Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Notes from Peru

I have no financial insights or opinions today - just a quick post on how the missus is doing in Peru. Mrs. Done by Forty and I have been talking every day over Skype. (And let me cast my vote for VOIP as the best telecommunications innovation of my lifetime. How does this exist?) While a lot of our talk is about missing and loving each other and stuff like that, some of my favorite things to hear about are the differences between life in Peru and here in the U.S. She's too busy right now to type these out herself, worker bee that she is, but here are some of the interesting bits:

  • There doesn't seem to be any glass or plastic recycling where she is but, on the plus side, the residents don't throw much away. On garbage day, residents just put stuff out that they don't want by the street, and in a matter of hours bunches of people come by and pick up all the broken stuff they think they can fix or sell. Being fairly handy people in this mountain city, by the time the truck comes almost all that's left is true garbage.
  • There is less packaging for everything - not much is wrapped in plastic. If something is sold and put in a plastic bag, Peruvians will re-use the bag a bunch of times. To get food to-go from a restaurant, customers have to bring in a tupperware or pot, and the cook will put food right into the container. 
  • The electric water heater in her rental is a little metal appliance that resides in the shower. Amazingly, this appliance shocks the user if she touches it whilst it is on. So this is the showering process: Mrs. DB40 turns on the water, pushes the water heater's "on" button with the end of her toothbrush, waits for the water to get warm, and then gets into the shower. Once the water heater is on, the hot and cold water knobs and the shower head itself also become electrified. I wish I were making this up. To adjust the temperature, she uses a very thick (but dry) towel to turn the faucet knobs. If the towel is wet, she gets shocked. If the towel is not thick enough, she gets shocked. To finally turn the appliance off, she again uses the end of a toothbrush. Naturally, the constant threat of electric shock while standing in running water makes the shower experience less relaxing.
  • Juice vendors on the street sell fruit juice poured directly into clear sandwich bags (the fold-over ones - not the zip locks). The bag is twisted shut around a straw in the opening in the top, and simply handed to the customer. This seems, to me, like the most precarious way imaginable to drink juice: it begs to spill everywhere, but it apparently works out fine.
  • Every day in the public square, there is loud music playing all day, every day, from stores that are open to the town square. There are festivals & holidays all the time, too, so bands or parades or megaphone-led protests happen pretty regularly. The most popular song right now: "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.
  • Mrs. DB40 asked someone how much it costs to buy property where they are, and the answer she got back is so low that we suspect it might just be a case of miscommunication. A house, at least to this one denizen, costs only 1,000 Soles to build, if you want to build in the city. That works out to $360 dollars. I feel like this cannot possibly be correct, but it warrants more inquiries.
  • Roving packs of stray dogs wander the town in their own little social world, as if the streets were their own and the dogs, at best, are simply sharing possession of them with humans. And because these dogs aren't owned by anyone, unlike with a property line or fenced yard in the US, it is hard to know exactly where the dogs' territory ends and the humans' begins. So every once in a while, especially if you are walking alone, the dogs will bark at you for a while, and then if the mood strikes, start chasing after you. Like, bunches of wild barking dogs, full on running at you. To combat this, pedestrians will carry stones for the sole purpose of throwing them at dogs. The dogs are so used to having rocks hurled at them, that they will usually to back off if you just bend down and reach towards the ground. Two nights ago, three dogs were really aggressive towards Mrs. DB40 and she ended up nailing one with her water bottle, had a stand off with the dogs for a minute, then slowly backed away. So, there's one more thing to be grateful for at Thanksgiving this year: my town's lack of roving, aggressive packs of dogs.
  • There are apparently no washing machines or laundry mats in this town, so Mrs. DB40 washes her clothes by hand and then hangs them on clothes lines on the roof, where the high winds occasionally blow off a hastily pinned garment, sending it onto the street below where it is lost forever. The process sounds so time consuming and frustrating that I said "Thank you," out loud, to our used GE washer today after marveling at the wonder that is simply dropping my clothes into a metal box, pouring in detergent, and pushing a button to magically get clean clothing half an hour later
  • Poverty seems to be a big issue where she is. One of the women who had provided labor on Archaeology digs in prior years came up to Mrs. DB40 in some distress a few mornings ago. The woman showed up, utility bills in hand, stating that she was several months past due on her electric & water bills, and the utilities were going to be shut off soon if she didn't get current. She asked Mrs. DB40 if she could front 250 Soles (about $90), and she would work it off anyway my wife could think of (washing clothes, cooking, or helping in the lab). My wife is a bleeding heart and she said yes, since it's just ninety bucks. But I'm a little worried that word might get out that the cute redhead in town is giving out free money... 
That's all for tonight. Make sure to enjoy some of the conveniences of the place you live in, hug and kiss your loved ones, and try not to get electrocuted.

