Wednesday, January 03, 2007
30 December to 2 January Feliz Año Nuevo
Lots of travelling - Arequipa to Lima to Trujillo to Lima to Santiago...
My faith in human nature is being restored as I see and spend time with Sarella, Paola, Andrew, Diego and Cheryl (may have this lovely lady's name wrong here and apologise profusely if so)
Spent some time getting to Trujillo to be with family for New Year. Peruvian new year was late but pretty quiet. Didn't get to the venue til 11pm even though it started at 9pm and there were very few already there. In fact most of the crowd didn't arrive til after 12. It seems the family dinner on NYE is a MUST and THEN you go out. There was no count down and no fireworks, although I did hear some crackers go off at private parties around our venue. They dance Latin all night but 90% of the crowd don't dance touching like the the stereotype...its just like a big latin disco. Not that much different from home except less variety as we at throw in a few styles. Maybe I missed something not understanding the lyrics...stylewise that is...bands played til 6am. We left 4am and went for a drink in a classy bar after. Got to bed after removing the face etc at 5.30am.
They're a lovely bunch my family and their friends. So kind to adopt me and take me in. They make such an effort to include me. Thank you all!!!...
New Year's day was very quiet, we were all very tired and in fact we all fell asleep for a nanna nap in the afternoon, waking up in time for a Chifa (Chinese) dinner and a reasonably early night. Chifa in Trujillo is as good as Cusco and again quite close to Oz Chinese. Fresh and tasty with plenty of veges. And the wontons at his restaurant were the best 've had. Lovely meaty ones freshly made pastry and sweet ginger sauce...mmm...
Andrew had to go up to Piura for work for a few days and it wasn't practical for me to go along. Was hoping to get a look at his mine but not to be...In fact I really feel like it's time to be at home. Peru has been great but starting to feel like I'm marking time and really want to be back with my boys. I miss them terribly and have done for the last month particularly.
So with them in mind, and the thought of many hugs and kisses, I am sitting in Santiago airpot now trying to get a standby flight home. No problem getting this far but crossing the pacific ocean is a bit more challenging. I don't hold out hopes and may end up spending days in the airport waiting in the wing lounge for someone to take pity on me. But if it means I get home sooner then it's all worth the wait. Love you Hunter. Love you MacLean. Can't wait to see you...mum xxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxooo
Lots of travelling - Arequipa to Lima to Trujillo to Lima to Santiago...
My faith in human nature is being restored as I see and spend time with Sarella, Paola, Andrew, Diego and Cheryl (may have this lovely lady's name wrong here and apologise profusely if so)
Spent some time getting to Trujillo to be with family for New Year. Peruvian new year was late but pretty quiet. Didn't get to the venue til 11pm even though it started at 9pm and there were very few already there. In fact most of the crowd didn't arrive til after 12. It seems the family dinner on NYE is a MUST and THEN you go out. There was no count down and no fireworks, although I did hear some crackers go off at private parties around our venue. They dance Latin all night but 90% of the crowd don't dance touching like the the stereotype...its just like a big latin disco. Not that much different from home except less variety as we at throw in a few styles. Maybe I missed something not understanding the lyrics...stylewise that is...bands played til 6am. We left 4am and went for a drink in a classy bar after. Got to bed after removing the face etc at 5.30am.
They're a lovely bunch my family and their friends. So kind to adopt me and take me in. They make such an effort to include me. Thank you all!!!...
New Year's day was very quiet, we were all very tired and in fact we all fell asleep for a nanna nap in the afternoon, waking up in time for a Chifa (Chinese) dinner and a reasonably early night. Chifa in Trujillo is as good as Cusco and again quite close to Oz Chinese. Fresh and tasty with plenty of veges. And the wontons at his restaurant were the best 've had. Lovely meaty ones freshly made pastry and sweet ginger sauce...mmm...
Andrew had to go up to Piura for work for a few days and it wasn't practical for me to go along. Was hoping to get a look at his mine but not to be...In fact I really feel like it's time to be at home. Peru has been great but starting to feel like I'm marking time and really want to be back with my boys. I miss them terribly and have done for the last month particularly.
So with them in mind, and the thought of many hugs and kisses, I am sitting in Santiago airpot now trying to get a standby flight home. No problem getting this far but crossing the pacific ocean is a bit more challenging. I don't hold out hopes and may end up spending days in the airport waiting in the wing lounge for someone to take pity on me. But if it means I get home sooner then it's all worth the wait. Love you Hunter. Love you MacLean. Can't wait to see you...mum xxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxooo
27-28 December Canyon de Colca
Two days commited in the hope of finding Condors gliding the thermal winds of this isolated canyon.
Left Arequipa to travel across some very wind-swept mountain sides. This is the heart of the southern Peruvian Andes. The mountains rise up to 6500m (the glacier I visited in the Cordillia Blanca was 5600m and the highest mountain there is about 7000m). We travelled above the tree line and met desert ice country. Barron, windswept plains. It snowed in the passes on the way in and back out. We actually got out at 4800m just to say we had and it was bloody cold. What the alpaccas, llamas and vicuñas eat up here is beyond me. Although there are wetlands up here too - more like peat bogs - where the animals seem to congregate. Vicuñas are the one of the two wild species in the llama family and their wool is incredibly expensive. A scarf costs around $700US.
Took most of the day to get to Chivay our overnight stop. It was raining quite heaviy on arrival and it was COLD but we decided as a group not to forgo our hike up above the village as it was a chance to warm up (and the village had nowhere to hide in the warm anyway). So we headed off ponchos, hats and hoods on. Up behind the town there were a few badly robed graves but some good outlooks over the farming community. Again, there is an incredible amount of pre-Inca terracing. This region is particularly productive as the river provides water and the microclimate makes it warmer than the surrounding countryside. When we got down the hillside, there was a very welcoming hot spring to soak in. My poor frozen fingers and toes thawed out in the mineral spring and I just didn't think about how cloudy and grey the water was...
The ladies here embroider beautiful blouses and hats. I was very taken with the hats but they are all machine embroidered now and when I discovered they are manufactured in Arequipa and brought in for sale I lost interest.
We had another local dance night tonight. What a lot of fun - and a great way to keep warm. Each of the small regions has their own suite of dances and music. My new trail buddies (ladies from Greece and Holland) and I laughed so much when the local lady kept picking on the young Japanese tourist to dance with. We decided she rather liked that he was taller and cleaner than any of the local men...
