Pisco Sin Fronteras

Is Pisco a beautiful place? If beauty is defined by the amount of fancy houses and expensive cars a suburb has; by the high class restaurants and shopping centres; or maybe even the amount of nice parks and gardens that can be explored during quiet afternoons; then no it isn't. But if you measure beauty by the character, the comradely, the good will and the unity that this town produces day in and day out in desperate times of need; then Pisco is amazingly beautiful. This place is a roller-coaster of mental, physical and emotional challenges. You have your days when you feel on top of the world, and you have the days where you want to cry. But at the end of the day it's the smiles, the laughter, the tears and the efforts from volunteers all over the world ready to make a sacrifice and commitment that make this place unique.

Pisco Sin Fronteras is a place where the expression 'blood, sweat and tears' is taken in its most literal sense. People often use this saying to describe a time when great mental, physical and emotional strengths are pushed to the very limits, and extraordinary results are produced. This expression epitomises the non-profit volunteer organisation Pisco Sin Fronteras and the work from all the volunteers that come through the doors and make this place amazing. Volunteers come to PSF with the intention of only staying for a couple of weeks, and they end up staying for months and months.

For people who are unaware of the situation in Pisco, Peru, here is a bit of a back story. In the evening of August 15^th 2007 Pisco was hit with a catastrophic earthquake measursing 8.0 on the Richter Scale. As a result, 80% of Pisco was destroyed and over 500 people perished. However, for Pisco, the long-term damage far outweighed the short-term crisis. For the local people of Pisco this earthquake took away not only family, friends and houses; but it reduced the community to nothing.

Some of you may remember reading or hearing about the devastation in Pisco 3 years ago; or some of you may have never heard about it all. Whether you had or hadn't heard about the devastation in Pisco is not the problem; the problem is that Pisco is still a place in desperate need of assistance. And this isn't just a problem with the troubles of Pisco, this is a problem with many large scale tragedies around the world. At the time they are the buzz word amongst newspapers, people, organisations and sponsors getting on-board to help out the cause. By no means is this assistance without appreciation, but what many people seem to forget is that once the media buzz leaves these places for the next tragedy (think Hurricane Katrina, Haiti, etc) the former place is often forgotten in their wake. The reality that people need to understand is that the work is far from completed in these areas of need. Pisco received support in the beginning of the rebuilding stage, but by no means a feasible amount to make this city a minute percentage of it's former self.

What the people of Pisco Sin Fronteras are trying to do is get Pisco operational again. This does not always mean clearing rubble, digging trenches, pouring concrete, laying bricks, constructing roofs, hanging doors and making windows; even though we do all this work. PSF tries to make Pisco sustainable and able to self manage. PSF cannot be here forever. Everyday we overcome obstacles to remain here as long as we can and support the people of Pisco, but it doesn't come easy. Lack of funding is our primary concern; next is a shortage of professionally skilled labour.

Now, after two years in operation, Pisco Sin Fronteras is about trying to make Pisco sustainable. At the beginning it was all about getting in and helping where they could, however now a lot of the work at PSF is not just about helping to rebuild Pisco, but helping the people and the city help itself. Whether it's perfecting the bio-diesel project so locals can learn how to make their own fuel from left over cooking oils, whether it's teaching people how to make their own soap to enhance their hygiene with the possibility of turning it into a profitable resource, whether it's teaching English in the community to help expand the possibilities of employment or maybe it's passing on some skills to local volunteers who can now take these skills back to their communities and carry on the rebuilding process. What ever the project, PSF is here to help.

Pouring concrete for a new floor

From Torquay i work as a high-school teacher in the outer-metropolitan suburbs of Melbourne. I was never good when it came to construction and building. A lot of my friends are in trades and amongst them i became quite a running joke when it was considered i could be capable of skilled hands on work. However in the last month at PSF i have learnt some amazing skills that I'm putting to use for the people of Pisco. I'm being trained in the finer arts of concrete mixing and pouring (this includes pouring floors, roofs and columns), I've built roofs out of traditional sugar-cane, laid bricks (somewhat unsuccessfully in the beginning) and refined my power tool skills. Everyday i get the chance to learn new skills and help pass on my skills to those around, however at the end of the day everybody is here to help and is equal. Whether you are a professional in your field or a first timer; everybody has the opportunity to contribute to this fantastic cause. Even the people who make up our administration (all initially volunteers themselves) continually emphais how anybody who walks into PSF has the ability to make a difference and step up to positions of responsibility and leadership. This is not a bureaucracy, this is a family.

