Enjoying a Visit to a Nevada Desert

Everyone living on Peru’s Pacific coast lives in a desert. Some live in coastal cities like Lima, Trujillo and Chiclayo that serve to ‘hide’ the desert, but these municipalities are really only urbanized islands surrounded on three sides by desert. Non-city coastal dwellers are confronted every minute of every day with desert realities: windblown sand, hardpan soil and sparse patches of lomas brush and huarango trees as the only vegetation. What we’re going to talk about (among other things) is exploring opportunities for enjoyment in a desert, but not a Peruvian desert. We recently visited a desert in the United States…more specifically the Carson Valley in northwestern Nevada, located in what is known as The Great Basin Desert – the largest desert in the United States, encompassing almost all of Nevada and half of Utah. The reason I mentioned Peru was that I was struck with how similar the geography is between the desert surrounding Chiclayo, and the desert surrounding Reno. In fact to a casual observer I’d bet it would be difficult to determine if he/she were in Peru or Nevada. Except that it snowed in the Nevada desert the day after our arrival. Anyway….

….it is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Acknowledging that beauty is a personal preference, I’d still bet that not too many beholders would judge the geography of the Carson Valley and most of Nevada for that matter to be beautiful. In 1861 Mark Twain, the author of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ visited Carson Valley and had this to say:

“Visibly our new home was a desert, walled in by barren mountains. There was not a tree in sight. There was no vegetation but the endless sage-brush and greasewood. All nature was gray with it.”

And somewhat surprisingly, a Nevada tourist guide book echoes Twain’s comments 125 years later:

“The mountains of Nevada are like sleeping women, sprawled languorously across every horizon. They are not pretty mountains. They have been scuffed and worn too long by desert winds, and their skirts are stained with the dried mud of long-vanished seas.” 

The bleak images created by both sources are still evident, though like the previously mentioned cities of Peru, modern Nevada cities such as Reno, Carson City, Minden and Gardnerville have sprung up to challenge the desert for supremacy.  

So, lacking beautiful scenery, how does one enjoy a visit to northwestern Nevada? History…primarily wagon train trails and mining history are huge tourist draws, and there is no better place to start than the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City. Here you can belly up to an original 1860s bar and enjoy a beer or sarsaparilla while tapping your toe to the music of the Comstock Cowboys. Purchase a 10-gallon hat, leather vest and western boots at one of the many stores in town and you’ll fit right in with the rest of the patrons. A pistol strapped to your waist is optional…about half the men in the bar including the musicians were wearing them. Virginia City is a fascinating town if you’re into the old west. Sure, it’s touristy but there’s enough of the old buildings standing (much of the town was rebuilt in 1875 following a fire) and enough characters on the street in period dress that with a little imagination you can transport yourself back to the heydays of that Comstock mining town.  

If you’re not into history there are the towns of Reno and Carson City that offer all the dining, shopping, gambling and night life you could ask for, with a few museums and other attraction to boot. Hotel rates in both towns are very affordable and nearly every casino has a first-rate restaurant with quality food at modest prices.

Another historic town…in fact the oldest permanent settlement in Nevada is Genoa located just 10 minutes west of Minden. Genoa was originally settled by Mormons in about 1850 who farmed and established a trading post to serve immigrant wagon trains on their way to California. Genoa boasts of several historic sites including houses dating to the mid 1850s and a replica of the trading post. It also features the Genoa Bar (photo), the oldest saloon in Nevada. Just 200 yards behind the saloon the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains begin. Many immigrant parties stopped at Genoa to provision and regain their strength and rest their animals before attempting the difficult and dangerous pass over the mountains, a journey that could take from one to four months depending on where in California they were going. Deciding to put the desert behind us for awhile, it took us just four hours to drive from Genoa to San Francisco.

This was our first visit to San Francisco and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf (a delicious lunch at Scoma’s Restaurant), Pier 39, the view of the city from Twin Peaks, Alcatraz and of course the Golden Gate Bridge were mandatory stops and well worth the time.

