Peru

Peru Greetings:


Complications arose as we tried to cross the border from Ecuador into Peru. We had moved inland from the big city of Guayaquil to the smaller city of Machala (250,000). The plan was to avoid the more congested crossing on the coast. We stayed in a well-guarded shopping center parking lot for one night. We get lots of attention in these busy areas. The chief of security took the tour of our motor home and pointed to his eyes meaning he would have his eye on our unit. Our next stop was the town of Catacocha in the mountains. It is a very pretty town and we stayed on the plaza which was the center of activity. Weather was sunny but cool at altitude of 6,500ft. The small dusty town of Macara was the border crossing. Our paperwork was almost done when our leader’s companion found out she must have a visa for Peru. So we waited in Macara for a week while the bureaucrats in Lima did their thing. We received permission to stay on a military base while we waited. The soldiers were all around us doing their training. They were very polite but were not as friendly as Columbia. We took a taxi twice while we were there to have a seafood dinner across the bridge into Peru. This was a common thing to do and the fish was so good.

Mari’s problem was finally resolved and we were on our way. Peru’s roads are excellent and well marked. Unfortunately our impressions of Peru are not good. There is garbage everywhere and the dwellings are made of adobe or bamboo. This is desert country, so dust and sand colors everything. If you wanted to paint a picture you would just use the grey scale. The first night in Peru we stayed in Piura a city of 400,000. It is very dusty and windy with little taxis that swarm everywhere. There are hundreds zipping in and out. They are built on a 3 wheeled motorcycle and have a roof and hard sides I call them hornets. Bill says they are there just to aggravate.

We moved on to Chiclayo the next day. The drive was through desert that looked like no man’s land. There were big sand dunes and sad little dwellings where people lived somehow. There were a few areas of irrigation that turned fields to green. Within a few miles of nothing was a modern city with a nice supermacado (Market). This was Bill’s birthday so we celebrated with fresh strawberries, ice cream and cake. He was happy to celebrate his birthday in Peru and Mari sang Happy Birthday to him in Espanol. Sometimes we have to stop and think about where we are. It’s not Kansas anymore.

Just as we are about to give up on Peru we turn off the main highway a mile toward the Pacific to the seaside village of Las Tortugas(the Turtle) It is located on a sheltered inlet and is a summer time tourist place. Since it is spring here most places are not open. We parked with our window overlooking the ocean and the waves coming in. The fishermen were just unloading their catch when we arrived. It was such a peaceful place that we spent 2 days. One of the best parts was the restaurant across the street. It was run by a delightful couple. He was 83. They had the best fish ever. The bread guy came by on his bicycle early in the morning. The pan (bread) was hot and crusty. We could have stayed longer but must head toward Lima.

Internet is difficult to come by so stay with us and we will catch up when we can.



Bill and Gerry

Motor Home Living

We hadn’t realized that we had not talked about the practical side of our travels until we received an e-mail from one of our friends full of questions on how we do things.


So this is for your information.

The motorhome is a Vista Winnebego. It is 24ft. long and has a slide-out for the dinette.

This helps traffic control when two people are living in this confined space for any length of time. There is a refrigerator with a small freezer compartment that runs on gas and electricity. We also cook with propane gas and our water is heated with gas or electricity. We have had electricity one time since we left the states and gas is a bit difficult to find so we are VERY conservative about heating water or running our gas generator which sucks up the propane. We rely on a solar panel which is mounted on the roof to keep two large house batteries charged and it does a terrific job. These batteries also charge as we drive down the road. Bill devised a “charging” station that has a invertor. We can charge our phone, camera, lap top and my Nook.

We have a 30 gallon water tank and our drinking water goes through a state of the art filter but good water is hard to come by. We are also very conservative with it’s use.

One of the important aspects, if not the most important, is the Baño (Bathroom). It is small but has a good shower. Having your own facilities is a BIG plus.

Bill also mounted two 12 volt fans. One is over the bed and the other over the eating area. These make all the difference on these hot, muggy days.

We also have a 12 volt TV and DVD player. Since it is dark by 6:30 we watch some movies. I love my e-reader. I had downloaded some books before we left and it is great to have.

Since there isn’t any electricity, coffee is made every morning by the old fashioned percolator on the stove.

