Day two in paradise

May 17

We go to Lobos, a nearby city of about thirty thousand. The infamous Argentine president General Perón was born in Lobos. We visit his house (that’s me in the photo).

Lobos is walkable. We split off in groups of two to explore the city, charged with finding answers to a number of questions by talking to locals. The night before we were given 300 pesos as a stipend for the next three weeks in B.A. We go to a bank to change the bills into smaller change. I chat up a policeman. His body shape is rather like a rolling pin. He belongs in a cartoon.

Here is a photo of Lobos:

After that, back to La Candelaria. Lily’s there! She couldn’t fly out of St. Louis on Tuesday because of tornadoes, so she was a day behind the rest of us. Another delicious meal. Relax time. A bike ride to la ruta. Take a nap for the first time in a long while. Do some good reading.

Fernando has arrived. He’s coordinating our multi-day horseback ride through the mountains (“cabalgata”) later in the program. I met him and Jean in North Carolina last November. He’s a wonderful guy. Trained as an engineer, he now runs highly-regarded cabalgatas with a service component. He and Jean are passionate about Escuela Isonza, the tiny school in the mountains where I will install solar panels later in the summer. I’ve been working with them via email and phone all spring to set up this project. This afternoon, he leads a session about the cabalgata and the Isonza project.

Then another delicious meal. La Candelaria offers everyone a glass of vivo tinto to thank us for our stay. We’re leaving in the morning.