Each day we have our trip guide, Jama, and a local guide. Some hours are spent getting between places, sometimes between countries. The guides are in the front of the bus on a microphone. It works.
We asked to see the part of the city that was destroyed during the 1966 and rebuilt by citizens and volunteers. What we found were adobe buildings rebuilt in the style of the old houses. Some of buildings show the wear of abode buildings, some are maintained well, each year after the few months of possible rain repairs are made, some building look as though more permanent building techniques are being used.
One of the canals flows through this neighborhood and provides both cooling and water used for plants – drinking water is purchased. The streets are narrow and the small cars are non evidence, but not many – it is a work day, of course and that may make a big difference.
Above you can see the Chevy and also a house that is using more modern materials replacing the mud adobe and modern detailing for new doors and windows. Below one of the houses shows evidence of one of the hundreds of quakes that occur in this city each year. Our city guide said that it was unusual for this much damage to remain for any length of time, so perhaps it had been a recent quake.
Who owns the land, I asked. The government owns the land and the families who have had this land have had of it many generations. The pay rent which they call tax. And al services such as water, electricity, gas, trash pick-up are all purchased mostly from government companies, but sometimes private companies compete when allowed by the government.
daily woodring 