Ferry Boat Tour and Therapeutic Volcanic Mud Massage

The weather continues to be torrid. Today, the heat index was 102 degrees, and this is there winter. I can always retreat to my hotel room, thank goodness, which has the AC continually on. But I will be leaving here tomorrow and flying back to Bogota and then home to Portland. My limited experience in Colombia is 180 degrees different than what I thought I might experience. People are not overly friendly but if I initiated the conversation, they were quick to respond. I have not felt the least bit threatened or intimidated. I just need to learn more Spanish. You can't always find people who know English, nor do I expect it, but then you can find it in the strangest places. Yesterday, I was at the ATM. This ATM is like a small office and it has a guard on duty. (you do see lots of security guards everywhere). There are 4 ATM machines. The guard was talking to the locals, saying something about the machines. I started to ask him too, but explained that my native language was English. He immediately switched to English, and told me he never learned it in school, only studied on his own. His English was quite good. He was extremely helpful and friendly. Also, today, at the hotel, I heard lots of young kids frolicking in the hotel pool. Later, I saw them in the lobby and wondered if they were staying here. Billy, an employee of the hotel, told me that the boss of the hotel invites a number of poor neighborhood children to use the pool every Sunday. Then he buys them all ice cream before they go home. I thought this was a very nice gesture as these kids looked like they had very little. I saw several other acts of charity done for less fortunate. It made me feel good about the Colombians. Next time I come to Colombia I want to know more Spanish and take some cross country bus rides.






Now, to my Boat Tour. I signed up for a small ferry boat trip to two islands for the day. When I arrived at the pier, I was immediately taken to the much larger ferry boat for some reason. Knowing nothing, I didn't disagree and boarded going to the upper deck. On the upper deck, there was no room to really walk around, just rows and rows of bench seats. I was early, but after about 30 minutes, it was clear that this boat was going to be "full". Not sure if they sold more than they could legally hold, but it was no concern to any of the staff or to any of the passengers, except maybe for me. haha! Soon we were sitting ass to ass with only one aisle. I couldn't move it I wanted to. Then, after disembarking, the real "Colombia Party" began. They had an MC, an very loud stereo and karaoke machine that never shut off. It was like I was in some Colombian night club. The MC and everything was all in Spanish, Some passengers were dancing in the aisle. They were extremely active. The MC told jokes and got the audience involved. I do have to say these people do know how to party! Action nonstop! It never stopped for two hours. Finally we arrived at Rosario Island. Well, there was an aquarium there but that costs about 10 USD more, and I thought it was not worth it. The island was small with little or nothing to do, even though some people tried swimming. They we pulled out again to the next island, only this time I went downstairs. Again you couldn't really walk around there either but at least I escaped party scene. I also met a nice local family who I enjoyed visiting with.



Now, to my surprise, on the next island, they had to use two smaller boats to get us to shore. So everyone rushed to the small boat. But it would have to make two trips. This took quite a while for the boat to go back and forth. I took the second boat trip because I didn't really realize what was happening at first. Inside the small boat, people were just standing, with no space in between. Noah's Ark comes to mind, except we were not animals. After all this, I finally go to shore where were we were all going to have lunch. Again, a terrible long line, which is ok except that you have limited time until you have to board the ferry again. Thank heavens for a New York couple who saved me. I met them earlier too and they came and got me from the back of the line and brought me to the front with them. I bought them beer in return. After lunch, we then could walk around the beach but it was full of locals all trying to sell something. The water was clean looking and many did go in. Time passed quickly and then it was another huge ordeal to get back on the ferry boat. On the way back to Cartagena, I sat upstairs again but thankful most of the party people were tuckered out, so things were calmer. The MC was still going strong, and changed into his Michael Jackson clothes and did his sexiest routines. It was all in fun and I would have enjoyed it more if I knew Spanish. Not my favorite trip but live and learn.



