It took me a few days to realize why all the schools I walked past in Valdivia had a pile of chairs hanging off the fence and stacked in front of the entrance. I gather this is the local way of expressing your feelings of getting out of school for the summer holidays.
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Posts from December 2011
December 28, 2011
December 26, 2011
Christmas in Valdivia (and Canada)
Merry Christmas everyone from the crew of Curare.
Geoff spent Christmas day at Marina Estancilla in Valdivia working on a few boat chores, touring the river in the newly inflated dinghy and finishing it off with a wonderful lamb barbeque put on by the marina caretaker and his family and friends.
It seems strange to have classic iconic North America Christmas paraphernalia decorating houses and malls here.
While the people are familiar with snow its odd to have images of snowmen and frosty flakes hanging in windows on one of the hottest days of the year. And the Santa Claus in the mall with the lineup of children was verging on bizarre. The mad rush to buy groceries and presents the day before Christmas seems to be a global event.
Meanwhile Linda and Jessie spent Christmas in a different time zone a few thousand miles away. While G was feasting on roasted lamb L was busy preparing a Christmas dinner for eight. The entire family celebrated at L's younger sister's house, the first time the family has been together for Christmas since 2006. Of course we all missed our mom, grandma and wife but it wasn't as difficult as I imagined. Even Jessie got to participate, mostly by getting in everyone's way, but mainly to help with the leftovers.
Best wishes to all for a happy holiday time.
December 22, 2011
December 20, 2011
Back to Curare again
Geoff returned to Curare just over a week ago to start preparations for getting under way as soon as the remainder of the crew arrives early in January. The weather has been mostly co-operative for the ongoing boat chores with daytime temperatures ranging from high teens to mid-20’s Celsius on most days. It’s still cool at night though getting down to 5 degrees.
Besides the usual cleaning, sorting and storing we’ve got a lengthy but not extensive list of tasks to undertake. Some tasks involve dismantling of other equipment, such as removing the stove to replace the arborite counter. Others, like varnishing require keeping the dust (and dog hair) under control. Everything requires tools which tend to get spread out all over the place. So it’s best for the majority of the repairs and maintenance to be done with only one person on board.
Curare is not the only one going through spring cleaning. The Marina Estancilla has been a bee hive of activity for weeks. They’ve installed seven new flag poles (and since the only two liveaboards are Canadians, we got to express our patriotism), built a boat launch, installed new lights and lots more. This is all in preparation for the World Cup Sailing competition that the Valdivia Yacht Club is hosting in mid-January. The boats being sailed in the races are a one design 5 metre class called “Pirat” (sic) that were designed in Germany in 1938 and have a large international following. The yacht club manager has already received applications from participants in 16 countries and they expect to have over 60
competitors in total. This is a big deal for this little yacht club. There are three venues for racing, depending on local conditions. Course 1 is on the river directly in front of Marina Estancilla, Course 2 would be in behind Isla Mancera at the mouth of the river and Course 3 is in Bahia Corral at the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. This should be an exciting time with some very competitive racing in a challenging venue. For more information, including the Notice of Race, visit the Club de Yates Valdivia website.
December 14, 2011
Bloqueo
Blockades (bloqueo in Spanish) are a way of life in Bolivia. Anyone and everyone with the slightest issue about anything at all starts a bloqueo. Since coming to Bolivia we have been affected by these blockades on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
The first protest was by a group of indigenous people that were upset, rightfully so, with the construction of a highway through a national park. They marched across the country, became known as the marchistas, had sit-ins around the city parks in La Paz and put up bloqueos. Blockades in La Paz virtually brought the city to a stand still during the day, traffic couldn’t move at all and the only way to get around was to travel very early or very late. On one trip the bloqueos meant that G had to wait seven hours at the El Alto airport. The marchista protests coincided with the Occupy Movement that swept through North America, but the marchistas were more successful. After nearly three weeks of protesting their cause was recognized and President Evo Morales halted the road construction.
