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!

Oliver comes to town!

For the past two weeks I was so so lucky to have Oliver with me to share my life in Peru - it was great! A quick synopsis of our visit together:

I picked Oli up in Lima, where we hung out in the "park of love", which was built as a counterforce to all the monuments to war. The benches are all covered with snippets of love poems and names of well-known literary and real-life couples

We then spent a week in Huancayo, where I worked and he checked out the local sites, such as the Parque de la Identidad (below). We made a bunch of yummy Mexican food one day and took it to share with my co-workers. Delicious!

We wanted to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu and thought it would be a great idea to take a bus from Huancayo all the way there. Although it looks like a short trip as the crow flies, the route goes over the andes on curvy, unpaved roads and we were really glad for the beautiful scenery and not-so-frequent breaks on our....32 hour trip (!):

We stopped off in Ayacucho for a day, where we visited the capital of the Wari empire (a pre-inca culture). Although the site is 16 square km, only a very small area has been excavated, but we were able to see what was likely a ceremonial centre:

Ayacucho is a really beautiful city, but not highly touristed (it was the centre of the Shining Path movement in the 1980s, but is safe now). And then we were off to Cusco and Machu Picchu!

We lived the full-blown tourist life in Cusco, buying wool hats and llama sweaters and eating over-priced food -we loved it:

We'll have to wait until July for our next adventures together - I know they'll be wonderful.

Mi casa y vida

For those of you who are wondering what my life is like in Huancayo, here's an idea: (Careful! it's so exciting that you might want to hang on to your seats!)

My house and street:

The two rooms in my house - thanks for doing the dishes Oli!

The views from my roof/backdoor/laundry area

Our focus groups are based on understanding the relationship between vegetable production and social and environmental factors. Here I am asking about the source and quality of the agricultural inputs used in one of the communities:

One of the perks of my job is that it includes things like being invited to eat freshly harvested corn and potatoes with fresh cheese!

There you have it!

Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail!

I just got back from an amazing week in southern Peru hiking the Inca trail with Gabby on our way to Machu Picchu. The whole trip was not entirely what we expected, partially because we both ended up getting sick right before we left, and partially because it was far more stunning than we ever could have imagined! We decided to go the very touristy route and take the 4-day Inca Trail hike from Ollantaytambo (outside of Cusco) to Machu Picchu. 500 people (200 tourists and 300 porters and guides) a day start off on the 43-km hike and although at times it feels like you're in the middle of a log-jam, for the most part the trail is scenic and peaceful and a offers a wonderful possibility to view - and meander through - andean scenery. If you look closely, you'll see a little line of people trekking along the bottom

The trail itself is manageable, although not an easy hike in the woods. We climbed over four mountains, and at our highest point crossed a 4,200 metre pass before descending to sleep at 3,600 metres (it got to -2 that night)

First you go up...and then hike right back down

It was so fun to go with Gabbs, and I'm sure we were helpful at entertaining our fellow tour group members with our incessant giggles, snotty faces, card playing and photo ops at every turn. I miss you already Gabbs!

A few reasons why I am infinitely cooler than Gabby, as exemplified in these photos:
1. Rain pants from 1987
2. Tilley hat
3. Florescent orange water bottle holder
4. Bright purple poncho strapped to my back
5. Thumbs up.
You'll note that Gabby looks like she could be modelling for a Peruvian alpaca wool outdoor adventure company - who looks that good after hiking up 4,200 metres?

Anyways, after passing through some beautiful Incan archaeological sites and agricultural terraces,

we arrived at our final destination - Machu Picchu!

It was really cloudy and foggy when we got there, so you'll have to trust that we really are standing in front of the famous Machu Picchu postcard scene. For those of you who aren't so sure, I'm adding another photo of after the sun burned off some of the mist and you can actually see the mountains in the background

Machu Picchu itself is definitely over-touristed (apparently 1,500 people go a day, although UNESCO has declared 500 to be the maximum sustainable number), but it's easy to see why it is such a sought-after site. It is strikingly beautiful, and quite big, and surrounded on all sides by imposing green mountains. It was more than amazing to arrive there after four days of hiking through the andes, and so inspiring to have a place be so much more than I had imagined.