Pedal for Change, Peru
Catch Our Draft:
Bi-Weekly Newsletter of PEDALing South America
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Down South: The Last Two Weeks
The road south has led us from Cuenca, Ecuador to Piura, Peru. We left the beautiful city of Cuenca on Sunday, October 10th. We rode up to the high cordillera of the Andes where there were few houses, and views aplenty. We arrived to a small village of 14 families, and asked if they had a place where we could camp. They offered the open town community building as a place where we could pitch our tents. As we rolled our trailers toward our night’s shelter, we interrupted an intense volleyball game. A game that has become a weekend tradition, players of Southern Ecuador travel miles to play. That evening, we spent dinner talking to the town’s people and enjoying a typical Ecuadorian dish of rice, chicken and soup.
We rode the next few days up and down 9000-foot passes. We strained our muscles and lungs as we forced our weight upon each pedal stroke, ascending every peak. We took deep breaths of fresh air and relaxed as we zoomed down the backsides of mountains. On one particular descent, we were thrilled to see a family stopped on the side of the road, cheering for us as though we were members of the Tour De France. They stopped to take some photos of the view and, when they saw us approaching, waved their arms encouragingly in the air and yelled, “arriba, arriba, arriba!” The excited group enticed Emily, and she decided to stop and say hello. The family is from Piura, Peru. Joanne Fleishman is from Texas and moved to Piura 15 years prior. She married Miguel Gulman who grew up in Piura. They invited us to come stay with them, and we graciously accepted.
We then arrived to a town called Saraguro. We noticed that men were often dressed in black Capri-type pants with long dark braded hair and black felt hats. The women had similar hats and wore long black skirts. The Saraguros, or indigenous people of that region, live in communities all around the town and come to Saraguro to work everyday. The town and warm hostel owners were so comforting that we decided to stay another night and enjoy the beauty.
From there, we rode to Loja where we stayed for two nights. The town of Vilcabamba is only 60 kilometers south, so we took a weekend trip from Loja with only our backpacks. There, we encountered several foreigners who, in the past, decided to visit but never left. The town was settled in a valley under tall peaks. Although the surrounding mountains appear to be alpine tundra, the valley felt almost tropical with it’s banana trees and lush forest.
After our weekend in Gringolandia, we biked back up the tall peaks to Loja where we boarded a late bus to Piura. Upon arrival, Joanne and Miguel’s right-hand man, Moises, came to pick us up via bike. We followed him back to the chez Fleishman-Goulman. Joanne owns a Pilates and yoga studio and set us up, comfortably, in the studio.
For the next four days, we spent our time with Joanne and Miguel’s family. Cecilia (Ceci), Miguel’s mother, founded a Montessori school with students aging 2-18. She set up a presentation for us to do at the Montessori colegio (grades 8-12), took us to her beach home in Colan, , and got us an article in the local newspaper. We have had a wonderful time here in Piura, and we cannot explain the gratitude we have for Miguel, Joanne, their children, Michael and Alexa, Miquel’s sister Pauli, and Ceci’s generosity and kindness.
By: Rayna
BlogSpot: A Short Review
Before we left Ecuador, we posted a blog about trash written by Rayna and Kether, which is accompanied by a video made by Emily: http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/
Kether wrote a few funny stories! One about bananas, a common theme along our journey thus far: http://pedalforchangesouthamerica.blogspot.com/ and one about an experience we had building a wall for a lagoon: http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/p/social-justice.html
Check out a new video about ecotourism in Ecuador by Rayna:
http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/2010/10/ecotourism-in-ecuador.html
You can also read about consumption and sustainability in a blog by Rayna:
http://pedalforchangeenvironmentaljustice.blogspot.com/
Upcoming Events
We arrived in Lima, Peru this morning and will be enjoying a visit here for the next week. I have some family friends who live here and they have offered to show us around their country’s capital. Lima is a huge city covering 310 square miles and housing nearly 8.5 million people. It will be impossible to learn everything about the city and its history in 6 days, but we will do our best to experience all and describe our encounters.
On Saturday, we will set out on the 240 km ride towards Pisco, Peru. We begin volunteering at Pisco Sin Fronteras on Monday and are more than ecstatic to begin this new adventure and learning experience! Our original plan was to volunteer in Pisco for only two weeks. Now, we are tentatively planning on staying in Pisco for 4 weeks depending on what we find there. We will let you know our plans when we decide what is best for PEDAL and our classroom partners.
Also, you may be wondering about our plans for this Sunday’s Halloween celebrations. It is evident that Peruvians love this sweet and scary holiday as much as we in the US like to hide our identity for an evening, eat candy till we’re sick, and scare the boogers out of small children as they approach our decorated homes. For the last week we have seen the aisles of grocery stores lined with more and more “dulces mixta,” spider webs, and carved pumpkins. As we rode into Lima, we saw a giant movie theater advertising for a special Halloween flick and an accompanying haunted house. When we asked friends about their plans, a mile-long list of parties and costumes spewed out their mouths so fast that there was no way I could keep up with the foreign explanations.
As for us, our options are open. We will be arriving in Pisco on Sunday night and, if the occasion arises, we may attend an event or two.
So until next time, this is Tierra Entre De Los Ojos signing off!
El Tenedor: Cuisine of the Andes
I’ve said it before; I am on this adventure to delve into the culinary delights of South America, a region with which I have no prior experience.
Some days, when we are stationary and recovering from days of biking, I leave the hostel on a mission to try as many delicious dulces (for under 20 centavos each) as I can find before I am bored.
On such a mission, in Cuenca, I found a cookie that has changed my life.
It’s small, no more than an inch and a half in diameter.
It is comprised of two perfect butter cookies. Not so much butter that the cookie is overly dense, just enough, like a good piecrust. The cookie is delicate, dissolves in your mouth (not in your hand), and has just a hint of salt. The flavor and texture of the cookie contrasts well the manjar (dulce de leche), highlighting the sweet and unique flavor of the filling.
The cookie, according to my preliminary research, also has a bit of brandy native to Peru called Pisco. If you choose to make these cookies at home, Pisco can be substituted with brandy. The alcohol may contribute to the proper texture of the cookie, though I can neither confirm nor explain the science behind it.
I have been unsuccessful in purchasing only one at a time. It’s best to buy four, that way, if your curious comrades desire one each, you have two for yourself and you don’t have to be rude and reject sharing. There is a larger variety available. In order to be economic, I tried it, but in this case bigger is not better.
This morning, I was describing this glorious cookie, and I found it humorous to learn that several countries here in South America claim it as their specialty. The fellow with whom I was speaking was traveling north from Argentina. He was surprised to learn that the cookie (alfajor) and it’s filling (manjar) can be found north of Argentina. In fact, he had purchased a box of imported Argentine alfajores not realizing they are also common here in Peru. We were both pleased to learn that in the respective directions we were each traveling, alfajores are widely available.
I found a recipe for the cookies and for manjar (which you can buy in the store if you don’t have time or patience to make it from scratch). If you are intrigued, have some time on your hands, and are willing to try a new cookie, I highly recommend this one. It is not lavish, only simple and delicious.
By: Kether
How Can You be more Involved
It is not published yet, but we have just sent in an article for the Lowell Whiteman School Alumni Magazine. It will be entitled something along the lines of “The Whiteman Experience” and something relating to both Rayna and myself, as well as PEDAL. Please check out the Lowell Whiteman School (LWS) webpage to learn more about LWS and to see our article when it comes out:
By: Emily
PEDAL
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Emily Colin: (970) 846-1714
Rayna Weiss: (970) 846-8901
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