Up, Up, and away

In the weeks since I have left Huanchaco , I have been to Arica, Chile, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Bolivia, and now I am hanging out in a smallish town of Coroico. Coroico is like a tiny piece of heaven after the coldness of La Paz. Perched at 3660 (more than 12,000 feet) meters above sea level, La Paz can’t help but to give you a headache. And it’s cold, but on the plus side really, really cheap.
Over the weekend, I made my way up to Lake Titicaca, on the Peru/Bolivia border. Lake Titicaca is known as the world’s highest lake and at more than 3800 meters, if there is a higher one, I don’t think I want to visit it, because once the sun goes down, the extreme coldness sets in…and to think there are people who voluntarily live on the islands in the lake.
But now I am in Coroico, a perfect little town at only 5000 feet where I will stay until my evil sinus infection goes away…After here I am headed for either the jungle paradise of Rurrenburque or the splendidly high salt flats than straddle the border of Bolivia and Chile.

Adios, Huanchaco

Dear Huanchaco,

I am leaving you, and I am not entirely sad about it.  We’ve been together for a while now–three whole months and part of another.  That’s the longest I have stayed with anyone (other than Campeche–but you don’t need to know about him).  You were good to me.  You introduced me to so many cool people from all parts of the world.  You have given me opportunities that I don’t know I would have gotten anywhere else such as establishing a clinic and helping to organize an art exhibition.  As a memento of my visit, I am leaving you a clinic.  I have no illusions that it will actually survive when I am gone although I do hope the printed material and posters will at least hang around a bit.

 

 

You allowed me to stay in an awesome apartment with an amazing roommate (Hey, Emily) and cool vecinos (Hola, Cameron and Corinna).  I learned about supply and demand of hot water in the desert and learned to love life with out electronics or ice.  But everyone you have introduced me to has already gone, too.  Don’t worry.  You’ll soon be full of Peruvian vacationers and party-surfer-dudes from all over the world.  Summer is coming and that’s your time to shine.

We had some good times like dancing at the Beach house, bonfires on the beach, hanging out in the apartment, Halloween and Thanksgiving in the apartment with 30 or so people,  clubbing at AMA,’football’ in Trujillo,

but there will be some things I am glad to leave behind.

Like how you think I am stupid because I am a white girl. I know it is only 1.20 soels to the mall (and sometime only 1 sol) , not the 1.50 you ask for every single time. Or how you think I will just hand over money because it’s a “fee”. Come on, I have been here too long for that. Another thing I won’t miss is how you think that just because I am walking, I am looking for a taxi.[beep...beep] I won’t miss how you stop in front of me or your insane sirenes…but what I will miss is how close you are to the ocean ( I have never lived a block and a half from the beach before), that you are probably the safest town in Peru, how I can walk back to the apartment at 2 or 3 in the morning and not feel threatened at all…In that way you remind me of Due West, and that I will miss. There is a big wide world out there, and I need to explore it. So adios, Huanchaco, I am headed to south.

Mas de Huanchaco and Trujillo

The following photographs are pictures that didn’t fit in anywhere else, but still need to be shared.  Some are of Chan-Chan, some are of the Huacas, some of Huanchaco, some of the areas near Huanchaco, and some are  of Trujillo. Enjoy.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Huanchaco in photos

This is the Huanchaco church.  It is located about 6 or 7 blocks from the beach and is the highest point in town.  There is an impressive number of steps that you must climb [or walk up a really steep hill] in order to get to the building.  I went inside the church twice–once for mass and once for a concert.  Both were at night.  The church is the second oldest church in Peru [ I think that is correct].  It looks old although they do of good job of whitewashing it every few years to keep it fresh looking.  I think the night picture of the church is more applealing than the whiteness of the daytime.  At night the church is just prettier when it is lit up from the inside and there is no light pollution to distort the tranquil scene.

Huanchaco was originally a founded as a fisherman’s village, and there is still a fair amount of fishing that goes on resulting in some of the best ceviche I have ever eaten.  One of the more interesting aspects of fishing life in Huanchaco is the use of the caballitos–these kayak-like boats made completely of reeds and string.  It is pretty amazing to watch these guys  make a sea-worthy vessel from a pile of reeds.  Not coincidentally, these reeds grow wild just to the north of Huanchaco proper.

While some fisherman do still use the little boats, they are mostly decorative.  They line the malecon and also have been made into a statue that sits in the center of town near the pier.

One of the nice [and sometimes not so nice] things about Huanchaco is the variety of vendors. No license required.  Want freshly squeezed mango-orange-guanabana juice?  The juice vendor has a cart that goes down the sidewalks.  Care for ice cream?  Just wait, and it will come to you?  Forgot your sunglasses on a bright sunny day?  The sunglasses vendor [along with the annoying guy selling tourist crap] will be sure to interrupt your beach time.  Want the cheapest burger in town?  Just wait until someone sets up their portable vending cart outside of their living room and you can have freshly made homemade burgers [not sure exactly what meat is used, but tasty nonetheless, and you can't beat the prices.]