Very early start on day 2, to make sure we're at the canyon before the air warms up and the Condors start riding the thermals. Walked about 1km to the head of the canyon. But not a condor in sight. Waited and waited but none appeared. And then, just as we had given up and got in the bus, there was one...He cruised with such effortless grace along the canyon, 1000's of metres deep...but right at our eye level as we stood mesmorised at the top of the canyon wall. A wing span of 3.25m, he's a member of the vulture family so only eats carrion, deep chocolate brown with cream wing markings. This guy was young and alone. We did see a few more specs up high in the sky but today only one graced us with his powerful presence. It seems they mate for life, only breed after reaching 7yo and have only one chick each 3 years. They can live to be 75yo in captivity but they don't know if they last that long in the wild.
What fun to fly. No wonder man has dreamed of flying...but nothing we have invented matches the grace and pure power of a large bird's flight. And he was having FUN!...Swinging along the canyon wall. Tumbling up high and then soaring and dipping down 10's of metres in seconds and then next time taking his time to glide down and show off his feathery finery to we mere mortals.
Two days commited in the hope of finding Condors gliding the thermal winds of this isolated canyon.
Left Arequipa to travel across some very wind-swept mountain sides. This is the heart of the southern Peruvian Andes. The mountains rise up to 6500m (the glacier I visited in the Cordillia Blanca was 5600m and the highest mountain there is about 7000m). We travelled above the tree line and met desert ice country. Barron, windswept plains. It snowed in the passes on the way in and back out. We actually got out at 4800m just to say we had and it was bloody cold. What the alpaccas, llamas and vicuñas eat up here is beyond me. Although there are wetlands up here too - more like peat bogs - where the animals seem to congregate. Vicuñas are the one of the two wild species in the llama family and their wool is incredibly expensive. A scarf costs around $700US.
Took most of the day to get to Chivay our overnight stop. It was raining quite heaviy on arrival and it was COLD but we decided as a group not to forgo our hike up above the village as it was a chance to warm up (and the village had nowhere to hide in the warm anyway). So we headed off ponchos, hats and hoods on. Up behind the town there were a few badly robed graves but some good outlooks over the farming community. Again, there is an incredible amount of pre-Inca terracing. This region is particularly productive as the river provides water and the microclimate makes it warmer than the surrounding countryside. When we got down the hillside, there was a very welcoming hot spring to soak in. My poor frozen fingers and toes thawed out in the mineral spring and I just didn't think about how cloudy and grey the water was...
The ladies here embroider beautiful blouses and hats. I was very taken with the hats but they are all machine embroidered now and when I discovered they are manufactured in Arequipa and brought in for sale I lost interest.
We had another local dance night tonight. What a lot of fun - and a great way to keep warm. Each of the small regions has their own suite of dances and music. My new trail buddies (ladies from Greece and Holland) and I laughed so much when the local lady kept picking on the young Japanese tourist to dance with. We decided she rather liked that he was taller and cleaner than any of the local men...
Very early start on day 2, to make sure we're at the canyon before the air warms up and the Condors start riding the thermals. Walked about 1km to the head of the canyon. But not a condor in sight. Waited and waited but none appeared. And then, just as we had given up and got in the bus, there was one...He cruised with such effortless grace along the canyon, 1000's of metres deep...but right at our eye level as we stood mesmorised at the top of the canyon wall. A wing span of 3.25m, he's a member of the vulture family so only eats carrion, deep chocolate brown with cream wing markings. This guy was young and alone. We did see a few more specs up high in the sky but today only one graced us with his powerful presence. It seems they mate for life, only breed after reaching 7yo and have only one chick each 3 years. They can live to be 75yo in captivity but they don't know if they last that long in the wild.
What fun to fly. No wonder man has dreamed of flying...but nothing we have invented matches the grace and pure power of a large bird's flight. And he was having FUN!...Swinging along the canyon wall. Tumbling up high and then soaring and dipping down 10's of metres in seconds and then next time taking his time to glide down and show off his feathery finery to we mere mortals.
Arequipa...the white city...
Bused in overnight from Puna. Bloody freezing and uncomfortable on the bus. The recline on my seat was broken and it kept slipping into upright position. What an uncomfortable night. Luckily the hostal I am staying in is clean and warm. In fact Arequipa is very warm. Although I'm still at altitude the city is turning on some weather in the low 20s and it is very pleasant. And it is a 'Spanish' styled town as I expected. Very beautiful, with lovely cathedral and staely buildings throughout. Equally pretty to Trujillo and Cusco as expected.
The town is busy and full of people. The Plasa de Aramas is full of Christmas decorations, there are pan flutes playing christmas carols and 'The Sounds of Silence' again...Little kids with their Christmas presents - pushing toy buses, sharing new dolls, throwing balls and enjoying time with their doting parents. Lots of ice creams and pigeon food being bought.
Touts looking for restaurant business constantly but not as much souvenir hawking as in Cusco. Here began my beginning with the end. Was approached by a tout wanting me to come to 'his' restaurant. Laughed and pulled an identical drink voucher from my pocket given by one of his colleagues earlier. He said 'keep mine too and have two drinks'. Didn't think any more of it and walked on enjoying the day and the atmosphere. Same bloke reapproached me later asking if I could help him with some words to an english language song he was writing out. Didn't think it could hurt and sat on the steps of the cathedral with his MP3 player helping him get the words of a very poor dictioned 'Soho girl' - some London band...got talking and agreed to take one of the Lonely Planet scenic tourist walks together and take photos. He had his own digital camera and mobile phone and MP3 player and when questioned the money seemed to come from working in the oil and gas industry. Intelligent conversation during the afternoon about trade agreements, politics, and wars between Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Got some great views of the city, the surrounding volcanos, the river delta, etc. Even visited a local garden that had lots of local fruits growing and discussed agriculture. Found out about the local pawpaw, a kind of passionfruit, chillis, etc.
Split up later that afternoon and went our own ways. I was surprised 'Yamil' found me while I was eating dinner in a little mexican restaurant away from the main tourist strip. He chatted to me as I finished my dinner and somehow I agreed to help him with his music some more. First big mistake...Second big mistake...when I left his home two hours later I didn't check my bag before I left. Even though I had taken it with me when I went to the bathroom and it was closed when I left, somehow he had done the dirty on me.