The drive from San Francisco to Monterey on California Highway 1 is gorgeous. I don’t know how many times we stopped to take photos and enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately our schedule didn’t allow us to see as much of Monterey as we would have liked , but we agreed to return some day and continued on via the 17 Mile Drive to Pebble Beach were we did some gawking at what may be the world’s most famous golf course and picked up a few souvenirs at the gift shop.

After leaving Pebble Beach we arrived at Carmel where we walked the white sand beach and then explored the shops on both sides of Ocean Ave. I like Carmel. I like the look and feel of it. It’s a wealthy community, but it’s not obnoxious or pretentious. About an hour’s drive south on Highway 1 is the Nepenthe Restaurant. It’s a somewhat unique restaurant with a great ocean view from up high. We had lunch there before continuing to our ultimate destination, the town of San Simeon and the Hearst Castle.

The Hearst Castle is impressive. Opulence is everywhere…in the castle itself and on the grounds of the estate, including the dining room shown in this photo. Every time I put my camera away thinking I’d taken enough photos, I’d turn a corner and be blown away by another scene that demanded its picture be taken. I do have one tiny complaint though. For $25 you don’t see much of the interior. There are two more tours available, also at $25 each that cover additional rooms, but I’ll bet that all three tours don’t come close to showing the 165 rooms in that castle. On the other hand, you’re free to explore every nook and cranny of the exterior, and we spent several hours doing just that, all the while imagining the lavish parties attended by guests such as Bob Hope, Charlie Chaplin and hundreds of other celebrities.

Our time was running short so we decided to drive directly back from the castle to Minden in Nevada, which Miss Garmin (that’s what I call the female voice emanating from the dash-mounted GPS unit) said would take 6 hours. She would have been correct if we hadn’t stopped at the Harris Ranch in Coalinga California for lunch. Here we had some of the finest beef I’ve eaten in years. Just north of the Harris Ranch off Highway 5 was the largest collection of cattle that I’ve ever seen. There were literally thousands of cows. I would love to know what it takes in terms manpower, machinery and material just to feed these animals for one day. The remainder of the drive was uneventful, even though it was at night on winding roads over and through the mountains with huge snow banks on both sides and signs warning of avalanches.

And that’s how we enjoyed our visit to a Nevada desert, with a side trip to California thrown in. Oh…one more thing. We did not and could not have discovered all of these attractions by ourselves. We're grateful to our good friends and guides Jeff and Angie, who made this visit so memorable. Rumor has it that in this photo of Carmel beach they're standing not too far from the spot where Jeff proposed marriage and Angie accepted. We're glad that happened!

Beware the Sausage Tree!

Last Saturday we were in Piura visiting Maribel’s son Brian who attends the University of Piura. It was sort of a lazy afternoon…not too hot as Piura normally is. We were strolling on Ave. Grau and decided to sit on a tree-shaded bench…the very bench the women in the photo are occupying, to relax and do some people watching. I happened to glance overhead and saw what I first thought were bird nests hanging from the tree, but then released it was a fruit of some sort that I’d not seen before. Neither had Maribel or Brian. Being curious I asked a woman who had a kiosk nearby if she knew the name of the tree. She responded with "matacojudo" and started laughing. We got the same response from several other people. There is no good translation for matacojudo to English that I’m aware of. The closest I can come is ‘kills the idiot’, which has a connotation that Peruvians find funny. Later that night when we arrived back home Maribel Googled  matacojudo and had lots of hits – most of them humorous, but one of them led us to Kigelia Africana, also known as Kigelia pinnata also known as the sausage tree.

The tree is mostly associated with Africa though it’s cultivated as an ornamental tree in other tropical countries. The tree blossoms at night, with the brilliant red flowers falling off the next day. The uneatable fruit can reach a size of 2 feet in length and weigh 15 pounds. One article cautioned that care must be taken as to where the trees are planted because the falling fruit can be dangerous to people and vehicles (and apparently idiots), and that is exactly what the first woman we asked told us, though she added that the fruit falls “mostly during the winter” which in Piura is June through November, though the climate change is barely noticeable.