Today, I went on a Therapeutic Volcanic Mud Massage trip. I wasn't sure I should do this either but I thought I had asked more questions this time before signing up. haha! I still need to ask a few more. Anyway, there was small charter bus that we rode in to go about 38 KM out of the city to an old volcanic site. There were about 20 on the bus from various hotels, so a much smaller group and a guide who spoke English. When we arrived, I realized it wasn't exactly like I had envisioned. This volcano seemed quite small. I knew we would have to walk a bit but they didn't say it would be up some pretty rickety stairs and the mud bath was at the top!!! Well, this was no time to back out! I decided i should be first in our group and get it over with!! The climb up wasn't bad but now, when you get to the top, you have to walk a short distance on a narrow path to step into this lava tub!! Well, as I maneuvered to the ladder to step into the mud, I tried not to thing about it. Stepping onto the ladder, you could already feel the slipperiness of the lava, so you have to be careful you didn't just "fall in". haha! And make a big splash!!



Once completely in, I could feel the tremendous bouncy of the mud. There was no way you could stand up, so you had to float on your back. Now a local man was trying to tell me what to do but in Spanish. Once I figured out what he wanted me to do, I was just floating on top of the lava and he began to massage my body. It really felt good. He did this a short time, and they directed me to turn over. Well that was a little trickier as you don't want to put your face in the mud, so I hung on to the wall. Again a nice massage on my backside. Then I just kind of soaked in the lava for a bit. Now, it was time to get out. I was a ways from the exit ladder and I just couldn't walk over there though the mud, so they just pass your body from one person to the next. And all the while, I am trying to help, grabbing on to who knows what, until I get to the ladder, to climb out.



Now for a new challenge. As I stepped out of the mud spa, I was on a small platform that attached to the descending stairs. But I noticed that the lava made your stability very dubious. I could just see myself sliding all the way down those stairs. So I started down very slowly, wrapping my arms around the stair poles, just in case. Thankful, the young Irish couple behind me, were almost as nervous as I was and told me to take my time. I was glad to reach the bottom.



Now for the cleansing in the lake. You walk a short distance to a lake to wash away all the mud. A woman leads me out to about thigh deep water and motions for me to sit, which I did. Now sitting with water almost to my neck, she proceeds to pour small buckets of water over my head and face. Each time, i am trying not to swallow any of this water just in case it might make me sick and at the same time I am thinking this must be like the Chinese water torture treatment!!! haha! I would never survive! Finally, after about 20 buckets she declares me clean and free to go. This also could be compared to immersion baptism!



After we dried off a little we, drove to another beach for lunch and some time in the water. The lunch was fresh grilled fish, with fried coconut rice and fried bananas(plantains). It was quite good. Arrived back at my hotel and felt good.



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Bus Tour

Yesterday, I signup for a bus tour. It is isn't exactly a bus but an open truck with a lot of bench seats. There must have been about 30+ people in the group. They drive around and pickup at many different hotels before the tour started and luckily I got on early and got a good seat. I was told ahead of time that the guide would speak English and this turned out to be true but I was the only one in the group that needed English, so I felt a little guilty always having it translated. For this reason, I didn't ask a lot of questions or I took his abbreviated version.



One place were visited was the old Spanish fort called Castillo de San Felipe in the historic part of town. This was built and maintained by the Spanish in about 1657. It was used like a bank because gold was brought here and kept for shipping out to Europe. At the top, you could see many different lookout posts, with cannons. Some places were like a tunnel for a secret passage out and built so you could see and hear anyone from the top but not from the bottom. I not sure how many years it was maintained. I do know that Cartagena was the first place in the Western World to free slaves. This was something I read before.


We also toured the oldest and narrowest streets in Cartagena. One place was a convent for cloistered nuns. This convent also served as an orphanage. Poor people would often bring their new babies here if they couldn't afford to keep them. Because it was a cloistered order, the transfer was done by way of a revolving drawer. The mother would place the newborn in a small box on one side of the wall. Then the box or drawer would be rotated to another side of the wall in another room. There the nun would take the baby, so no one saw each other. I am not sure how many children were brought here.