Crazy thing is we have had the conversation about not being able to hate someone if you meet them. And by individual people meeting stereotypes are broken and wars averted. Obviously he doesn't think it applies to his little team of scammers.
And of course I find out in hindsight that the scam is operating across the town, with the hotels, restaurants, tour guides, police all taking a cut from what these pick pockets can skim off the tourists. So when I approached his employer for details, got another tour guide to help me ask questions to identify the guy, approached his landlady and even went to the police; Andrew tells me they are all in on it. Peru's south has left a bad taste. I really thought if I was going to be robbed it would be by someone who actually needed the money. Not the system who skims the money off the locals already and is also skimming the money off the tourist. The middle man is doing very well thank you.
So disappointing. But another lesson learned. This one is not so much a lesson but a philosophy - I am NOT going to stop trusting. Stuff them. I am not going to let these loosers make me suspicious of everyone I meet. There are so any kind and helpful people in the world. How dare these guys think their system is going to win. They are no better than terrorists who try and stop people travelling and communicating.
My last day in Arequipa was spent in the police station mostly. Went through all the motions, which at the time I thought were genuine but find out were just a waste of my time. I could have been out seeing the town rather than seeing how they run a police department and putting a comfit picture together with an artist. Such a waste of their time too. How mind blowingly boring to spend your day filing reports you know are going nowhere.
But...I did manage to get to the Santa Catalina Monastery, a 400 yo convent. The most amazing city within a city and the light and photo opportunities were incredible. So artistic. Lots of white, royal blue, terracotta, rich green, red geraniums, dark brown heavy oak doors, black soot on bread ovens, gold embroidery on religious robes, and an impressive collection of religious art - much from the Cusco School. Only 25 nuns still live there, cloistered away. It has been open to the public since the 1970's and offers an insight into how convets were run back in history. The rich ran the place and the poor served them. Even though they were all nuns. So society was reflected within the walls from without. So much for removing yourself from the temptations of the material world...
Bused in overnight from Puna. Bloody freezing and uncomfortable on the bus. The recline on my seat was broken and it kept slipping into upright position. What an uncomfortable night. Luckily the hostal I am staying in is clean and warm. In fact Arequipa is very warm. Although I'm still at altitude the city is turning on some weather in the low 20s and it is very pleasant. And it is a 'Spanish' styled town as I expected. Very beautiful, with lovely cathedral and staely buildings throughout. Equally pretty to Trujillo and Cusco as expected.
The town is busy and full of people. The Plasa de Aramas is full of Christmas decorations, there are pan flutes playing christmas carols and 'The Sounds of Silence' again...Little kids with their Christmas presents - pushing toy buses, sharing new dolls, throwing balls and enjoying time with their doting parents. Lots of ice creams and pigeon food being bought.
Touts looking for restaurant business constantly but not as much souvenir hawking as in Cusco. Here began my beginning with the end. Was approached by a tout wanting me to come to 'his' restaurant. Laughed and pulled an identical drink voucher from my pocket given by one of his colleagues earlier. He said 'keep mine too and have two drinks'. Didn't think any more of it and walked on enjoying the day and the atmosphere. Same bloke reapproached me later asking if I could help him with some words to an english language song he was writing out. Didn't think it could hurt and sat on the steps of the cathedral with his MP3 player helping him get the words of a very poor dictioned 'Soho girl' - some London band...got talking and agreed to take one of the Lonely Planet scenic tourist walks together and take photos. He had his own digital camera and mobile phone and MP3 player and when questioned the money seemed to come from working in the oil and gas industry. Intelligent conversation during the afternoon about trade agreements, politics, and wars between Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Got some great views of the city, the surrounding volcanos, the river delta, etc. Even visited a local garden that had lots of local fruits growing and discussed agriculture. Found out about the local pawpaw, a kind of passionfruit, chillis, etc.
Split up later that afternoon and went our own ways. I was surprised 'Yamil' found me while I was eating dinner in a little mexican restaurant away from the main tourist strip. He chatted to me as I finished my dinner and somehow I agreed to help him with his music some more. First big mistake...Second big mistake...when I left his home two hours later I didn't check my bag before I left. Even though I had taken it with me when I went to the bathroom and it was closed when I left, somehow he had done the dirty on me.
Crazy thing is we have had the conversation about not being able to hate someone if you meet them. And by individual people meeting stereotypes are broken and wars averted. Obviously he doesn't think it applies to his little team of scammers.
And of course I find out in hindsight that the scam is operating across the town, with the hotels, restaurants, tour guides, police all taking a cut from what these pick pockets can skim off the tourists. So when I approached his employer for details, got another tour guide to help me ask questions to identify the guy, approached his landlady and even went to the police; Andrew tells me they are all in on it. Peru's south has left a bad taste. I really thought if I was going to be robbed it would be by someone who actually needed the money. Not the system who skims the money off the locals already and is also skimming the money off the tourist. The middle man is doing very well thank you.
So disappointing. But another lesson learned. This one is not so much a lesson but a philosophy - I am NOT going to stop trusting. Stuff them. I am not going to let these loosers make me suspicious of everyone I meet. There are so any kind and helpful people in the world. How dare these guys think their system is going to win. They are no better than terrorists who try and stop people travelling and communicating.
My last day in Arequipa was spent in the police station mostly. Went through all the motions, which at the time I thought were genuine but find out were just a waste of my time. I could have been out seeing the town rather than seeing how they run a police department and putting a comfit picture together with an artist. Such a waste of their time too. How mind blowingly boring to spend your day filing reports you know are going nowhere.
But...I did manage to get to the Santa Catalina Monastery, a 400 yo convent. The most amazing city within a city and the light and photo opportunities were incredible. So artistic. Lots of white, royal blue, terracotta, rich green, red geraniums, dark brown heavy oak doors, black soot on bread ovens, gold embroidery on religious robes, and an impressive collection of religious art - much from the Cusco School. Only 25 nuns still live there, cloistered away. It has been open to the public since the 1970's and offers an insight into how convets were run back in history. The rich ran the place and the poor served them. Even though they were all nuns. So society was reflected within the walls from without. So much for removing yourself from the temptations of the material world...
Christmas...mmm...doesn't really feel like Christmas...
