Our Time in Peru Draws to an End

As always, we finally start meeting people once we are about to leave. On Sunday we decided to have lunch at the Sunday afternoon take the family out for some great food place - Rincon Chami. As usual, it was packed and we ended up taking an inside table rather than wait. This turned out to be a lucky move as we sat next to a really cool group of people who gave us advice, insisted that we call them if we need any help at all, etc etc. They were a lot of fun to talk to - and were amazed at all the different foods we have tried! Meeting them and having a real dinner table conversation made our day.

Then on Tuesday we stopped back in to the bookstore to tell Sandra about our trip to Barranco. We wanted to let her know that we had followed her advice and spent the day in her town and that we like it. Sandra works part-time in the bookstore but is an artist who says she lives in Barranco because it's a nice quiet town and it's where all the artists live. She has a 1 1/2 year old daughter. We got talking about art (of course!) and other things and she offered to bring in some of her work on Wednesday (our last day here) to show us. So on our last day, we did a whole show-and-tell thing on the floor of the upstairs room in the bookstore. She ended up giving us one of her awesome paintings, so I have to make sure it makes it home in my backpack safely! I sure hope that we get to see Sandra again.

And our favorite coffee shops now know what we want when we walk in. Like I said, once it feels like home, it's time to leave.

My Last Lunch - Rosa Nautica

Gene keeps laughing at me because I keep having "last" things: my last lunch in Lima, my last ceviche, my last dessert, my last night in Peru. "You would think," he says, "that I was taking you to some terrible place, not to Buenos Aires!" OK. It's true that it was Buenos Aires that I wanted to go to in the first place and Peru only happened because it was on the way. But I love this place. So for our "last lunch," which isn't really the last one at all since we will still be here tomorrow, we decide to try the bar at Rosa Nautica, a beautiful expensive place which sits way out on a pier. We do the bar because it sounds like a fun place, the restaurant is too expensive and we could never eat all that food anyhow. We order the 4 Piqueos specialty. We get to select 4 different appetizer items to share. We choose conchitas a la parmesana (scallops), brochetitas de corvina (sea bass), tempura de pescador (fish tempura) and, of course, ceviche. We expected a little appetizer plate. We were served this enormous platter of scrumptious food! And of course the pisco sours. Nice way to spend our "last afternoon!"

Things We Still Can't Get Used to...But Would Like to

• Taxis that don't aim for you. Even at crosswalks with a "walk" light, we look at each other, wondering if they're really going to sit there and let us cross - or if they're going to jack-rabbit at us as soon as we step into the street
• The amazing variety of food
• The low prices of food
• The fact that it never rains
• Fresh, breathable air
• Restaurant service

Huaca Pucllana ***

Somehow you don’t expect to find a huge pre-Inca adobe pyramid mound in the middle of a city. I don’t know why it seems odd. Of course the most desirable sites are used by one culture or group of people and later, after they’re gone, that same site is still seen as desirable by a future group of people. So of course they build there. And they grow and build a city. And they don’t care about the earlier people, so they just destroy the earlier buildings – or build on top of them. Hundreds of years later, while leveling the land for yet another culture’s building expansion, things are found from the first one. Broken pottery. Bones. Pieces of broken tools. What will they find when they unearth pieces of our culture hundreds of years from now? Plastic Coca-Cola bottles? Microwaves? Laptop computers?
We walk the ten blocks from Parque Central to the site. It strikes me as a beautiful place – all brown adobe bricks. The people now referred to as the Lima people built the pyramid in the 5th century AD, and abandoned it in the 7th. It was later used by the Wari culture. We don’t learn a whole lot of history today, but we do learn that these people clearly knew something about building design, building their structures with the adobe bricks stacked vertically, looking like giant bookcases, to better withstand seismic disturbances. We also learn that they made human sacrifices, but always sacrificed only young women, and very important ones at that. So clearly it would have been a good idea not to be very important. When the leader died, the pyramid was filled in and another built on top of it, so that it became successively higher. After these early cultures disappeared, the area was pretty much built over and forgotten until twenty or thirty years ago, when an agreement between Miraflores and the National Cultural Institute enabled research, conservation and restoration to begin.

*** A “huaca” is a burial mound. Pucllana is the Quechua name used for the site in the 16th century.

Things Not Here

We're constantly hit by new things. There's a discovery to be made around every corner. But it's often the things that are not there that make a place feel different. Suddenly you realize you haven't heard a dog bark - in days - or:

• Most people on the street are not talking on their cell phones
• No one sleeps or passes out in doorways or on the sidewalk
• There is no trash in the streets
• There are no potholes
• There are no refrigerator-sized holes to fall into in the sidewalks
• You don't see bare midriffs on the streets

And about those dogs - many people walk lovely dogs in the park - there's even a designated dog potty place - but apparently they've all had their voice boxes removed. Lovely.