Another blockade happened on the main highway between the cities of Oruro and Potosi. This bloqueo was a dispute over the boundaries of a limestone quarry, with both sides wanting the boundary moved for their benefit. Although the protesters allowed some vehicles to pass through on an arbitrary and random basis the blockade created havoc for transportation of goods and people. People travelling from La Paz would have to get off their bus and walk five km past the blockade and
hope to find another bus to get into Oruro. Supplies of fuel and food became low which resulted in long lineups at the gas stations waiting for fuel to get delivered, and hoarding of available food stuffs. This road blockade ended after one month (more or less) but the underlying dispute was left unresolved so without a doubt there will be further blockades in the future.
On one occasion, while we were visiting the central district of La Paz a blockade sprang up right in front of us. We don’t know for sure what the cause was, but the signs and banners stated things about workers and rights. Numerous, very loud, attention grabbing, fire crackers accompanied the chanting of slogans, and a large battalion of riot police were on hand in case things turned violent. We walked around this blockade, as did everyone else, and eventually found a taxi that wasn’t caught up in the traffic snarl to take us back to our district.
In general the bloqueos are not violent, but when students in El Alto blockaded the streets demanding more money for education things became ugly and the news reported numerous arrests and minor injuries.
During the few months we were in Bolivia we knew about 14 serious blockades and undoubtedly there were many more that we were not aware of. Blockades are so frequent that it’s a great excuse for being late wherever you go in La Paz – “Sorry I’m late, I got caught in a bloqueo!" It’s a way of life here and allows people to express their concerns without resorting to outbreaks of violence.
December 08, 2011
El Alto, Bolivia
We have flown in to and out of the El Alto airport a number of times while staying in La Paz. The airport is approximately 10 km from the city center but is 390 meters higher in elevation. At 4050 meters, it is the world's highest international airport.
The larger planes need almost 5 km of runway to lift off, and must land at twice their sea level velocity to compensate for the lower atmospheric pressure. Stopping distances are much greater too and the planes are equipped with special tires to withstand the extreme forces involved.
On clear days the views from the airport, and from the plane, are fantastic. Snowy, triple peaked, Mt Illimani (6402m) looms in the distance and other lesser peaks seem close enough to touch. Directly below the plane is the city of El Alto and the soaring white spires of dozens
of churches, all built by the German priest, Padre Obermaier.
El Alto, the community, is considered the Aymara capital of the world and has a 5% to 6% growth rate per year. Since 1952, El Alto's population has grown from 11,000 to 95,000 in 1976, 307,000 in 1985 and 650,000 in 2001. Today, it is estimated that the population is more than 1,000,000, with 81% identifying as indigenous, predominately Aymara. The average age of this young city is 22 and 60% of the population are under 30 years of age.This spread out suburb on the altiplano, lurking above La Paz, is a melting pot for campesinos (subsistence farmers) and people from all around the country. Rarely do you see a western dressed women walking on
the streets, all of them wear chola attire.
Everything about El Alto is stunning: the scenery, the people and the airport. I can think of no other place in the world with such an awesome combination. And of course this is where the local tradesmen construct every sort of imaginable item: from bedroom furniture to chicken rotisseries to all of the reconstructed parts needed to keep the thousands of taxis and buses mobile. It's a fascinating sub-culture of La Paz.
December 06, 2011
Lago Titicaca: Isla del Sol
Last weekend G allowed himself to leave La Paz for two entire days and on Saturday we traveled by bus to Lake Titicaca. The south end of the lake is approximately 50 km from the city but our destination was the town of Copacabana, a distance of 135 km. The trip took 3 1/2 hours and included a 5 minute boat ride across the Tiquina Straits - the bus went on a barge and the passengers were ferried in small launchas.
The border between Peru and Bolivia divides the lake in two, but it seems to me that Bolivia got the better deal because it contains Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun)
which figures prominently in the creation legend of the Incas and their direct descendants; the Aymara and Quechua peoples of Bolivia and Peru. It was on this Island that the bearded, white god-king Viracocha and the first Incas, Manco Capac and his sister-wife Mama Ocllo, mystically appeared under direct orders from the sun. Lonely
Planet describes the Island this way: "With a host of ancient ruins, tiny traditional villages, beautiful walking routes and a distinctly Aegean look, magical Isla del Sol merits a night or two." We only had Sunday and I was determined to go.