This is the only sausage tree we’ve seen in our travels. I’ve asked Brian to keep an eye on that tree. I’d like to be there when that fruit starts falling. Matacojudo could provide some interesting entertainment. 

Promesa Peru 2013 Financial Report

During the year 2013 Promesa Peru was involved in three activities. In April we donated a dry-erase board to the school in the village of Casa de Madera. Also in April we provided food to the Edith Fuentes family and assisted her with legal costs. In October we were at the village of La Raya trying to determine how best to help the family of Luzmila Valdera. Our attempt to raise money for a replacement house fell short but we were able to provide clothing for her and her daughters, and $210 in cash to purchase household items. We also provided donated medicines to the La Raya medical clinic.   

The financial figures are:

Activity                                           Cost               Donations

Casa de Madera                             $66.00           $0.00

Edith Fuentes family                       $308.00*        $308.00

Luzmila Valdera family                    $210.00         $210.00

                                Totals -           $584.00         $518.00

* includes $47.69 in cash given to Edith

In-kind donations in the form of medicines and used clothing - all distributed in La Raya amounted to an estimated $225.

Maribel Filipowicz – Treasurer Promesa Peru Chiclayo 

Things are looking up in La Raya

On October 18^th we wrote about the village of La Raya and the plight of Luzmila Valdera and her daughters. It was our hope that we could raise $1500 to build a house for her. We didn’t come close to that amount but, as it usually seems to happen, things worked out in the end. A local church group agreed to shore up the mud/cane walls of the house and replaced the roof with new galvanized metal. There are still some walls waiting for repair but rain no longer enters the house. With the reinforced walls the house should serve for a few more years.

We visited La Raya today to give the money and clothing we’d received to Luzmila. When we arrived Luzmila was not in the house but a few minutes later she and other workers who had been harvesting rice in nearby rice paddies returned to the village for the noon meal. Luzmila and her 9 year old daughter Ruth work in the rice paddies while 7 year old Romelia stays home to take care of 2 year old Ariana.

With the basic requirement for shelter taken care of we were able to help with other needs, and here I’d like to say a bit about the help we receive from fellow Chiclayanos. The people who help us are not wealthy. They have little themselves but do what they can to assist the very poor. For example Herlinda, who accompanied us today (on the right) was able to contribute a bag of rice and a blouse and skirt for Luzmila. And Herlinda knew of several other women who had an item or two of serviceable clothing. Maribel’s sister Magali contributed a few clothing items for the girls and shoes for Luzmila. One item from this person; another from someone else and before long these modest donations added up to three large bags of much needed clothing…a literal bonanza for this family. We very much appreciate the time, effort and items given from the heart by these people.

The furniture in the house consists of two tables and two bed frames. Thanks to Marco, Jim and others we were able to present Luzmila with $210. She indicated that she will purchase mattresses for the beds and stools so they finally have something to sit on. And there will be some money remaining for other needs. Another example where several modest donations added up to improved quality of life for a family with next to nothing.

And thanks to Lander, Victor, Carmen and several others we were able to present a substantial amount of needed medicines to Doctor Corrales at the medical clinic. We didn’t have the vitamins she indicated were needed during our first visit, but all in all we didn’t do badly.

We would like to give Doctor Corrales the vitamins she asked for, and we would like to help Luzmila with school uniforms and supplies for her daughters Ruth and Romelia. If you’d like to help us do that please visit the Promesa Peru web page to donate.

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Readers may remember that last March we wrote of Edith Fuentes and her difficulties. We’re still occasionally in touch with her. Her circumstances remain pretty much the same. Last December there was another hearing regarding possible work release for her husband. Two members of a three-judge panel voted no so he remains in prison. Edith’s attitude is good and she continues to keep her chin up while hoping and believing that tomorrow will be better. There’s always hope.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has ruled….

