The “papa” (potato) is fundamental to Peruvian culture and way of life, a fact that is not commonly known outside of the country. Peru alone is home to over 2,000 varieties of potatoes (it was news to me that so many even exist) native to this country. Not only are there so many varieties, but it is also essential to the culture and diet of many Peruvians, especially local traditional Andean communities and families. For many in remote areas, their potato harvest is their sole means of capital and food. Being that the potato can be cultivated in diverse climates and altitudes, many local farmers in remote or extreme climates cultivate this product intermixed with other crops to maximize production and the benefits.
While I was in the area of Huaraz, Peru – some 8 hours by bus to the northeast of Lima – I visited the organization of Urpichallay in Marcara – 30 minutes outside of Huaraz. This area is known for being at the base of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range – a stunning glacier topped range in Peru. It is also known for being heavily agricultural and specifically, with the Peruvian potato.
Urpichallay (www.urpichallay.org) works with local communities – focusing on farmers and schools – to fortify local traditions, environmental practices, systematize it all, and improve the processes. They gave me the opportunity to visit a local family they had been helping with the potato harvest and I jumped at the chance to visit and help out.
Where we went was in a small community just up the mountains from Marcara. We drove up for 20 minutes from the town of Marcara, then walked about 1 hour through the hills and unmarked paths. The views were stunning and the landscape completely surreal. There was nothing but small homes and tiny communities. Along the way we saw local girls in traditional attire washing clothes in the river, husband and wife teams plowing the fields, and other locals going about their daily tasks.
We finally reached the family we were headed to around lunch-time and right when they were half-done with their day of harvest. Where we were was a plateau up in the highlands, surrounded by mountains. In Quechua (the local language), they call it “pampa.”
They shared their afternoon “lunch” with me of boiled potatoes (I imagine from an earlier harvest), aji – a spicy delicacy made from the spicy Peruvian pepper, rocoto, and an orange soda in a mug that we passed around the group. We all sat around this meal and relaxed in the warmth of the sun. Some even took short siestas on the soft grass.
After about an hour on the warm grass, everyone went straight back to day’s task of harvesting the potato. For those that don’t know how one goes about doing this – it was news to me as well – here is a short description of the process of the potato harvest.
You basically all line up along the field and using a form of pick axe, you drive it into the ground and then use it to pull up the dirt towards you, uncovering the potatoes from below the dirt. Most potatoes aren’t that deep, a few inches below the surface. You hand pick the potatoes (or sometimes there’s someone else that’s in charge of that) and toss it into a mat laid down behind you. As you pick, you continue along on the line, harvesting the entire area eventually. Once the potatoes on the mat behind you get fairly full, with another person you carry it over to a master pile you have on the side of the field. Some techniques also involve someone tilling the land from side to side, that’s driven by one or two bulls. This basically makes it easier and softens the dirt to dig up the potatoes.
Our team included some 8 of us total. Most were dressed in traditional attire and prepared with hats and scarves to protect themselves from the sun at such a high altitude.
After being the spectator and photographer for about an hour, I was finally recruited to help with the harvest and partake in the experience. It was definitely fun at first, and a neat experience. But, I’ll tell you this, it was hard work after a while. We worked for some hours and it was tiring, dirty hands, back breaking labor. I only took part for a couple hours, these locals do it all day long for multiple days!
We finally finished the hard days work around 4:00pm or so. As we were going the harvest, I was told that I’d be given a few dozen potatoes as a gift – as is customary for those that help out. It was touching that they were sharing their harvest with me. And Reina, the one who gave me the potatoes, had a giant smile on her face and was so very happy when gifting me the potatoes.
The whole day left me with a great sense of satisfaction and a feeling of helping out and partaking in an amazing, one-in-a-lifetime experience.
Here’s also a short video of the team during their harvest. All of which are family and live in various different homes around the area. As is customary, they help each other out with each harvest, in this case this owner of the property, and in return he will help them later with their harvest.
I have now officially been 5 times to the sand dune surrounded town of Huacachina, just a 4 hour bus ride south of Lima, Peru. As you can imagine, the typical activities of dune buggy rides, sandboarding, and strolls around the lagoon get a bit old around the 5th time. Well leave it to Bre and I to come up with new adventures in old places (well old for me).
Extreme Dune Running! (inspired by its counterpart: “Extreme River Jumping!”) It’s simple, you just run as fast as you can and you don’t look back! (a great philosophy when traveling).
Enjoy a few of our antics on the dunes:
Here I go:
And where would we be without an official video for youtube:
I have to admit this, it’s actually really fun to do and exhilarating. Also, not to mention a workout! Next time you find yourself on some dunes, give it a shot. Who knows what my next visit to this crazy “town” entails…
Well I am officially back in Peru for the 3rd time officially. This time can definitely be described as: HECTIC. Each time I’ve come here it’s been with different purposes and a completely different experience. The first time around (about exactly a year ago) I passed by for 3 weeks as a backpacker, the second time I came a few months after and volunteered with an NGO (Ashoka) for about 5 months, and this last time it’s been more business oriented where I brought students for a month (keep track of us at sustainablescholars.wordpress.com) and am working on connecting with organizations and diving into development related work/projects.
