred years ago, Tejida was a master weaver in an Incan city on the banks of the Rimac River in what is now the district of Ate in Lima, Peru. Believed to be about 50 when she died, Tejida was buried with the ornaments of her craft; skeins of thread drape her arms, a wicker box of her tools and a collection of weavings. She was a among the more than 2,500 Incan mummies excavated five years ago by a team working with National Geographic.
thursday, may 24, 2007
Dust into Gold
Next door to me lives a man who turns dust to gold.Here in Peru, I live on Avenida La Paz in Miraflores which is lined with jewelry shops or joyerias in Spanish.
Once a month or so my neighbor, Cesar Miyakawa, goes around to the workshops and collects the refuse that has been swept up off the floors. He sifts through it and then melts this down in a propane-fueled kiln.
That produces a glassy-like shard of gook as well as a few tiny specks of gold. A few more steps and he has recovered a nugget of 24 carat gold about the size of a pencil eraser which he will sell back to one of the jewelry shops for about $30.
Cesar was kind enough to allow me to document the process which I present to you as a slideshow, Dust to Gold.
monday, may 21, 2007
Sonia
Twenty-eight years ago, the wife of a fisherman in the beachside town of Chorillos near Lima opened a little restaurant with four tables and an abiding respect for the bounty of the Peruvian sea.Sonia Bahamonde's restaurant, Sonia, has gone from that humble beginning to taking its place as one of the premier seafood restaurants in Lima.
The restaurant earned a smidgen of international renown last year when it was featured in an episode of Anthony Bourdain's show, No Reservations. He was brought to Sonia by Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio who, on the program, explained his reason for selecting the establishment thusly:
"Because the owner is a fisherman. Because his wife is a cook... And because this is the real flavor that Peruvians love." read more
monday, april 23, 2007
Julio Cusurichi and the plight of Peru's indigenous peoples
On Sunday, Julio Cusurichi – a Shipiro Indian from the Madre de Dios region of Peru – was awarded the Goldman Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for environmental activism.Cusurichi was recognized for his work with the Native Federation of Madre de Dios, known as FENAMAD, in creating a 3,000-square-mile reserve in the Southern Peruvian jungle for tribes that choose to have no contact with the outside world.
Loggers looking to harvest valuable old-growth mahogany have encroached on these peoples in recent years, and the result has been devastating to the tribes. They are vulnerable to outside disease and reports of violence against them are becoming more common.
My story on the award and the problem of illegal mahogany logging in Peru, The mahogany wars of Peru's rain forests, is in Sunday’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle. read more
tuesday, april 17, 2007
Madre de Dios
An Amahuaca indian woman, Delmira, living in the Madre de Dios region of Southern Peru and her pet red-howler monkey, Carolina.
monday, april 09, 2007
An Interview with Jaime Razuri
On New Years Day, a Peruvian photojournalist for Agency France-Presse, Jaime Razuri, was kidnapped at gunpoint in the Gaza Strip. For six days his whereabouts were unknown as journalists and diplomats from around the globe demanded his release. He was freed, unharmed, on Jan. 7.The incident made him a minor international celebrity and a major one in his home country. But it also overshadows a more than 20-year career that has included covering some of the most turbulent conflicts in our times.
Jaime studied photography at the University of Lima and then journeyed to Spain to hone his skills further. By the end of the 1980s he was working as a photojournalist in Lima during the devastating conflict led by communist insurgents that included the infamous Shining Path. read more
tuesday, january 23, 2007
Taquile Weavers
Two men on the Island of Taquile in the middle of Lake Titicaca knit their distinctive hats. Less than 2,000 people live here and almost all continue to dress in a traditional fashion. While women on the island spin thread and weave cloth, knitting is done almost exclusively by the men.
monday, january 08, 2007
InterOceanic Highway
The InterOceanic Highway project is a $1.3 billion effort to complete a paved road through Southern Peru that is the final link in a mid-South American ocean-to-ocean roadway.Two consortiums led by Brazilian construction giants Odebrecht and Carmargo Correa have undertaken the effort which is slated for completion in 2009.
This road crosses the Peruvian Andes reaching elevations in excess of 14,500 feet and winds through the dense Amazonian rainforest where annual rainfall can exceed 10 feet.
Last year I toured the three sections under construction and wrote a series of stories about the project for Engineering News-Record that are available in this week's issue of the magazine.
The first, South American Project Stretches Ocean to Ocean, is an overview of the entire project and examines the obstacles the engineers are facing to complete it. read more
sunday, january 07, 2007
Jaime Razuri
Jaime Razuri was released by his captors in the Gaza Strip earlier today.According to Agence France-Presse, Razuri was taken to the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I'm fine. I'm very happy to be released. They treated me well and gave me good food," Razuri said minutes after he was freed.
