happy holidays from Machu Picchu

This is my Christamas Card to everyone. Im standing under the biggest poinsettia i have ever seen. at this piont i am somewhere between Cusco and the ruins in the Peruvian jungle. I came across this tree and instantly thought of home and family and the holidays.




Merry Christmas!!


Here is Ashleys Chrismas Card to everyone
Hey everyone. Hope you all enjoy this picture of me standing in front of a poinsettia tree. Miss you guys.



Happy Holidays.


This pic was taken shorty after the one above at the place that we stopped for lunch. It was basically someones house / jungle restaurant so that should explian the washing machine in the background.








Here is Ashley In front of one of the many beautiful colonial Churches in Cusco Peru. We Arrived in Cusco In the early morning and decided to spend the day perusing the city and trying some of the local foods



Here Im enjoying some Chicken Knuckes and neck that i bought from a street vendor for 1 Soles witch is equal to about 35 cents U.S. Very good flavor and a wicked hot sauce on the side served with corn and a small vegi mix. We also tryed some hard boiled Quail eggs (amazing!) and a mystery meat on a stick with a potato at the end aslo good but a little unsettleing. Later on we went to this fancy restaurant. We had Cuy (guinea pig) as an appatizer. Ashley had Lamb chops and I had beef heart cabobs, all of which are traditional peruvian meals and muy muy rico (very rich/delicious)











Our journey through the Inca Jungle started the follwing day with a 50 K bike ride down a winding mountain side. It sounds like a long ride but it only took about 2 1/2 hours and there was very little peddling involved ( very easy). There were a lot of rivers that crossed the road as we desended.















This is day two and the entrance to one of many Incas Trails. The people pictured next to us were part of the group that we toured with. they were from Europe and very cool people.

















This is a crazy Cable car Bridge that the locals used to bring goods fron the jungle into the near by villages. We got to take a short un-nerving ride on it above the rushing Urubamba river.




















Here is Ashley Giving Martine the Monkey some snacks at one the places we rested along the walk.

















More of Martine who seemed to be the crowed favorite and capitalized on all of the free munchies we were giving out.












This was the first thing I saw as we reached our lunch resting piont on day two of our trip. A crazy beaver looking animal drinking out of a gatorade squirt bottle. Awesome!


















This is a carved rock that is part of a larger section of the ruins called the condor. It is believed that sacrafices to the gods were carried out here. I think it kind of looks like the blood of whatever was killed ran down the grooves and drained in the hole at the piont of the carving. Creepy!

















A banana Flower with some fruit above. There were thousands of banana trees along our hike. other things that are grown here are Cocao(chocolate) Coca, and Coffee.















There were several Llama mowing the grass of the variouse tiers of flat land amoung the ruins.























Inca Steps.

























Sweet shot of Waynapicchu in the background behind a little cloud. For most of the morning clouds would come and go. At times we could not see most of what was around us because of the fog but in the afternoon everything cleared up and we could get the full view.















more Inca Steps














Im standing in a doorway built with very well polished granite. Machu Picchu was carved completely out of granite. some of the stone was at the location and some of it had to be brought to the site for further processing and use. It was explained that there were two different types of stone work during the construction of the city. The first as displayed by the doorway and was a very tight fit perfectly carved stone. no mortar was use in this. Above the door you can see a more random selection of rock that was held together by mortar. this technique was use during the later constructions of the city and under the rule of a different king.















Ashley exhuasted and perched atop Waynapicchu looking over the city of machu Picchu. On the left is the switch back road that the busses drive along. It took another hour to hike up to the top of this part of the mountain but it was well worth it.




This picture was taken from the top of the ruins opposite waynapicchu. In front of us was the guard house that was perched on top of all the terracing. Behind us is a closer view of the ruins. Behind the ruins is a view of the mountains. Some people think that the outline of the mountains looks like the face of an Incan, looking up into the sky.










This is a shot of the train that we took back to Cusco from Machu Picchu. Inside the train it was very luxurious. They served us crackers and a drink. The ride was about 2 hours to the next town, were we then caught a taxi back into Cusco. We had a really great trip up to Machu Picchu and the ruins were incredible. The view of all the surrounding mountains and rivers were also very impressive.