Washing clothes is done several ways. The best is the lady who wants to earn some money. She washes them on a stone, dries them and brings them back folded. They are clean as can be. The bigger cities offer lavanderia service. You drop off the clothes and pick them up later. Then there’s also the Mobile Maytag washer that we carry with us. It consists of a 5 gallon bucket. You put the dirty clothes in the morning with water and soap. They slosh around all day. When you arrive at your destination you rinse them and hang to dry.

Shopping:

The shopping centers in the cities are large and modern and have anything you want.

Super Markets are common. The choice of meat is limited and usually cut to order. One must learn how much a kilo is. The local markets have wonderful vegetables-some we don’t recognize. Fruits are abundant and so good. Most are new to us and we try them. The rule is you can eat what you can peel. Some we like. Others take a back seat. Meals eaten out are always an experience. Arroz (Rice) is always served unless you say NO ARROZ. Papas (Potatoes) are served with rice. There’s a small salad on the same plate. It is usually very good. The meat can vary from pollo (chicken), carne (meat) to piscado (fish). The seafood is the best. We left the big chains, such as Ky. Fried Chicken in Central America. We did come across a restaurant called Pollo Kentuky. We didn’t try it.

The Road:

We have a travel log that you go by. You set your odometer to 0 and the log tells you what’s there at a certain point. This is important for directions, stops, and turns It’s not always correct but makes travel interesting.

Our leader has a travel meeting the afternoon before we travel or the morning of. He goes over the log and any other information we might need.

There are many tolls. Major roads in Columbia and Ecuador have tolls about every 50 miles. This does not mean it is a toll road as we know it. You just pay a fee for using the roads.

Check points are common. In Columbia you usually just got big smiles and thumbs up. Sometimes they will check papers and just want to see inside the motorhome.

Fuel is easily found. Columbia stations were Texaco, Esso and others. Diesel was $2.70 a gallon in Columbia and Ecuador it is $1.03.7. We couldn’t believe it!! There is always an attendant to pump the gas.

One big point---There aren’t any campgrounds in South America. We park in some strange places. Hotel parking lots, shopping centers, national parks, service stations etc. There are always guards and safety is of most importance.

We hope this clears up questions on how we manage. Certainly one must always adjust to changing conditions. No one ever said travel was easy. To us it is a necessity and well worth the trouble.

Gerry and Bill

Bath Room

Bedroom

Kitchen

Good Location

Make-up Station

Men Only

Work Station

Diet

Our diet hasn't changed much since we left Paducah.  We still eat pollo(Chicken), carne(meat), and piscado(fish), but the way it is prepared and served is quite a change.  We NEVER eat at a fast foor restaurant but try to eat at the small places where the locals and truckers eat.  Chicken is usually pollo asada(roast chicken) with the meat fixed over an open fire.  We haven't had any good beef since we left.  Most is tough and dry.  The fish is escellent, especially near the coast.  One of our favorites is the whole fish that is scaled and gutted and fixed over hot coals.  It does bother some people to have the eyeballs looking at you while you are eating.  Usually the food is all on one plate with a serving of arroz(rice),papas(potatoes) and a small salad.  Sometimes they may serve a small bowl of soup.  The drink is usuall some sort of fruit the taste a lot like kool-aid to me.  One of the interesting things about restaurants and most business in the tropics is they have no outside walls.  The space is open to the outside and animals and birds can come in.  We don't always like what we're served, but you never know till you try.

Gerry and Bill

Ecuador

We have had internet problems so we are way behind and are trying to catch up.
Please bear with us.

The border crossing from Columbia was easy and fairly quick.  We were sad to leave a country that we had come to love.  We entered the northern part of Ecuador.  This is a beautiful,mountainous area and the people appear like we thought the indigenous people would.  They are very short and small.  The men wear ponchos and felt hats.  the women wear white blouses, long black skirts and lots of gold around their neck.  They strap their babies to their back with a strip of cloth.  They are know for their spinning of thread and weaving.  We visited a huge marketplace where they displayed their work.  There was also the biggest vegetable and fruit market that we have seen.  So much I didn't recognize,  There were huge cabbages,cauliflower,berries of all kinds, chicken parts, peas and many kinds of beans.  Also huge bags of papas(potatoes).  It was most interesting to wander through the area.

