Your yearly bath

Today I had the honour of witnessing an annual event in one of the communities where we are working - the annual bath of their cows, sheep, and dogs. We arrived at 7am at an altitude of 3700 metres to find that the ground was covered with frost and that all water in the area was frozen. This was the first time I have been in such low temperatures in this area, and I was a bit worried about how the animals would manage being wet and cold. Of course, as is always the case here, I was not dressed at all like the people who had invited us: the women had their multiple skirts over leggings while I was went a bit overboard with toque, scarf, down vest, and gloves.

Some of the ice once it had broken up

On an annual basis, the entire community gets together and bathe their animals in an area they have built of stones which consists of two corrals joined by a bath - a narrow and deep opening fed by spring water.

The bath is the circular area with the blue tarp, filled with sheep

The process went roughly like this:

1. Everyone met to discuss how much they should pay per animal per bath while they drank chicha from a shared glass

2. Various medications and creosote were added to the spring-fed bath to kill off infections, fleas, parasites, etc.

3. People with cows brought their herds over to the bath

4. Cows were led into the first corral and the entrance/exit was blocked by friends and neighbours yelling and waving their arms

5. The owner lassoed the bull's/cows' horns and dragged him/her into the bath, whereby the cow charged out the other end into the second corral and peacefully chewed some cud

6. Alternatively, some farmers stood behind their cows, yelling and pushing until the cow dove not-so-gracefully into the bath - I had no idea cows could dive

7. Once the whole herd had been bathed, they were allowed to leave the second corral and go to pasture

8. The process was repeated with sheep, bathing the lambs first so that the ewes jumped into the baths of their own accord to follow their babies.

The animals don't seem to really enjoy the bath

My ears are still ringing with the sounds of bleating ewes and startled cows, but what was most incredible was the way in which the entire community worked together to make sure that no animals were lost and that all animals were bathed in a short period of time.

Rain and dust

Although we've been sprinkled with intermittent drops (accompanied by so much wind that walls rather than sidewalks are getting wet), the rainy season here has officially ended - about a month earlier than expected. Those 3-4 months of rain had a remarkable impact on my work here, and more importantly on the status of agriculture in the valley.

Upon my arrival, I was overwhelmed with the sense of cold damp seeping into my bones and into the entire city and countryside. It seemed to be raining all the time, and when it wasn't raining the skies were heavy with clouds. As a consequence of all the rain, everywhere I looked there were plants sprouting and flowering, green-carpeted hills, and a sense of hope that infused discussions of the upcoming harvest. We drove over roads washed out by impromptu streams and by sudden waterfalls cascading down the face of the andes and swollen rivers that rushed with turbulent waters.

The Mantaro River in February and today

I could not have understood at that point just how precious that rain was. Now, however, I am seeing all too clearly just how dependant we all are on this short, wet, season. When we drive out to the country, or I walk along the streets of Huancayo, clouds of dust - not rain - are stirred up, settling on everything and leaving my eyes red and sore. The mighty Mantaro river has become a few streams that part and come together at various points over their stony floor and banks - which can now be seen clearly because the water is so low. The impromptu streams have become forgotten garbage pits, strewn with diapers, cans, and plastic bags.

On our visits with communities participating in the project we see clearly what are contacts are telling us repeatedly - there is not enough water. Stunted, drying corn stalks stand defiantly with a few shriveled cobs as their farmers wait in vain for a few more days of rain - which will not come. Golden stalks of rye and wheat wave in the wind, but with few seeds and much shorter than was expected. For people who rely on these crops to feed their families and bring in the household income there is not much they can do beside give their wilted crops to the livestock. In many areas irrigation is not a viable option, as most above ground water is rain fed, and digging wells or paying to access municipal water canals is beyond their financial possibilities.

Rain- and irrigation-watered corn

The rains ended early this year, but at least they came, and watered the potatoes that are the main food source for all Huancainos. What is most worrisome is that scientists predict the trend of shorter and shorter rainy seasons to persists as the climate continues on its course of chaotic change. I don't know what the recourse will be for large populations here who rely on their own production to make a living and to live.

Lovely moments

In order to give some balance to my previous post on some Huancayan idiosyncracies, I thought it would be nice to mention what makes this place (and my life here) so lovely:

1. The park outside of my house is the main gathering place for all sorts of parties, parades, festivals, weddings, funerals - you name it. I often unexpectedly run into people practicing dances, bands tuning up, and huge groups of people gearing up to head down to the centre of the city with a statue of the Virgin Mary, men dressed in monkey costumes, etc.

2. Now that the rainy season is gone, the skies are clear in the afternoon, allowing me to take in one incredible sunset after another. To the west, the sky turns many shades of colours, which streak through big fluffy clouds hanging over the western slopes of the Andes, while to the east the slopes become deep red - similar to the sands of Cavendish Beach, but much darker.

3. When it was raining, I would often come home after a small shower and look up to multiple rainbows arc-ing over my house. At one point I saw four separate arcs!

4. In general, the skies here are breathtakingly beautiful.

5. We're in the height of harvest season now, and the market stands are overflowing with potatoes, corn, veggies, everything! What's more, many of the people that we work with have been gifting us from their harvests, and my kitchen is overflowing too! Yesterday I came home with pears, spinach, and oregano and found 30 kilos of potatoes waiting for me to share with my co-workers.

6. Any excuse for a party or small celebration is seized upon here. This week a co-worker and I went out and purchased (from the CIP budget) gifts for all the mothers working in our office and this morning the office cooks prepared a breakfast for everyone where the gifts were given out and everyone said something nice to all the moms. Happy Mothers Day to you mom!

7. Although Huancayo itself is dirty, busy, crowded, noisy, etc., 15 minutes in any direction takes me out to some beautiful scenery - every day is amazing.

8. Overall, the greatest aspect of my work here has been my coworkers and the people who have made my stay here so amazing and such a beautiful experience. Thank you!

Labour Day Long Weekend

In Peru (as in many other countries), Labour day is celebrated on May 1st, and my team got a four-day weekend to celebrate. I decided to take advantage of the time off to head north to Trujillo and Huanchaco - a colonial city and fishing town, respectively. The drive north from Lima was beautiful, with huge sand dunes and cliffs lining the Pacific Ocean

The first day I spent in Trujillo and on a tour to the archaeological sites of the "Temple of the Moon", "Temple of the Rainbow", and "Chan Chan". The Temple of the Moon is a temple built by the Moche culture over 600 years, ending around 600 AD. The walls of the temple were covered in sand, which preserved the adobe sculputure and paintings of the main god Ai-Apaec and other images.

Excavations and restorations only began on the site in 1991, so there is a still a great deal of work being done. Each archaeologist apparently works on an area ~20cm squared each day,

so that it looks like this:

Chan Chan was built by the Chimu culture around 1300 AD and is over 28km squared - the largest adobe city in the world. Unfortunately, much of the site was destroyed by the Spaniards and subsequent grave robberies, and there is only one temple open to the public - but it's a beautiful temple with carved walls that were once painted:

The next day I strolled along the beach in Huanchaco, where boats have been prohibited and the fishers still use the traditional reed boats that have been used for over 2000 years.

But the best part of the trip was who I shared it with....Gabby came down from Mancora and we had a great time catching up, strolling along the beach and munching on seafood by the sea!