Modular Home Project

Since being here i have been witness to some amazing stories and examples of these highs and lows. Upon my first week i was unfortunate to have missed out on one of the most amazing projects to date in PSF history. It was called 'Extreme Make-Over: Pisco' and it involved building a new house for a family who, for the past three years, have been living in a tent that the immediate disaster relief supplied. With the work of 2 dozen volunteers, over the course of a single week, PSF were able to construct a house for a family for a little over $500. This process is done with a little bit of hard work and a lot of resourcefulness. PSF receives shipping pallets from the local steel factory in Pisco. From there they dissemble the wood and reuse it to build wall panels. Once they have enough panels for a house they pour a concrete floor and pop the panels together like a jig-saw puzzle. An extremely straight forward project and now a family is left with a house and an opportunity to improve their standard of living. This should bring home some reality for a lot of people. Before i left for my global travels i could waste this amount of money over the weekend with a good night out, a bit of shopping and some irresponsibility. Now i look at the amount of disposable money we are privileged to back home and can't but help feel guilty when i know how far this can go for people in need.

Get out there...and get it done!

This remarkable story is just one of many. In my short time here i have seen many special people enter this magical organisation, I've seen many people leave and i know in the times ahead there will be plenty more similar stories. Most people don't leave this place without a teary eye, without a heartfelt story or without some experience that will change their perspective on life forever. I have not set a date for my departure, and to be honest i don't want to think about it. This place is hard work, but being in this environment makes me feel privileged to be a part of it. The hard work does not come without the rewards. Para los niños! 

* If anyone is looking for further information or wants to donate please go to the website http://www.piscosinfronteras.org/

Carving the Coast and Pushing onto Peru!

I'm sitting on the bus on my way down to Lima, Peru. It's been 24 hours on a bus moving through Ecuador and down half of Peru to reach my destination. In that time I've had a lot to reflect on, and am pumped for the next chapter in the story that is my life. I have become so accustomed to travelling on buses now that i can actually sleep on them properly for the first time ever. This last bus trip has been for 18 hours, and it was pretty much a breeze. But before i get too far ahead of myself i need to fill you in with the last 2 weeks.

I arrived in Canoa after a bit of an epic (and strategically failure in planning) adventure. My days in transit are a lot of fun now that my Spanish is getting better. Some days i speak more Spanish than English in a day so it is definitely helping me improve. However when arriving at the bus station I'd befriended the only other backpacker on the bus so it gave me someone to talk to. We arrived in Canoa early morning on the overnight bus. After a big weekend i was pretty off-line so we looked to find a place quickly and get a nap before seeing what the day had to offer. We came across a hostal called Coco-Loco that we'd read about on the internet and everything looked good so we checked in. Little did i realise at the time that this place would become my home for the next 2 weeks and provide some great stories and experiences.
Another wicked coincidence and surprise i was greeted to upon check-in was when i went up to my room only to find it full of the crew I'd been knocking about with in Quito 2 weeks prior. It was a bit of a head spin because i hadn't expected to ever see these guys again. They were off on some fancy biology internship in the highlands, but had come to the beach for the weekend for a break from jungle living. Funny where your travels take you. Needless to say it was a bit difficult to go to sleep after finding this out so instead we all went out for breakfast to catch up.
Let me paint the picture of Canoa for you. It's like a little sleepy beach town. There is only one paved road in the town and only two main streets that intersect. One goes along the beach front for about 2km, and the other goes away from the beach for about 1km. Generally a small town, but always lots happening. Pretty much every place in this town is either a bar, restaurant or place of habitation to accommodate the tourism trade (local as much as international), however at this particular time of year, when the surf is less consistent and the weather not as shiny, it is very quiet. Which, if you're keen to surf uncrowded beaches and just relax, is prefect. I fell in love with the town straight away and realised i wanted to stay here for a while.