"It was not a five-star hotel but it was very good. I was treated very well. I'm as well as I was when I arrived in Gaza." He also thanked "all those who were involved in my release."
Palestinian security sources said it appeared one of Gaza's powerful clans abducted Razuri on Jan 1. but Fatah officials working with Popular Resistance Committees, a small militant Gaza group, were able to mediate his release.
Razuri left Gaza and crossed the Erez border point into Israel accompanied by Peruvian and French diplomats just before 2000 GMT, AFP reported. read more
thursday, january 04, 2007
Jaime Rázuri
On New Year's Day, Jaime Rázuri, a 50-year-old Peruvian photojournalist working for Agence France-Presse, was kidnapped at gunpoint on a street in the Gaza Strip.He was standing in front of the AFP office when five masked men approached him, pushed him in a car and sped away, officials said. Beyond that details about the incident are very sketchy.
Peruvian officials have been quoted saying a dissident group of Hamas was responsible but that report was later refuted by the Palestinian government.
Jaime is a friend of mine. I got to know him while helping him polish his English for his assignment covering the World Cup soccer tournament last year. It would be tough to think of a less political, more kind person than Jaime. He is very soft spoken which can often camouflage his sharp sense of humor. read more
monday, december 18, 2006
The MendÃvil figurines
The San Blas section of Cusco has long been a center for Peruvian artists. Every storefront along the steep cobblestone streets is an entryway to the handiwork of a local master.Even so, the Hilario MendÃvil Museum stands out. Located in the corner of the San Blas Plaza the bold blue doors and balcony are as eye catching as the tile paintings that line the wall. This is the former workshop and home of one of Peru’s most famed artists.
The MendÃvil sculptures are ornate and impossibly detailed figurines that depict Madonnas, archangels, saints and many other religious figures. The one characteristic that has become most closely identified with the MendÃvil sculptures is the long graceful necks of the figures.
It was a touch Hilario MendÃvil took from his childhood – seeing the llamas and alpacas for sale in the streets of his native Cusco. read more
friday, november 10, 2006
Machu Picchu 2007 Calendar
The second of my calendars is now ready for purchase over at my storefront on Lulu.com.The subject of this effort? Machu Picchu.
This calendar features most of the photos I used in a slideshow that accompanied a story on the ruins I did for Engineering News-Record.
I have finally gotten my advance copies of these calendars and, I have to say, they look damn nice and they are HUGE! Which is exactly what I wanted to take advantage of the power of my new digital camera. read more
tuesday, november 07, 2006
Machu Picchu
Living in Peru, you never stop hearing about Machu Picchu. Particularly as an expatriate since every gringo passing through town typically stops just long enough to buy a chullo before zipping off to Cusco.My intention was to go see this famed "lost city" of the Incas during the off-season,when the number of tourists was at a minimim. That's when the costs are a bit more reasonable and there is an outside chance of enjoying the place with a modicum of solitude.
No such luck. I ended up in Cusco for a few days at the tail end of July, during what is, by far, the absolute worst two weeks to be there. Not only is that the peak time for international tourists, it's also the weekend before the Peruvian independence day so there were a ton of in-country visitors as well.
read more
monday, november 06, 2006
An Interview with Gaston Acurio: Part II
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with famed Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio and talk about food. Peruvian food, in particular.Acurio insists that Peruvian food is on the verge of international acceptance and he has specific plans to be on the forefront of that wave.
In this portion of my interview (Part I interview can be found here), Acurio discusses how he has exported his different restaurants from Peru, how he comes up with a concept and how he intends to bring his businesses - and Peruvian cusine - to the United States.
What is the underlying philosophy behind the Astrid y Gaston chain?
You don’t want to set too many rules. You want to have the same philosophy but every place has different rules. Every Astrid y Gaston has to have a different atmosphere. They keep some Peruvian aspects like ahi’s and different traditions but then fuse them with local ingredients and dishes and traditions as well. All the restaurants have a point in common but they each need to be inspired by their own place. read more
monday, october 30, 2006
An Interview with Gaston Acurio, Part I
Gaston Acurio is the leading light of Peruvian cuisine. And, as this distinctive style of cooking grows in popularity beyond the country’s borders, he is more and more, the face of the culinary revolution.The 38-year-old is a bona fide celebrity in Peru where his cooking show is a hit and his cookbooks are in high demand. But his reputation is cemented by the continuing popularity of his ever-expanding number of restaurants in Lima – particularly his flagship Astrid y Gaston in Miraflores.
