Archive for January, 2007
Friday, January 26th, 2007
Paracas Reserve (Peru’s mini-Galapagos)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the export economies of Chile, Peru, and Bolivia depended heavily on mineral resources—a term that at that time meant almost exclusively the valuable bird guano.
Hard to believe, but at that time in South American history, the primary export of these three countries was indeed the eon-accumulated production of bird shit deposited along the coastline, valuable nitrogen-rich shit that could be easily turned into fertilizer for farmers in Europe. The shit proved so valuable that in the late 1880s, with a little fanning of nationalist pride and the territorial expansionist visions of the wealthy landholding class thrown in, the three countries fought a war—referred to as the War of the Pacific—ostensibly over control of vast reserves of guano. The battles saw Peruvian forces occupy parts of northern Chile, and the Chilean forces fighting all the way to the Peruvian capital, Lima. In the end, Bolivia lost some 300 kilometers of coastline—its entire access to the sea—and Chile gained the northern seaport of Arica; as chemists learned to synthesize nitrogen and developed synthetic fertilizers, the guano trade began to decline, but these norther territories also proved rich in a newly important mineral: copper.
Chilean novelist Isabel Allende’s second most-recent novel “Retrato en Sepia” (English title: Portrait in Sepia) includes large passages describing the battles, triumphs, and defeats of the Chilean forces, but with such a nationalistic pride and white-washing of the horror of war that I have been turned away from her writing ever since.
No Comments » - Posted in Travel by Damon
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
Playstation Bus Driver III – Lima to Pisco
Oh my! Finally feeling better—not yet 100% but certainly no longer suffering from either diarrhea or the weak muscles from my extreme fever. I must have dropped a few pounds on what I casually referred to as “my Typhoid diet”, but the eggs and rice I had for breakfast are staying in me and I’m feeling better by the minute.
No Comments » - Posted in Travel by Damon
Monday, January 22nd, 2007
SICK!
Friday afternoon last, Mel and I decided to try our luck in the busier and more affluent neighborhood to the north, Miraflores. Day-packs at the ready, we tried our luck on the bus system, and found ourselves quickly aboard a 15-seat jalopy, cruising along in the mid-afternoon Lima heat for only a couple of Soles per person. (Soles are the Peruvian currency, currently about 3 soles per one USD).
No Comments » - Posted in Travel by Damon
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
Fever Dream in Lima
I find one positive experience to be earned from the mad agony of a fever running over 102F. Amid the haze and blur, the muscle spasms and afternoon slumbers, the dreams that come to me are exceptionally vivid and consuming, sometimes grand, sometimes overpoweringly stressful, always staking straight into the visceral meat of my existence.
In my first fevered night, I found myself engrossed in purchasing a set of travel luggage called, “The American”. “The American” was more than just travel luggage, it referred to a system of variously-sized bags that fit inside one another much as each Russian doll both lives in and is inhabited by its nearest siblings. “The American” bag system unfolded, interlocked, and stowed away, each bag in the belly of the next.
No Comments » - Posted in Travel by Damon
Friday, January 19th, 2007
AlphaSmart Neo
From January 9, 2007
Mel bustles about her room, busy packing for our trip, and I’m writing my first sentences on my newly purchased AlphaSmart…the minimalist computer, more of a glorified keyboard than a computer, resembling a speak-and-spell without the annoying voice-over.
Neo alongside a chapstick for size comparison.
Note the missing “\” key which I moved to cover the broken “H”.
In my quest to defraud the Canadian government, I ordered the unit directly from the U.S. manufacturer and had it sent to my home in Montana, a state as yet devoid of a sales tax. Then my dearest mother turned around and shipped the box off to me via post, marking it as a gift with the idea that it would slip past the customs folks…