*Photo is from Miguel Vera at Flickr Creative Commons.

50 comments:

  1. Pauline from Reach Financial Independence posted a picture of her shower water heater in Guatemala once and it sounds very similar. It looked absolutely terrifying! I might have to get accustomed to cold showers most of the time if that were my only option. =)

    Glad the Mrs is settled in and everyone is safe, though.

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    1. Yeah, that's my thought too: time for cold showers! I'll get to experience new showers in Peru & Ecuador next month, so I'll let you know how it goes. :)

      Thanks for the well wishes, Mrs. Pop!

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    2. My first thought was local rivers or lakes...but I suppose a cold shower might be better! That sounds scary as all hell.
      The cultural stuff is so incredibly interesting, too. It makes me sad because I know a large part of the greenness is most likely born out of poverty, but good for them for being resourceful and taking better care of the planet than us!
      When I lived in NC roving wild dog packs were sometimes a problem. One time they tore up a cop car with nothing but their jaws. I'm sure that one's probably still on youtube somewhere, but at the time it was local news.
      The only thing that sounds scarier than that shower is getting that Carly Rae Jepsen song stuck in your head all over again. It doesn't go away. So catchy.

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    3. Whoa, tore into a cop car? That's incredible...and terrifying.

      I agree that economic issues are probably at the source of their green behaviors, but necessity is the mother of all invention. People get frugal and environmentally conscious when they really have to.

      Agreed on Carly Rae Jepsen: it's bad, but I am drawn to it.

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  2. Fascinating post.. I love this type of stuff.. That shower does sound frightening.

    Totally agree with you about Skype... I have no idea how that service is free, but it is amazing.

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's blown away by this technology. How does video & audio go from my little computer, through the air & wires, all the way to Peru & back, with no lag? Part of me suspects that there are magic elves somewhere in a server...

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  3. Very interesting! I wish we used a lot less packaging in the U.S. Sure, a lot of us recycle, but it's still a giant waste.

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    1. Yeah, I thought that was cool, too. So much of our packaging is a huge waste...it just ends up in a bin.

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  4. Thanks for the tips. Im planning to visit Peru someday.

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    1. I hope you make it there, Melanie. The plane ticket is expensive but it's a pretty cheap vacation after that.

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  5. Sounds interesting. A trip to Peru is on my list. Hopefully we can go in the next two years. I want to do Costa Rica first.

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    1. Costa Rica sounds great -- please put up a post when you get there!

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  6. Wow that is interesting about the "trash." It seems like most people here just throw things away without even thinking about it.

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    1. Yeah, I kind of love that neighbors just go through other people's trash and find stuff to repair, use, or sell. It's like a cool, low tech freecycle.

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  7. I remember showers like that in Costa Rica. I got shocked all the time. BTW you just made me thankful about doing laundry at the laudromat, which is a million times better than washing by hand (although I really, really want a w/d in my unit some day). What a great read to see the cultural differences!

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    1. The Laundrymat is cool, in a way. I always thought it would be cool to have a combo bar & laundromat, so people could chill out and enjoy themselves whilst doing their laundry.

      Good to know that these showers are the norm down there, and Mrs. DB40 didn't get stuck with a dud.

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  8. Favorite line : "While a lot of our talk is about missing and loving each other and stuff like that..." Really funny, even if accidental.

