Friday, September 7, 2012

Peru - Life in the Jungle of Galilea

Walking the street of Galilea reminds me of the rural areas of Honduras and Nicaragua... Dusty (or muddy, depending on when the last rain fell), home-based restaurants and shops, and people walking everywhere... It was easy to forget you were in the middle of the jungle... Until you realize the generator provided electricity for the town only from about 7:15 pm until 11 pm (the people use flashlights and candles in their houses and stores if it is dark before the electricity comes on), there was nothing but more vegetation behind the vegetation you could see, and the street and trails we were walking on had to be cut by hand with machetes.

Without consistent electricity, there is no consistent refrigeration, so food is prepared fresh and eaten right away or thrown out. Speaking of food, most of the meals include fish and/or chicken... Frying and boiling are the two common methods of preparing the food, both done over an open fire. They also eat a lot of rice, noodles, plantains (like bananas but harder and not as sweet) and yucca (a root). Needless to say, there are few computers and no Internet, although cell phone coverage is plentiful!! They use a lot of wood construction, most of which comes from a mill in the mountains. Because of the rain and variety of insects, almost all of the buildings - houses, churches, stores - are built on platforms about 18-24 inches off the ground. A few people paint their huts, but most are just grayed, weathered wood planks. Skipping a few generations of technology, many people have satellite dishes mounted on posts just outside their hut with a cable leading to their flatscreen TV, for the few hours when there is electricity.

I visited one of the government buildings here and it was like walking into a building from the American west: wooden floors, wooden walls, wooden doors, wooden shutters on the windows, wooden desks and chairs, etc.

The hotel here is an enigma: a 3-story cement building, right on the bank of the river (Rio Santiago). The rooms are simple, yet clean (if you don't count the spider and beetle I found on and near my bed!). The room also has a TV, a fan (both only usable from 7:15 - 11:00 at night), a sink, toilet, and a shower. Water is pumped in from the river and stored in a cement reservoir, so the temperature can vary. The view from the hotel balcony sitting area is amazing.
View from the hotel balcony was amazing!

Some of the boats ready for fishing.

On our way to class.

The "truck"on the left and "cars"on the right have a motorcycle front!

This is the pastor's house in the center. Eating and washing on the left, more sleeping on the right. Raised about 1-1/2 feet for rain and critters!

Note the satellite dish for the small hut!


Their new bible.

Rolando handing out the first bibles in their language - all of the New Testament and 40% of the Old Testament.

The man that helped Wycliffe translate the bible into their tribal language.

Rolando and the pastors along this river with their new bibles.

Walking through the jungle on our way to class.

The outskirts of the jungle.

Typical bridge crossing!

Getting ready for a ride up-river to visit another village.

On our way up-river to visit another village.

The truck that took us from the river back to pavement... 9-1/2 hours!

The road had many hazards a gullies to cross.

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