I arrived in Pisco, Peru yesterday. It was a short ride south from Lima, just 125 miles or so of sand dunes and dusty little beach towns. I signed on to do some volunteer work with a group called Pisco Sin Fronteras, formerly Burners Without Borders. I will be here for the next two weeks helping out with basic home construction and possibly some work with their biodiesel operation. The current volunteer population here is 70 and there are roughly 15 ongoing projects with a long queue of jobs yet to start.
Today we made preparations to pour a concrete slab foundation for a single family home. There was a lot of digging and wheelbarrowing - needless to say, I will sleep well and be very sore tomorrow. The people here are pretty fired up and it seems to be a really good program.
I set up my tent on the roof of a nearby school used to house some of the volunteers. Apparently it hardly ever rains here; the climate is desert-like with dry, hot days and cold nights. I'm excited to be involved and hopefully repay some of the many favors I've received on this trip.
www.piscosinfronteras.org
More later.
-John