There are no vehicles on the island, and everyone arrives and leaves by boat. Our boat was scheduled to leave at 0830 and we were advised to be on the beach at 0815. We eventually departed at 0900 for the 3 hour, 20 mile,
voyage - I was "yachting" on Lake Titicaca! The boat trip was uneventful and we arrived at the north end of the island at the tiny village of Cha'llapampa. When we disembarked the passengers were given two choices; either be back at the boat by 1:30 P.M. or walk to the south end of the island and catch the boat at Yumani at 3:30 PM. I decided we should do the latter but it was going to be a scurry because it was already noon and I wanted to visit the ruins as well.
The Chincana ruins is a maze of stone walls and tiny doorways and it's construction is attributed to the Incas, but the carelessness of the construction compared to the buildings I saw in Cuzco and at Machu Pichu make me think that it was probably constructed before they arrived. About 150 meters from the ruins is a ceremonial table, which at the time of our visit, was a place for tourists to receive a mystical blessing from an "Inca". We decided to give that one a miss. After too brief of a visit we set off on the hike following the ridge line.
It is only an 8 km walk and the pathway is broad, well marked and often paved, which sounds like an easy stroll, but the pathway goes up and then goes down, the elevation averages 4000 meters and there is no shade: it was more like a forced march. To ensure we made the 3:30 PM departure we had to keep moving and we took our photos on the go, but the views were amazing and it was worth the effort. We made it back in time for the return launch to Copacabana and a beautiful sunset.
December 01, 2011
Quinoa
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is an ancient food that has been cultivated in the South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred. Each year at planting time it was traditional for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed using a solid gold shovel! I have known about quinoa for over 20 years because my father is a celiac and it a tasty alternative grain for those with a gluten sensitivity. Little did I know that Bolivia is the second largest exporter of quinoa, (Peru is first) and the bare brown fields I saw on the altiplano were quinoa fields - not yet sprouted. The fields are planted in September prior to the rainy season, the green growth emerges in late November (hey that's now!), and the seeds are harvested in May. Most fields are on a three year rotation schedule.
Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. The name comes from the Greek words, chen (a goose) and pous (a foot). This is due to a resemblance of the leaves of the plant to the webbed foot of a goose. Quinoa has a delightful characteristic that is all it's own: as it cooks, the outer germ around each grain twists outward forming a little white, spiral tail, which is attached to the kernel. The grain itself is soft and delicate and the tail is crunchy which creates and interesting texture combination and pleasant "crunch" when it is eaten. It has a mild, delicate, slightly nutty flavor and can be used in most recipes that call for rice, barley or bulgur wheat.
The quinoa seed is high in protein (12% to 18% protein), calcium, magnesium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins, and contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is also exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains and also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum, and many plant and animal tissues. It is also low in calories - a perfect food in a tiny seed.
For those of you who are not living in Bolivia and who want to try quinoa it can be found in most health food stores, and it has become so popular it is now found in a lot of the mainstream grocery stores.
I don't normally do this on the blog but I L-O-V-E eating quinoa so here are two very simple and delicious recipes.
Toasted Quinoa Salad
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro
2 sliced green onions (white and green parts)
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (or 1 - 2 tablespoons of each)
1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce (tobasco) (or use a pinch of cayenne, a few red pepper flakes, etc.)
Rinse quinoa and drain. Put in a pot and dry toast until a few grains begin to pop. Add 1-1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
Mix carrot, red pepper, parsley and green onion in large bowl. Add cold quinoa and toss to combine, Whisk together lemon and lime juices, soy sauce, garlic and chili sauce. Pour over salad and combine well. Chill until serving time.
To make this a little different try tossing in a few fresh raw peas, some fresh raw corn, fresh sliced raw green beans, etc.
Walnut Rosemary Quinoa
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 small onion
1-1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed in boiling water and drained
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 (for toasting the walnuts). Heat oil in a medium saucepan; add onion and quinoa. Sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add water, soy sauce, rosemary and peas (if using fresh peas).
Bring to a boil and cover; simmer 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Meanwhile, roast walnuts in 350 oven for 5 to 10 minutes. When quinoa is cooked, turn off heat and mix in walnuts and frozen peas (if using frozen peas). Let sit an additional 10 minutes and serve.