I met another young couple on the tour. They were with their one year old son. We enjoyed trying to communicate but they were very friendly by taking photos of me, helping me buy a special gift for a friend, and buying water for me. So far, I don't have any fear of walking around most anyplace. I not sure why Colombia has this bad image, but most seem quite honest and helpful. A good example was yesterday on the tour. When we got off to tour the castle, I left my Nike backpack on the bus. When I got back, I immediately noticed that the bag was gone. Then, I started to think what was in it. I decided not much and that I should have taken it with me because their are really no doors on this bus and they didn't say I could left it. Well, just as everyone returned and the bus driver was about to drive to another location, he reaches down into his ice chest and pulls out my bag. I then knew that he had noticed that I had left it and if he hadn't put it in a safe place, it would have been taken. I tipped him when I left he tour. Lesson learned.



I think I got my zipper pulls fixed today. I asked a man at the hotel where to go and then he gave the taxi driver very specific instructions. It was in the old central part of town, near the central market. I made sure to ask him the price before he started to repair it. He said 200 sols-I had him write it down too. Well, after about 30 seconds, he was done. And I thought 200 was too little, so I gave him 200 sols, which is about 1 USD. From there I walked around enough to get lost. I have decided that no one knows how to read a map nor can I find a good map of the area. You really can't get lost her as you can always get a taxi and if you walk long enough you are sure to get back, as not that big an area. But it is quite hot, about 90 degrees I think and this is there winder. It threatens rain but i don't think it has ever happened yet. On my meandering, I stopped at a coffee shop. Simple orders like coffee can take a while so best never to get in a hurry. One older man was interested in talking to me so we struck up a conversation. He was Colombia but his father was Chinese. After learning all about his marriages and children and his new girlfriend in New Jersey, he wrote down and gave me his phone number and name. Of course, I had to do the same. I think he was about my age too.


I ended up walking all the way back to my hotel.




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Bogota

I flew out of Lima on Sat. at 5:30 pm. Most of the others had left already going to Cusco and Macchu Pichu or the Amazon. Only Dena and her son Adam left after me to fly back to Miami. Somehow the hotel provided us all with transportation to the airport. I thought I was going to have to pay $31 USD departure tax but I didn't, so it must have been included in my ticket somehow. That was a nice surprise but it screwed up my bookkeeping. haha! I had calculated how many sols I needed to get out of the country and no more. Anyone want any Colombian Sols?



After landing in Bogota, it took a while to get through all the red tape because there were so many of us. Took a metered taxi to the hostel. The taxi driver was speedy but he did fine except he couldn't quite find the hostel. Then when he did, I thought he seemed very unsure that it was the right place. There was no sign outside, so I made him wait until I got someone to come to the door. It was the right place. Inside, it is basic, like other places I have stayed with about 6 rooms. The guy that runs it speaks perfect English but now he has left and a woman named Elsie who speaks very little English is here to help me. haha! The other guests are nice, two from England. Right now there is a huge Soccer tournament going on in Colombia so everyone is glued to the TV at night. Colombia lost but they still are watching. This is like the World Cup of South America.



Yesterday, I spent most of the day riding the bus and in the old historic area. The mass transit bus system started in 2001 and uses the long articulated buses. You pay about 1 USD and walk onto a platform that the bus then pulls up too. You need to be fast and just because it looks full, doesn't mean that you shouldn't get on. They are very crowded, so you just have to push. This is the one place that you have to be careful with your things because it would be easy for someone to pickpocket you. After I got off the bus, I got lost several times. Not many people speak English but I can't expect them to. I was trying to find the historic area called La Candelaria. Finally, I got orientated but it took two days.