Gene Takes a Flying Leap

...& the Kindness of Strangers

So we’re walking along the sidewalk by the park minding our own business and the next thing I know, Gene is lying face down on the sidewalk beside me, sort of on his side. Groaning. How did you get there? I ask. At least half a dozen people, including park workers and police and lunch takers from the nearby cafes, surround us wanting to help. There is blood dripping from somewhere on his head. Someone brings a chair and once we decide nothing appears to be broken, three or four of us get him up off the ground and into the chair. He is an amazingly hard person to lift. A backpacker appears from the café with a fully equipped medical emergency kit. He’s a hiker from British Colombia and travels fully prepared. He supplies bandaids and antiseptic wipes. Turns out there is a small gash on his eyebrow. That’s all. The EMT’s who have now arrived want to take him to emergency to get a stitch. He doesn’t want to go. There’s a doctor trying not to interfere with the EMT’s, but hanging back and watching in case it appears that he is needed. He is indicating to me that a stitch is not needed. We decide to go to the hotel and get cleaned up. Can’t remember where we were going now. Probably to lunch.
It’s amazing how easily Gene can draw a crowd. We have done a similar performance several times now, trying to entertain people wherever we go. Later in the day, Gene discovers that the did wound himself elsewhere. His big toe is ugly and bloody and clearly it going to lose it’s nail. Gross! We wander around trying to buy some bandaids or bandaging and tape or something. None of the farmacias seem to have any such thing. We know this because we have searched before when Gene developed blisters on his feet. How on earth does anyone deverlop blisters wearing old broken in shoes? We now determine that they also don’t have hydrogen peroxide (peroxido hydrogeno), except, as one clerk informs us, in a crème! What? Finally we find someone in a pharmacy who understands what the hell we’re talking about and manages to find us some gauge pads (gaza esteril), tape (cinta quirurgica) and hydrogen peroxide. It’s amazing how difficult such a simple thing can get in a strange country where suddenly the terminology is all different even if you do speak the language.
Several days later, finally fully equipped with various medical supplies, we have decided that he definitely is going to live to travel another day. And he’s not going to lose his toe. His face still looks a bit like I’ve been beating him up again, though!

Things I Love About Peru

• Fresh Breathable air
• Sidewalk cafes
• Architecture - balconies
• Food variety
• Low prices
• Walkable sidewalks
• Parque Central
• Artists in the park
• Street food
• Lack of rain
• Daylight in the evening
• Clean streets & parks
• Beautiful clean fruit carts on the street
• Markets
• Variety of fresh fish
• Restaurant service

Sunday Morning in Search of Coffee

Or Please – Just a God Damned Cup of Coffee!

I am very pleased with myself. I can now get angry in Spanish. I didn’t think I could do it, since usually I get so frustrated I can’t speak in any language. Actually

Keeping Miraflores Clean

When we first got here I kept wondering how everything could be so clean. I've never even seen so much as a gum wrapper thrown on the ground. I've never seen anybody throw anything onto the ground. These street sweeper people are at work all the time. As a matter of fact, I looked out from our balcony at 2:30 in the morning once and one of them was working away across the street. Amazing! The other amazing thing is that they all wear masks and gloves.

Chorrillos - It Doesn't Get Much Better than This!

Chorrillos-The Beach & Climbing the Cliffs

I had been reading about this area called Los Pescadores (the fishermen). Down by the beach where the fishing boats come in, a bunch of little restaurant stalls with the freshest and best fish anywhere. Sounds like our kind of place. Gotta go. Fortunately, I think, we took a taxi. I say fortunately because the taxi driver told us ahead of time what was going to happen when we arrived. Otherwise it would have been pretty startling. As our vehicle approached the restaurant area, right on the beach, we were accosted by a dozen or so people standing in the road. One of them stood directly in front of the taxi and put her hand out to stop us. As we exited the taxi, they all vied for our attention at once, the one who had stood in front of the moving car being the most aggressive – and also having the best smile. She led us around – and then followed us around – insisting that we come to her fish shack for our lunch. All this while there were several others all trying to get us into their places. The scene was bizarre. There are about a dozen different little outdoor “cafes,” each serving the same fish menus as near as I could see. We finally decided on the café of the aggressive, smiley one. I liked her, in spite of her forcefulness. This is the system that the taxi driver had warned us of. It’s all part of the game, and every new customer is treated this way.
I had thought I would find this aggressive attack behavior to be overwhelming. Normally in that type of situation, I would have wanted to leave. Once we got used to it, we found it to be fun. And by the way, this is probably the best fish in the world. We absolutely have to get back there. If you get to Lima and have time to get to only one place, take a taxi to Los Pescadores in Chorrillos. I promise the best fish ever. Have the ceviche. Have the jalea (fried seafish). Try everything.
The ride to the beach afforded fabulous views of the bay as we wound down the cliffs and then along the oceanfront. It was Saturday. The people were out having a great day in the sun. Life is good. Being at the beach is cool and refreshing - like being at the ocean in Maine - instead of sweltering and sweating. The fried seafood even tastes like Maine. This is incredible.
After our meal, as I gazed at the modern pedestrian bridge across the main road, and admired the rock stairways up to the top of the cliff, I jokingly said to Gene: “Listo? Ready?” I wasn’t expecting the casual yes answer that I got. And I certainly didn’t think that I could get any further than the short set of stairs up to the bridge. Off we went, with me expecting to be returning down shortly, gasping and in search of a taxi. We ended up going all the way up to the village – with ease! It was fun. The views were great. I want to go back. What a day. Ever since we arrived here at sea level, I have been walking around everywhere without thinking about breathing. The air is great. I can breath. It feels great. But I had no idea that, at sea level, I would be able to walk all the way up to the top of that cliff! I can walk forever. I feel so incredibly great! I will never live above 100 feet again. I love this place.