His reputation beyond Perus border’s is growing as well. He was named Latin American Entrepreneur of 2005 by American Economia magazine was a guest speaker at Gastronomia Madrid Fusion conference in Spain this year. read more
wednesday, october 18, 2006
The Lord of Miracles
There is, perhaps, nothing more Peruvian than The Lord of Miracles. For almost the whole month of October is devoted to this unique religious icon and it is venerated by Peruvians across the globeThe Lord of Miracles, or El Señor de los Milagros as it is known in Spanish, is actually a centuries-old painting on the wall of a relatively obscure church in central Lima.
According to tradition, in 1651 a slave who had converted to Catholicism painted the depiction of Christ on the cross on the wall of a building in the outskirts of Lima where new devotees to the faith gathered to pray.
When a devastating earthquake struck the city four years later the entire building collapsed except for the wall adorned with the painting. Over the next several decades, the image became associated with miraculous incidents. More and more people, particularly the descendents of slaves, began to worship at the site. read more
monday, october 09, 2006
Rincón Chami
There is just something about a bar-style diner that sings to the southern heart that beats within my breast.Rincón Chami is about a block off the Parque Kennedy in the heart of Miraflores. That puts it just close enough to the horde of crap restaurants aimed at pulling in bewildered gringos that I was a bit suspicious of the place. The patio full of gore-tex clad Westerners clutching their backpacks as they tried to thumb through their travel guides that seemed ubiquitous at the place on the weekend didn’t help.
But, after moving into a small apartment a few blocks away, I started passing the place during the week and I noticed something. There were a LOT of Peruvians that ate here regularly. Moreover, even when the tourists were filling the front tables, the back ones were filled with the local residents. read more
sunday, september 17, 2006
Avenida Miguel Grau
After almost 19 months of work, the Admiral Miguel Grau Avenue in central Lima was opened to traffic late last month.The $18.5 million project (which I wrote about for Engineering News & Record in October of last year) consists of a 3.5-kilometer roadway with a 1.8 kilometer submerged section exclusively for buses. The project also included the construction of six traffic bridges and two pedestrian bridges.
The upgrade to Avenida Grau (also refered to as Via Expressa Grau) is the first step in a planned overhaul of Lima’s transportation infrastructure now expected to cost more than $272 million. More than 90 percent of those are passengers in the disorganized public transport system.
It is estimated there are more as many as 50,000 public transport vehicles fighting for the limited space on Lima’s streets every day. These are run by private companies, which don’t respect regular routes and battle fiercely for customers. read more
monday, august 28, 2006
Hatun Willakuy
I once met a man who had been shot through the eye trying to save his son.In 1992, Peruvian soldiers came to take the teenaged Epifenio Cruz from his home in a rural area of the department of Ayacucho. When his father, Eulogio, struggled to stop them he was shot.
Miraculously, the bullet passed through his head and he survived. His son was never seen again. About the only thing Eulogio has left to remember his only child by is a blown up copy of his identification card.
It is a story is frighteningly common for thousands who live in the mountains of Southern Peru. Starting in 1980, a war raged between a hard line group of communist terrorists and the military for two decades. Almost 70,000 people perished in the conflict and the vast majority of these deaths were innocent residents who got caught in the middle of the struggle. read more
wednesday, august 02, 2006
Peruvian Cuisine
The recent presidential elections brought a small army of foreign journalists to Peru and most were looking to do what we do best - snag a free meal.As a result, articles on Peruvian cuisine have popped up throughout the year in various publications including the The New York Times, Reuters and The Christian Science Monitor.
And, damn it, I am not about to lose out on the opportunity. So, this month's issue of Latin Trade Magazine, sports an article of mine looking at Peru's leading chef, Gaston Acurio, and his plans to export his success overseas. read more
sunday, july 30, 2006
Pachamanca
Once a year, during Peru's Independence Day weekend, there is a huge artist fair in the Campo de Marta park near the center of the city. I'm always in attendance because they also have a food exposition and that means one thing - PACHAMANCA!While the technique of cooking in the earth is found around the globe, the specifics of how it is done are infinitely variable. One of the most unique approaches is found here in Peru where hot rocks are used in lieu of smoldering coals.
And, like in other cultures, cooking in this manner is a communal affair. The repast becomes a celebration in and of itself. Even though the vendors at the fair were cooking for all comers, you find yourself getting caught up in the spectacle.
