Some interesting facts about Peru (basically, some reasons to be jealous...and visit)

Some interesting facts about Peru (basically, why you should be jealous of me and want to visit):

- In Peru, there are more than 50 mountains over 6,000 meters (19,700 feet). Peru has the second largest mountain range in the world, after the Himalayas. Peru has the tallest tropical mountain in the world.
- The tomato, taken to Europe by the Spaniards, is Peruvian.
- Canon del Cotahuasi, is the deepest known canyon in the world – over twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Oh yeah, the bird with the largest wingspan in the world is there also, the Condor (the largest males have over a 12 foot wingspan).
- Almost 4,000 varieties of potatoes originated in Peru, some of which were taken to Europe by the Spaniards around 1560 and by the English around 1850.
- Alpaca is Peruvian.
- The finest cotton in the world is Peruvian Pima and Tinguis.
- Peru has 468 different dishes, which according to The Guinness Book of World Records is the largest variety in the world.
- The weeping willow tree, which contains a component that is the base for aspirin, is Peruvian.
- The University of San Marcos, established in 1551, is the oldest University in the Americas.
- 84 of the 103 ecosystems that exist in the world are in Peru.
- Ceviche.
- Peru has some of the best waves to surf in the world.
- ANTAMINA, the largest mine in the world, is located in Peru’s central highlands.
- Lake Titicaca, shared by Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world.
- 28 different types of climate develop in Peru, placing it in the top 5 most biologically diversified countries in the world.
- The Peruvian ocean offers 700 different varieties of fish and 400 varieties of shellfish.
- Senor of Sipan is the oldest and most magnificent tomb found in the Americas; it is only comparable to that of Tutankamon in Egypt (King Tut).
- ummm…Machu Picchu. Not to mention all the other ruins yet to be discovered that are just as beautiful as Machu Picchu, but nobody really knows about them – which are the ones I’m most interested in visiting.
---Machu Picchu has about 1,000 visitors per day.

Taken from Lonely Planet: Peru – “Imagine scenery on the scale of an Indiana Jones flick, with forgotten temples entangled in jungle vines, cobwebbed imperial tombs baking in the desert sun and ancient bejeweled treasures beyond reckoning. Wild rivers that rage, pumas that prowl in the night and hallucinogenic shaman rituals that are centuries old – and it’s not just a movie here, it’s real life.
…no one could completely conquer this jaw-dropping terrain, from glaciated Andean peaks where condors soar, down to the vast coastal deserts and the hot, steamy rainforests of the Amazon.”

Thanks for reading,

Jake

Pics - July 9

I once caught a fish this big! Jesus pictures adorn everything around here - usually just an angelic face with a light behind him. Recently, a bumper sticker read, "Jesus is riding shotgun"(it was in Spanish though).















Soccer game - USA vs. Peru, in our neighborhood.














At a party - the guy on my right is my host brother.

First night in the town we are living during training. The kids swarmed around the gringos. That's my host mom on the left side of the picture.

First email out - alive and well

I’ve been down in Peru now for about two weeks and unlike some of the other volunteers…I haven’t had to chug any peptobismol (the food has actually been great!). This is one of the first opportunities I’ve had to get on the internet and send the obligatory email that I am, in fact, alive, well, and happy…but very busy.

I won’t send out any more mass emails – I’ll just update my blog (http://www.jakeinperu.blogspot.com/) or send one-offs. I won’t be updating the blog much during my training because I won’t have the time (through Aug 24). Below is a little more info if you have the time to read…otherwise, check out my blog when you have the time. My phone no longer works – but I’ll be getting one down here at the end of training.

-Jake

For the next three months, I’ll be going through a fairly intense training schedule, involving a LOT of Spanish class (4 to 5 hours per day, not to mention any other moment spent with my family or venturing out in the town). Training for Peace Corps is intense and there is a lot thrown at you quickly. I’m currently getting large doses of case studies in development work and business in Peru and Latin America. We get a lot of training on other stuff (agriculture, water sanitation, third world diseases, etc), but the primary focus for me is Spanish and business.

Nothing too interesting yet…and there won’t be anything terribly interesting for the next two months, since I’ll be studying most of that time. Once I get out to my site then the world is my oyster and I’m on my own and that is when the interesting stories will start building up.

As you imagine, there is a plethora other material I could write about…host family, cultures, times-Jake-gets-laughed-at, food, customs, other volunteers…but this is a short email to let everyone know I’m doing well. The mental stimulation of a new country, language, friends, home, and job, is quite exhausting - but in a good way. I love waking up everyday (other than the damn roosters that wake me up an hour before sunrise everyday, but…eating chicken never tasted so good).

My mailing address at the moment is:
Jake DeBerry
Embajada Americana/Cuerpo de Paz
Calle los Cedros 647
Chaclacayo
Lima 8, Peru, S.A.

Hold off on sending anything big. Once I get out to my permanent site I will readily accept anything anyone is willing to send. Anytime you send anything, it has to be marked as a gift…always under $100. I’ll send more instructions when the time comes that I can receive large packages.

Thanks for reading, I’ll make sure the blogs are more funny.