The crew that can do it all. After two short months together, we as a group developed a very strong bond. Near the end of this internship we worked as though we were a single unit of a mudslingin adobe/cobb/ earthbag house making machine. Above is our last gathering before we all parted ways to begin a life filled with the knowledge of the wonderful experience that was and is Mama Roja. Although emotional, everyone managed to hold back the tears and express gratitude for the great opportunity. We had been through a lot together. teaching each other all sorts of great things from beer brewing to salsa dancing. I am so thankful for everyone here especially; Marcelo (for always being so excited to teach something and be challenged by the projects, big or small) Kim ( For her amazing ability to lead and accepting us all with such a gigantic heart) and of course Ashley (for being a great parnter in learning.)

Speaking of Ashley here she is knee deep in the earth mixture that would soon construct a sweet house.

Here I am Standing in the half dug hole that we made the mixture in. The hole digging and preperation of the earth substance for the building was one of the most difficult parts of this project because that clay is so damn heavy. This hole would eventually be about twice as deep as seen here.

These are the earth bags that acted as the foundation of the house. The posts are the primary supports for the walls as well as the roof. these posts were burried where we could dig and basically balanced into place where there was a huge rock preventing us from digging. At this point they are a little wabbly but later became very stable.

Filling earth bags with rocks dirt and a little bit of lime to help with moisture control.

Here im dusting off a post after a fine percision cut with a chainsaw

Fuastine is chizzling a space in the post to secure the beam that runs across the east wall of the house. After putting all the beams in and shoring everything up this structure was begining to look more like a stable house looking thing. This day was a great success for the three of us, (fuastine Marcelo and myself) While everyone else was working hard on seed saving. On a side note we all learned the utter importance of seed saving in order to promote diversity in agriculture and keep the control of seed in the hands of the farmers and not the super mega agro-firms.

here is the roof going on. Another triumphant step in the development of the house. Here I can give a special shout out to Earth Code who helped a great deal in this part of the project. They stayed with us for about a week and had all sorts of great insight and ideas about sustainabilty. I think its safe to say we all learned a little something from this dynamic duo. you can learn more about them @ www.earthcode.org . check it out they´re promoting a great message.

As seen here, the walls are beginning to take shape

So this is how we created the walls. First we started with a bunch of sticks and then moved to wire which proved to work much better. Then we wraped each tier starting at the bottom with what we were calling Chorizos. Basically its a sausage made of the earth mixture and dried grasses that we harvested from nearby. We found that Rye grass worked great for this step because it was soft and easy to work with.

Here is Ashley passing off a fine chorizo. Occationaly while making the wall we would all break into song and have a big ol´sing along ... well some of us anyways. Inbetween the chorizos and wire tiers we put salvaged windows and wine bottles to allow light in the structure and provide a bit of an artistic touch.

Here is the beautiful door that went in O so easily. and next to it is a little more of that artistic touch. This design was put on by ashley useing a little more straw and mud after the wall had been finished for a day or two. NICE!

Here is a shot of me right after getting two Cavities filled in Obera.
Im trying to give a full smile but the right side of my face is not working at all. Its also proof that I can grow a mustache and it only took me seven weeks

These next two picture are of a close to finished product. due to the immence amount of rain that we recieved in november we were not able to fully complete the house but we got dang close. Still to be done is the floor, the rest of the south wall on which we used Adobe bricks, the final plaster coat and then Paint. So i think it safe to say that we got 95% done. Im very excited to see pictures of when it gets done. This could also be an excuse for me to visit some time in the future to see the completed product in person

Over all we learned a great deal about construction out of the materials found right below our feet. Almost anywhere in the world there is some technique available for building with earth and sustainable materials. This building experience was also paired with a wealth of information about how and why to build in certian orientations and styles according to the sun and moisture and climate and more.

There is so much more that can be said about everything that has been shown here. I know that I will be digging deeper and searching farther for information on how to live in a sustainable way. building with earth is only a small part of the answer but a very important and easy substitute for the conventional ways.

Thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving everyone. We were privledged enough to have a very large and tasty meal ourselves.
Here you can see the huge amounts of consumables with staple thanksgiving dishes like deviled eggs, mashed potatoes and of course green bean cassarole. It was a very good meal and we all sat around talking of thanksgivings past, traditions and all sorts of festive topics


















Above is Adam And I rotisering two Chickens for the meal and enjoyind a cold glass of Quilmes in the hot sun. It had been Raining for the past several days so is was a big relief to be able to enjoy some time out from under the roofs of the tents or kitchen. On the right is some nice looking birds ready for serving.