My full description of Pachamanca and how it is prepared can be found over at Kleph's Kitchen.
monday, june 05, 2006
Peruvian Presidential Election
In a turn of events few would have confidently predicted six months ago, former Peruvian President Alan Garcia won Sunday's runoff election and will become Peru's next president on July 28.At approximately 10 p.m. Sunday night, dark horse candidate Ollanta Humala conceded the election. Although only just more than 77 percent of the votes had been tallied by that point, it was clear that Garcia's lead was insurmountable. As of 11:32 p.m. just less than 84 percent of the more than 16 million votes had been tallied. Garcia held 54.7 percent versus Humala's 45.3 percent.
But the margin of victory is expected to narrow as the remaining votes - mostly from rural areas that strongly back Humala's nationalist platform - are counted. And Humala's brief concession speech alluded to the fact he intends to continue his nationalist platform. read more
sunday, may 07, 2006
Peruvian Presidential Election
In exactly three weeks, Peruvian will head to polls and select their next president. It has already been a chaotic election and things could get even crazier in these final days.Ollanta Humala, the nationalist candidate who has captured international attention due to his ties with controversial Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, took an easy victory in the April 9 election. He captured just more than 30 percent of the total ballots, enough to win the first round but much less than anticipated. Pre-election polls put him taking more than 40 percent of the vote.
The real difficulty has been figuring out who his opponent would be in the runoff. The separation between former president Alan Garcia and establishment-candidate Lourdes Flores was razor thin. It was not until late last week a victor was announced. Garcia won with 24.32 percent of the vote, just nudging Flores’ 23.81. Only 62,578 separated the two in the final count. read more
tuesday, april 11, 2006
Peruvian Presidential Election
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Two days after Peruvians took to the polls to decide who will lead their nation, the race remains too close to count. Nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala has clearly made it to the second round but there is a great uncertainty on who his opponent will be.
Former president Alan Garcia has overtaken Lourdes Flores in the general count and now leads by a full percentage point. His lead is expected go grow as the ballots that remain to be counted originate from the more remote rural areas not likely to vote for Flores who they see as part of the establishment. But things could change when the votes of more than 180,000 Peruvians living abroad - the majority of whom are expected to support Flores - are tallied as well. read more
friday, april 07, 2006
Peruvian Presidential Election
Peru's contentious presidential race is reaching its bitter end as each candidate has held their final rallies here in Lima and have begun the long wait until Sunday night.Little has changed since the last polls, as nationalist and foreign investment bogyman Ollanta Humala is the favorite (the photo is a shot of his final rally held in the center of the city on Thursday night from El Comercio) with establishment candidate Lourdes Flores slightly behind. Former-president Alan Garcia still threatens to take a chunk of votes from both and there are 17 other candidates ready to chew on the scraps.
Entering the weekend a full quarter of voters polled still have not made a decision on their candidate of choice making the final results uncertain but not the likely outcome - a runoff between Humala and Flores sometime in the next two months. My story in today's Newsday, Populist candidate leads in Peru race, looks at the upcoming race with a focus on Humala's controversial candidacy. read more
friday, march 31, 2006
Peruvian Cooking
As I have noted before, Peru is one of the world's great culinary treasures.This region's unique geography has blessed it with a plentiful larder. The potato originates from here and there are more than 4,000 documented varieties grown in the country. The cool waters of the Humboldt Current provides the Pacific coastline with more than 2,000 varieties of fish. Each distinct region, coast, mountains and jungle, provides it's own unique contribution to the table. Peru boasts unique varieties of corn, beans, tomatoes and peppers that electrify the culinary adventure.
But this bounty itself is just one factor that has played into the country's great cooking heritage. Over the past millennia, Peru has been a crossroads for dozens of different cultures and the subsequent mix of cooking styles and histories has taken that raw material and made it something profound and amazing. read more
thursday, march 16, 2006
Camisea Pipeline Woes
At 3:27 p.m. on March 4, an explosion ripped through the Amazon jungle in Southeast Peru. The blast - which injured two people in this remote locale - was caused by a leak in the almost 720km long natural gas pipeline - the fifth to occur since it was opened in August 2004.The leak and explosion have sparked a larger political furor over the project. Camisea is a huge part of Peru's economic future. The Camisea basin is estimated to contain reserves totaling some 8.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The ability to extract and transport that resource will be critical for the country's ability to take advantage of the opportunity. But given it's cost and the ecological impact, it is a project that tends to bring out reactions in the extreme.