…and Peru has triumphed….sort of. The dispute between Peru and Chile involves territorial Pacific Ocean fishing rights. What the court did was issue a surprising compromise verdict. Peru has more water than it had, but less than was expected. Chile has less water than it had but more than expected. This Reuters article presents a good background on the issues involved.  Most observers had expected a ruling totally in Peru’s favor. The Chilean government had announced that it was prepared to offer its fishing industry compensation for lost fishing grounds.

Peruvian news media are at the moment attempting to put a positive spin on the verdict, but early reactions from Chiclayanos are not so positive. They wanted nothing less than total victory over their old enemy. Intellectually Chiclayanos know that Chile’s and Peru’s economies are tightly linked, and that Chilean investment in Peru amounts to many billions of dollars, but emotionally the resentment against Chile dating to the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) still exists among the old and young.

Last year in Chiclayo’s city hall there was a photo exhibition of Chiclayo’s history. One of the photos showed Chilean solders in the city…a fact most Chiclayanos are not aware of (Chilean forces were also in Paita, Chimbote and Lambayeque). Facial and vocal expressions of attendees in reaction to that photo were deeply and strongly emotional. Maribel’s comment…”The _ _ _ _ _ were in Chiclayo!!” was representative.

Ask a Chiclayano why they still resent Chile over a war fought 130 years ago and the answers generally are that “they took our land” and “they took our boat.” Peru did lose a large chunk of territory as a result of that war, but perhaps the most visible reminder of defeat is the ship Huàscar located in the port of Talcahuano and open to the public as a museum. Chiclayanos regard the ship with reverence as the place where their most beloved war hero, Admiral Miguel Grau was killed in battle. Peruvians view the refusal to return the ship and using it as a Chilean museum as a deliberate insult.

It will take some time (if ever) to implement The Hague’s ruling. It will be interesting to see reactions over the next few weeks, and what if any problems result from the implementation.

Escaping the Heat in Chiclayo

Looking for relief on a hot Chiclayo summer day usually means water in the form of a pool or beach. Chiclayo has some public and private pools, but typically families leave the city for a short ride to one of the beaches in Pimentel, San Jose, Santa Rosa or Puerto Eten. Another option is the water parks near Chiclayo. El Mirador is popular as is AquaPark which we recently visited for the first time.

The park is located a short distance off the Pan American highway and unless you know where it is it would be easy miss it. Once at the park the entrance is plain and unimposing, giving no hint of the spacious and impressive facility inside.

There are two well-maintained pools with just about every type of slide imaginable including the towering toboggan. The kids and some adults enjoyed standing under three huge bucket that dumped their contents at about three minute intervals. The pools are not deep and we saw lifeguards constantly patrolling the perimeters. The clothing/swimsuit changing areas and restrooms are spacious and clean. Beside the pools there is a children’s playground, several soccer fields with artificial turf, and plenty of room to stroll around in.

Sometimes all this activity can wear a person out and there comes a time when young and old alike need to take a break.

For those not inclined to enter the pools there is seating for literally hundreds of people in poolside lounge chairs and at benches and tables under thatched umbrellas (even with the large seating capacity I suspect that on Saturday and Sunday it could be a problem to find a vacant table). Relaxing on one of those chairs or benches with a favorite beverage while people watching or perhaps reading a book strikes me as a great way to spend a hot lazy afternoon. There was a constant breeze which made the temperature bearable even in the afternoon heat.

Surprisingly, carry-in food and beverages is not prohibited. In fact the majority of families we saw (ours included) brought their food with them including plates, glasses, utensils and large pot and pans filled with still warm meals. Food and snacks are available at the park and are ordered at and delivered to your table. Typical dishes on the menu are chicharron, lomo saltado and ceviche. Prices are reasonable…my chicharron de pollo including fries and salad cost $4.30. Beer (Cristal) and pop are available.

AquaPark has no lighting and closes at 6:00pm; something that puzzles me. It seems to me that the facility with lighting and music would be a huge draw for the younger crowd at night, but Peruvians seldom miss a business opportunity so I assume there is a good reason for not going that route. The park opens at 10:00am 365 days. The entrance fee for ages 6 to 65 is $3.60 and is free for those outside those ages.