It's My Blog...

And I’ll Post What I Want to…

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know this blog is supposed to be about our travels in South America. But my son just emailed me this picture of my grandson Austin with a butterfly on his shoulder. Is he not just the cutest thing?

Barranco - Artists' Community

The Barranco neighborhood of Lima is known as where the artists and musicians and artsy people hang out. It’s about 10 minutes by taxi from where we’re staying in the center of Miraflores. We had met a young woman who works at the bookstore who had told us that she lives in Barranco and prefers it because she is a plastics artist. Today we finally checked it out. We spent the day walking around trying to figure the town out. It has a lot of beautiful old decrepit buildings, most in very poor condition. There are some cafes and restaurants and bars. A pleasant parque central. Beautiful view out over the Pacific – which of course every community around here has if you walk to the edge!
We stopped for pisco sours and a snack at an artsy fartsy little art café on the park – Iskay – less than $US 10 for all that – in a pleasant and relaxing place. Later we stopped for lunch at a neighborhood bar/café on the other side of the park. I finally got to try Anticuchos, beef heart pieces on a stick. Very tasty, but a bit tough. Will have to try again. Another pisco sour. Gene had the Lomo Saltado, another popular local dish (sautéed beef). It tasted great. It was a great afternoon walking around. We still don’t know if we would prefer Barranco over Miraflores. We’re pretty stuck on Miraflores I think. We need to spend another day wandering over there.

Thanksgiving Day

Had totally forgotten what day it was in the US until somebody sent me an email wishing me a happy day! Well, in spite of the fact that they actually grow turkeys here, and we see it on menus all the time, we didn’t happen to have any today. Our wanderings around landed us at lunch time at Erni’s, a little sidewalk café near the park. They offered set menus for 7.5 or 9 soles or a set menu marino (fish) for 15 soles. Guess which we had! For appetizers we had a Pulpo de Olivo and a Tiradito Bicolor (similar to ceviche but without the onions and with 2 sauces). Fabulous. Then Gene ordered Tacu Tacu with Mariscos (flavored white beans and rice fried together – oh, my God this is so much better than it sounds! Topped with seafood) and I had Jalea de Mariscos (fried fish) and I swear to God the first bite I took was exactly what I remember Maine fried clams tasting like in the summer when I was a kid. Yes, I was in Heaven! Some Thankgiving Day Feast. And yes, we are very very grateful for all of you! Our Thanksgiving Day would be perfect if only our friends and family were here with us.

Lunch in My Favorite Alley

We may be splurging a lot on those $6 to $8 ceviches and fried fish plates and such (all of which are big enough to share and then some), but you really can eat well cheaply around here. Most places have a set “menu” with an appetizer, main course, drink and sometimes a dessert for a few dollars or less. This great little place in the alley in my favorite neighborhood has a great lunch offering for 6 soles ($US 2, or 1,000 colones). I had Tallarin Verde (green spaghetti) and Milanesa and Gene had something delicious, too – which I can’t remember.

Back in Lima

We're back in Miraflores. We enjoyed Trujillo and I absolutely adored the beach town of Huanchaco. But overall I guess both of us prefer the city. It's nice being back. The bus ride was better this time. I knew how to work the seat. There was no diesel fuel coffee offered in the morning.

We did a lot of walking around today. Found another really nice neighborhood in Miraflores where we could... Stopped for lunch at a nice little Italian place called Arugula.

Amazing Supermarkets

And as if the mercados were not enough, there are also incredible supermarkets - with deli-type counters, all kinds of fish, a couple of dozen types of potatoes (that was for you, Emma!) I love this place!

Starbucks in Latin America

There are really only two reasons to visit Starbucks in Peru. Firstly they offer free wireless. So for the price of a Latte Alto, 7 soles (about $2.25), you can check your email, surf the net for a couple of hours, find lodging at your next stop, and update your blog. Nobody seems to care how long you've been there - or even whether you've acually bought anything. It"s a busy, cheerful atmosphere. Other than the five Californian cyclers we've just met, most customers appear to be Peruvians. The cyclers, all probably in their 50's, have just finished a 500 mile, three week bike trip, stopping along the way to help build a couple of schools and provide a meal and clothes to a bunch of street kids. They do a trip like this every year. Travelers are more interesting than normal people. Also crazier. 500 miles on a bicycle! Anyhow, the other reason for hanging out at Starbucks in beautiful Miraflores, Peru, is the bathrooms. Immaculate. Seats. Soap. Hand dryers. After a few weeks of pedaling through remote villages, you just want to hang out for a while.

Lobo del Mar - Had to Do Lunch There Again!

Thank God for La Favorita