There wasn't much to report last week. Leah and I worked on our report and we discovered that our office, which was formerly a storage space, is filled with noxious dust, so we're working from home more. And then we went to the beach with some new Salvadoran friends!
Playa El Tunco is El Salvador's most popular surfing town. It's a small town strung along a stretch of black sand on the Pacific. It has a laid-back, surfer-chic kind of style with wall-less, thatched roof restaurants and funky clothing stores. There were so many gringos that I could just fade into the crowd (except for that time when I found myself surrounded by ripped, tanned surfers with '80s hair. I definitely didn't fit in with them). The food and lodging are reasonably priced, so it's not just gringos. Lots of Salvadorans come here to surf. El Tunco also has vicious rip currents, jagged rocks, and an amazing right point break. A right point break means that you surf to your right when you catch a wave. Remember that, it'll come up again later.
We got there on Saturday afternoon and went straight to the beach. Saturday night we consumed a responsible and moderate amount of alcohol and went to a chaperoned square dance (hi, Mom). And on Sunday we surfed. I have surfed many times over the years. I have surfed in Tofino, Australia, Ghana, and now El Salvador. And every time, on every continent, it has been a disaster.
I got sick from drinking too much seawater in Ghana, I nearly lost a contact lens in Australia, and I've come close to losing extremities due to hypothermia in Tofino. And I can't - for the life of me - stand up on one of those clunky beginner boards. Point of pride: I did stand up on a surfboard in Australia for like, 5 seconds, but it was a small board we'd borrowed off the neighbours who were semi-pro surfers. If only that meant I was semi-pro and not that I have no upper body strength and can't maneuver the giant beginner boards...
Anyways, this time I outdid myself. I managed to paddle out to the point break without too much trouble, but it's tiring work and when I got there I took a break while our friend Paco, who was teaching me, went to catch a wave. I got seasick while waiting for him. I know what you're going to say, and shut up. I have exquisitely sensitive inner ears, okay? I can feel a cruise ship tilting slightly as it turns starboard at dinner time. But never have I ever gotten seasick ON A SURFBOARD. When you're that close to the wave you should be immune.
So there I was, bobbing in the waves on my giant beginner board and getting greener by the minute. It was a relief when Paco came back and told me it was time to catch a wave. I paddled out and got ready. The wave came. I caught it. And I broke LEFT. You have to understand that on one of the best right point breaks in the world, it takes some serious talent to break left. I had no idea that I was doing something special. I tried to stand up, couldn't, and decided to lie there and enjoy the rest of the ride to shore. Except that the left side of playa El Tunco is covered with jagged, barnacle covered rocks that extend a fair ways under the surf. The fishermen stared at the drenched gringa struggling with a 9 foot board barefoot on jagged rocks, but none moved to help me. One of them finally gave me a push and I made my way to shore. I'm pretty impressed with how little I got cut. I ended up with a small amount of barnacle burn on one shin and a cut on my foot, and that's it. Still, I thought it wise to spend the rest of the day tanning. Better to quit while you're ahead...
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Retraction and Photos
Since my last blog post I have learned that embassies don't have an obligation to let their citizens through their doors. The embassy also isn't Canadian territory. The host country forswears the right to enter foreign embassies on their soil, the people who work at the embassy have diplomatic immunity, and that's as far as it goes. So when the embassy locked me and Leah out last week they weren't denying us a basic right, but they were jerks and showed that they are terrible at PR (like, so terrible at PR). They turned what should have been a non-event into something news-worthy, and then they looked bad on the news later that day while Leah and I gave the anti-mining cause free publicity on the platform they created by locking us out. Maybe I should write them a thank you note and try to deliver it...
I've done a lot of really cool stuff since Wednesday! On Friday I went with Vivian, a FESPAD lawyer, to the informal settlements she works with. They're about thirty minutes to an hour from downtown San Salvador and they're in a very vulnerable position because they don't have running water or electricity and they don't own the land their houses are built on. Vivian is working with them to get them legalized. Until they own their land, the government can evict them at any time and won't help them with any of the problems that they face, whether they be crime or land slides. These people have built their homes from nothing and they are proud of where they live.Their streets are clean, their homes are organized, and they're close enough to the city that they can take the bus in if they need to. Nobody else wants this land and frankly, living on it is dangerous because they're mostly building onto steep, erosion-prone hillsides. They have nowhere else to go.