As if some touch of fate was handed my way the lady from the hostal was looking for someone to help them out in exchange for the basic offerings of helping out most hostals (free accommodation, food, laundry). At this stage I'd decided i wanted to stay around for a while so i took up the offer. What this included was opening up a little beach front bar during the days selling cheap snacks, mixing drinks, renting surfboards, etc. I opened up around mid-day, and closed at sun down, but if i wanted to go surfing i could shut it down during the afternoon for an hour. It sounded too good to be true, however as time progressed i soon realised it was a little bit too much of a good offer.

So i got to work after spending a couple of days kicking back with my mates before they headed back to work. We had some fun nights out even though the town was kind of quiet. During the weekdays the town wouldn't have much going on in terms of night life, however the hostal was always crowded with a pretty solid crew so there were plenty of crazy nights, bonfires, day trips and such. I got a lot of surfing down in this first week. The waves weren't fantastic, but i had a selection of surfboards from the hostal to suit most conditions so it was pretty sweet. I opened up the bar and got to work...only one problem. Where were the people???
I had the bar open for a while, and enjoyed just kicking back in there reading or chatting to my local mate that I'd made, Hairon. He didn't speak any English so it was great for my Spanish. He was a local fishermen, surfer and all round good guy. He worked early hours with his padre fishing and then we'd usually go surfing together in the morning or afternoon. During the days he'd just hang at the bar with me for a couple of hours or so and we'd chat about random stuff. At nights he'd usually join the hostal for a drink and to chat with people. Top bloke!
So as previously mentioned the town was quite quiet at this time of year. The bar wasn't really picking up and to tell you the truth i was getting pretty bored of the idea of working, but not doing anything. Plus at this stage the World Cup just started (an extravagant event in watch in South America) so during the days people would be watching the games, as opposed to eating/drinking at my little half-assed shack. It was unfortunate that this sweet little deal wouldn't eventuate, but i felt like i needed to take my next move. I had, at the time of arriving in Canoa, only planned to visit the beach for a few days before heading into Peru to reunite with Kevin at this volunteer project, but I felt that this deal in Canoa was too good to let go for the time. However if it wasn't going to be worth it, then i decided i should just stick with my original plan. I decided i was off to Peru, but i had some business in Canoa to take care of before i could leave.

I had, at the time of thinking I'd been around for a while, agreed to help out at one the local schools while one of the teachers went away for a few days. At the time of realising i was heading off to finally start the volunteer project (will explain more in next blog) i was really excited to head off, but I'd committed to helping out, so it was the right thing to do. The school that i was going to help out at was a primary school for 1st Grade, and I'd be teaching English...yeah right! Well this sure kept me on my toes. I think i under appreciated just how good my students are for me compared to this. The idea was that i was supposed to be teaching English, however they really didn't know too much, so I spent most of my time talking to them in Spanish. Luckily at such a young age i knew enough Spanish to converse so it wasn't too much drama, however teaching them in general was. They had the attention span of goldfishes. They were more interested with playing in the sand, drawing on each other, throwing jig-saw pieces while yelling out 'NINJA!' and asking for hugs. It was a great experience though, and one i look forward to doing again along my travels. I was also fortunate enough to witness the school music production on one of the days i was there. They were putting on a show for the sponsors of the school and it was a lot of fun. My class sang “He's got the whole world in his hands” in Spanish and were extremely cute.
After my 'work commitment' and the intense hours i put in (2 hours in the morning for 3 days), it was time for a much needed break. As previously mentioned i had my mind set on leaving Ecuador and starting my volunteer project, so i bid Canoa goodbye and started to make my way down South to Guayaquil, Ecuador before pushing on into Peru. Guayaquil, Ecuador's most inhabited city, is located close to the West coast, only a few hours North of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border. I wasn't planning on staying there long so my plan was to maximise my time there and get a good feel for the city over a couple of days. For this reason i decided to hit up Couchsurfing again. Honestly there couldn't be a better way to travel and truly experience a new country, town or whatever. The opportunities you get to live like a local does and get an insiders perspective truly helps you get off the beaten track on a road that has been beaten to death by the Gringo stick.