The recent problems with the pipeline have made the future of the project uncertain. The natural gas currently being recovered is used in Peru but the next step is the construction of a $2.1 billion liquification plant that will make it possible for the fuel to be exported. Dallas-based Hunt Oil heads the consortium of companies working on obtaining financing for that venture and, although they remain optimistic, the recent woes of the pipeline certainly haven't made that any easier. read more
tuesday, march 14, 2006
Peruvian Election Primer
If all goes as planned, Peruvians will take to the polls on April 9 to elect a new president and congress. The political situation here is always a bit strange, somewhat chaotic and always confusing and these traits are full force during this frantic campaign season.The upcoming election is a bit of a conundrum for many reasons. There are two ex-presidents in the running, ValentÃn Paniagua and Alan Garcia, neither of whom is a front-runner. A third ex-president, Alberto Fujimori, is incarcerated in neighboring Chile awaiting extradition and has a placeholder candidate running for him. A nationalist candidate in the mold of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has emerged, Ollanta Humala, but he is such an unknown quantity no one is quite sure what to think of his platform. read more
wednesday, march 01, 2006
Peruvian Economy
With presidential elections just more than a month away, foreign investors are looking warily at Peru. The country has had a difficult five years under Alejando Toledo but the one bright spot has been the continued strength of the economy.Late last year I sat down with Fernando Zavala, the country's minister of economy and finance, and discussed the outlook of the Peruvian economy and what the incoming president will have to do to keep things on the positive track. That intervew is in the current edition of Latin Trade Magazine.
thursday, february 02, 2006
Peruvian Highways
One key problem for many South American countries has been the lack of investment into infrastructure. A key element of that has been the neglect of the highway systems. Peru and other countries who have enjoyed a recent economic boom have been working to address that particular issue with some success.Peru has more than 80,000 kilometers of roadway, but less than 15 percent is paved. Worse, many of the hardtop portions lack for maintenance while only 8 percent of rural roadways are regularly usable. The country is currently working on $2 billion in ongoing and planned road projects that are critical with the possibility of a free trade agreement with the United States.
Engineering News-Record has an interview I conducted with Nestor Palacios, Peru’s deputy minister of transportation discussing this issue.
friday, january 13, 2006
Peruvian Procurements
Peru has become a bit of an economic paradox.The government is viewed with almost complete disdain - evidenced by the abysmal approval ratings of President Alejandro Toledo, which are among the lowest in the western hemisphere. Yet, since Toledo took office in 2001, the economy has grown almost constantly.
One thing pushing that growth has been an initiative by the government to make more purchases from the private sector. It started during the 1990s, when the administration of Alberto Fujimori privatized a great deal of the industries that had been under government control. But many more mundane expenses - such as office supplies and fabrics - were still in house. The Toledo administration has worked to move these into the private sector as well.
The trend is driven by the need to lower the costs and to promote growth among independent businesses. But the system is changing slowly due to the lack of information on the part of possible participants as well as the ever-present danger of corruption. read more
friday, october 28, 2005
Avenida Miguel Grau
Engineering News & Record has posted another couple of stories of mine as well as a little slideshow of my photographs.For the last several decades the city's road system and mass transportation have grown uncontrolled and at an incredible rate. The result is an astonishingly chaotic system that makes travel through this city of 9 million a torturous task.
To deal with this, Lima has begun an ambitious $210 million project to upgrade the thoroughfares and create an efficient mass transit system. that will run 35 kilometers roadways from Comas in the far north of Lima to Chorrillos in the south. In all, more than 100 kilometers of roadwork is planned.
Although a relatively short section of the network, Avenida Grau near Lima's historic center is where the major roadways from each direction meet, making it the priority to begin the project. read more
tuesday, october 11, 2005
InterOceanic Highway
Daniel Villar is the head of Odebrecht Peru's ambitious InterOceanic Highway project that, when completed in 2009 will create the first paved roadway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in South America.The more than 700 kilometers of roadway in Southern Peru that is being completely rebuilt and paved crosses some of the most difficult geography in Peru - from mountains more than 4,700 meters in elevation to jungle wilderness that is completely impassable during the torrential rains of summer.