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| A home in San Martin |
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| The community's elected leader explaining the dangers they face from landslides |
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| A home in Comunidad Monsenor Romero |
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| This man asked me to take a picture of his garden, which was lovely |
On Saturday I chilled and watched a ridiculous amount of West Wing. And today I went with Beth, an American who founded her own environmental NGO down here, to one of the communities she works with that is next to Lago Ilopango, another volcanic crater lake. The community we visited has been there since the early '80s when they moved there to get away from the civil war. I'm sure it worked because that community is really hard to get to. When people are sick they have to boat a doctor in from the larger towns on the side of the lake nearer to San Salvador. When people need to evacuate, it's chaos. We hiked down into the crater on this really steep path that was washed out in some places from yesterday's monsoon rains. Hiking down took slightly over an hour, and hiking back up took slightly under two hours. I was dripping sweat while getting passed by these women in flip flops with bowls of mangoes on their heads. They looked like they had never sweated in their lives.
All I wanted to do when I got home was shower. I didn't care that we only had cold water and I didn't care that today was a relatively cold day. But I had forgotten that we only get water pressure in the mornings. There I was, so excited to get clean, but when I turned on the tap the water dribbled pathetically onto my head. For the first time in my life I longed for a Burkinabe bucket shower. When the water is in a bucket in front of you there may be dead flies in it or a thin film of dust on the surface, but you know it won't get turned off at the whim of a capricious water pressure fairy. I got as clean as I could and had a beer. I can get clean tomorrow. The whole experience was totally worth it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
LOCKED OUT OF OUR OWN EMBASSY
This morning Leah and I went to the Canadian embassy with a group of peaceful protesters from communities affected by mining exploration to protest the actions of Pacific Rim, a Canadian mining company that gravitated to El Salvador in 2002 for its gold and silver deposits and lax environmental laws. The community members and NGOs have been trying for weeks drop off a letter asking the embassy to stop publicly supporting Pacific Rim's lawsuit against the government of El Salvador, but the embassy has been refusing to let them enter on the grounds that they are not Canadian citizens. This morning Leah and I went with them. We just wanted to enter the embassy, as is our right, and drop off the letter. They locked us out. When we asked for reasons, they refused to give us any.
This is outrageous treatment. Any citizen of any country is allowed to enter their embassy while traveling abroad - that's what embassies are for. Your political affiliations don't affect this basic right, nor do your stances on controversial issues. The embassy is Canadian territory. As citizens, we have the right to enter our territory. They do not have the right to refuse entry to law-abiding Canadians.
We pointed this out to the security guard, who conferred with her higher ups. She told us that one of us could enter if it was regarding a document problem, otherwise we had to stay outside. There is no justification for allowing one Canadian to enter the embassy and not another. More importantly, the embassy is not allowed to dictate the reasons for which Canadians can enter its premises. We have the right to enter the embassy for peaceful purposes, even if the government of the day disagrees with our opinions and doesn't feel like receiving mail. Their arbitrary refusal to let us enter made the embassy look churlish and fearful. We were two girls with a letter; the most frightening thing we could have done is leave long blonde hairs on their carpets.
A little background...
Pacific Rim Mining Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. It began exploring El Salvador's highlands in 2002 through its subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Pacific Rim's exploratory actions began to contaminate drinking water, and nearby communities began to protest. Any mine uses vast quantities of water for all parts of its operation. By the end, the highly toxic water is stored in tailings ponds that may not be leak-proof. Just ask the people living downriver from the tar sands how well those tailings ponds do their job in a geologically stable zone. It's worth pointing out that El Salvador is in a seismic zone and has a number of active volcanoes.
When the original protesters learned that there was not one, but twelve possible mining projects slated for the Salvadoran highlands, which is where the country's drinking water comes from, the protest went national. This tiny, densely populated country depends on a single watershed, so any mining activity affects everyone's water supply. The protests slowed Pacific Rim's application for mining permits, and in 2008 the Salvadoran president decreed that no mining activity would take place in the country. His successor after the 2009 election upheld that promise. Pacific Rim has never had a permit to mine in El Salvador.