    That shower fact is amazing. Actually, all of the facts are amazing. I've never been out of the US so I'm always super interested in life around the globe. Perhaps if we had a shock feature on showers in America, we could persuade people to shower for less time, at a reasonable temperature?? :)

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Jacob. I'll take any laugh I can get!

      I thought of your video when I typed that bit about the shower. Electroshock could be a great motivator for frugality.

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  9. I believe one should turn the water heater on, once hot, turn it off, then and only then take a shower. If a lawyer reads this post, I foresee new territory for litigation. But I suspect litigation isn't a priority in Peru when you have more basic needs. Remember, this is what life was like in earlier American days.

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    1. Interesting take! For what it's worth, turning on the water heater without running any water through it apparently destroys the machine.

      Crossing my fingers that no one gets sued!

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  10. In a lot of places where there are no laundromats or washers/dryers, the custom is to pay a roving person (like the woman you mention near the end looking for work) to do laundry for you. It's like that in India at least.

    I love to hear about other countries! I'm hoping to get to spend some time in Lima later this year or early next year, although the company will be putting me up in a nice hotel I'm sure.

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    1. That's great that you'll get to travel there. Please let me know what you think of Lima (I'll be there in November, too). Good point about helping others by outsourcing the laundry -- that seems like a win-win for everyone involved. I'll tell the missus to make it happen. :)

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  11. Since I am going to Peru Oct 28th for two weeks (with my boyfriend), this was a good read (and perfect timing!) about some things to expect and look out for. I'll be in mainly Lima and Pucallpa (and ten days cut off from the world in the jungle). I'd love to stay down there longer. Has your wife been able to get out of the town and see some mountains, jungle, coast, or any ancient structures/monuments?

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    1. Hi Jamie,

      My wife has been working like crazy so she hasn't been able to get out much. But she's been to Peru several times before and has been able to see lots of cities, Machu Pichu, archaeological sites, hiking, etc.

      Your trip sounds amazing and it's right around the corner. Please come back and let us know how it went!

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  12. That's crazy about the shock showers and wild pack of dogs! I like that waste is minimal, though, both with trash and reusing bags. We have a few co-ops around here that lets us just use our own containers for the buffet, which I really like - hope it catches on!

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    1. I know. My wife is telling me these things and they almost don't seem real.

      I love your idea of bringing this trend to the states. Maybe I'll start bringing tupperware to restaurants. (Sounds like a future blog post...)

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  13. Very interesting! I always enjoy learning about how things are done in other countries. We Americans tend to think that our way is the only way. My parents still line dry their clothes...we did it too...it is a bit tedious and time consuming. I drank juice from a bag when we were in Central America...it took some getting used to. And one other interesting story about the shower in a hotel we stayed there was that the "C" and "H" means something different C = Caliente (Hot) and H = Helado (Cold). I was confused...no wonder the C was on the left side! My wife who was born in Central America just shook her head when I told her I took a cold shower because there was no hot water.

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    1. Thanks for the tip on the C & H! I would definitely have made the same mistake.

      That's cool that your parents still line dry their clothes. I think it makes a ton of sense to avoid the dryer, but the washing machine is a great invention. I would much rather pay the electric bill than scrub clothes myself on a washboard.

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  14. I enjoy reading how other cultures live. I wonder if that sort of shower is an effort to save water. I bet lots of people don't even take showers for fear of being electrocuted. I would definitely not walk anywhere without carrying some sort of stick to smack the wild dogs with. Or perhaps a pocketful of marbles and a slingshot.

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    1. I like the slingshot idea! Though the stick is probably a better deterrent.

      I don't think there's any special motivation with the water heater - I think it's just the technology they have. Though water consumption might be a nice benefit!

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  15. That's so crazy about the water heater! It's so interesting to learn about different cultures like this. There are so many different ways to do some of the things we take for granted. I'm glad I'm not regularly facing wild packs of dogs though.

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    1. Hi Matt,

      I'm glad you liked the post and, yeah, thank God we don't have to deal with wild dogs.