In the historic area, there is one museum after another. They are all very impressive and you can only do so many without getting "museumed out"!! I did go to quite a few museums the most famous one was the Gold Museum. The Gold Museum might be the best of its kind. There are all kinds of gold displays showing artifacts and how gold was made and used. It is impressive. Three floors with English translations so that was a big help too. And for some reason it was free too. I don't know the reason, maybe because Monday was a holiday, but no one could tell me what the holiday was. They told me they have lots of holidays but no one knows what they celebrate.
Another impressive museum was the money or mint museum. It was huge too with all kinds of history dating back to about 1600 and the making of the first coins for bartering or buying things. Inside was also a huge art display with lots of different painters' works displayed. If I was more of art expert, I would have appreciated it more but I did really enjoy it.



At the military museum, I had a unique experience. A man in a army uniform greets me and starts to ask me for some documentation before I can enter. I have not been carrying my passport but a copy of it. That day, for some reason, I had forgotten it in the hostel. So after I had to tell him "no" several times, I didn't think he would let me in. But to my surprise, he turned the keyboard my direction and told me to type my name, city, and country. He appeared to be breaking the rules but just wanted to be accommodating to me, which was very nice. Inside, I had to check my bag, which made me feel a little naked because I am so use to carrying my bag which contains my money, visa card, and few other essentials. I did get to keep my camera. I got it back with no problem when I left. Inside the military museum, there was a huge display of guns and other weapons beginning about 200 years ago. I felt quite ignorant when I learned that Colombia had been involved in the Korean War. They lost quite a few soldiers in the battles there according to the one whole room that was dedicated to Korean War. Also, lots of the weapons and tanks were made in the US.



Yesterday, on my meandering strolls, I found a decent looking restaurant that had some English on the menu. I opted for a seafood stew cooked in a clay pot and some lemonade. They then brought be a few salad, which I wondered if I should eat. I thought it seem like a sanitary enough place, so I did. The seafood was great but I think it was cooked with meat too. The lemonade was green in color. I suppose you all know that lemon in So. Am. countries are really what we call limes. And for that, I wondered about the water to make it. But I had no problems later.



Weather is very nice, cool and a little drizzle. My foot is better and I can walk ok, just takes a little more time than normal. Bogota is a very nice place to spend several days with lots to see. Traffic isn't too bad with all the modern conveniences that you could want. Some skyscrapers with nice architecture. You do see lots of homeless or very poor people on the street who generally don't bother you except to beg a little. The other day, they were handing out free bottles of some sort of drink and so I took one. Before I could finish drinking it, I saw a man eying it so I let him have it.
So, I am going to Cartagena on Tuesday. I may stay there until I leave Colombia, not sure yet.
i am sure I have bored most you. haha! Colombia, in my opinion seems safer than what I have read or seen. (I did see one demonstration downtown against the killing of bulls in bullfights).
Enjoy your time where ever you are.


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Leaving Peru

Now I have finished my second week in Lima and getting ready to fly to Colombia. The second week at the school was more meaningful because I got to know the students and teachers better. I think all the students were very appreciative of our help. I often found that they could express themselves if given time but not always the correct accent or grammar. One student, Marco, got a scholarship to Colorado State Univ. and is flying there Monday. He will be there until December, so for one term.




One class was particularly meaningful to me. They always thought my jokes were funny and took very good notes. On the last day, they brought lots of small gifts to give to me, even though if I had known, I would have encouraged them not too. Some of the gifts were some typical Peruvian food of milk rice and purple corn which you eat together and it is very sweet. Some other gifts were Peruvian refrigerator magnet, key rings, coasters, small note pads and box of Arequipa Chocolate(famous in Arequipa). It was very moving and touching. Marco, who is very busy packing and doing last minute details before he flies to the US, couldn't stay for class so just came on Friday to bring his gift. I hope to stay in touch with some of these students via email now. On the last day of class we played Scrabble.







The school took us to a special place for lunch on Friday. We walked about 4 blocks to a small commercial area. This is where the school sells different things that they grow or raise. They had a fantastic butcher shop where you could buy alpaca, goat, beef, and cuy-guinea pig. The shop was like one I would see in the US, very clean and professional looking. They also had a great nursery for buying plants and flowers. At the restaurant, we were served a great lunch. I think I had alpaca grilled meat, very tender and quite good. The favorite thing to drink in Peru is Pisco Sours. I am not sure what is in this but the alcohol seems quite strong. I only had one even though the Pisco tastes great because they wanted me to try another drink, which I did, but only half. The other drink was sweeter and I guess a popular drink here too. The teachers all complimented me on my teaching and how much they learned from me, which I don't quite understand but I am very appreciative. They also said they will remember me because I always smiled. I thought that was nice. One of the teachers I worked with has a sister in Oregon, so I might keep in contact with her.