Christmas Eve in Puno, the shops and mercado are trading still at 8pm. I have been warned to stay indoors or at least away from fire crackers this evening as it is quite dangerous. Had a very pleasant evening dining with some of my trail buddies after the tour. The Aussie mum and daughter and a swedish couple who run ski trips to Iran and excursions to Antarctica. We all disappeared to our respective lodging at about 10pm and by 10.30pm the fire crackers started. Slowly at first and to a crescendo by midnight. Christmas Eve seems to be the climax for Peru's Christmas. In fact the quantity and volume of crackers became like rolling thunder, the storm peaked at midnight and then gradually died away with the thunder rolling away as the morning grew.
Incredibly quiet this morning in Puno. Feliz Navidad everyone! Had a sleep in, did some washing in the sink and wandered into town about 12. Only two restaurants open and they were being patronised by the westerners on holidays. All the locals were at home doing the family thing.
Treated myself to an alpaca steak for Christmas lunch and shared the restaurant with about 10 Yanks. Bolted back to the hotel by 2pm for my pick up for an afternoons exploring of one of the mainland archeological sites. Sullistani is another of the sites where progressive cultures have identified the significance of the location. There are three different time periods represented here with temples and burial mounds. Quite low key, and not a lot to see but very interesting to notice the similarities in styles of worship across the ages. The sun and moon, summer and winter soltice all play an important role in these societies cultures.
It was a cold and scuddy afternoon, so different to the last couple of days on the lake. The people of the area didn't seem to notice it was Christmas, they were still tending their crops and livestock. I think that is one of the reasons evenings are so important here. Once the argricultural activities are complete for the day, then there is time for human socialising and enjoyment.
There was quite an interesting discussion over Christmas lunch about 'civilisation' and what does it mean. There was general agreement that civilisation was often defined by imperialist nations as the ability to create and accummulate material wealth. These nations did not equate spiritual wealth with civilisation. And of course that meant that nomadic nations were also considered uncivilised. Of course this myth is busted when you meet people from cultures where material wealth is either not important or unable to be accumulated while living the life their environment dictates.
For those of us who can afford to - Keep travelling - and for those who can't - keep hosting those who can. Only then will we continue to break down the barriers between 'different' peoples.
Christmas Eve in Puno, the shops and mercado are trading still at 8pm. I have been warned to stay indoors or at least away from fire crackers this evening as it is quite dangerous. Had a very pleasant evening dining with some of my trail buddies after the tour. The Aussie mum and daughter and a swedish couple who run ski trips to Iran and excursions to Antarctica. We all disappeared to our respective lodging at about 10pm and by 10.30pm the fire crackers started. Slowly at first and to a crescendo by midnight. Christmas Eve seems to be the climax for Peru's Christmas. In fact the quantity and volume of crackers became like rolling thunder, the storm peaked at midnight and then gradually died away with the thunder rolling away as the morning grew.
Incredibly quiet this morning in Puno. Feliz Navidad everyone! Had a sleep in, did some washing in the sink and wandered into town about 12. Only two restaurants open and they were being patronised by the westerners on holidays. All the locals were at home doing the family thing.
Treated myself to an alpaca steak for Christmas lunch and shared the restaurant with about 10 Yanks. Bolted back to the hotel by 2pm for my pick up for an afternoons exploring of one of the mainland archeological sites. Sullistani is another of the sites where progressive cultures have identified the significance of the location. There are three different time periods represented here with temples and burial mounds. Quite low key, and not a lot to see but very interesting to notice the similarities in styles of worship across the ages. The sun and moon, summer and winter soltice all play an important role in these societies cultures.
It was a cold and scuddy afternoon, so different to the last couple of days on the lake. The people of the area didn't seem to notice it was Christmas, they were still tending their crops and livestock. I think that is one of the reasons evenings are so important here. Once the argricultural activities are complete for the day, then there is time for human socialising and enjoyment.
There was quite an interesting discussion over Christmas lunch about 'civilisation' and what does it mean. There was general agreement that civilisation was often defined by imperialist nations as the ability to create and accummulate material wealth. These nations did not equate spiritual wealth with civilisation. And of course that meant that nomadic nations were also considered uncivilised. Of course this myth is busted when you meet people from cultures where material wealth is either not important or unable to be accumulated while living the life their environment dictates.
For those of us who can afford to - Keep travelling - and for those who can't - keep hosting those who can. Only then will we continue to break down the barriers between 'different' peoples.
23-24 December Lake Titicaca and perfect weather
It's hard to believe only a couple of days ago I was being rained on and fogged in on a mountain of 2500m and I am now at 4000m on one of the worlds largest lakes and you could be forgiven for thinking we were on the Meditteranean in the middle of August!....
As I cruised back from Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca on Christmas Eve all you Aussies slept into Christmas Day. We Aussies (well actually Kiwis but there weren't any on the boat) are the first to celebrate Christmas taking into account time differences. And although there were 3 Aussies on board, I was the only one from the east coast so I ran around the boat wishing everyone Felic Navidad (spanish for Merry Christmas). Started a habit for the day and as each nationality's country hit Christmas day they wished everyone else Merry Christmas. There were people from Japan, Korea, Netherlands, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, USA, Sweden, Peru and Oz of course (about 24 in all).
The overnight in a homestay on Amantani and visiting floating islands on this huge sea-like lake was incredible. Very educational and particularly beautiful. The weather was perfect for me - fine and warm at last. We are in the southern hemisphere summer after all!
To get a perspective on how big this fresh water lake is - it is wider than the Gulf of Sinai, you cannot see across it's length north to south, and the snow capped mountains of Bolivia sit on the horizon to the west (A bit like when in Syria you could see the snow capped mountains of Lebanon). It is over 8500km2 (or 3300 miles2) and holds nearly 900 million cubic metres of water. Maybe Bram or Gerry you could convert that to land mass in North Qld and let me know how much it would cover...anyway it's a bloody big lake and all fresh water which they don't use for irrigation. However Bolivia has started selling 'their' water to Chile and Argentina which is like a red rag to a bull to Peru. Peru and Chile are more parochial about each other than Townsville and Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne - in fact it's more like France and England, Germany and Holland.
