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Other entries in Peru

Back to the basics!

I went to the Shipibo Indian Village of San Francisco today to spend the weekend with Augustina's family.  The weekend was quite the experience!!!!  We took a taxi (beat up old car packed with 7 people) going 40 mph across a deeply rutted 4 wheel drive dirt road to get to the village.  You can only drive to the village during the dry season - only by boat during the wet season.  I survived the ride with all my teeth and no bones out of place! 

The village is very poor and living to provide for just their basic daily needs - food, clothing and shelter.  Augustina is worldly reknown for her ceramics.  She has traveled to France, Argentina, all over Peru etc. and sells her wares in South Africa, England..... She has recently published a book on what it is like being a Shipibo woman.  I got a copy if anyone wants to read it, but you will need to know Spanish or Shipibo!!!    She is famous, yet lives with her entire extended family in a single room hut with no water, bathroom, beds or kitchen.  She cooks over an open fire outside on the dirt floor.  However, they do have a TV!!!!  It is interesting how technology has touched these small villages!

The village got running water and electricity about 4 years ago.  The water flows outside out of taps at each hut 2 times per day - in the AM and in the PM.  They fill up buckets to get through the day.  They take lots of "baths" to keep cool and to get the dust off from the dirt streets.  We bathed behind a tin sheet that came up to your waist and used a bowl to pour water over our bodies.  The bath is also used as the toilet (for peeing) - wild!  They have very primative out houses for the other functions.  At night, the hut gets transformed into a tent city with several mosquito nets being set up like little tents.  We just slept directly on the floor with just a blanket beneath us.  Some people have make shift matresses.  During the day, the tents come down!

The people make a living by making all kinds of crafts (beads, necklaces, skirts, etc.) and selling them to anyone they come across!  They also fish or have a little store in their house where others go for basic food and drink.  They used to share everything, but now it is just with their families - which are HUGE!  Everyone seems to be related.  Augustina's husband and son-in-laws fish.

The children are darling and entertain themselves with very simple activities - soccer using a thong, marbles using bottle tops.  The young ones run around naked and just roll around in the dirt.  They also have a few soccer balls, so play lots of team sports.

We went to a birthday party on Saturday night for a 15 year old.  It started at 9:00 and was quite the talk of the town.  They decorated with pink and white crepe paper and balloons and had a stereo system set up for music.  The young teens were on one side (kind of dancing as all teens act) and adults watching on the other side.  I have had a cold and have not gotten much sleep, so they took me home at 10, but returned later to indulge in the adult drinks.  Found Augustina in the hammock outside in the AM.  She was not moving too fast!

On Saturday morning, Augustina had me follow her to the river.  We got in a dug out canoe and she paddled across the river to the island.  Here we pick camu camu fruit so she could make camu camu juice for my cold.  It is great stuff and practically 100 percent vitamin C.  Didn't know it then, but soon found out the orchard was full of chiggers!  I got eaten alive and am still suffering.  Learned the hard way on this one!

There is very little English in the village.  Most is Shipibo and some Spanish, so communication has been interesting.  My friend, Roma, the French girl from the healing ceremony was staying at the village too, so she helped interpret for me.  Otherwise, it was point and act out!  Wish I had played more charades growing up!

I went to Roma's family's house for Sunday lunch.  Great fun!  We made a chocolate cake and had fish, rice, cucumber-tomatoe-avocado salad.  There was a political campaign event in town that night, so it was extremely noisy.  I went and stayed with Roma to get alittle more distance from all the noise.  Even in these villages it is noisy all the time - with the MASH intercom and radios and taxis and loud events. 

Land of interesting contrasts!  I am thankful for the experience in San Francisco, but am glad I do not have to live like this on a daily basis!  I am thankful I was born in the USA!

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