This time I’ve brought my portable office: my laptop netbook, an external hardrive (and several usb memory sticks), notebooks, business card folders, etc. I have my backpacker bag in 1 hand (for those transient moments) and a small roller suitcase to be kept at home base (which is currently a hotel in Lima). It’s a whole new experience and I’m learning as I go!
I will leave you all with a video of my dad trying Sandboarding (well, more like sand sledding) in Huacachina, Peru for the very first time (when we took the group of students before they embarked on their volunteer sites for 2 weeks). It should be noted he’s deathly afraid of heights and did this for the very first time. This video is one his 3rd hill once he was a pro and hooked on the adrenaline rush. I unfortunately couldn’t document his first time which started with a very loud, yet calm “OH SHIIITTTT….”
After about a 4 month absence from Latin America, I have made my triumphant return. I arrived last night in Lima, Peru and was informed by my taxi driver (after a quick 2:00am haggle session which I won) that he thought I was a full blown Peruvian…accent and all. That flattery definitely got the man a 5 sole tip ($1.50) and perhaps a referral.
I’m back on the road again (and this time with a laptop!), so keep posted and I’ll be sure to keep you entertained with unavoidable (and often inexplicable) videos, situations, and events throughout the adventure.
Many appologies to my readers. I have been back in the United States for the past months and have seriously lacked in my postings. I return to South America, specifically Peru, at the end of April. New posts are soon to arrive…
The cock fight is a pretty common/traditional ordeal in Peru (news to me when I first heard it) and especially in the areas of Ica and Arequipa. This post serves as an introduction to Peruvian style cock fights and everything you could possibly want to know in its procedures and happenings.
I’ve been to two distinct cock fights in Peru. My first was in Arequipa (in the south of Peru). The arena was more of a stadium-style where the fights started at 11pm and lasted until 2-3am. It was a chilly, seedy place, where women don’t pay a cover (since not many go, as you can imagine). Here’s an intro video to get a feel of the scene here:
The other fight I went to was in an outdoor festival in the agricultural desert region of Ica (some 4 hours south of Lima). This was a more make-shift circular pit in a park with a more family feel (as family as a cockfight can get I suppose). Here’s a video panoramic of the scene (take note of the creative means people took to watch the fight), this was almost a scene from the movies I felt:
In either environment, the procedures of the fight are basically the same. First the owners of the roosters all get together in the pit to decide who fights whom.
Each bird fights another in a last-man-standing format. Usually that bird only fights once a night (in a long tournament style like in Arequipa), but in festivals like that of Ica, they do a one day tournament where birds fight several times to announce a winner.
The owners enter from one side, either the izquierda (left) or derecha (right), sometimes carrying their bird covered by a decorated blanket, entering much like a boxer with their own music.
The side they enter is important since this is what people use to determine how to call their bets. The owners present their birds, have them “shake” with the other bird (basically bring them together to peck at each other) and then return to their corners where they fasten a sharp knife on the back of one of the feet. Most owners at this point are treating their birds in strange, affectionate ways such as: caressing them, kissing, and blowing on them (and I imagine whispering sweet nothings as well).
During this time (of about 5 minutes), numerous people in the crowd are yelling “izquierda” or “derecha” placing bets with the bookies (that are usually guys around the crowd with black leather jackets) or with each other. Bets are simple, if your bird is standing at the end of this fight, you win. They usually range from a minimum of $15 and go as high as $100.
Once all the opening procedures are taken care of, the birds are put in the middle with a white plastic blocker in between them. The block is lifted and off they go!
Here’s a scene from the Arequipa fight of the stand off /stare down between two birds:
And finally (and of course not lastly), here’s a scene from the fight in Ica. (not for the faint of heart):
Ah, and funnily enough…at each of these cock fights I’ve eaten delicious chicken sandwiches without even realizing the connection until after the fact. Makes sense though…
The quiet town of Concepción is located somewhere between Huancayo and Jauja some 6 or so hours by bus east of Lima. Adjacent to it is the hill and statue of the Virgin. This 82 foot statue not only overlooks the city, valley, and country side (providing ridiculously spectacular views), but you can also climb to the top of the head. Of course, plenty of documentation was taken.
Ahh, the majesty that is Machu Picchu. It’s no secret that Machu Picchu is a must see when visiting Peru, but what many don’t know is what treasures and gems await one at the site.
Huayna Picchu is just that. For the avid hikers, it provides one of the best views of the ruins from within the archaeological site. The trickiest part is that it’s also not the best kept secret. They only allow 400 people a day up the mountain (200 from 7am-10am and 200 from 10am-1pm). Many ambitious tourists rush to get their spots and it can fill up as early as 6am-7am. The best way to do it is to show up early, reserve on the 10am spot and head back to explore the ruins before the crowds hit (around 11am it turns into Disneyland on crack). It gets a little complicated for those on the Inca Trail (See Trickery on the Inca Trail).