Odebrect Peru heads the consortium ConIrsa that is building two of the most difficult portions of the job. I recently sat down with Villar and discussed a number of the obstacles facing the Brazilian construction giant as it undertakes its portion of the $900 million project.
read more
sunday, august 28, 2005
InterOceanic Highway
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It is an almost $900 million job that, when completed in 2009, will finally create a road connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in South America. Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht will lead the consortium building two of the most difficult stretches of the road - over some of the highest mountains and into some of the densest jungle. read more
thursday, august 18, 2005
Marlin Boulevard
There is a place in the deep blue water of the Pacific about 35 miles off the coast of Northern Peru that was once known as "marlin boulevard." During the 1950’s a unique combination of ocean currents and underwater geography led the sleepy little fishing village of Cabo Blanco to become the nexus of the booming sport of deep-sea sport fishing.Sport fishermen from around the world knew about the abundance of Peruvian waters as early as the 1930s but it wasn’t until after World War II that several Americans came and began looking using scientific analysis. Texas oilman Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. proved the theories right on April 7, 1952 when he caught a 1,025-pound black marlin that was the first fish ever caught that weighed more than 1,000 pounds. read more
friday, august 12, 2005
Snail farmers in Peru
A couple of months ago I spent an unusual day touring one of the snail farms that have popped here around Lima. After years of hearing my grandmother rant about the rampage these little buggers would wreck on her tomato plants it was a little weird seeing hundreds of them clustered on perfectly good greenery.But snails are big business and this little niche industry in Peru that is preparing to take the steps of becoming a major player in the world of snail trading. I penned the story for Latin Trade Magazine who have it in their August issue.
sunday, july 24, 2005
Peruvian Cocaine Trade
Since 2000, the United States has poured several billion dollars into South American drug interdiction efforts. The bulk of this has focused on Colombia where the trade has flourished in recent years.But the reduction of funding to Peru - once the world's largest producer of coca, the base plant the drug is derived from - has created concerns that the trade will return to the south. There are already indications that drug production has grown in some regions, an unprecedented occurance in Peru.
Cocaine seizures have shattered recent records. More than seven metric tons of processed cocaine was siezed in Peru last year, the most in a decade, and that amount has already been bested this year.
The Peruvian anti-drug agency DEVIDA says the drug trade is up and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy says it is down and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has its own opinion as well. read more
sunday, may 15, 2005
Tarata
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Almost precisely halfway down the brick-paved street is a little-noticed memorial. A harsh steel obelisk with a jagged lightening-like design. It stands in sharp contrast to the casual walking area where young children ride their bikes, tourists amble by and restaurant proprietors invite you in to try their food.
This is Tarata.
On July 16, 1992 a car bomb exploded at this site killing 25 people and injuring hundreds more. It was the single most bloody day in the most bloody of conflicts. read more
friday, december 03, 2004
The Lori Berenson Affair
In 1995, an American woman in her late 20's was arrested by Peruvian police as she stepped off a bus in Lima. Since that day she has been imprisoned on charges of assisting terrorists and her plight has become the center of a political firestorm over human rights.Yesterday, Lori Berenson's final appeal before an international human rights court was turned down. She now will not be released from prison until the end of her 20-year sentence in 2015.
The decision (the last entry on the page) by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights brings to an end the judicial options open to Berenson but it is almost certain that her family and supporters will continue to push for her release through political means. read more
friday, november 05, 2004
King Kong - A Peruvian sweet
King Kong is a uniquely Peruvian sweet. It is a cake (or, more precisely, a brick) of milk and fruits that are reduced to a stiff syrup and then slathered sandwich-style between a sweet cookie-like crust.It hails from the northern city of Lambayeque where Victoria Meja is credited with creating the dish in the 1920's. Originally it was made to be a snack for men who worked in the sugar cane and cotton fields. According to legend, it received it's unique name due to the popularity of the then recently released movie King Kong.
Today Meja's family still makes the leading - and best - brand of the sweet, San Roque. And they are planning on it's popularity is growing beyond the borders of Peru. More than 18 tons were exported abroad last year and the factory has been refitted to increase that amount exponentially. read more
friday, november 05, 2004
The Revolution Continues
Peru's nightmare has returned.Today, Abimael Guzman made his first appearance in court as part of his trial for leading the Communist terrorist organization Shining Path into a bloody revolution that paralyzed Peru.
Approximately 70,000 people died during the two decades of conflict of which slightly more than half were directly attributed to his guerrilla army. The total cost of the conflict has been estimated at more than $25 billion.
At 69 years of age, Guzman looks more like a kindly grandfather than the leader of fanatical band known as "President Gonzalo" who once promised his revolution would cost a million deaths and a "quota of blood."
I have written a story for The Dallas Morning News about the trial and the fears that Guzman may be using the proceedings to continue his war.(Enter "peruvia@peruvia.com" and password "peruvia") read more
tuesday, september 14, 2004
The Sticking Point
The desert of northern Peru is cut into swaths of green by the rivers that bring the runoff from the high Andes to the Pacific Ocean. This is incredibly fertile land - if you can get water to it. Since the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th century, sugar cane has been a hallmark of the country's agricultural output. No history of the country can ignore the effect of this crop and the industry that supports it.Today, that industry is hanging on for its survival and it looks to markets in the United States to survive. That is a dim hope since there is strong resistance on the part of the industry in the U.S. to allow free trade of the product. To them, it is a fight for survival as well.