First point of call was the floating ilsands of Uros. These islands are actually quite close to the Peru mainland (about 40min in a slow boat) and are made of the lake's totora reeds. Where the islands float is about 20m deep and the islands themselves are about 3m thick of reeds constantly being topped up with fresh harvested reeds. By the time the inhabitants leave an island for a fresh built one it will be between 7-10 years old and up to 7m thick of rotting reeds. Only the top 50cm or so is fresh. You can imagine how heavy the island becomes as it gets older, from rotting vegetation and waterlogging. Hence leaving for a fresh built island before the old one sinks. The 'ground' is soft and spongy and slightly damp, with a dry, sweet reed crust. It actually smells quite good - like cut grass - but I'm not sure what it would be like in the wet...
Extended family groups inhabit each island, living very traditional lives, fishing and weaving, farming small subsistance crops like potatoes, chickens and guinea pigs for their own food and barter between islands. They still use barter rather than money as they have very little demand for outside products (read manufactured here). The island we visited had 4 families on it living in reed houses on the reed island. They had chooks (for eggs and meat), a cat (to eat the vermin), guinea pigs (for food not pets), a few small vege patches, a shared kitchen/oven/fire pit, a small live fish trap (basically a hole cut in the island and lined with fishing net, where they kept todays catch fresh). No bathroom or shower rig that I could see. Toileting was down a hole into the lake and any washing was in a bucket with water heated on the open fire. I did see a young girl scrubbing clothes in a bucket...They make their boats out of reeds also and weave and knit all their clothes - lama and alpaca wool is traded from other contenential islands. We made a quick stop at the 'main' island that had a school, shop, public telephone, cafe, and very basic commerical accommodation. There is also a floating school island. But I don't think school is seen as particularly important by these people.
We then cruised for three hours out into the Lake to one of the largest islands (and continental) - Amantani. It is quite mountainous and has been extensively terraced at some point in pre-Inca past. Again, the people live very simple lives based on agricuture and survival in a very small economy. When we arrived on the island we were split into 2's and 3's to go home with our host families. I was put with the other two Aussies (a mother and daughter from Perth) and our host 'Ruth' - pronounced Rut - walked us up the mountain to her home. We nearly died getting up the mountain. At 4000m any incline is pretty hard going and this young girl of 17 was like a mountain goat up the track. Everyone blamed the altitude but I think it is a combination of altitude and lowering fitness...afterall I have been at altitude for over a week now...
Ruth lives with her mum and dad and 5 other siblings (total of 4 girls and 2 boys). She is the youngest at 17 and still at school. One of her sisters has two young children but we didn't meet them. The women never stop spinning or knitting or embroidering. They walk around constantly using their hands to create beautiful craft work, which they wear every day and also sell to visitors. The men are also master embroiderers and must make beautiful pieces for their women to show them how much they are valued. If they sitting down they are either preparing food or weaving. One throw rug takes two weeks of constant work - and I mean dawn til dusk.
They don't have much electricity and it is not wasted on working in the evening. They are up at dawn and go to bed as soon as dinner is finished around 8pm. No bathroom, and an outside toilet (western pan with a drum of water you took a bucket from to 'flush' - I'm sure the flush just went into an open drain that ran down the hill...)
There was one light in their kitchen/eating area and another in our room. The kitchen was about 3m x 6m and had a dirt floor with a table with benches against the far wall for us to eat at; a small low table they sat on the floor at to eat and prep food nearer to the fire; and an open fireplace with space to hang a stew pot and put a griddle over the fire to grill meat and bread. The women cooked but I noticed the youngest son (about 19yo) did all the washing by hand in a bucket out in the garden.
The food was very plain and simple but prepared well and tasty. It was completely vegetarian but I think this was more to protect our western digestions that how they normally eat. They had a great native plant remeniscent of mint/menthol/sage which they used in fresh sprigs in boiling water for tea which was terrific. Must get into fresh herbs rather than tea bags at home. The results are 1000s of times better.
We watched a local soccer game the afternoon we arrived. A couple of the young Japanese men from our group joined in and said later they really struggled to keep up as they were so out of breath. They play on concrete pitches a sort of cross between Futsol and outdoor soccer. Mainly I think for practical reasons - if the ball went out it ran down hill fast and had to be fetched. So the rules encouraged the ball to remain in play!...The local men were not that keen to have our group join the game. They made the visitors wait about 40min til they had finished their game before they would start a 'friendly'. The players though were all sorts - older blokes in the 40's down to young teenagers of about 14. Their ball skills were terrific. I wonder if any European scouts ever get to Amantani....
A huge thunderstorm tracked across the lake in the evening, clearing the evening and bringing more beautiful weather on day two.
Visiting this island was a good way to support the local people directly. So many of the artisans earn very little for their beautiful work. The middle men take all the profit. But here you don't pay much to stay but you buy things direct from them while you are on the island - cutting out the middle man. We had a traditional dance for a couple of hours tonight and all the visitors bought soft drinks for the local ladies who taught us to dance. So the locals got the treat and the money went into their economy. And we were all given hand knitted beanies to 'borrow' while we were there (yes it was cold at night) and we were encouraged to buy them. The money went straight to the knitter (your host). I bought my beanie instead of leaving a tip.
It seems to work quite well.
A beautiful dawn, clear and fresh and QUIET. So quiet. Quieter than the Australian bush. No wildlife to wake you up as the environment is very farmed. And the most glorious view of the Bolivian alps from our window. Not a spec of polution this morning, the air is clear, cold and fresh; the mountains are white with a tinge of pink like almond paste. And a fine blue key line along the edge that meets the sky. The sun is up very early and by 7am looks like 11am. Is it altitude...still not sure...
Off in our boat, chugging through the still waters towards Taquile. This island is very similar to Amantani and we do a walk around the island, enjoying the peace, the views of the lake and the 'soul' of the island. This is where I kept being reminded of all the photos I've seen of the Greek Islands in the meditteranean - except instead of cyprus pines there are Eucalyptus. A very popular tree as it grows fast and is good hard wood for building and cooking. As I walked along the track I noticed one of the local houses had a curtain made of an Australian flag. Most unexpected and made me feel homesick for a few minutes as I absorbed the red, white and blue against the green of the gum trees and blue of the 'ocean'. A thought flittered across my mind - when are we going to make our flag just the blue and white southern cross?...
It was a long trip back across the lake this afternoon. The 3 hours seemed an eternity as the anticlimax of going back to Puno became reality. The wind got up and it was cold out there at altitude on the open water.
Funny little place Puno...very poor and dirty sitting on the shores of this beautiful lake.
