Peru: Weather Report for Next Week

Recommended Reading

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
by Mark Adams

The "No" Post

I read a book to my son called No David. Each page of the book features a kid (David) having a wildly good time. He plays pirate in the bath and creates wild waves that crash over the sides of the tub. He swings a baseball bat and hits a home run inside mom's expansive living room. He runs naked through the streets of his quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. All the while, on each page, his mom scolds, "No, David!"

Poor little David. Where's all the fun?

That's what this post is: The "No" Post-- Peru Edition. Courtesy of Penn Travel Medicine and seasoned South American travelers everywhere. (The "Why?" posts are the Healthcare Prep posts, seen below.)

In Peru, no:

Local Water. Unless bottled, sealed--and check the seal!

This includes: No ice in your drink. No frozen drinks. Starbucks Frappucinos in Lima would be made with local water.

Carbonated drinks (not bottled, the kind you might get at a bar or restaurant) contain local water.

Mixed drinks from a bar: contain local water. Beer from a tap? Sorry. No.

Anything you drink should come from a sealed bottle. The end.

Brushing teeth? Use bottled water. 

Drinking coffee? Well, boiled water is okay-- but don't use that cream unless it came from a sealed container. 

Was it sealed? If you didn't see it, don't trust it. 

Like ice cream, from a street vendor. No. (Did you buy the ice cream and remove the lid yourself? Well, okay then.) 

No uncooked vegetables of any kind. No salad. At Subway in Lima? No lettuce. No tomato. (Why are you at Subway and Starbucks anyway, for goodness sakes? You're in Peru!)

Fruits? No: Except those with thick skins. Oranges, limes, pineapple.

Any questions? Then NO, don’t eat it!

Breads, grains, cooked meats, and seafoods should be okay.

Enjoy. (Whimper.)

I'm Overwhelmed!

We are about 40 days out from our trip.

Let's simplify your Peru Prep:

• Have you made an appointment to see a travel medicine specialist AND your family doctor? (Your regular doctor won't have the yellow fever vaccination.) Call Penn Travel Medicine: (215) 615-2584.
• Do you have your passport?
• Have you ordered any supplies you can't get at a basic store (like CVS or Walgreens)? See my post on "Shopping: Peru Prep".
• Have you checked in with your travel coordinator (Dr. Moelter) for updates on payments, flight schedules, etc?

Coming soon: What to pack.

Shopping! Peru Prep

Should you? Could you?

[Camo Coll Mosquito Net/Hat, $12.99, available on amazon.com. Eyelashes optional.]

You can grab most of your Peru essentials at CVS or Walgreens, particularly travel sizes.

• All of your basic toiletries: Shampoo, soap, razor, etc.
• All of your Peru OTC needs: Imodium, Tylenol (or your preferred headache medicine), Benadryl, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, travel-sized clothing detergent.

Some things, however--and these are ESSENTIAL--can't be found at basic drugstores. You can find these at a specialty sporting/camping store (REI, Dick's Sporting, etc.) or order on Amazon.com:

• Insect repellent that is a minimum of 35-40% DEET (for skin application)
• Permethrin (insect repellent for clothing)

I always have questions about chemicals like DEET, and I offer you the CDC fact sheet on it:
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/toolkit/DEET.pdf

Here's the key for DEET: The higher concentration (50% DEET vs 7% DEET) is not more effective. It is longer-lasting. Do you want to spray once in the morning? Or do you want to spray every 20 minutes (and miss all the fun)? The Penn Travel Medicine specialist insisted I purchase a minimum of 35-40% DEET.

Curious about the "natural" insect repellents (eucalyptus sprays) or gadgets (bracelets or belts that repel insects)? Me too. But honestly: try them stateside if you want to experiment, not in yellow fever terrain.

Havana (Cusco?) Omelet: Traveler's Diarrhea (Healthcare Prep, Part III)

Havana omelet. Hershey squirts. Montezuma's revenge. Call it what you like; it ain't pretty. It's...  

