To the north and back again...

We arrived back in Lima safe and sound this afternoon after a 17-hour bus ride from Cajamarca. The Pacasmayo Marathon was a success in many ways - Anni beat her personal best time and came in 2nd place, Wade networked with Peace Corps volunteers, and Kat stumbled across a hydroponic lettuce company!

From the coast, our happy team headed into the hills, and spent two days exploring the beautiful mountain city of Cajamarca.

This fertile landscape is home to two eager Peace Corps volunteers who may install an aquaponic system at their site under our guidance.

One month down - one to go!

Yesterday we went with PRISMA to a workshop that focused on team work as well as how to prevent and treat Tuberculosis. Anni and Kat made friends by showing off their stellar Spanish, while Wade won them over as photographer. We hope to help these humble families improve their nutrition and increase their income with their very own aquaponics system!

Tonight we head 12 hours north to Pacasmayo, where a Peace Corps Volunteer is organizing a marathon - (Anni and Wade are running in it, and Kat is volunteering as a water table captain). Will also be a great opportunity to network! Before we head out, however, we went to the school to check on our system. So far so good!

Final Touches

Today we put the finishing touches on our system! We got 6 male tilapia, 20 lettuce plants, and 5 strawberry plants from the Agricultural University, and fixed all the leaks. We left it in the eager hands of Pedro, the head groundskeeper at the school, who will care for it while we travel north for the next 15 days to Pacasmayo and Cajamarca.

We were also sent this encouraging picture of our original system, still going strong in Kat's back yard. Not even multiple hail storms can slow it down!