It's hard to believe only a couple of days ago I was being rained on and fogged in on a mountain of 2500m and I am now at 4000m on one of the worlds largest lakes and you could be forgiven for thinking we were on the Meditteranean in the middle of August!....
As I cruised back from Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca on Christmas Eve all you Aussies slept into Christmas Day. We Aussies (well actually Kiwis but there weren't any on the boat) are the first to celebrate Christmas taking into account time differences. And although there were 3 Aussies on board, I was the only one from the east coast so I ran around the boat wishing everyone Felic Navidad (spanish for Merry Christmas). Started a habit for the day and as each nationality's country hit Christmas day they wished everyone else Merry Christmas. There were people from Japan, Korea, Netherlands, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, USA, Sweden, Peru and Oz of course (about 24 in all).
The overnight in a homestay on Amantani and visiting floating islands on this huge sea-like lake was incredible. Very educational and particularly beautiful. The weather was perfect for me - fine and warm at last. We are in the southern hemisphere summer after all!
To get a perspective on how big this fresh water lake is - it is wider than the Gulf of Sinai, you cannot see across it's length north to south, and the snow capped mountains of Bolivia sit on the horizon to the west (A bit like when in Syria you could see the snow capped mountains of Lebanon). It is over 8500km2 (or 3300 miles2) and holds nearly 900 million cubic metres of water. Maybe Bram or Gerry you could convert that to land mass in North Qld and let me know how much it would cover...anyway it's a bloody big lake and all fresh water which they don't use for irrigation. However Bolivia has started selling 'their' water to Chile and Argentina which is like a red rag to a bull to Peru. Peru and Chile are more parochial about each other than Townsville and Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne - in fact it's more like France and England, Germany and Holland.
First point of call was the floating ilsands of Uros. These islands are actually quite close to the Peru mainland (about 40min in a slow boat) and are made of the lake's totora reeds. Where the islands float is about 20m deep and the islands themselves are about 3m thick of reeds constantly being topped up with fresh harvested reeds. By the time the inhabitants leave an island for a fresh built one it will be between 7-10 years old and up to 7m thick of rotting reeds. Only the top 50cm or so is fresh. You can imagine how heavy the island becomes as it gets older, from rotting vegetation and waterlogging. Hence leaving for a fresh built island before the old one sinks. The 'ground' is soft and spongy and slightly damp, with a dry, sweet reed crust. It actually smells quite good - like cut grass - but I'm not sure what it would be like in the wet...
Extended family groups inhabit each island, living very traditional lives, fishing and weaving, farming small subsistance crops like potatoes, chickens and guinea pigs for their own food and barter between islands. They still use barter rather than money as they have very little demand for outside products (read manufactured here). The island we visited had 4 families on it living in reed houses on the reed island. They had chooks (for eggs and meat), a cat (to eat the vermin), guinea pigs (for food not pets), a few small vege patches, a shared kitchen/oven/fire pit, a small live fish trap (basically a hole cut in the island and lined with fishing net, where they kept todays catch fresh). No bathroom or shower rig that I could see. Toileting was down a hole into the lake and any washing was in a bucket with water heated on the open fire. I did see a young girl scrubbing clothes in a bucket...They make their boats out of reeds also and weave and knit all their clothes - lama and alpaca wool is traded from other contenential islands. We made a quick stop at the 'main' island that had a school, shop, public telephone, cafe, and very basic commerical accommodation. There is also a floating school island. But I don't think school is seen as particularly important by these people.
We then cruised for three hours out into the Lake to one of the largest islands (and continental) - Amantani. It is quite mountainous and has been extensively terraced at some point in pre-Inca past. Again, the people live very simple lives based on agricuture and survival in a very small economy. When we arrived on the island we were split into 2's and 3's to go home with our host families. I was put with the other two Aussies (a mother and daughter from Perth) and our host 'Ruth' - pronounced Rut - walked us up the mountain to her home. We nearly died getting up the mountain. At 4000m any incline is pretty hard going and this young girl of 17 was like a mountain goat up the track. Everyone blamed the altitude but I think it is a combination of altitude and lowering fitness...afterall I have been at altitude for over a week now...
Ruth lives with her mum and dad and 5 other siblings (total of 4 girls and 2 boys). She is the youngest at 17 and still at school. One of her sisters has two young children but we didn't meet them. The women never stop spinning or knitting or embroidering. They walk around constantly using their hands to create beautiful craft work, which they wear every day and also sell to visitors. The men are also master embroiderers and must make beautiful pieces for their women to show them how much they are valued. If they sitting down they are either preparing food or weaving. One throw rug takes two weeks of constant work - and I mean dawn til dusk.
They don't have much electricity and it is not wasted on working in the evening. They are up at dawn and go to bed as soon as dinner is finished around 8pm. No bathroom, and an outside toilet (western pan with a drum of water you took a bucket from to 'flush' - I'm sure the flush just went into an open drain that ran down the hill...)
There was one light in their kitchen/eating area and another in our room. The kitchen was about 3m x 6m and had a dirt floor with a table with benches against the far wall for us to eat at; a small low table they sat on the floor at to eat and prep food nearer to the fire; and an open fireplace with space to hang a stew pot and put a griddle over the fire to grill meat and bread. The women cooked but I noticed the youngest son (about 19yo) did all the washing by hand in a bucket out in the garden.
The food was very plain and simple but prepared well and tasty. It was completely vegetarian but I think this was more to protect our western digestions that how they normally eat. They had a great native plant remeniscent of mint/menthol/sage which they used in fresh sprigs in boiling water for tea which was terrific. Must get into fresh herbs rather than tea bags at home. The results are 1000s of times better.
We watched a local soccer game the afternoon we arrived. A couple of the young Japanese men from our group joined in and said later they really struggled to keep up as they were so out of breath. They play on concrete pitches a sort of cross between Futsol and outdoor soccer. Mainly I think for practical reasons - if the ball went out it ran down hill fast and had to be fetched. So the rules encouraged the ball to remain in play!...The local men were not that keen to have our group join the game. They made the visitors wait about 40min til they had finished their game before they would start a 'friendly'. The players though were all sorts - older blokes in the 40's down to young teenagers of about 14. Their ball skills were terrific. I wonder if any European scouts ever get to Amantani....
A huge thunderstorm tracked across the lake in the evening, clearing the evening and bringing more beautiful weather on day two.