TRAVELER’S DIARRHEA

What to expect: The doc said it quite succinctly to me: Traveler’s Diarrhea—is any diarrhea when you (she meant me, a suburban girl) travel in South America.

What to try: Cipro [Ciprofloxacin Rx—get in advance from doc]. Take at the first sign of diarrhea along with Imodium (OTC). 

My pal Leah, who frequents remote places for her research, explained this to me: Cipro will kill the bug, but won't stop the flow. Imodium, meanwhile, will slow the ass quake enough for you to comfortably continue with the trip. Without the Imodium, you'll be stuck in a bathroom, even with Cipro. What's ideal, says Leah, is to not take anything and let the bug work through your system, uncomfortable as that may be. But--huge caveat--that's if you're doing research in India for 6 months, and you have the time to lose. This isn't our trip.

Of course: Rehydrate. Seasoned travelers bring individual powdered Gatorade packets to put in bottled water. Carry an emergency high-protein bar, in case you have a day where you don’t feel much like eating. Read my related blog post [The 'NO' Post"] on eating in Peru, and I hope we can avoid all this. 

When to worry: Once you have taken Cipro for three days (you shouldn't have to), you need to see a doctor. 

“Soroche”-- Altitude Sickness in Peru (Healthcare Prep, Part II)

I live in New Jersey, at sea level. Altitude 0.

The altitude in Philadelphia? 39 feet.

Lima, Peru? 5,080 feet

Cuzco? 11,152 feet.  Ollytaytambo? 9,160. Machu Picchu? 7,972. And Puerto Maldonado? Back to 600 feet.

Above 8,000 feet, where the air is thinner, you might experience altitude sickness. How the altitude will affect you is completely unpredictable. You might be a marathon runner and be incapacitated by headaches--or it might only affect you only slightly. Here's a brief primer on what to expect, and how to prepare. (If you already know, as I do, that altitude affects you severely, talk to your doctor about the Rx for Diamox.)

ALTITUDE SICKNESS

What to expect: Headaches, sleep disruption, labored breathing while exercising.

What to try: Tylenol, Excedrin, or whatever you normally take for headaches. Adjust expectations for how much, physically, you will be comfortable to do.

Preventative:  Hydration is imperative! Caffeine, sodium, alcohol, and the flight will all dehydrate you, as will the elevated altitude once we leave Lima.   

• 8 x 8 oz glasses (bottles) of water each day (at least) ahead of and during trip. (In Peru, we'll drink bottled water.)
• Diamox [optional Rx] for altitude illness—talk to doc ahead of time.
• Travelers, NOT DOCTORS, will recommend Cocoa Tea or leaves. (See my related post [The "NO" Post] about avoiding fruits or vegetables. DON'T eat the leaves, guys.) Cocoa tea is not available (i.e. not legal) in the U.S. You'll find it in Peru readily. It contains cocaine (cocoa plant). You should avoid drinking this tea if you will be drug tested for any reason. You'll test positive for cocaine. (Pharmacy students--are you ever randomly tested?)

When to worry: Severe headaches; or if respiratory congestion or labored breathing continues once exercise has ceased. Blurry vision, passing out (means brain swelling)-- must be medevaced out and taken to lower altitude immediately.

Oh, Gnats! Peru Vaccination & Healthcare Prep (Part I: Mosquitoes)

I spent the morning with the terrific travel medicine specialist at Penn Travel Medicine Center at University of Pennsylvania. Be forewarned: they don't take insurance. The consultation ($95) was about an hour, and worth every minute. What an education! I'll do a couple of posts on what I learned-- though, I must confess, I paid closest attention to what applied to me. Individual circumstances and choices will vary widely. (Go see your own doctor, this isn't medical advice, you know the drill.)

First, go prepared: Fill out the forms they provide in advance. Bring your vaccination record and your itinerary: Your altitude (locations visited, duration of time spent in each) will determine a lot of your treatment plan.

