UNTETHERED: Cajamarca

Showing posts with label Cajamarca. Show all posts

November 22, 2014

The Weather

The weather is an amazing phenomena here in Cajamarca. While it's mostly consistent and nice all the time, it can be a little confusing if you try to understand it......I'll try to explain.

We live in the southern hemisphere which should mean that the Winter season begins on June 21. As we approach June 21, it should be getting colder and as we pass June 21 it should be getting warmer toward Spring and Summer. Summer begins on December 21. The process should go on the same way year after year.

We are so close to the equator in Cajamarca and at a high altitude, so the weather is much the same day after day. It gets into the low 70s during the day and either in the 40s or 50s at night depending on if it is Summer or Winter. Right now we are about a month from Summer and the temperatures were getting warmer in the morning when I walked to work but this last it has bee really cold. One day it was 1 degree celsius( 33.8) officially, however the picture below is the frost I saw on the way to work. It must have been a soft freeze.

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The Cajamarca rainy season begins in November and lasts to about April. The rainy season is considered Winter because the clouds cover the sun and due to the altitude it is somewhat cooler during the day, maybe in the mid to high 60s but still usually making it to 70. This means that right now we are actually in Winter because of our rainy season, just like the northern hemisphere, but officially it is Summer.

This can get rather confusing because the department stores have their Summer stock out because on the coast and other places it's Summer. Which between 12:00pm and 4:00pm it is here most days. The rest of the time we need Autumn clothes. To make matters worse, the department stores are also selling Christmas items making it seem like Winter when it really is Summer and they are selling Summer beach items.

The rainy season or Winter is not really a severe rainy season like we see in Wisconsin where it can rain for weeks straight. The rainy season in Cajamarca happens mostly in the afternoon right before we leave from work for the day and/or at night. The rain usually ends right before I go to work around five. Last year, I only had two days when I needed my rain gear on my way to work, however I needed it many days on my way home. Don't get me wrong, the rain can be severe and it can come out of the mountains and destroy houses and other buildings that are made of adobe mud bricks, but it isn't like what we see in Wisconsin.

There is another contradiction to the rainy season. I own a guitar and guitars are very susceptible to the humidity, you have to make sure to keep them humidified. This can be particularly troublesome in the Winter months in Wisconsin when it's very dry. During the rainy season in Cajamarca, we find that our skin dries out and in fact, the air is really dry. Yes, that's right, during the rainy season, the air is really dry. People complain all the time that their fingers are cracking and their skin is really dry, so is my guitar.

So what do I make of it? I don't really try to make anything of it. I just try to keep warm by wearing my Autumn clothes. During the day between 12 and 4 I can take my warm autumn weight jacket off and enjoy the warm weather and sun. I try to keep my clothes dry during the rainy season and my skin and guitar moisturized when the air is dry. Mostly I am confused about what season and month it is, but also usually comfortable. When I am at home, I try to be in the yard enjoying the moderate temperatures, Paraíso!!!!

July 05, 2014

Llacanora

Took a hike a few weeks ago with my friend Mike to Llacanora. There are waterfalls behind the city to hike to. It is a popular place for the locals to have picnics on the weekends. Llacanora has two waterfalls that Kerry and I have seen a couple of times. We heard that there was another one higher up so this trip was to find that water fall. We never found it, but the following week a student who lives there told us that that waterfall is a myth. It doesn't exist.... Ahhh....

This is where I would have expected the third waterfall to be.

View from the top.

We think this is to climb across when the water is high... Not sure I would do that though.

Llacanora Plaza de Armas.. A very cute little square...

June 28, 2014

CayaqPuma

So it has been a while since I blogged. This is because our computer went out and we had to send it into Lima for some warrantied repairs. We were two months shy of the end of our three month warranty. Thank goodness because they had to replace the motherboard and power supply. Our $150.00 warranty saved us about $1500.00.

Our Mac with the face detached.

Kerry, some friends and I went on a great trip to CayaqPuma again. Kerry and I went to it last year and I believe blogged on it a while ago. A friend of our who did a documentary on the cave paintings came with us this time and showed us some special places on the mountain.

Coca

Kerry offering some coca to the mountain god for safety.

Hiking through a cool opening in the mountain.

The Puma

March 16, 2014

St. Patrick's Day

My last post was on the crazy that Carnivales is, but, I guess American's have a pretty crazy tradition as well. Funny thing is, it's an Irish thing!!!

ST PATRICK'S DAY!

We had some friends over last night for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Kerry made some great corned beef, we had some Jameson's Irish Whisky, Bailey's Irish Creme, plenty of Irish music, lots of green, and a ton of fun!

A tree hugger

Unlike the singing that we do in Kerry's families party, while in Peru, we do as the Peruvians and DANCE! Well I didn't dance, someone had to take care of the bar and Irish music while I did that....

The greatest thing about this is that we get to share cultures, stories and friendship... It doesn't matter the country, celebrations like this are the same wherever you are!!!