Visiting this island was a good way to support the local people directly. So many of the artisans earn very little for their beautiful work. The middle men take all the profit. But here you don't pay much to stay but you buy things direct from them while you are on the island - cutting out the middle man. We had a traditional dance for a couple of hours tonight and all the visitors bought soft drinks for the local ladies who taught us to dance. So the locals got the treat and the money went into their economy. And we were all given hand knitted beanies to 'borrow' while we were there (yes it was cold at night) and we were encouraged to buy them. The money went straight to the knitter (your host). I bought my beanie instead of leaving a tip.
It seems to work quite well.
A beautiful dawn, clear and fresh and QUIET. So quiet. Quieter than the Australian bush. No wildlife to wake you up as the environment is very farmed. And the most glorious view of the Bolivian alps from our window. Not a spec of polution this morning, the air is clear, cold and fresh; the mountains are white with a tinge of pink like almond paste. And a fine blue key line along the edge that meets the sky. The sun is up very early and by 7am looks like 11am. Is it altitude...still not sure...
Off in our boat, chugging through the still waters towards Taquile. This island is very similar to Amantani and we do a walk around the island, enjoying the peace, the views of the lake and the 'soul' of the island. This is where I kept being reminded of all the photos I've seen of the Greek Islands in the meditteranean - except instead of cyprus pines there are Eucalyptus. A very popular tree as it grows fast and is good hard wood for building and cooking. As I walked along the track I noticed one of the local houses had a curtain made of an Australian flag. Most unexpected and made me feel homesick for a few minutes as I absorbed the red, white and blue against the green of the gum trees and blue of the 'ocean'. A thought flittered across my mind - when are we going to make our flag just the blue and white southern cross?...
It was a long trip back across the lake this afternoon. The 3 hours seemed an eternity as the anticlimax of going back to Puno became reality. The wind got up and it was cold out there at altitude on the open water.
Funny little place Puno...very poor and dirty sitting on the shores of this beautiful lake.
Bugger, bum, and bastard....
I'm a bloody fool; let my guard down and lost my phone and camera to confidence robbers. I say confidence robbers because they don't just steal your stuff, they steal your confidence. In hindsight I made a couple of poor choices based on my trusting nature and my belief in the core goodness of human nature and wasnt concentrating enough. Probably had a got a bit lazy on the security if truth be told. Had had such a good run and had let my guard down. Another lesson learned.
I have been on the road nearly 5 months, in countries as poor as Peru, and of all political and religious persuasions; have been so aware of being careful and less trusting, and I let my guard down this close to home... Gave my trust to a person obviously not deserving of it.
The big baddie is that I didnt just loose the camera but both my memory chips. So 5mths of photos are all gone...lesson learned - dont carry full memory chips with the camera... Have had a little cry and feel very sad. Surprised myself in that I havent felt angry, just so disappointed and sad - to both loose my record of my memories and that someone valued my trust so little.
But I'm ready to go home too. I think part of the lack of concentration is I'm tired and travelling is NOT a holiday, it's more like a job. I think I was ready for home after Turkey and I miss the boys terribly. That said, I would not not visit Peru. It is a fantastic country, with many beautiful places, contrasts and life-learning experiences. And most of the people are great. If fact the odds of getting as far as I have around the world without loosing anything to crime were pretty low. I've done pretty well; and hey I've still got the memories, I've got my blogg to jog those memories, and I'm fit and healthy. Could have been a lot worse...
It is sad that trust is not a behaviour you can exercise easily in Peru. You have to look at everyone a second and third time - even the taxi drivers, policemen, hotel reception, everyone. There is nowhere that is 100% safe to relax (other than your family's home - and even then they can't trust their own security doorman or driver).
I know no country is better than another, they are just different but I think I prefer the combination of values and lifestyle I enjoy in regional Australia. And I am happy to pay for the priviledge. It might be cheap to live in Peru when you have money, but I'd rather pay for the freedom and safety I enjoy. And I must admit if I was to live in Peru I would feel guilty every day, seeing the grinding poverty and being unable to make a difference. The 'haves' become innoculated against the plight of the 'have nots', otherwise you would never make it up the street to carry out your daily life. And I find ignoring people in need exhausting.
I'm a bloody fool; let my guard down and lost my phone and camera to confidence robbers. I say confidence robbers because they don't just steal your stuff, they steal your confidence. In hindsight I made a couple of poor choices based on my trusting nature and my belief in the core goodness of human nature and wasnt concentrating enough. Probably had a got a bit lazy on the security if truth be told. Had had such a good run and had let my guard down. Another lesson learned.
I have been on the road nearly 5 months, in countries as poor as Peru, and of all political and religious persuasions; have been so aware of being careful and less trusting, and I let my guard down this close to home... Gave my trust to a person obviously not deserving of it.
The big baddie is that I didnt just loose the camera but both my memory chips. So 5mths of photos are all gone...lesson learned - dont carry full memory chips with the camera... Have had a little cry and feel very sad. Surprised myself in that I havent felt angry, just so disappointed and sad - to both loose my record of my memories and that someone valued my trust so little.
But I'm ready to go home too. I think part of the lack of concentration is I'm tired and travelling is NOT a holiday, it's more like a job. I think I was ready for home after Turkey and I miss the boys terribly. That said, I would not not visit Peru. It is a fantastic country, with many beautiful places, contrasts and life-learning experiences. And most of the people are great. If fact the odds of getting as far as I have around the world without loosing anything to crime were pretty low. I've done pretty well; and hey I've still got the memories, I've got my blogg to jog those memories, and I'm fit and healthy. Could have been a lot worse...
It is sad that trust is not a behaviour you can exercise easily in Peru. You have to look at everyone a second and third time - even the taxi drivers, policemen, hotel reception, everyone. There is nowhere that is 100% safe to relax (other than your family's home - and even then they can't trust their own security doorman or driver).
I know no country is better than another, they are just different but I think I prefer the combination of values and lifestyle I enjoy in regional Australia. And I am happy to pay for the priviledge. It might be cheap to live in Peru when you have money, but I'd rather pay for the freedom and safety I enjoy. And I must admit if I was to live in Peru I would feel guilty every day, seeing the grinding poverty and being unable to make a difference. The 'haves' become innoculated against the plight of the 'have nots', otherwise you would never make it up the street to carry out your daily life. And I find ignoring people in need exhausting.