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  16. Holy cow! I think I'd be scared to death to shower. I'd probably go as long as I could without showering so that I didn't have to risk getting shocked. That's a little odd. I do think it's great however that Peru seems like a place of less waste.

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    1. Yeah, I think I'd take the same tactic! We'll see how it goes when I visit next month. Despite the shower, I think it's a pretty neat place and I can't wait to see it.

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  17. Very interesting stuff, and I am sure that there is more. In some ways, Peru is similar to Romania: we are too just starting to get used with the whole recycling thing; people also pick up stuff that they think they could repair or sell; and also there still are some areas where stray dogs can still be found, even though they are generally peaceful and the government is working to put them all into shelter; and we do have inexpensive property. Bot nothing as cheap as $360 :)

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    1. Yeah, I'm thinking that $360 is some sort of misunderstanding (like, if the woman thought Mrs. DB40 was asking about rent).

      It's cool to learn about Romania through your blog, too, C - we want to visit someday.

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  18. The shower sounds crazy! I'm glad Mrs DB40 has found a way to use it without hurting herself! That was so nice of her to help that lady out like that. Love this post, it's a really interesting insight to see how the Peruvians live. It's great that they don't waste much despite not having recycling facilities. Also, agree that Skype that is the best! My parents don't live too far away but we use it all the time.

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    1. I'm glad you liked the post, Hayley! Mrs. DB40 can't help but to help people...she's a bleeding heart. Somehow others don't come to me with their problems; I think I give off a "cheapskate" vibe. ;)

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  19. Great post! I spent a few weeks in Peru a few years ago and that just brought back memories. I hope the plumbing has improved as well... everywhere I went, you weren't allowed to flush toilet paper, you were supposed to throw it in a bucket next to the toilet. It took me a long time to get used to that and then an embarrassingly long time to break that habit back in the States.

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    1. I left that one out but maybe I should have mentioned it! I'm glad you commented here; your blog looks interesting and I've added it into my reader. I'll be checking out more of your stuff soon - thanks for reaching out!

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  20. Sounds like a not-so-easy but simple kind of living is what's offered in Peru. Honestly though, I enjoyed how you described the place. No wonder they are not so much into recycling as there is not much to recycle. And oh, I think I will wait on your update about the $360 house building cost. Peru might become a future consideration to me, who knows?

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    1. I should mention that she's in a little mountain city, and I believe things are probably different in the bigger cities of Lima, Arequippa, etc.

      If I find out more about the housing costs, I'll definitely include the information in a future post. Thanks for stopping by, Jen!

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  21. I can relate to your wife's situation, here in our bathroom every time it rains the light switch shock me. And I use my shoe to turn the switch on and off.

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    1. That sounds harder in some ways, Mariezalbe, since you don't know exactly when the switch is electrified and when it isn't. I'd just be using the shoe every time, raining or not...

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  22. Wow, DB40. This is amazing. A great picture of how truly blessed we are to live in this country. Thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Laurie! Thanks for the kind words. You're right: we are blessed to live in this country.

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  23. Great post DB40, I would love to go to Peru maybe I have to go there and buy some $360 property. Wonder what beachfront would run, $500? Great post!

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    1. Thanks, Jim! I suspect that figure is the result of miscommunication but Mrs DB40 will be be asking some other locals what property might run for. And where she is, there's no beach, unfortunately...just a little town up in the mountains.

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  24. People often forget about social services like Animal Control until they encounter countries where no such governmental agencies exist and animals roam out of control. It's like this in Mexico too.

    I wonder about the shower situation... if you could mail her a silicone oven mitt, would that work well at preventing shockage? worth a shot perhaps.

    I would have done the same thing with the woman and her electric bill. Hopefully word doesn't get out but if it helps with the laundry and your wife has the money, it's a win-win.

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    1. I agree with my wife helping the woman out. So far, no one else has asked for help. We were thinking that she might just give this woman any extra Soles she has at the end of the trip.

      The oven mit is a good idea. I'm heading there in about a month so maybe I can fit one in my bag.

      Agreed, too, on the social services. It's funny how you don't think about these benefits until you see a place that doesn't have them.

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