Centro Cultural

This is the municipal Centro Cultural in Xela. It's not exactly abandoned. But it's not exactly a cultural center either.

From what I understand it was originally built as a train station, which was short lived. During the armed conflict, with the trains gone, it was turned into a military base. Now it houses a textile museum and the studio of an old eccentric painter. The bulk of the building remains empty and is unused, except for occasional concerts.

Places of sleep/rent: Posada San Andrés

This is where I've been staying for the last few months. It's a place of contradictions. It looks like a squat, but it's not. It feels like a barn. Every day more paint crumbles off the ceiling. There are holes in the wall, and feral cats mate in the attic. Every time I take a shower, I think I'm going to get electrocuted from the loose wiring coming off the electric water heater on the shower head.

Strangely, I think this is the largest room that I've lived in. I sleep in the biggest, comfiest bed I've ever had... with bed bugs. The courtyard has sun all day, and I swear it's the warmest spot in the whole city. Plus, we have Wifi.

Maya Pedal

I recently visited Maya Pedal, in San Andrés Itzapa, with a friend who had volunteered there a couple years ago. Maya Pedal is not a normal bike shop, nor does it follow the standard North American model for community bike spaces.

Besides fixing old bikes, the primary focus of Maya Pedal is building bicimaquinas, or pedal powered machines that are water pumps, blenders, nut shellers, and grinders for corn, nuts, and coffee.

bike blenders

Over half of Guatemalans live in the rural towns, and many of them rely on agricultural production for their livelihood. Electricity is expensive and modern farming technology is really limited. In addition to being creatively designed, the bicimaquinas are petroleum-free solutions for processing agricultural products and foods.

corn grinders

Maya Pedal has a great space that houses a workshop, showroom, rooftop storage, and a kitchen and living space for volunteers. The visit made me nostalgic for long days of messing with busted bikes and eating with greasy hands.

Enter Guatamala

So it's been a while since I posted anything.

Sometimes I feel like focusing the internet distracts me from the physical places where I am. Right now that place is Guatemala.

I've been here for almost four months, so I should have some pertinent things to post by now. To start, these are some random shots of things I've been up to.

Jerko's Maiden Voyage

Snaking my way past piles of junk and broken down tractor trailer trucks, I reach the canal. I start towards the ladder leading to the boat and the first thing I notice is all the crap floating in the water. Not just dead leaves, but trash and literal shit. Is that a condom? Welcome to the Gowanus Canal.

For the next twelve hours I helped my friends ready their houseboat, Jerko and the Gowanus Water Vacuum, for it’s maiden voyage. In connection with the New York City’s Sustainability Street Fair we rowed up and down the waste of the Gowanus canal.

Accompanying Jerko was a fleet of canoes and home made rowboats.

A band entertained the crew with old-time maritime songs from the roof of the boat.

Rowing back up the canal we were greeted by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, as we docked to give tours of Jerko to guests.

We tested the capacity of the boat well into the night.

Jerko and the Gowanus Water Vacuum

I'm currently staying with a friend in NYC on his houseboat. Over the past year-and-a-half a few folks have transformed the houseboat from mediocrity to a water-based DIY experiment in permaculture and sustainable living. Besides a massive makeover, a number of different projects coalesced to create what is now Jerko and the Gowanus Water Vacuum.

Part post-apocalyptic autonomous space, part bioremediation machine, part permaculture showcase Jerko makes it's home floating amongst the waste and industrial junkyards of Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Powered by forces of nature, and toxic sludge, and a crew of vikings, Jerko is slowly restoring the riparian ecosystem of canal to its pre-colonial condition.

Surrounding the boat is a perimeter dock complete with dories made of plywood. The dock also functions as a floating water garden housing phragmites and other water plants. The plants act as biofilters.

Similar to the water gardens on the dock, there's a floating trash island of old plastic bottles attached to the boat.

On the roof is a photovoltiac system that powers all of Jerko's electricity, a solar hot water system, and rainwater catchment system. All the water onboard Jerko comes from rainwater harvesting.

Inside, Jerko has rainwater storage, a living machine for biofiltration of water, and a wood stove for heat.

Like all seaworthy ships, Jerko has a functional galley, plus a head with a solar shower and composting toilet.

There are a couple bunks to house the vikings and plenty of dead animals, proof of their exploits.