Let’s not forget the reason why a lot of people come to and stay in  Huanchaco.  It’s for the waves, dude.  I am not a surfer nor will I ever be doing stunts like that [ For an actual account of my first time riding the waves read Ocean 1, Michelle 0], but apparently Huanchaco has some of the best surfing in the world.  The waves are left-breaking and can get as high as 3 meters [nearly 10 feet!].  Let’s not forget that the ocean is always cold.  Temperatures run from about 17-22 degrees C [62-70 degrees F.  The Humboldt current runs right along here bringing up the chilly waters from Chile [which is a far cry from the 84 degree F (29C) water temps I am used to.] But surfing is one of those ‘must do’s’ if you happen to be in Huanchaco.

Out and About in Huanchaco

I have been here for six weeks now, have an apartment, an (unpaid) job, and feel like part of the community, so it is time to share some details about regular life in Hunachaco.

Huanchaco is about 10 km from Trujillo, which is the 3rd largest city in Peru.  In order to get to Trujillo, take a combi or bus (either H, H-corazon, A, or B depending on where you want to go.  It costs [posted price 1.50 soles/ legit price 1.20 soles, and sometimes price 1 sol].  With an exchange rate between s/2.75-s/3.25 to $1, it is pretty cheap, and not too intimidating once you figure out which bus goes where.  These buses run from about 6am to 10pm.  Before of after that you will have to take a taxi [up to s/20 and scarier if traveling alone, in my opinion].  It takes about 30 minutes of so to get to where you want to go in Trujillo on these buses.  Luckily for me, the medical center in about a 10 block walk within Huanchaco [no transportation other than my own two feet needed], and I only go to Trujillo on Tuesdays [for cheap movie night], Wednesday and Saturday [for Fairmail] so I save a bit in transport fees.

Between Huanchaco and Trujillo, is Chan-Chan.  Chan-Chan is ruins of a civilization [Chimu] older than the Incas.  It is kinda neat how everything is made of baked sand [you know, this being the desert and all].  I only went to Chan-Chan for the first time last week.  It would have been worse to have been here all this time, and never go.

I also went to Huacas del Sol and Huacas de la Luna with Emily, Emilie, Corinna, and Cameron.  The Huacas are even older than Chan-Chan and were constructed by the Mopiche civilization.  They were, at one time, the largest construction projects in Pre-Colombian America [even larger than Chichen Itza or Tikal of the Mayan civilation].  Once again, all of this was built with dirt so while still impressive, it is not as impressive as it once was.  [It kinda looks like a giant dirt pile, but with evidence that someone painted walls a really long time ago. [  I once wrote a really long and detailed paper of Pre-Colombian Art and Architecture so I am actually interested in this--I just don't want to get too technical.] The site where the Huacas are is still being excavated so who knows what else they will find there.

 But back to Huanchaco.  It really in a unique place, and almost every night we have incredible sunset such as this to enjoy.  Check out the Huanchaco gallery for other photos of the city including surfing, caballeros, the church, and the old cemetery.

Halloween

Halloween is not a big holiday in Peru. Some people dress up others have signs on their door saying “Yo amo Jesus–No Halloween”, but very few people celebrate it like American university students. So as a tribute to American excess, my roommate Emily and I decided to host a housewarming/Halloween party in Huanchaco.  We had over 50 people in the apartment (thankfully not all at once) before we headed to the Beach house  for Huanchaco’s take on Halloween. Our party featured tombstone decorations (of recently departed volunteers), mummy mini pizzas, dirt cake with worms, bloody punch, apple bobbing, plenty of other alcoholic beverages, and costumes. (I was a jungle girl.  Emily was the Huanchaco version of the ‘Walk of Shame.’  Considering most of us were travelers, I was impressed with the creativity of the costumes)’ All in all  it was quite successful–if you measure the success of a party by how messy the place is the next day (thank goodness for all-tile floors) or how many people still have a hangover at noon. Enjoy the photos (but be patient, there are more than 100 in this gallery)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fairmail and photography

I am the first to admit I get bored easily.  I am used to working or being in school every day so traveling has taught me to slow down.   Way Down. [and I'm not really a get up and go kind of person] Pick up a book. Lay on the beach.  Talk to strangers. BUT after one solid month of working in the clinic, I think I have most of the wrinkles ironed out, and  I am only there from 9A-1P.  After that I have the rest of the day free, and there is only so much of sitting on the beach while reading a book I can do [Mainly because I had exhausted my supply of English language books, and can't find too many Spanish language books on my level] so I have talked with my former house mate Chloe about coming to FairMail and helping out.  Since they are not necessarily in need of teachers right now, I will be helping out in the classroom some with Chloe and Julianne, working with Henrique in graphic design, and working with Jon on the business side of things.  Our goal is to have an exhibition of photographs somewhere in Trujillo by the end of the school year [which is early December.  Summer break runs from about December 10 to Easter although with Easter being late this year, the kids have to go back to school at the beginning of April and then take a week off for Easter.]  My first assignment was easy enough–Gather up locations that could potentially sell postcards either in Trujillo or Huanchaco [hotel, bus stations, airport, tourist sites, ect.] and classify them as budget, mid-range, or luxury.  The goal of the project is to time the exhibition with the launch of the Peruvian postcards [FairMail is a Dutch company that sells postcards/greeting cards throughout Europe although all of the images are taken by teenagers in either Peru or India.] In the next week or so, we’ll have editing sessions to cull 25 or so of the best images from the kids to display as art, until then, enjoy these photos compliments of the kids from FairMail Peru.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ocean 1, Michelle 0