I'll start with the mosquitoes. (See my other posts [Healthcare prep Posts II and III] for Altitude Sickness and Montezuma's Revenge.)

MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESS

What to expect: Mosquitoes thrive under 2,000 feet. We'll be in Puerto Maldonado, in the Amazon basin, for two or three days, at sea level. 

NIGHTTIME MOSQUITOES (i.e. "aggressive at night") transmit Yellow Fever [Vaccination recommended, $175] and Malaria [Rx recommended]. The Malaria treatment [Rx] varies by cost and elements of treatment. Speak to your doctor. I'll be taking Malarone (something like $7 a pill and considered expensive, 96% effective). You take it two days ahead of travel, and continue through seven days after completing travel. Check to see if your lodge has mosquito nets, screens in the windows. Our does. I think. 

DAYTIME MOSQUITOES (i.e. "aggressive during daytime") transmit Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and Zika. There's no vaccination or Rx for these; you simply attempt to prevent with insect spray and smart clothing. (Crossed fingers.)

What to try: Preventative measures are essential.

• Clothing is your first line of defense: long sleeves, long pants, long socks UNDER pants. See that photo above? Hear me when I say LONG PANTS.
• Insect Repellent: Get 20-35% Deet, Long-Acting (10-12 hours)—One container will be fine for our three days. Spray directly on skin. (If you get anything not long-acting, or at a lower %, you will be spraying constantly.) In addition: get Permethrin—Insect repellant that ONLY goes on clothing, never ON SKIN. 
• Mosquito netting (sleeping): Great tip: Bring a couple of rubber bands in case nets get holes.

What to try: For swelling or a severe histamine reaction, they recommend Benadryl or OTC cream.

When to worry:  If you have flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, or joint pain), you must follow up with your doctor.

A note: Zika is in the news nearly every day here. I must confess that I carelessly waved away the Zika talk. Childbearing-age women: beware and pay attention. 

I won't describe here what happens if you contract one of these illnesses-- and at this time, that's not a huge concern (focus?) of mine. Here, in New Jersey, we fuss and take a good number of precautions for any basic Pine Barrens hike or camping trip--not with mosquitoes, but with ticks. So, I'm pretty used to adapting.

Next time: Traveler's Diarrhea and Altitude Sickness.

PERU PREP

Heading to Peru in May-- and have decided to resuscitate this blog in an effort to keep track of all the preparations swirling around in my head. There are vaccinations, prescriptions and OTC items to prep and pack; clothing to coordinate for all kinds of climates: urban Lima, the rainforest Amazon region, and high-altitude Machu Picchu. There are safety and food warnings to heed, and even more research to enjoy. Here goes.

Seining

A surprise in the sein net yesterday at Gravelling Point: an American eel (Anguilla rostrata). The body is slick and green--impossible to pick up with bare hands. It is a freshwater eel that comes into the Atlantic Ocean to spawn. This one was between 2 and 3 feet long.

Moths

Insect and moth ID have never been interesting to me, but today I saw two moths whose colors captured me. The Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, is perhaps an inch in length, with a downy yellow head. They feed on maples--sugar, red, and silver--and may be found from the Eastern states up to Nova Scotia.

Nearby, I saw a Huckleberry sphinx, Paonias astillas. The wings are a stunning orange-pink. They feed on blueberry and huckleberry. The females supposedly call in night-flying males with pheremones emitted from the curved abdomen.

Rain Reflection #2

These days, I love the rain.

My rainbarrels are full, even overflowing today.

I bought my rainbarrels two years ago from http://www.rainbarrelsandmore.com/: 60-gallon recycled food-grade barrels used to ship olives and pickles to the United States. There's a side brass spigot attachment, and at the bottom, I attached a dual-release valve with on/off toggles. If the rainbarrel is almost empty and the water level is below the brass spigot, I can still harvest water from the lower valve.