I'd arranged to meet my host the day i rolled into Guayaquil from the overnight bus. We caught up in the morning and i freshened up before heading out into town with her to see the sights. The first stop was the Malecon, an area that used to be a shitty old waterfront (think Docklands before all the money pumped into it) until the government injected a new life into the area by completely reconstructing and redeveloping the area. Now it stands as an area for the people of Guayaquil to be well and truly proud of. This area matches any beautiful modern architectural structures that Melbourne could produce. After the Malecon we checked another couple of nice spots and i was privileged to a locals knowledge, perspective and interests. A much better way to travel and experience a new place then staying with other travellers all the time.
This is something that i have definitely been keen to get away from lately, this notion called the Gringo Trail. The Gringo Trail is basically the idea that Gringo's (once typically stereotyped as being American's but now roughly accounting for any English speaking foreigner) travel to all these foreign lands around the world, but end up going to the same places, doing the same things, meeting the same travellers and not experiencing the real elements that a country has to offer. I mean how could you possibly tell me you had a true travel experience if you sat on a tourist beach and paid for over-priced cocktails and tours. Don't get me wrong, if you're looking for a short vacation and want some time to relax in a beautiful carefree and easily accessible destination for your limited amount of time, then by all means these sorts of countries are more than extravagant for holidays. I'm not trying to be critical of anybodies travelling style, everybody travels differently, and no one is in right to impose their personal opinion on someone else. However if you want to know my personal opinion, this is it. There is a major difference between a holiday/vacation and a travel experience.
For one; with a holiday you don't really have the time to truly immerse yourself within a culture and find out the intricate details of the day to day operations from a country. You are there to escape the realities of your own life and live without thinking about the real world for a while. Tourists are trying to get away from the things from back home that bother/worry/stress or simply consume their time, however travellers are searching for things. (Kevin always knows how to articulate what I'm trying to think; yes that's right i have reunited with the good man; a story for my next blog).

A traveller is looking to find out new things about themselves, to gain perspective on a different situation, to accumulate knowledge of the world and to tap into new sources of living. Travelling is not just a journey, but it becomes a complete lifestyle. Anyone who travels for a long amount of time could not deny that travelling become a way of life, and something that, when looking back on the beginning of your voyage, you can notice an obvious change in the person you have become now compared to at the start.
Describing this change is quite difficult to explain however. Have i changed physically? Apart from putting on a few extra kilos from eating cheap ice-cream sandwiches, drinking copious amounts of beer everynight and not exercising as much as desired, then no i haven't. Has my personality changed? I don't think. I am still the same person with the same interests. I like to go out and have fun, but also like to have more serious moments such as; my work and conversations about things that matter. Have i changed my perspective on the world and my own life? This is the aspect that i would have to agree with that's changed. I could not disagree that the experiences and knowledge i have gained from this trip have changed the way i think about my own life. Being away from all the things that made me most comfortable back home has given me some hindsight about the way i used to live. It's like stepping outside the bubble that encapsulates your life and watching how you operated from an outsiders perspective. I have experienced so many different things and lived so differently in the last 6 months that elements of my previous lifestyle seem somewhat alien to me now. Will i continue to change along this journey? Will i slot right back into my old lifestyle upon returning home? Will i be able to cope with my old lifestyle? These are the questions i ask myself in times of reflection. Guess only time will tell.

OK so that is the serious stuff that i like to discuss every now then. Basically after a really cool experience in Ecuador i eventually bid it farewell to start the next chapter in Peru. I caught an express 24 hour bus from Guayaquil down to Lima. I arranged to CouchSurf again with someone down in Lima (the capital of Peru) so that was another great opportunity to spend some time getting to know Peru because i was only spending a few days there. We partied, i met lots of fun locals and was able to really get a feel for the place during my brief stay. After a couple of days (as the timing was just perfect) Kevin was actually coming up to Lima to take care of some business, so after 7 weeks apart we finally got the old team back together.

I must admit it was pretty awesome to see him again after all this time. You really get to know someone well whilst travelling with them, so it really was like meeting up with one of your closest mates again. That night we boarded a bus down to the city of Pisco, and that night has forever changed my life for the better. I look forward to explaining why very soon.