Monday, January 28, 2002

Working in the 3rd World

ok... so when you are trying to set up modern
communications infrastructure in the third world it
would be helpeful if you worked in an office where the
internet actually worked. but that is not to be.
suffering with about 25-30% downtown, I have spent my
first two weeks reading hundreds of pages and
attending meetings all over la paz in an effort to get
myself educated on the development world and satellite
technology and getting this venture organized, planned
and funded. working hard.

in the meantime... i have also slowly begun to
experience some of what bolivia has to offer. last
week was the alasitas celebration. this is a time of
year when a big market opens (near peter's children
musuem) in la paz full of miniature everything.
Bolivians are highly superstituous and believe that
whatever they buy they will get that year. so if you
want a man, you buy a hen, if you want a chick you buy
a miniature girl, a car a little car, etc. i just
bought a bag of 20 churros and tried to eat them as
fast as i could and ended up with a stomach ache.

i did get out of the office enough to sample a little
bolivian nightlife. the neighborhood where i live and
work (sopocachi) is one of the trendy areas to hangout
in. which means the nightlife is pretty good
actually... very european/western clubs and bars in my
neighborhood. almost a little too western -
drinks are really expensive (the same as two dinners).

on saturday my crazy house mother had a dinner party
for the 4 of us living in the back because one of my
weird roommates is leaving. despite my assumption
that it would be painful - it was highly entertaining.
good food, good wine. and mary (the house mom)
forcing me to eat everything on the table and
challenging me to a game of basketball (she is 70+).
i might win.

on sunday, peter took me to his lake house. it is a
pretty simple house on lake titicaca but the view is
incredible, they have a sail boat, a canoe and some
horses, llamas, a pottery studio, etc. It was nice to
be out of la paz for an afternoon.

through peter, i have continued to meet various
interesting people... this weekend the cultural
attache from the usa was at the lake house and i took
his 6 year old son out on a canoe. the little brat
had a good old time trying to tip the boat, grabbing
long lake grass so we couldnt move, etc. but i got
browny points with the attaches wife for it. this
week i may meet the ambassador. his daughter wants to
go to uva and i am gonna do the pitch.

so needless to say life is still very interesting...
carnival starts on the 9th here in a town called
oruru. peter is gonna give me a press pass and a
camera so i can run around up there like an AP dude.
i will try to interview as many 18-20 year olds as
possible - apparently people respect the press here
unlike in the usa. also i now have a free pass to use
the lake house when i have free time and felipe (the
housekeeper at the lake) is gonna teach me how to
sail.

Thursday, January 17, 2002

It's On

At long last, Friday
night I hopped on an overnight bus and headed for the
border to enter my new home for the next few months.
Mid morning on Saturday we arrived at Copacabana,
Bolivia on Lake Titicaca (3300m). It is a touristy
border spot near the Isla de Sol (famous site of the
Incan creation legend). I also learned the root of
the name Titicaca so now I can't giggle to myself as
easily when I hear it.

After a short break in Copacabana, I got in another
bus for La Paz (the highest capital in the world
4000m). From Copacabana we crossed a bit of the Lake
in a Lancha (so did the entire bus) and crossed into
some of the most beautiful terrain (rolling green
hills and snow capped mountains) I have seen on my
trip (maybe I was a little sentimental since this is
my new home).

We crossed the western section of Bolivia for about 2
hours and saw not a single town. These tedious hours
were followed by a moment I will never forget. After
turning around another of the many bends while coming
up a mountain, the obstructions fell away and La Paz
was finally revealed to me. I had know idea what to
expect and it completely blew me away. It is a huge
city nestled in a valley encircled by enormous snow
capped mountains. I was shocked by what I saw. Words
do not do this moment justice. But I think I shared a
moment with the Peruvian guy next to me (Franco)...
please no comments.

Also, I started work on Monday. And I finally met my
boss in person. Previously we had traded a handful of
emails, a business plan, and two 5 minute phone
conversations. I had no idea what I would really be
doing day to day and no idea what to expect out of
him. And so here is a brief synopsis first of his
career (which will definitely leave pieces out) and
then the job.

Peter McFarren, my boss, is a writer, artist,
photographer, businessman, board member, publisher,
builder, philanthropist, entrepreneur. Some of the
things he has done include writing for the AP for 18
years, starting a newspaper, starting a publishing
company, writing books, publishing his photography,
exhibiting his ceramics in museums, he found a nazi
war criminal in Bolivia (who is now in jail in
Europe), was kicked out of the country in the 80s, had
his tv cooking show declared a threat to national
security and cancelled, opened two childrens museums,
built the 10 story office building I am sitting in
right now, started a cultural and educational
foundation called Quipus, started a Cisco training
academy and more.

Despite his many achievements, he rents his home in La
Paz, takes only a salary, owns his own automobile (not
a foundation car - which is unusual) and is still
connected with his activist roots. His wife is in the
office everyday, as is his sister-in-law. Also, he
has two children and his two sisters help run his
museums.