Friday was the most beautiful day I have enjoyed since my arrival in Huanchaco. It was at least 80 degrees, not so windy, and hardly a cloud in the sky. My original plan was to go lay out on the beach and read my book and enjoy a quiet afternoon. But plans change. My housemate, Chole, wanted to go surfing. Everyone has been after me since my arrival to at least try it. At first I had a really good excuse *malaria*, then I developed bronchitis, and a snotty nose that will never go away it seems–so I said when I get better then I will go surfing. Now I feel fine, except I still have the snotty nose, and an occasional mucus filled cough. I told her that I would go down to the surf school and have a look. My opinion was that the waves were awful big and not very regular, and that we would in fact not be surfing that day, but at least I could go and say well-I tried, but the waves weren’t good today so we didn’t go in the water. My opinion of the water was confirmed by Emily, who works at the surf school, but is not one of the instructors. When one became available, he went outside, looked at the water and said…its a little rough, but should be OK…He lied. It was in fact very rough, and a very strong current pushing to the left. But by this point, you can´t not do it. After all the energy spent putting on the wet suit, you really should at least get in the water. So off we went…into the water…like a lamb to the slaughter…
The first wave to hit me knocked my braid out of my hair…the next took the elastic holder hostage…additionally, my “waterproof” sunscreen had dripped into my eyes, and they were stinging. Combined with the sun in my eyes, stinging eyes from the sunscreen, and hair falling down everywhere, I was, effectively, blind. But that´s OK because all I needed to do was listen for the commands**arriba, arriba, arriba**.   I am still not sure exactly what happened, but on * arriba* I went. I stood up.. I´m struggling to maintian my upright position, but I am in fact surfing–riding a wave on a surfboard. The problem, I think, was that I went too close to the shore before I fell off. My feet were easily on the ocean bottom, and that was the problem. I became tangled in the leash, and fell down…not normally a problem, but right at that moment a wave came, and crashed into me knocking me back into the water. And then more waves came pummelling me into the rocky surf. Everytime I tried to stand another wave attacked, knocking me back down. With me feet still tangled in the leash, I was an easy target for the angry ocean. I really thought that I might die, or at least be damaged enough to require emergency assistance. Eventually, the wave subsided long enough for me to stand and get untangled and out of the water, but not before the ocean had beaten me to a pulp.
I wanted to quit at that moment…to say that´s enough…sufing is not for me..but I didn´t. I retreated. I rested for about five minutes. I coughed up enough saltwater to sustain a small fish, and then I went back out into the ocean. And I rode more waves, however, from my knees, not my feet, until it was time to come in.
The results of my first surfing experience are one broken toe, second toe, left foot, and several cuts and bruises to my hands from being pummeled into the rocks. Although the waves were the largest I have ever been in, and they beat me up and down, today was probably a good day to have my first lesson in some ways. Basically, my instructor said, today the waves were angry, but you showed them you were not afraid, so next time, the sea will be calmer, and you will be in control. I don’t know about that, but hopefully, I am not broken to the point so that in a few days time, after I have had time to rest, I will be back on the surf board, paddling along, effortlessly riding a wave to the shore.

Centro de Salud

The centro de Salud-Huanchaco is a two story building that has in it offices for gerenral medicine, deliveries, dental, psychology, social services, lab, pharmacy, vaccinations, and now gracias a mi respiratory services. The clinic also has an ambulence service although I am not sure why as the clinic is not a hospital.  Maybe it transports people to Trujillo for true emergencies.

I have my own office where I can see patients.   It’s not much.  An exam bed, a table, a TV/VCR and that’s about it.  At first, I was quite confused as to why I would have an office.  I am not a physician or even a medical student.  I cannot write prescriptions and I made this very clear on my orientation day. Since I wasn’t given any direction at all I decided to make it sort of an educational clinic. I am currently in the process of creating posters and signs for respiratory problems.

The concept is unheard of here–that a person exist solely to treat respiratory illnesses of adults and children, but here I am. Asthma, flu, and TB are the biggest problems here.  A lot of my advice is common sense–use the vapor from hot beverages to make it easier to breathe, (hot showers not too common in this part of the wolrd), chest percussion to help break up mucus so that a person can cough it up, avoid smoke, use a scarf to cover the mouth and nose when it is chilly and/or dusty since cold air and dust creates and exerbates breathing problems… Its not much, I’m not out saving the world, but it is something that I have the ability and willingness to do, and if I make even one person suffer less, then I will consider my time here a success.