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

If I had written this post immediately upon returning to Chiclayo I would have been tempted to begin by saying that what I liked best about Cusco was leaving it. Four days of cold temperatures, wind and intermittent rain ranging from drizzle to downpour is not the ideal setting in which to appreciate the fabled Inca city and surrounding attractions. A hotel room without heat and a 50-50 chance of a hot water shower didn’t help. And there’s the altitude to deal with. The altitude issue made its presence known shortly after we checked into the hotel and noticed that our lips had turned purple, and the wrappers of vacuum packed cereal bars we had brought with us had expanded like balloons. The altitude is not debilitating and didn’t restrict us in any way, but heavy breathing became a way of life during our four-day visit. Chewing coca leaves didn’t relieve the problem but perhaps they prevented it from getting worse. At least that’s what the natives claim. I was surprised that I had an easier time prowling Machu Picchu than walking the streets of Cusco until I learned that I’d had a misconception…Cusco at 11,000 feet is actually 3,000 feet higher than Machu Picchu. I thought the opposite was true. But those things aside, and now that the three of us have recovered from the severe head colds we’d contracted in Cusco, in reflection it was a good trip. Maribel had done some quick but thorough planning and we saw and were impressed by everything we intended to see.

What follows is a synopsis of what we did, and in some cases what we’d do differently if we returned, but first let’s talk about when to visit Cusco. Don’t go in December. We went in December as a spare-of-the-moment thing to take advantage of Brian’s university vacation. Though temperatures are pretty much constant year round, November through April is the rainy season. Listening to a guide talk about the Temple of the Sun in the ruins of Machu Picchu during a downpour with your shoes soaked and the wind blowing yours or someone else’s poncho over your face is not fun. Enough about that.

We had contracted an agent in advance to arrange tours; one recommended to us by friends who had been to Cusco recently. There are essentially three standard tours – the City tour, the Sacred Valley tour, and Machu Picchu tour, and there are dozens of tour services who offer them. We paid $310 for the three of us for all three tours which was pretty much all inclusive and delivered the services that had been promised. Still, this is something I would do differently. I would not contract in advance, but instead would negotiate with the dozens of tours operators who are constantly approaching tourists in the principal park. I would do this for more flexibility in dates and for a better price. The tourist police station will furnish a list of who they consider to be reputable tour operators, and will also provide a good map of the city with attractions. 

In the afternoon on the day of our arrival we checked out the principal park and surrounding area. Central Cusco is impressive. It’s so easy with just a little imagination to step back into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and envision the historical events I’d read about. We had dinner at Papillon restaurant overlooking the square and then attended a presentation of native dance and clothing at the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo.

Our first full day found us taking the Sacred Valley tour. The tour began at 8.30 a.m. when we were picked up at our hotel and finished at 7.30 p.m. at San Francisco plaza. What better way to celebrate my 73^rd birthday than by exploring the ruins of Ollantaytambo; an Inca site ranked second in grandeur only to Machu Picchu. In some ways I was more impressed by these ruins than with Machu Picchu, though that may be because the sun was shining and they were the first Inca ruins I’d seen. In addition to Ollantaytambo the Sacred Valley tour included Pisac, a delicious buffet lunch at Urubamba, and finished at the village of Chinchero. We had planned on going to the Uchu restaurant that evening for alpaca steak, but the altitude and exertion had taken its toll on us so we reluctantly settled for carry-out chicken eaten in our room.

Day two was the City tour, beginning at 2:00pm and finishing at 7:00pm. I don’t know why it’s called the city tour…it’s all about Inca ruins and includes only one site actually in the city (Coricancha) with the others: Qenko, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman located a short distance outside of Cusco. We used the morning hours prior to the tour to explore the city. That was not enough time…we should have allowed another day for our visit. The churches and museums have limited morning and afternoon hours, and it’s difficult to coordinate their open hours with limited time. The Inka Museum is impressive and should not be missed. The San Blass square and souvenir shops are worth checking out, though I can do without the lamb-carrying women in native costumes constantly badgering me to have my photo taken with them. Street vendors in Cusco, the surrounding towns and archeological sites are very aggressive, some of them obnoxiously so. I don’t like having my arms touched or grabbed.