We had a wonderful surprise in Ecuador.  Deisel price is $1.03 a gallon!!!!  First time in many years that we have seen that.  Oh,  did I mention that the dollar is the currancy used?

The country side was a patchwork quilt with acres of greenhouses.  The steepest hill was cultivated.  We were at 8,000ft elevation so temps were cool.  Goes down in the 40 at night and 60 during the day.  We reach 12,000 in the mountains and one must be careful of these high altitudes.  The roads are excellent but Bill's skill as a driver has been tested and he has passed so far.

We visited the big , capitol city of Quito.  It is a very modern city with an American presence.  We counted 6 Ky. Fried Chicken places.  We took a tour to the Equator and its' momument.  This is called the Middle of the Earth.  GPS reads 00.0000 and when Bill pulled the stopper from the sink the water did not swirl but went straight down.  One would think you would be hot but it was jacket weather because of the elevation.

As we moved toward the coast the country really changed.  There were huge banana plantations and chochalate beans.  The Indians were not present in the coast.  The area was very poor,dusty and dirty.

We have met some really nice folks in Ecuador.  Our motorhome draws a crowd whenever we park.  They are intrigued by the South America signs our son put on the hood and the sides of the vehicle.  But they do not seem as friendly and are more serious that our smiling faces of Columbia.

We will cross into Peru next and new experiences await.

Gerry and Bill

Internet Problems

Don't give up on us. We have three blogs ready to post and can't because of internet problems. We wil try again later.
Bill & Gerry

A Village called Parraga

You won't find Parraga on the map.  It is a small village in the Columbian mountains past the big city of Cali and before you get to another big city called Pasto.  There's nothing much to catch your eye. Most of the houses and there aren't that many, march up a fairly steep hill.  There's probably 200 people.  They do a bit of gold panning in the local river, some small agriculture and jobs with transportation or this and that.  There's an elementry and secondary school.  The catholic church is at the top of the hill.  The priest only comes on Sunday.  We parked to the side of the church for two days and nights.  Norman just happened to see this opportunity and asked permission. When we arrived school was just letting out so we were the attraction and remained so.  The people of this mountainous community stole our hearts.  They gave us gifts of food.  They ranged from bananas, lemons,yogurt,and banana flavored milk.  Most of all they gave us their trust and their love.  The first evening we were invited to the school to watch folk dance practice.  What they lacked in talent they made up with energy. 
Norman is a para- medic and for years on his trips he has taken free blood pressures in many different places
This was a perfect place to do this.  I called on past long ago experience and helped take Blood Pressures  and we had quite a crowd.  We set up our clinic in front of the church.  We found 3 dangerously high readings during the two days.  A lady sent over coffee and hot corn cakes. I went to one lady's house because she could not leave her bed. 
While we were doing this, Bill printed pictures I had taken of the dancers.  What a hit!!!!! We gave them to the music professor to post for everyone to see.

As evening fell the crowd grew.  All ages and gender.  The young people were so interested in our trip.  We showed them a map and where our Casa (house) is.  I brought out a package of Oreo cookies and passed them around.  They all have such manners, from the least to the oldest.  They each took one and said gracious(thank you).
They loved to say our names.  Bill was BEEEL and I was Gerrrry.  When they saw we could not speak much spanish they tried to teach us.  The elementry students brought out their spanish-English school books to help us learn.  Bill had a buddy that corrected his spanish.  The kids were around us all the time.  We sometimes would have 6 in the motorhome at one time.
The second day word was sent that there would be a special performance of the more experienced dancers just for us.  We were the only audience and one of the pictures posted show some of the group.
We also left them with a slightly used soccer ball.  The whole class came up the hill to thank us
This morning as we were getting ready to leave the kids all came by.They are a "touching"people.  Each girl kissed your cheek and shook your hand and each boy shook your hand.  The adults also kiss your cheek and shake your hand-male and female.  The only english word one little girl knew was "Beautiful" and she would run by the motorhome and holler beautiful.  This morning when we left she hugged me and said Beautiful.  It truly was and we will not forget our village in the mountains of Columbia.

Bill and Gerry