Kerry led the way with teaching our Peruvian friends how to dance River Dance.... That was too hard for the peruvians because there is not enough hip shaking in Irish dancing and they soon moved to some salsa and line dancing!!!!!

Great fun was had by all!!!

March 08, 2014

Mi Amigo

My walk to work almost always provides something amusing for me to either see or think about. Here is my latest walk to work video. First the story.... Well no, first another story....

Today is Unsha!!! It is, I think the last party of Carnivales 2014... Last night, Kerry and I were in the house and we heard a truck go by which isn´t unusual but this was a fire engine which is why I think we noticed it. What was unusual about this fire engine is that it was pulling behind it a giant tree, maybe 20 feet tall. These trees are erected in the middle of the streets basically dug into the concrete or somehow erected like a christmas tree. On the tree is placed presents, again, like the ornaments of a Christmas tree. The tradition is to drink beer, dance around the tree, sing traditional songs and take turns chopping the tree down. Who ever knocks it over wins the opportunity to host the Unsha the following year.

I understand from Kerry who went out last night to look, that we have at least two of these trees on the streets around our house. What made me think of it right now was, that I think another tree is about to be erected, because, as I was getting ready to write the other post, I saw a tree slide by my window being pulled by a truck. Here's the picture I was able to snap. It's not a great picture but you will get the idea.

They are dragging the tree behind a truck it set up in the road for Unsha!!

Davy has it's own Unsha. Kerry and I are going to walk there for the exercise and and I am sure I will have a bunch of pictures of this later. Because this is our first Unsha, we get the luxury of being baptized. I understand it has something to do with food and our heads.... More to come.

Back to the walk to work. I walk about 4 miles to work. About a half mile into my walk I had a little dog start following me... He was really cute and made me want to take him home. He followed me all four miles to work. When I arrived the guards shooed him away and I felt really bad for my little friend. Here's the video.....

This place is full of emotions!!

March 02, 2014

Carnivales 2014!!!! Cajamarca Style!!!!

Day one of Carnivales could not have been more fun! I have tons of pictures but have narrowed them down to the 10 best pictures and the 10 best videos. (videos are still uploading)

We started the day out with one of my teachers Maribel and her family. She graciously invited us over for a delicious breakfast and the throwing of water balloons on people prior to the start of the parade. So we hung out on the third story roof of her house filling water balloons and making sure we had plenty of buckets of water available for when we ran out of our 300 balloons... We hung out up there filling and throwing water balloons at people that were making their way up to the start of the parade.

We were then called down for breakfast and had cajamarquino bread, cheese, corn, rice, eggs and sausage.... A breakfast made to provide us the water balloon throwing energy we were going to need for the day. After breakfast we went upstairs to throw more water balloons and buckets water at unsuspecting people heading up for the parade. In the distance we could see other tops of buildings performing the same water acts as us. I doubt anyone was unsuspecting as we would see them serpentine up and down the street. Many stopped and encouraged the water balloons. It was all in great fun.

As we were watching people we noticed them buying and carrying Paint! Yes regular house paint. As they were heading up in groups, they were painting themselves, the walls of the streets, the cars that drove by, and others that walked by.... What a mess that we were about to experience after the parade passed by. After the parade passed by, we had a balloon fight with the neighbors which I have to say my aim is really bad, I mean really bad..... We then proceeded to the kitchen and had a delicious fried trout lunch with potatoes, and rice and some really hot sauce. It was delicious.... We also primed up a bit for entering the parade with some beer.

We headed out to join in the parade some blocks away, enough blocks that we needed to get a taxi, yes, all nine of us in a taxi including two kids. Yup, seven adults and two kids plus the taxi driver so that is a total of ten. He drove us through the painted streets of Cajamarca to where the parade was. I left my good camera and had my wallet, Iphone, and change purse in a plastic bag. We got into the parade and were immediately painted in a kind, gentle manner on our clothes, head and face arms and everywhere. While getting painted and singing songs, we were also drinking rum, using the cap of the bottle as the shot glass. The bottle of course was painted and I don´t know how much paint was in the rum....

We marched, danced, drank, got painted all through the barrios of cajamarca until we got to people's houses that someone knew where we would stop, play music, and drink chicha (a beer that is made from something, it doesn´t resemble beer but more like a fermented apple cider) The owners of the house would also bring out plates of food, the chicha, and real beer all the while other groups of paraders would come by with paint, other booze, drums, trumpets and singing. They would join our group for a while and move on..... This continued for what seemed like hours. I still have no idea where I was in Cajamarca....... I think I was in barrio San Sebastian...... As evidenced by the double "S"s painted on peoples cheeks.... It started raining which was our cue to hop in a taxi and head home.

Total time out was 8:30 to 4:00ish..... What a totally enjoyable day!!!!! This is the first day of Carnivales. Today we are expecting more water but no paint. The paint was only for yesterday.

More to Come..........