Now, almost everyone on the team has left. I don't leave for Colombia until 5:30 pm tonight so will stay at the hotel until about 2 pm. Only two other volunteers are here now, and they are from the Miami area.

Good trip so far, and nice to work with some young people who are trying to make a good life themselves and are good representatives of Peru.


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Weekend

This weekend I went to the Zoological gardens on Saturday with Jack, Elaine and Adam. We shared a taxi and were some of the first ones at the Zoo. I wasn't sure it was even open when we arrived. The sign said admission was 9 sols for the weekend, which is less than $3 dollars so not expensive, but when I tried to pay, she keep pushing my money back and telling me something. Finally, Elaine, who knows some Spanish, figured out that we were free. I guess, then don't change senior citizens, because Adam was charged.






Inside, everything is in Spanish but you can figure out some of the information about the animals even from the Spanish. The Zoo was divided into 3 areas: Costal, International, and Jungle. Some animals I had not seen before up close and the nice part was most were visible around when we were walking around. The zoo didn't get crowded until about noon. Then lots of families came. The families often brought their own food and picnicked on the lawn. They all seem to be enjoying the day. The zoo also has a huge play area with different activities like rock climbing, bungee jumping, and many more. You pay extra for this. We left about 2 pm but managed to see most of it.





On Sunday, I decided to take the local bus to the Plaza de Armes. This is in the center of Lima and I had been there once before in 2005. I got some direction from the hostel here so off I went. I walked a few blocks and waited. Soon, I saw No. 03 which was my bus. Once seated, the "barker" came to collect my money. It cost less than 2 sols, so less than $1. I tried to tell the barker where I wanted to get off. The bus was nice and not that crowded. I could tell I was attracting some attention but thankful other things soon took their attention elsewhere. Like the rap singer that got on with his ghetto blaster and began to rap for all of us to hear. Then, of course, he passed the hat but few contributed. Later, a young woman got on selling candy and small pastries. She got some takers. Then a older man and young man got on dressed in native type clothing. The older man a wooden harmonica attached to his neck so he could play his guitar at the same time. They sang and played loudly and sounded pretty good. Then he tried to engage me in conversation. Others on the bus tried to tell me that he wanted money, which I said, I knew. I didn't have much money on me but decided to give him what I had because I could go to the ATM at the Plaza. Then, he was very happy so I took a photo of him.






After this, a young woman, comes and sits by me. She shows me a map she had drawn because she wanted to make sure I got off at the right place. She explained in perfect English the route and how I would know if I had gone too far. In giving this information, she missed her stop and I felt bad that I had caused it.





At the Plaza, I could see lots of people milling around, some like me, tourists but many local people too. A few vendors tried to sell me things but not that many. I am not sure how they can spot me so quickly. haha! One man, who I bought a map from, because he runs a school for orphan children north of Lima. He had lots of photos of the children at the school and how he helped them. There were some people playing music and dancing in the street too. The police were at the corners of the plaza with their riot shields ready incase something got out of hand. I asked to take their photos and the one policeman quickly responded with $5! Then, I said, no thanks but he immediately gestured that he was joking and offered to take a photo of me with the police. I thought that was very nice. People warned me about possible crime in this area but I felt perfectly safe. I did go though some very different neighborhoods as I rode the bus and probably wouldn't want to do this at night.





I took the bus back to the hostel. Everything went smoothly. I also went to a local church today. Behind the altar, the whole wall was painted beautifully. Mostly older people in the church but they were very friendly too. They had the young children, maybe about 12 yrs. old, collect the money during the Mass which was different but I liked it.