The final tour on our final day was of Machu Picchu. Even now I’m not sure how to begin describing that day because it still remains somewhat blurry in my mind, perhaps because the day began at 1:00am. Let’s begin with getting to Machu Picchu. I don’t know what all of the possible travel options are to Machu Picchu. I believe that most if not all travel arrangements involve a train/bus combination. What I can say with authority is that trains do not leave from Cusco. They stopped doing that in 2010. If your guide book says differently, you have an old guide book. There are train stations in Cusco. You can buy train tickets at those stations, but trains do not leave from those stations. It is my understanding that tourist trains leave from Poroy; about ten miles outside of Cusco and from other Sacred Valley locations, including among others Ollantaytambo. They depart at various times during the day. Depending on amenities the cost ranges from about $70 to $300 round trip. All trains arrive at Aquas Calientes – also known as Machu Picchu Village, which can lead to confusion. The tourist train is definitely the preferred way to travel. We did not do that.

PERURAIL, who has the tourist trains, also runs a train strictly for Peruvian citizens. The cost is $7.30 round trip; certainly an attractive price. The downside is that it is barebones service and leaves only from Ollantaytambo at 4:27am. Maribel, bless her penny-pinching Peruvian soul had booked us on this train. Which is why we had to get up at 1:00am in order to be ready for pick-up at our hotel at 2:00am for the two-hour mini bus ride from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. More than once while waiting in the station I wondered if Machu Picchu would be worth the effort. But at last the train departed and we arrived at Aquas Calientes. 

Here, whether you arrived by plush tourist train or Peruvian peasant train the gods treat everyone equally. Upon leaving the train what you do; assuming you have booked a group tour is mill about in the considerable crowd, looking for someone with a banner (indicating they are a tour guide) and carrying a sign with your name among others on it. Somehow everyone ultimately finds their tour group and then marches off to wait for the next available bus making the twenty minute trip to the Machu Picchu archeological site. A ticket must be shown or bought to enter the site. Once inside, the guide assembles the group, making sure everyone is present and then the tour begins.

What happens is that the guide marches the group from point A to point B, stopping at each point to describe something significant. There are generally considered to be fourteen points of interest at Machu Picchu. Often several groups have stopped at the same location, making it difficult to concentrate on what the guide is saying, and when the groups are moving competition for space on the narrow paths slows things down, as does the rain by making the steps slippery. I can’t help but look at this photo and think that these people look more like ship wreck survivors than carefree tourists. Granted, we and they hit a bad day.

I am sure the vast majority of visitors have a pleasant experience. And we did enjoy it, and Brian and Maribel are still talking about the ancestral pride they felt walking on that hallowed ground. Machu Picchu is all that has been written about it and more. But there is something I would do differently which for me would enhance the experience. I would hire a personal guide at the entrance rather than taking a group tour. There are many registered guides available at reasonable rates and bilingual as well. I would tell the guide I don’t want to march from point to point, but instead want to leisurely walk through the entire site and have the guide comment on points of interest and answer questions. In other words, I want the guide to accompany me, not vice versa.

Everyone who visits Machu Picchu wants to take the ‘classic’ photo…the shot that is so recognizable worldwide. We along with about thirty other people crowded into a reconstructed Inca house on a high peak hoping that the weather would clear, at least long enough to take the photo. People from England, Scotland and Iran were standing next to us, patiently waiting. Finally after nearly two hours there was a break and all of us hurriedly stepped out and started taking photos. This is mine. Shortly afterwards the sky clouded over again and we boarded the bus in a downpour. The train and bus ride back to Cusco was uneventful.

The next day we were at the airport at 6:00am for our flight to Lima, where we had ten hours to kill before the flight to Chiclayo. We spent the day touring a museum and walking around the Larcomar Mall and Love Park. It felt good to see the sun and be warm again.

Happy New Year everyone!