Here is Karen (from Colombia) showing us some of her Salsa skill while serving herself. Thats Talent!:)

Very Large Spider. These guys are larger and more predominate as the spring progresses into summer. Its hard to get through a day without being startled half to death after mistakenly rustling up 4 inch Arachnid

This is what we did for the last few days while it rained cats and dogs. It was tough but what else can ya do. Misiones has recieved a historical amount of rain this november. On the 24th we had nearly 14 inches of rain. this is an excessive amount of water and everything was beginning to take on a very unpleasent musty smell.

This is apparently a butterfly on the left even though its a fairly blurred picture. Can you tell what insect is making an appearance in the shot below

Sweet Snail

Not Deadly but this scorpion has been said to give a fierce sting that will send you to the hospital with a rageing fever. Check your boots everyone!!!

Very strange looking Grasshopper. Welp Im off to get some cavities filled here in good ol´ Obera. I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. Our families were at the top of our minds as we enjoyed a plentiful meal on the day of gratitude. Let us all enjoy some leftovers MMmmm..!

Feild Trip to subsistance

This past thursday the whole group went on a field trip. First to Chakra Siusa (a swiss farm) and second to a guy named Erick Barney. Barney Studied at Berkley in the late 60´s and early 70´s and since has been working on alternative energy projects including Micro hydro and wind energy. he is now retired from his position as a professor at a nearby university. Pictured below is a centripital regulator for a wind turbin. The basic funtion is to control the speed of the turbin in high or low winds so that it turns at maximum efficency. It also serves as a protection mechanism for very high winds changing the orientation of the blades so they dont spin to fast and destroy the whole machine.


This is an example of a turbine that Barney created and used to teach his students. It is located on his Yerba Mate Farm just outside of Obera and is capable of producing .5 kilowatts of energy. More than enough to power a normal size home. Barney showed us some other creations of his including Ram pumps, Micro Hydro generators, a high efficiancy grain dryer and a device that burns wood then cleans and captures the monoxide in order to fuel deasel engines. Erick Barney is a very cool dude and very inteligent, unforunately there is a lack of funding to develope his ideas due to government resistance to new technology because of coorperate influence. this is not unlike all of the great ideas in the states that are shut out because they oppose the big corperations ability to profit. Green Power is easier then I have ever thought and there are thousands of mechanisms out there just waiting to be produced.





This plant is called Pimienta de Agua ( Pepper of water) it was explained that the leaves of this plant can be steeped in to a tea and consumed twice a day to cure cancer.. TO CURE CANCER!! If anyone is interested in this I implore you to read up on the subject and see if there is any truth what so ever to this information. This knowledge was given to me by farmers here in argentina so I dont know to what extent it is effective but i surely intend to look into it.





Nice Flower shot Eh!.? This is the best of many flower pictures taken on our field trip. The next picture is of a Floral pineapple that is native to the area.























These are some shots of the animals on the Farm. The calf is only one week old, how cute. This will be added to the milking cows as it becomes of age and is impregnated thus able to give milk. All of the animals that are here including pigs for pork, chickens and Quale for poultry and eggs and cattle for beef and milk are treated with respect and fed a very well rounded diet. Pictured on the right is were the Dairy cows are milked twice a day producing between 70 and 150 liters of milk a day, every day.










The pyramid on the right was built by the founder and Patriarc of the farm. It is oriented so each wall faces the cardinal directions. They produce viniger and age it here but it is also said to have a ´special´energy about it and when a dead watch battery was placed inside apparently it regained its charge.













more pretty flowers















Artichoke on the left and a delicious lunch on the right. This was prepared for us while we were touring the farm. the meal consisted of swiss noddles (spetzle?) a creamy sauce with very tender beef, carrots and peas. Again everythings organically grown and produced right on the farm.





















Here is where we got some meat for breakfast and lunch. about a 3/4 kilo of thick sliced Bacon and some other dried cured pork products. The swiss farm Has a very cool thing going for them. They are completely self sufficiant, making the food for the livestock and chicken, producing Biogas to fuel the stove, solar hot water heater, and among many other things, a labrinth of ductings that acts as a water catchment system to subsidise irrigation. Along with this they create most of there own tools and make/raise all of their own food. Pretty sweet.














BANANA´S MMMMMmmm... good!














Beautiful African Violet in bloom I could not help but to admire.



















The end of the day consisted of a bottle of regional wine (Malbec) and some delicious swiss cheese while cooking dinner for the group. It had been threatening to rain for the past 4 hours or so but the system passed us by to the north. Over all, our field trip day was awesome and it just gave us more hope and inspiration as to how life can be lived. With a lot of thought, work and care it is completely feasible to provide everything for ones self including food and energy