All in all, a good weekend, except for my aching foot. Keep hoping for improvement but can't really complain. Take care everyone.


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Location:Av de la Aviación,Lima District,Peru

Finished Week One

I am sure you thought I given up writing but it is just that once the program starts there is no time to do much of anything else. Now, on the weekend, I have some free time, so I will try to give you a little update.




Every day this week, a team of 5 or 6 volunteers, were driven to the LaMolina Unversity by taxi. We leave the hotel at 8:15 am and get to the university about 9 am, so about a 45 minute drive. The first day at the university we met the director of the Language Center and were given a tour of the campus. This is an Agricultural and Forestry university which has a good reputation and is well known.




The facilities at the school are very plush compared to other places I have worked. The library at the school has wifi and lot so teaching materials from other Global Volunteers even though the volunteers have been only coming here for two other previous times. The cafeteria or cafe at the university gives us different choices every day. On the menu there is mostly chicken, potatoes and rice, but it is always good. I got a salad the the other day and wondered if would make me sick but it seemed to pass the test. There are a lot of flies that hover around the food which makes it somewhat annoying. The only thing that is a minor problem is, even though we order a head of time, they never get the order right. So, the waitress always asks us again and again what we ordered, then bringing sometime different.

The first day of class, we were given class lists with about 25-28 students, so that is how I prepared. My co-teacher is Marianne who is from San Francisco. She has done two other GV programs before and she is retired from a job with a pharmaceutical company. Another Teacher/volunteer, Sara, is from Kent State and will graduate in one year. She has been in So. Am. all summer and is a Spanish major. The other two teaching volunteers are Jack and Elaine, both 83 years young and a couple, from Madison, WI. They are both retired many years from the school. Jack was a school counselor and Elaine taught ESL. They are a lot of fun to work with and bring a wealth of ideas.


Reality set in with our first class. We worried about our lessons and the material that we had prepared. The class ended up being about 7 students, none of which were on the list. Also, our classes were divided into intermediate and advanced but the students just decided themselves where they wanted to go, so then each class had a full range of English abilities. There seemed to be no reason why the signed up students were a no-show but this is how somethings work in Peru. haha!





Some of the students want to come to the U.S. to study but I am not sure that will happen because they don't seem to have much money. Most of the students are about 20-24 years old. Some have graduated and are now working on their masters and they speak basic English but often their accents or grammar has some problem. Some teachers have been sitting in our classes too. Their English is better. One teacher got his Masters in Mississippi. He told me that he didn't understand anything when he first arrived in Mississippi. I think I would have trouble too. ha! The students are all friendly and enjoyable to work with.

I have not have any problems so far other than my heel is still giving my fits!! So that limits my walking which is a real bummer for me. I doubt now that this will improve on this trip. It might be planter fasciitis. Peru is not the No. 1 producer of coca and they have a new president. The country is not sure if he will be good or not but he seems to be aligning himself with Chavez and Moralas.



All for now... Cool here again and it seems to be the same everyday. About 65 degrees but lots of humidity. Cloudy sky, never see the sun.

Take care all.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Lima Peru

Finished Week One

I am sure you thought I given up writing but it is just that once the program starts there is no time to do much of anything else. Now, on the weekend, I have some free time, so I will try to give you a little update.




Every day this week, a team of 5 or 6 volunteers, were driven to the LaMolina Unversity by taxi. We leave the hotel at 8:15 am and get to the university about 9 am, so about a 45 minute drive. The first day at the university we met the director of the Language Center and were given a tour of the campus. This is an Agricultural and Forestry university which has a good reputation and is well known.




The facilities at the school are very plush compared to other places I have worked. The library at the school has wifi and lot so teaching materials from other Global Volunteers even though the volunteers have been only coming here for two other previous times. The cafeteria or cafe at the university gives us different choices every day. On the menu there is mostly chicken, potatoes and rice, but it is always good. I got a salad the the other day and wondered if would make me sick but it seemed to pass the test. There are a lot of flies that hover around the food which makes it somewhat annoying. The only thing that is a minor problem is, even though we order a head of time, they never get the order right. So, the waitress always asks us again and again what we ordered, then bringing sometime different.