Now the job... there are many people in the office
working on various different projects. Peter and I
are the employees of a new company called DESATEL. We
are currently working on a proposal to win a
government subsidy to build 79 Telecenters across
Bolivia. A telecenter is a place people can use the
phone and internet. There is very little
infrastructure in rural Bolivia and this program is
intended to provide new educational, health, economic,
etc. opportunities to places that have no access to
such things right now.

In preparing the bid, we are choosing technologies and
lining up companies to provide the satellite and fiber
connectivity, communications hub and gateways, VSATs
(dishes to send and receive communications signals
there is no wireline infrastructure in these places),
computers, IP phones, etc. right now. Also, we are
lining up financing which will likely include a
European grant, funds from CARE Bolivia, Quipus and
University Nur, some micro finance funds and more. In
addition, I will be drafting the organization and
management structure, operating plan, budgets,
training and management procedures, reporting
procedures, and much more for the company assuming we
win the bid. There is a ton of work to do but it is
very interesting. And despite not even having the bid
yet... Peter is talking about building 300 more
Telecenters.

I have been to 2 or 3 meetings a day and met a handful
of CEOs, leaders of various NGOs, and other people
(everyone in this country knows Peter). I have been
to all the meetings in jeans and tennis shoes speaking
broken spanish, while surrounded by native spanish
speakers in suits. Also, I have been to lunch each
day with Peter, his wife, her sister (a very
flirtatious divorcee) and various other people
(including a nun).

What else... oh I found a place to live. The
apartment is furnished with some gnarly old furniture
but it will be fine. It is 8 blocks from work in a
cool neighborhood. It has a beautiful view and I will
have four housemates (all extranjeros). In addition
to the 5 bedrooms, it has cable, a kitchen/dining
room, two bathrooms, a living room, a hot water
heater, and gets cleaned every other week for $150 a
month. I havent met any of the roommates yet I will
report on this next week. I just got the place today.

Oh... and Peter felt sorry for me and found me $500
bucks a month for food and lodging. So I am now
making money again! A juicy 4 figure salary.

Thursday, January 10, 2002

Land of the Llamas

Well as luck would have it I am wrapping up the libre part of my trip here in Peru this week. Next Monday I jump back into the real world, sort of, and hopefully start work in La Paz, Bolivia. Although, as of right now, I havent heard from my boss in more than 2 weeks.

My last week has been eventful and hopefully the following stories will provide some entertainment. I spent one day in Panama City, Panama with the intention of seeing the Panama canal. As the educated traveller, I informed my cab driver to take me to the Old Town area. Well, it is completely shut down... they are redoing the whole area. Seeing as I had no guide for Panama I was immediately operating from a position of weakness. But the taxi driver was cool and hooked me up with a good hotel, I think. Then my luck got even better... a torrential down pour started while on the way to the hotel. So instead of the canal I saw the inside of my hotel room (it was a nice room with cable) and the restaurant in the lobby.

The following morning I left for Peru. Upon arriving in Lima, the first thing I witnessed was the squalor of the slums just outside the airport. Not really sure what the most telling characteristic of these slums was... perhaps the lack of roofs on homes. I mean that is pretty basic I thought.

Anyways, I was quickly wisked in my cab to the comforts of the tourist section of Lima. The city is a beautiful colonial setting on the Pacific Coast and amazingly clean for its size. I was very impressed with the downtown area. I was also shocked by the confidence of Peruvian women. In my first few hours in Peru I was approached by a handful of women. And one of them was a very cute girl of maybe 19 years. This may explain my positive impression of Lima. Actually, one of the best parts of my time in Lima was the wicked bowl of Sebiche that I got. The other highlights were the catacombs full of human remains (San Francisco) and the torture devices (Musem of the Inquisition).

From Lima (sea level), I headed up to Cusco (3300 meters)- tourist mecca. The trip looks to be 600 kilometers on a map... however, the Andes get in the way. I left at 9pm Saturday night and arrived 6am Monday morning... if your counting, and I was, that is about about 33 hours i think. The trip was made all the more interesting by my first police interaction.

Someone hoisted my bag from the overhead compartment when I foolishly fell asleep on the first 17 hour bus. Silly me. The police were quick to point out how dumb that was before telling me that since it was Sunday there was nothing they could do and to continue on to Cusco. Of course, when I arrived in Cusco the police indicated that the only logical thing to do was to head back to Arequipa (the intermediate stop 14 hours away) and file a report there. After a couple more meetings at the police station I finally got a report filed. The big turning point in the investigation was when I met with the jefe. Picture me sitting across from a guy in full military dress, me wearing blue drabbing shorts, flip flops, a t-shirt with a beer glass on it and my hat on backwards. Another classic moment at the police station was trying to get an officer to help me while he was busy playing Pac Man.