In answer, Pacific Rim sued the Salvadoran government for 77 million dollars of 'lost profits.' (Question: if Pacific Rim never had permission to mine, how can the profits be considered lost? Indeed, did they ever even have profits?) Pacific Rim launched two law suits against the government of El Salvador, one under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and one under Salvadoran investment law. Canada isn't a party to CAFTA but the US is, so Pacific Rim reincorporated its Cayman Island subsidiary in Nevada so that it could challenge the Salvadoran government under the CAFTA agreement. Both suits were to be heard by the same tribunal - the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). About two weeks ago, ICSID ruled that it would not hear Pacific Rim's case under CAFTA because Pacific Rim hadn't been incorporated in the US at the relevant time. However, ICSID did rule that it would hear Pacific Rim's suit under Salvadoran law. Without knowing more about CAFTA and Salvadoran law, I have no idea what Pacific Rim's chances of success are and whether they would have been better or worse under CAFTA. What I do know is that this is costing the country millions in legal fees - about $5 million at last count. The people who I was with today want Pacific Rim to drop the law suit and go home so that the government can spend that money on much needed development. Can you blame them?
*I got all my numbers from http://www.miningwatch.ca/blog/pacific-rim-mining-lawsuit-saga-prolonged-costs-mount-company-and-people-el-salvador
This is outrageous treatment. Any citizen of any country is allowed to enter their embassy while traveling abroad - that's what embassies are for. Your political affiliations don't affect this basic right, nor do your stances on controversial issues. The embassy is Canadian territory. As citizens, we have the right to enter our territory. They do not have the right to refuse entry to law-abiding Canadians.
We pointed this out to the security guard, who conferred with her higher ups. She told us that one of us could enter if it was regarding a document problem, otherwise we had to stay outside. There is no justification for allowing one Canadian to enter the embassy and not another. More importantly, the embassy is not allowed to dictate the reasons for which Canadians can enter its premises. We have the right to enter the embassy for peaceful purposes, even if the government of the day disagrees with our opinions and doesn't feel like receiving mail. Their arbitrary refusal to let us enter made the embassy look churlish and fearful. We were two girls with a letter; the most frightening thing we could have done is leave long blonde hairs on their carpets.
A little background...
Pacific Rim Mining Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. It began exploring El Salvador's highlands in 2002 through its subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Pacific Rim's exploratory actions began to contaminate drinking water, and nearby communities began to protest. Any mine uses vast quantities of water for all parts of its operation. By the end, the highly toxic water is stored in tailings ponds that may not be leak-proof. Just ask the people living downriver from the tar sands how well those tailings ponds do their job in a geologically stable zone. It's worth pointing out that El Salvador is in a seismic zone and has a number of active volcanoes.
When the original protesters learned that there was not one, but twelve possible mining projects slated for the Salvadoran highlands, which is where the country's drinking water comes from, the protest went national. This tiny, densely populated country depends on a single watershed, so any mining activity affects everyone's water supply. The protests slowed Pacific Rim's application for mining permits, and in 2008 the Salvadoran president decreed that no mining activity would take place in the country. His successor after the 2009 election upheld that promise. Pacific Rim has never had a permit to mine in El Salvador.
In answer, Pacific Rim sued the Salvadoran government for 77 million dollars of 'lost profits.' (Question: if Pacific Rim never had permission to mine, how can the profits be considered lost? Indeed, did they ever even have profits?) Pacific Rim launched two law suits against the government of El Salvador, one under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and one under Salvadoran investment law. Canada isn't a party to CAFTA but the US is, so Pacific Rim reincorporated its Cayman Island subsidiary in Nevada so that it could challenge the Salvadoran government under the CAFTA agreement. Both suits were to be heard by the same tribunal - the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). About two weeks ago, ICSID ruled that it would not hear Pacific Rim's case under CAFTA because Pacific Rim hadn't been incorporated in the US at the relevant time. However, ICSID did rule that it would hear Pacific Rim's suit under Salvadoran law. Without knowing more about CAFTA and Salvadoran law, I have no idea what Pacific Rim's chances of success are and whether they would have been better or worse under CAFTA. What I do know is that this is costing the country millions in legal fees - about $5 million at last count. The people who I was with today want Pacific Rim to drop the law suit and go home so that the government can spend that money on much needed development. Can you blame them?
*I got all my numbers from http://www.miningwatch.ca/blog/pacific-rim-mining-lawsuit-saga-prolonged-costs-mount-company-and-people-el-salvador
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Beach weekend! Ok, well, beach day
We had it all planned out: the timing, the driver, the accommodation... and then nothing happened as planned, obviously.
Fredy had called some friends of his, a lovely couple named Rene and Sandra who have a beach house on playa San Blas about an hour south of San Salvador, and they graciously agreed to spend the weekend at the beach and allow us to join them. We were going to head out Saturday afternoon at 2, get there around 3:30, and have most of the afternoon and evening at the beach and all of the next day. Accommodation: check. Itinerary: check.