The first day of class, we were given class lists with about 25-28 students, so that is how I prepared. My co-teacher is Marianne who is from San Francisco. She has done two other GV programs before and she is retired from a job with a pharmaceutical company. Another Teacher/volunteer, Sara, is from Kent State and will graduate in one year. She has been in So. Am. all summer and is a Spanish major. The other two teaching volunteers are Jack and Elaine, both 83 years young and a couple, from Madison, WI. They are both retired many years from the school. Jack was a school counselor and Elaine taught ESL. They are a lot of fun to work with and bring a wealth of ideas.


Reality set in with our first class. We worried about our lessons and the material that we had prepared. The class ended up being about 7 students, none of which were on the list. Also, our classes were divided into intermediate and advanced but the students just decided themselves where they wanted to go, so then each class had a full range of English abilities. There seemed to be no reason why the signed up students were a no-show but this is how somethings work in Peru. haha!





Some of the students want to come to the U.S. to study but I am not sure that will happen because they don't seem to have much money. Most of the students are about 20-24 years old. Some have graduated and are now working on their masters and they speak basic English but often their accents or grammar has some problem. Some teachers have been sitting in our classes too. Their English is better. One teacher got his Masters in Mississippi. He told me that he didn't understand anything when he first arrived in Mississippi. I think I would have trouble too. ha! The students are all friendly and enjoyable to work with.

I have not have any problems so far other than my heel is still giving my fits!! So that limits my walking which is a real bummer for me. I doubt now that this will improve on this trip. It might be planter fasciitis. Peru is not the No. 1 producer of coca and they have a new president. The country is not sure if he will be good or not but he seems to be aligning himself with Chavez and Moralas.



All for now... Cool here again and it seems to be the same everyday. About 65 degrees but lots of humidity. Cloudy sky, never see the sun.

Take care all.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Lima Peru

Meeting Day

I still haven't managed to get a good night's sleep but I seem to be functioning somehow. The hotel provides a light breakfast and I was the first one in the dinning area at 7:30 am. MMMM? Maybe this group doesn't have any early risers. After breakfast, we gathered in the lobby/living rom area for our first meeting. There are 19 volunteers on this team. Five are from one family: a grandmother, son and wife and two daughters. The youngest daughter is a freshman in high school and the other daughter has one more year of college. Another family has four members: husband & wife and two children. The one son is in college and the daughter is a sophomore in hi school. Then there is a mother and 16 year old son, and a father with his 13 year old son. This is the most family groups I have seen on any Global Volunteer team that I have been involved in. All of these families will be working in the PPA, which is an orphanage about 15 minutes from the hostel.

I and four others will be volunteering at La Molina Language center of University Agararia. I will be team teaching conversational English with another volunteer from San Francisco. We also will be helping the students with some English writing. I will have a better idea how this works once we get through the first day.


The first day is always a meeting filled with establishing team goals,
introductions, and Q & A's. We did also walk around the neighborhood. There is one very nice grocery store not far from here. Today, we all ate a a very nice local restaurant. Potatoes are a common farm product, with over 400 varieties, so at the restaurant I was served french fries and a great roasted chicken. I also had a local drink made from purple corn called "chichi morass" . It was very sweet so I think they had sugar too.







Last night, most of us went to the "Parkque de la Resseva". This is a huge park that has lots of different water fountains. The fountains are the kind that spray out water in different ways to make some sort of artistic display. In One fountain, you could see different figures in the water that were set to music. It must have been computer generated but I don't know how. Hordes of local people were there watching it with us. I did something like this in Xi'an, China too.

The weather today is another gray and gloomy sky. It has been the same for the last two days. According to locals, this time of year, the weather is like this. The temperature is about 64 degrees F. for a high and 50 something at night, so maybe a little on the cool side, but very tolerable.




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