In an interview this month, one official in the U.S. sugar industry put the relationship with Peru in this way - "We are both facing the same set of problems but we are looking at them from opposite sides of the fence." read more
friday, february 27, 2004
Eating Cuy
I can barely count the number of excellent dishes I have discovered since I ventured to these shores; the smoky flavor of anticucho, the rich decadence of pancitas and the sublime sharpness of the ubiquitous ceviche. The cuisine of Peru is an adventure for the visitor willing to explore beyond the confines of the tastes his culture has taught him.And while each dish is a revelation worthy of a prolonged discussion it is somewhat obligatory for visitors to Peru to discuss the unique dish of cuy.
To start it is probably best to get over the shock value of this dish... cuy is guinea pig.
That same cute furry little creature that stumbles around a wood chip lined cage in every first grade class in the United States chirping and excreting all over itself. Guinea pig. But in Peru it ain’t a pet. It’s dinner. read more
thursday, february 26, 2004
Peruvian Drinking Etiquette
One of the strangest nights of my life came just about a decade ago when I traveled from Dallas Texas to Austin with my friend John Wayne. The ostensible reason was to watch the NCAA final four with some friends of his; the practical reason was to waste a weekend having fun in Austin. Which we proceeded to do.I have a lot of interesting memories from that trip - whacking golf balls out of the backyard at 3 a.m., playing sink-the-keg, the restaurant where they insult you as they cook your burger - but the most interesting was learning the brutal intricacies of three man.
Now, as a longtime undergraduate, I had encountered the excitement of three man in the past. It is a drinking game where you roll the dice and members of the group must drink according to what numbers are exposed. It is called three man because one person is always designated the "three man" and must drink whenever a three appears. not an enviable slot. read more
friday, february 06, 2004
Climbing Mount Misti
When Lawrence said he planned on climbing Mount Misti, I simply passed it off as the bluster of an English tourist caught up in the excitement of travel. We had already been up to Colca Canyon which, to reach, you have to pass the 4,800 meter mark. Sure it gave you a bit of a headache to be that high but seemed easy enough when we got off the bus and wandered around.So I was more than a little surprised to find myself a few days later sitting on a rock in the middle of the night amid an absurdly steep snowfield approximately 5,000 meters above sea level.
As Lawrence and I tried gulping down breaths in the thin air the freezing wind whipped past us with absolutely no inclination of letting up.
"Who the hell's idea was this?" he said.
I was too exhausted to even offer my regular sarcastic reply. With still had more than two hours left to climb I had reached the point of giving up on this adventure. My legs hurt, I was freezing cold, I could not breath, I had no energy left and I had finally realized that I had absolutely no good reason to be there. read more
monday, february 02, 2004
Observations and Errata about Peru
Assorted observations about Peru in no particular order:There is a glorious absence of power engines. The workers sweep parking lots and sidewalks rather than blast the detritus with the scream of leaf blowers. And despite the luxury, it is a sad statement on the state of employment, pay and the price of mechanical goods. Similarly the whine of chainsaws is exchanged for the persistent hacks of machetes. A daunting task given the girth of many trees targeted for trimming. of course the abundance of motorcycle taxies in the northern area of the country makes up the difference.
Dinner at a rural restaurant will bring in the stray dog or two looking for scraps. Usually this ends with a hearty yelp and a dash for the door when the proprietor arrives. You leave the chickens alone, that could be your meal tomorrow. Musical duos are just as common. They wander from restaurant to restaurant and, with the owner’s permission, play a few songs for tips. Although i am not even the slightest expert on authentic Peruvian music, these guys usually are pretty good. Lots of practice, I guess. read more
thursday, january 29, 2004
The White City - Ariquipa, Peru
Arequipa is called the white city. Which makes you think about something out of Tolkien but it is much more down to earth. The entire town is constructed of a white volcanic stone that gives it a bright sheen in the sun. There are more than a million people who live here making it the second largest city in Peru.But I heard that from a tour guide. The first lesson you learn here is never to trust a tour guide. To their credit, there is always a bit of truth in what they tell you but take five different city tours and you will be introduced to five very different cities.