We wanted to go to the beach.
With Rosie in the States attending AGMs for her NGO, nobody living in 292 Calle Estalmoco was both willing and able to drive her car to the beach. Let me tell you a little about Rosie's car. His name is Pitufo (Smurf). He is a tiny, dark blue hatchback of uncertain origin. His age is undetermined. If you light a match near him when his engine is running I won't vouch for your safety. He is held together with duct tape, promises, and Rosie's love.
Fredy was willing to drive Pitufo to the beach, but unable to do so because he doesn't have a full license yet. I was able to drive Pitufo, but definitely not willing to (a) work his rickety clutch, especially given that, (b) everyone in El Salvador drives as fast the French on roads as twisty as Roger's Pass through the Rocky Mountains. Luckily everyone loves the beach, and Rosie's friend Marion was more than willing to drive us down there. Driver: check.
Fredy had called some friends of his, a lovely couple named Rene and Sandra who have a beach house on playa San Blas about an hour south of San Salvador, and they graciously agreed to spend the weekend at the beach and allow us to join them. We were going to head out Saturday afternoon at 2, get there around 3:30, and have most of the afternoon and evening at the beach and all of the next day. Accommodation: check. Itinerary: check.
On Saturday morning Fredy took Leah and I to see the church where Monsenor Romero was shot in 1980, the event which catalyzed El Salvador's civil war. It was moving, and I think it deserves its own blog post so I'll write another one later. As we were leaving the church, Fredy got a call from Rene and Sandra saying that some small nephew had broken a bone and was in the hospital. It wasn't serious, so they didn't cancel the beach trip, but they needed to spend most of the afternoon by his bedside in order to fulfill family obligations. Our departure time was pushed back to 7pm.
The hours in between were filled with an impromptu guitar lesson and Beatles sing-along. I think we probably sang for two hours. At 6 o'clock Rene called to say they had left the hospital early and were coming over right away! Seven o'clock came and went, and there was no sign of Rene and Sandra. Marion drove us to the grocery store to get food. At 7:30 we finally got a hold of them. Apparently their cousin had decided to join us and they had gone to get her swimsuit. They arrived at 8:45, apologizing for having made us wait. They really are nice people, they just have a small punctuality problem.
Any residual annoyance was forgotten when we got to their adorable beach house. A small swimming pool sat surrounded by palms and banana trees, complete with a table built into the water. The house was spacious and airy, with an outdoor kitchen and a hammock. It was a five minute walk from the beach.
Sunday morning was hot and sunny with clear blue skies. The mosquitoes were so vicious that we spent most of the morning submerged, hippo-like, in the pool. We emerged for food and then went straight back into the water. After lunch we went to the beach. I thought it was beautiful, and apparently it's not even the nicest beach in El Salvador. For the surfers out there, it has one of the best right-point breaks in the world. Don't ask me what that means, I don't know. What I do know is that the rip tides were strong and the waves were big! Each one crashed in a perfect arc and we spent hours jumping over them and diving under them. Small boys were doing tricks on surfboards that I could only dream of. The beach itself is partly black sand because El Salvador has so many active volcanoes. It also has a lot of flesh-coloured driftwood. For one horrible moment, I thought that a log was a naked fat man half buried in sand.
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| Not this log; another one |
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| Fredy and Leah |
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| Me and Leah |
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| Daredevil children |
We went back to the house and decided that the weekend wouldn't be complete unless we got pina coladas. Rene and Sandra's beach house is part of a gated community with a fancy club house that makes a mean pina colada for $3.50. Rene and Sandra came with us to let us into the club and we all drank on the terrace by the beach as the waves rolled in.
Up to this point my sunscreen had worked great, but my luck ran out around 4pm. I didn't reapply because in Canada, after 4pm is the safe time for the melanin-less freaks that walk among you. There is no safe time in El Salvador, apparently. I managed to get a burn that looked like a racing stripe up the front of each thigh, and another one on my stomach that starts so high it looks like I was wearing granny panties (I wasn't, I swear). That one is also mottled because I had drops of seawater all over me. I took pictures of everything on this trip, but not that. I will leave it to your imagination.
We left around 6:30pm to avoid the traffic on the highway back to San Salvador. Dark was falling and a full moon hung low over the misty jungle canyons as the highway wended its way along the mountain side. It was a really beautiful beach day.
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