After the aggrevation of being robbed and dealing with Latin police, I was about ready to give up on Peru and just head to La Paz. But luckily I realized just how stupid that would be. So I hit the town and saw the sites of Cusco. Cusco is immaculate. Very clean. It is also a very colonial city in appearance. And I am quickly realizing that Peru has had a lot wealthier history than Guatemala as exhibited in its churches, museums, roads, etc.

On Wednesday morning, having learned nothing from getting robbed, I headed out by myself and hiked into the Sacred Valley north of Cusco. There are four Incan ruins with in 6 miles of Cusco. It was exactly what I needed to reset my anxiety. The Sacred Valley sits in between the lush green mountain tops of the Andes. The hike was breathtaking (yep - i am still using that word).

This morning I hopped on a train and headed for the #1 attraction in Peru, Machu Piccu. Amazingly situated in the midst of the peaks of the Andes. This is a site that everyone should go see. It is awesome.

Thursday, January 03, 2002

Salida

So after 3 months, the first part of my trip has ended... I left Guatemala this morning and flew to Panama. It was really hard to say goodbye to some really cool people and a country that I grew to love wondering if I will ever see either again. And tomorrow morning I will land in Peru and start from scratch again in South America.

New years and my last 10 days in San Pedro were really awesome but I dont really have any new experiences or stories to share with you so instead on the plane this morning I compiled two short lists of things I learned during my 3 months in Guatemala for your reading pleasure. A lot of these things may seem obvious on first glance. I am not sure if that is because I was really dumb when I got here or if I found a much deeper appreciation for some of these things through new experiences.

Things I Learned in Guatemala (in no particular order)-

You can live with just 4 shirts, some boxers, socks and pants for a very long time.
Toilet seats are optional... let's just sit on the rim.
There are a lot of really cool people all over the world;
There are a lot of really annoying people all over the world.
Some of the most interesting people are the ones that know a ton of stuff about things you know nothing about.
A cheap hotel can cost less than 2 dollars a night... all you need is a bed (and having a sheet on it is helpful).
School buses can fit over 90 people safely and minivans can fit over 20.
The internet isnt everywhere yet; many people have no idea what it is.
Some people are very, very poor.
Alcohol is a really big problem in some places.
Not all of Latin America has better soccer than the USA.
Hammocks are highly underrated.
There is no set time for getting up or going to sleep. But waking up near when the sun rises dramatically changes the length of the day.
Strangers are only 5 minutes from being friends and a couple days or a shared life experience from being good friends.
Some people worker a lot hard than I do, are a lot smarter than I am and much more openminded..
The USA is not the only place to live in the world, but living in the USA is damn comfortable.
Having a relaxed meal with your closest friends or family is a gift.
Corruption is a terrible thing and a scourge to the development of countries in the world.
Trash and other pollution is horrible in some places.
Being polite and patient can go a long way.
Most strangers are more than willing to help.
Taking a year off before you go to college to do volunteer work or travel may be a very good idea; taking a year off to travel or do volunteer
work anytime is a luxury that everyone should consider pursuing if they have the means.
I can be very happy not working.
There are a lot of places in the world that it does not take a lot of money to be comfortable for a long time. (thank god for the US$)
It does not take a lot of material posessions to be happy.
Having enough money for food, home, health and travel is a beautiful thing.
Being hastled by the police for the color of your skin is really upsetting.
Some little kids can actually be pretty cute and damn funny.
Race, sex and class differences are prevalent in other countries also and in really dispicable ways.
There are many countries in the world offering fascinating experiences that you may have never heard of or imagined.
You are probably not as openminded as you think you are.

What I Learned Reading in Guatemala -

From Shogun I learned about Japanese (and some European) culture and the colonial ambitions of Spain, Portugal and Northern Europe in the Far East in the 17th Century.
From the Atlantis Blueprint, I learned there is a lot the world does not yet know about its ancient history, the development of modern civilization and the forces of the universe on our planet. And Antartica may have been inhabited in the distant past.
The Unbearable Likeness of Being taught me that some people have some more serious relationship issues than me and that I can appreciate really good fiction.
The Watchers taught me that good writing cant hide a miserable plot and that I am not creative enough for some fiction.
Enders Game confirmed that I dont like science fiction.
In the Heart of the Sea taught me about whaling in the 17th and 18th Centuries and the interminable will of man.
The Elegant Universe confirmed that I am not very smart and that there will always be somethings in the world that I cannot understand. Physicist are amazing and so is the universe and its origens.
The Sun Also Rises reminded me of fun times in Spain last summer and taught me that I wont like all the classics.
And right now, The Source is teaching me about the Middle East, Judaism, Christianity and Islam from 9000 BC to 1974.
And Atlas Shrugged, is waiting in my bag to reacquaint me with conservative philosophies in the face of all the liberal influences I have been around the last 3 months. Recommendations are encouraged.

Thats it. Next time news from Peru.