While some of the major attractions are well worth a look, I have greatly enjoyed just walking around the city and finding it’s little treasures. Another lesson you learn quickly if you come to Arequipa is to expect a climb. (That turned out to be even more true for me this visit but more on that later) built in a river valley between three volcanoes the geography is wildly uneven. A turn down the wrong street often presents a startlingly steep ascent or descent. The cobblestones give an impression of security and the promise of ample traction but it is hard to overcome the intimidating power of gravity. read more
friday, january 23, 2004
Riding the Bus in Peru
If you are going to travel in Peru eventually you are going to have to take the bus. it is best to prepare yourself early for this because it can be a bit different than what one expects. In the not-so-distant-past I used to travel by bus pretty regularly in the United States. Not the cross-town bus with graffiti on the seat and the shoeless man talking in tongues next to you but the cross-country bus that serves a different caliber individual.In the United States, riding in the bus puts you in touch with a whole new class of person. I’ve met the most interesting and friendly people and I have met the most irritating and despicable brand of individual as well.
You kind of cower in your own little corner of the bus until you figure out what is going on. After a few trips you get used to the pints of old granddad being passed around in the dark in the back, the people trying to get their kids to sleep and the dissonant chatter of a dozen CD players on the heads of anyone under 30. Eventually, you mentally find your own place and, to use the expression, ride it out. After that, it is the luck of the draw to if you will have a companion or not. read more
saturday, january 17, 2004
An Oasis for the Senses
The cities of Peru can be sensory overload for the unwary.Coming from the United States, where the whole of suburbia is ceaselessly sanitized, places like Peru have a wild element that can take some getting used to. it isn’t to be confused with being uncivilized, because, in some ways, Peru is one of the most civilized places I have ever seen. There were empires here millennia before much of the rest of the world, and there is an assured sensibility to the culture today that derives from that.
it is mid-summer here in Piura. The warm winds blow the tall mesquite trees with a rustle that is almost a sigh of exhaustion. The motor taxis are a whirring rainbow on the streets, always in a hurry, but the dust settles behind them with a resignation brought on by the heat. But, just when you think the temperature is becoming unbearable, a cool breeze redeems your spirits. It dries the sweat from your forehead and makes the world relax for a moment. read more
tuesday, january 13, 2004
Setting forth
So who is the orange guy?Well, my friends, meet Ganesha the lord of and destroyer of obstacles. He is petitioned for siddhi, success in undertakings, and buddhi, intelligence. He is worshiped before any venture is started be it project or travel. Otherwise he also holds the reigns as the god of education, knowledge and wisdom, literature, and the fine arts. Which isn’t bad work if you can get it.
And, given what I’m about to walk into, I need all the help I can get. Because, to be honest, I’m scared shitless. I’ve been a bundle of anxieties and over-reactions for several days now. I have a lot that I am trying to accomplish with this venture and the safety net is minimal if there at all. No pressure.
But it is kind of like every breaking news story I’ve ever raced out on. I never have any idea how the hell I am going to handle getting all the information and reporting done and in on time. Usually there is a lightening moment of panic and sheer naked fear when I start trying to strategize. Then I make myself stop. read more
thursday, january 08, 2004
Why Peru?
I never intended to go to Peru in the first place. When I had my dark night of the soul about my future all I knew was that I was about to go somewhere but there wasn't a destination I felt intensely enough about to focus my wandering urge.I have some friends in Australia and, after visiting there for several weeks in 2002; I know that I want to go back. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been lucky enough to behold and, despite some of their irritating peculiarities, the folks who live there are pretty nice as well. Returning there to live is one of my long-term goals. But it's not what I needed to do when I decided to change my life.
My father has taught at a university in Peru several times in the past few years and, when I quit my job in California, he was about to head down there. He invited me to come live with him. It was as good an option as any I had at the time and it would be good to spend the time with him. But I had no intention of anything more than going there, reporting a few stories, then coming back to start a new direction in my life. read more
wednesday, january 07, 2004
A New Direction
It is difficult to tell if people think I’m crazier now for heading back to Peru than when I first decided to go in the middle of last year. The first time there seemed to be a general shock at giving up my job and Peru as a destination was just the icing. Now, with my plan of heading off indefinitely, folks genuinely question my sanity.But that's pretty normal.
Yet, this decision to head off to parts unknown isn't as rash or insane as it may appear. I’ve actually thought it out pretty well and have a clear idea of what I would like to achieve. The spur-of-the-moment airs I put on are only to play to my legend.
I spent a good deal of my 20s dead broke with no real hope for a career and tortured by the anxiety it brought. There’s little more depressing than being an unemployed line cook week late with the rent and financially reduced to the point of fishing through the ashtray for butts with a bit of cigarette left. Going somewhere exciting and doing something important seemed as remote a possibility as visiting the moon. read more