The lower valve also attaches to a soaker hose that winds through my garden like a black garter snake. I can flip a switch and walk away, and the rainbarrel will water my garden slowly and evenly.

I've been thinking about small acts of conservation for a long time. 20 years ago, a writer friend served me dinner with a folded bandana as a napkin. I loved the idea of cloth napkins--why is it we only see them in the fanciest restaurants?

Ever since then, I've used cloth napkins instead of buying paper ones. Think about it: How much paper waste can one person can diminish with just a small choice like that? My friends and family always feel special when they come over to eat. I might be feeding them chili, but the cloth napkins change everything.

I digress. As usual.

The rainbarrel lid twists off like the top of a jar. Rain enters the top through holes; the holes have aluminum screens to filter bugs, leaves, and debris. Sure, the smaller particles (pollen on the roof) get into the rainbarrell.

Did I mention the obvious? You don't drink water from your rainbarrel (nor do your pets).

People passing the house often stop and ask about the rainbarrels. ("Bootleg whiskey," my husband says.)

What's the point?

Over the past two years, I've harvested at least 3000-4000 gallons of water to use on my gardens. Maybe more. And all the money we've invested in landscaping since moving in? Our plants are flourishing. When we traveled to Rome, we left the soaker hoses on and came home to a verdant spring garden.

P.S. Check out writer what Lisa Samalonis thinks about recycling and writing:
http://lisabsamalonis.blogspot.com/2009/06/recycling-ideas.html

Rain Reflection #1

It's raining today.

The light of the day is dark and my mood sinks.

Then I remember Steve.

I worked with Steve at the Governor's School on the Environment. His enthusiasm for learning, his wild sense of humor, and his expansive physicality left me--a young teacher--in awe. When talking about his travels, he would suddenly lurch into an impression of an elephant: his right hand on the right side of his rib cage was the elephant's ear, while his left shoulder met his nose to be come the elephant's trunk. Noises and movement followed.

Steve taught us how to play dominoes like they do in Costa Rica, slapping the tiles down with frantic speed. When describing something from World War II, he'd tell you that Truman said to Hitler, "DON'T EVEN." (You have to say this out loud to understand the effect.)

Steve taught high school in West Deptford, NJ before he retired--we're not sure, but we think his wife bought him a cabin in Montana. He grew up in Paulsboro, right near WDHS and except for his travels--teaching exchanges in Russia, fly fishing vacations in Montana--he stayed in the same area his entire life. Paulsboro is a tough little town off 295 S: a Sunoco oil refinery emits a tangible smell, home values are often 60% lower than the rest of the state, and young people try to make it through and get to somewhere else. Steve and his 8 siblings were raised by a single mother, and for him, this was a badge of honor, a detail he bragged about, as if every time he mentioned his mother's accomplishments she rose further in his esteem.

I taught with Steve for about six years, and here's my favorite memory.

Rain.

There'd been no rain that spring or summer yet. Now here is was. Torrential rain. The faculty clustered in a group, soaked through our rain gear, trying to decide if we should still hold class out in the field. Steve approached, walking sprightly in his full-length, bright yellow raincoat.

"This is great!" he said. "We need the rain."

I looked at Steve. In that moment, things changed for me.

It's a choice: how to see the world.

Dreary rain?

Necessary rain.

A wonder and a blessing.

Farewells

Some of my earliest memories are of walking with my grandmother, Christine, on the beach in New Jersey. One summer she bought me a butterfly net: small wooden handle, a fine white net. But I never chased butterflies. We walked on the flat, empty beach in the early morning, every morning. By the water's edge, I stared into tidepools, scooping up minnows and sand crabs with the net. Now I could see these elusive creatures up close. Hold them in my hand. Release them safely.

That butterfly net? Might well be one of my favorite things ever. It reminds me of many things: each day, in the same tidepools, new adventures await.