Huayna Picchu is the mountain to the right of all the typical Machu Picchu photos (see below).
Huayna Picchu is the mountain on the right
The hike from the bottom to the top of Huayna Picchu is about 30 min. to an hour and I HIGHLY recommend it if you ever get the opportunity.Here’s a panoramic video I took from the top:
Picture, if you will, a traditional Peruvian flute band. Now mix in the flavors and instruments of a rock band. Getting strange, huh? Now, include such characters as “Little Juanito” on the mini guitar (Little John’s Peruvian counterpart), “Peruvian Emo-Guy” on the drums, the “Flute Master,” “Jack of all Sounds” (a man in traditional indigenous attire with every possible known instrument and sound making device – at one point he busted out a baby goat skull…), and others on the electric guitar and bass. Throw this whole group into a dark, dingy basement that fits about 20 people total.
Now, my friends, you have the band “Los Ultimos Incas” that we saw in the Machileros Bar in Barranco, Lima, Peru. It was definitely an experience.
Here’s a few video clips that a friend took from the show. This first one is by far my favorite and it captures a few of the rock out sessions and “unique” blend of music.
Note: See if you can spot my favorite band member, “Little Juanito,” rocking out on his guitar. Obviously, I got his autograph after the show…
Here’s another clip to get another idea of the music. Bear with this one, it’s a slower song, but take note of the eccletic mix of flutes and noise instruments in the background:
With the students of the University of Redlands, we have been volunteering with an underpriviliged, indigenous school called El Mundo Feliz (The Happy World) in the southern part of Quito, Ecuador. The kids come from all kinds of backgrounds and poverty levels and are absolutely adorable.
The following is a video of an outdoor English lesson for one of the younger classes taught by one of the Irish founders and teachers of the school:
Ahhh, the ski resorts of Chile are hands down one of a kind. I only had the chance to visit a couple of those fairly close to Santiago, but it was enough to sell me on Chilean snowboarding. I’ve seen my decent share of ski resorts (Big Bear, Mammoth, Tahoe, Swiss Alps), but the views and untouched powder runs I experienced at Portilloand La Parva were seriously just too much. (Apart from the sounding like a shameless advertisement, seriously, these places rocked my world).
Portillo is about a 4 hour drive from Santiago and adjacent to the border with Argentina around Mendoza (potential snowboarding and wine tasting in the same day…interesting). To get an idea, here’s a of me and a friend:
At the base
La Parva is a lot more available and is just about 24 miles from Santiago. Not quite my favorite, but it comes a close (very close) 2nd to Portillo. The views of Santiago from La Parva are ridiculously amazing. The day we went there it was beautiful until late afternoon where my friend decided to call it a day and I powered through for a few more runs (he lives in Santiago so this wasn’t his first time here – forgivable). The day turned on me a bit and the wind picked up A LOT. I made one last attempt to head to the top and from there would call it a day. After a very, VERY long and excruciatingly slow, death-defying chairlift ride to the top (with winds whipping my chair from side to side and frequent stops at, of course, the highest possible points), I finally made it to the top – only to not be able to see or feel a thing (COLD!). The way the winds were blowing the powder off the mountain, it felt like I was in the middle of a white desert (minus the heat obviously). Of course I had to document it (forgive my cheesy commentary, I was a tad cold and delirious at this point):
In Lima, Peru at the Kennedy Park in the Miraflores neighborhood, every Friday through Sunday one can always find this scene going on in the early evening. No one is really sure how or why it started, but dozens of couples and singles of the older variety gather in the center of the park and for hours non-stop, they just dance. Those crazy kids and their muzak.
Feeling guilty or is your negative aura bringing you down? Why not get cleansed by a shaman in Ecuador?? The jungle town of Misahualli (and also home of the infamous “thirsty monkeys,” see: Why Gringos Should Never Feed Jungle Monkeys) 7 hours east of Quito, Ecuador has a community just across the river that offers aura cleanses for the low, low price of US $1.
What is a shaman cleanse you may ask? Just take a look at these 2 videos.
The swiss-cabin style town of Bariloche, Argentina is known for it’s beautiful mountaineous landscapes filled views of its pristine lake surrounded by the snowcapped peaks of the Patagonian Mountains (there’s a reason one of the viewpoints here is named one of National Geographics Top 10 Views of the World). Here’s a taste of it:
Apart from an endless supply of spectacular views, drives and hikes, Bariloche also offers several other activities, such as: snowboarding/skiing and, notably, paragliding.
Who wouldn’t want to paraglide with such majestic views as these?? Well, a note to those that attempt it in the future: make sure there’s plenty of wind, regardless of what your guide says. This is my friend who was the first at bat to glide down the hill (basically to get started, one must run really fast with the guide, attached to the back, along an open “runway” and eventually the wind will kick up and off they go…)