4 December Hairless dogs, mud bricks and ancient civilisations...
Memories fading a bit...time is passing and so much to remember...
I joined a local Englishman for a day's archeological exploration. Michael has lived in Peru for 20+ years and is married to a local lady. He still has his accent...There were 5 westerners with him today of which 4 of us were Aussies. A mother and daughter from Byron Bay area and (you're not going to believe it) a teacher from Redlynch primary school! Bloody small world!
We visited ancient city of Chan Chan and the Temple of the Sun, both of which are extensive pre-Inca sites. My strongest memories are of the feeling that without a guide I would have been bored stupid...not such a good thought. These civilisations were built in mud brick, much as all building has been until the present day...unfortunately time and weather have erroded the remnants of the civilisations. The site management and archeologists have tried to protect and restore the remains as best they can but it means much of the sites are 'rebuilt' and very little of the original remains. What does is incredibly interesting if you know what you are looking at. Which luckily Micheal did...As different rulers and cultures took over the area, the same key sights remained the sacred spots. And each successive society built over the top of, or in front of the one before. You can see this, rather like when I visited the English cathederals, when parts of the city are washed away and reveal the early building hidden behind or below. Interestingly the colourful decoration, that is intensly geometric has survived in parts, covered by mud brick curtains of later dynasties.
There was one particularly beautiful relief that was highly original and abstract. It did not follow the 'rules' of the rest of the complex's decoration, was not geometric, repetitive, and contained colours not found elsewhere. This was refreshing and significant to me. These societies did not have written word so their decoration and reliefs were not just for 'looks' but to communicate the important stories of the culture.
Each of the sites was protected by one or two native Peruvian dogs. These are medium sized dogs, completely hairless. At first glance you think they are just mangy mongrels but on closer look, they have healthy pink/black skin and are not malnourished. In fact they are seen as sacred to the protection of the sites. Reminded me of a cross between ET and Yoda...
Driving to and from the sites through the less picturesque parts of Trujillo I gt a good insight into how the locals survive. They grow crops ranging from rice, to wheat, corn, potatoes and sugar cane. Chillis, pawpaw, lucerne/alphalfa, peas and whatever else they can sell. There is an irrigation canal system they draw water from and flood irrigate the crop rows. All the paddocks and houses and yards are at least 1m below canal and road level as each farmer/landholder harvests mud from his land and gradually lowers the land level. The mud is made into bricks for housing, fences, sheds, selling...This has interesting conscequences for water tables, flooding during ElNino years, soil health, etc. They do rotate crops however and seem to finish a five year cycle with a nitrogen rich crop
Consider...to enter a house or shop you step down from the street level into the doorway and ground floor. How to clean the floor?...there are no back doors, plumbing, vacuum cleaners, etc. And often the animals like chooks and pigs are inside too.
Billboards throughout peru are the walls of buildings. It seems only political candidates have the money or permission to paint the walls and you see everywhere painted in white and red, banners and proclaimations for particular candidates wanting votes. The other thing I notice in Lima is that the 'freeways' are below main street level and the raised grass verges are leased to companies who maintain them and use garden beds and creative mowing to advertise their products. Clever way of the government getting someone else to take responsibility for keeping the road sides clean and pretty. This is particularly popular with universities, banks and phone companies.
Memories fading a bit...time is passing and so much to remember...
I joined a local Englishman for a day's archeological exploration. Michael has lived in Peru for 20+ years and is married to a local lady. He still has his accent...There were 5 westerners with him today of which 4 of us were Aussies. A mother and daughter from Byron Bay area and (you're not going to believe it) a teacher from Redlynch primary school! Bloody small world!
We visited ancient city of Chan Chan and the Temple of the Sun, both of which are extensive pre-Inca sites. My strongest memories are of the feeling that without a guide I would have been bored stupid...not such a good thought. These civilisations were built in mud brick, much as all building has been until the present day...unfortunately time and weather have erroded the remnants of the civilisations. The site management and archeologists have tried to protect and restore the remains as best they can but it means much of the sites are 'rebuilt' and very little of the original remains. What does is incredibly interesting if you know what you are looking at. Which luckily Micheal did...As different rulers and cultures took over the area, the same key sights remained the sacred spots. And each successive society built over the top of, or in front of the one before. You can see this, rather like when I visited the English cathederals, when parts of the city are washed away and reveal the early building hidden behind or below. Interestingly the colourful decoration, that is intensly geometric has survived in parts, covered by mud brick curtains of later dynasties.
There was one particularly beautiful relief that was highly original and abstract. It did not follow the 'rules' of the rest of the complex's decoration, was not geometric, repetitive, and contained colours not found elsewhere. This was refreshing and significant to me. These societies did not have written word so their decoration and reliefs were not just for 'looks' but to communicate the important stories of the culture.
Each of the sites was protected by one or two native Peruvian dogs. These are medium sized dogs, completely hairless. At first glance you think they are just mangy mongrels but on closer look, they have healthy pink/black skin and are not malnourished. In fact they are seen as sacred to the protection of the sites. Reminded me of a cross between ET and Yoda...
Driving to and from the sites through the less picturesque parts of Trujillo I gt a good insight into how the locals survive. They grow crops ranging from rice, to wheat, corn, potatoes and sugar cane. Chillis, pawpaw, lucerne/alphalfa, peas and whatever else they can sell. There is an irrigation canal system they draw water from and flood irrigate the crop rows. All the paddocks and houses and yards are at least 1m below canal and road level as each farmer/landholder harvests mud from his land and gradually lowers the land level. The mud is made into bricks for housing, fences, sheds, selling...This has interesting conscequences for water tables, flooding during ElNino years, soil health, etc. They do rotate crops however and seem to finish a five year cycle with a nitrogen rich crop
Consider...to enter a house or shop you step down from the street level into the doorway and ground floor. How to clean the floor?...there are no back doors, plumbing, vacuum cleaners, etc. And often the animals like chooks and pigs are inside too.
Billboards throughout peru are the walls of buildings. It seems only political candidates have the money or permission to paint the walls and you see everywhere painted in white and red, banners and proclaimations for particular candidates wanting votes. The other thing I notice in Lima is that the 'freeways' are below main street level and the raised grass verges are leased to companies who maintain them and use garden beds and creative mowing to advertise their products. Clever way of the government getting someone else to take responsibility for keeping the road sides clean and pretty. This is particularly popular with universities, banks and phone companies.