Sometimes I dream of my grandmother, and in the dreams, she is alive, and I am aware that the dream is a vivid gift: seeing her again.

When we say goodbye, who will remind my Wild Writers that they are their writing, that their words map and shape their lives? Who will give them permission to just be themselves? I promise you this: meaningful writing never comes from pleasing a teacher or fulfilling the criteria of an assignment.

So consider: If not for butterflies, how will you use your net? What elusive treasures and dreams will you pursue and capture?

Crowning Achievement

I am afraid of heights.

It is 305 feet from the ground at Ellis Island to the teetering tip of Lady Liberty's touch.

This summer, visitors will once again be able to climb the 12-story, 354 cramped steps to access the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

The crown has been closed since 9/11.

The torch, alas, has been closed since 1916 and will likely remain so.

The New York Times reported that the statue’s architect, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, “never intended or designed the Statue of Liberty as something to enter or climb.” And the claustrophobic spiral access to the crown? Only intended for maintenance workers.

According to the New York Post, a 1999 study warned that "if a fire were to start on the pedestal level, the inside of the statue would act like a chimney and smoke would suffocate anyone on the stairs or in the crown."

In his efforts to see the crown reopened, New York's Rep. Anthony Weiner argued that dangerous conditions exist across National Park Service’s holdings.

“It is tight,” he said. “It is cramped. It is hot. It probably isn’t completely safe to have everyone go up, in any numbers, at any time. But the Park Service is full of slightly dangerous things you can do.”

I think fondly of Yellowstone's geysers, of loose rocks on descending trails at the Grand Canyon.

I agree with Weiner: Legitimate concerns abbout safety should not prevent access. The Park Service should simply take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of visitors.

When the crown reopens July 4, only 10 people will access the crown at a time, with a maximum of 30 visitors per hour.

Perhaps the great achievement is this: After years of living with fear and restriction, we are unwilling to accept the forbidding threats of a dangerous world.

They say the statue sways 3 inches in the surrounding 50 mph winds.

So what?

I want to see the 62,000 pounds of her copper exterior hammered to the thickness of 3/32 inch--the width of two pennies. I want to look out the 25 windows of the crown and see the ocean where my great-grandfather arrived.

I have my ticket for October 10.

Salt Lake City Greeting

Arrived in Utah. Walked outside, the sun bright on the Wasatch. I would grab a cab to Melanie's.

"Where have you been?" the taxi driver said to me. "I've been waiting all morning for you!"

Rules for Writers

1. Cultivate a talent for collecting images.

2. Be bold and brave in all areas of your life. Go ahead. Purchase the house with the hi-gloss pink staircase.

3. Cultivate brilliant friends. On her first tour of the house, Kim named my staircase "The Esophagus."

4. Do something else besides write.

Booknotes: Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

While in Utah recently, I finally read Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I expected to read a few pages; a friend had suggested I look at McCarthy's compression of language.

I picked the book up and never put it down.

The Road is part Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea) and part Dante (The Inferno). Somehow, with very little information and very few pages, I found I cared deeply about what happened with this father and son.

Six-Word Stories

One of my favorite online literary journals, Narrative, features literary puzzlers every week. This week's challenge: Write a six-word short story. Hemingway claimed his favorite piece of writing was a six-word story:

For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.

I love the idea of a six-word story, and on my flight to Florida this Wednesday, I tried writing a few. Here are mine:

Anyone there? Toilet paper roll empty.

Vegas sunrise. Arby's coffee. Just married.

Dear Mister President: Will father return?

I do. Separate bathrooms solved everything.

Dial 911. Billy tumble-dried Maggie.

Two blue lines: whose is it?

Note to self: Dispose of gun.

Old flame, Chicago airport, flight cancelled.

French martini. Morning. Who are you?

Above the Tiber

From the top of Castel Sant'Angelo: Rome.
The still and green Tiber River.
Umbrella pines unfurled against the spread of blue sky.