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!"

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

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.

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 to the Beach

Since Chan Chan only took an hour, there is plenty of time to continue on to Huanchaco for another lunch at the beach. Can’t resist this place. There are bigger waves today. We listen to the pounding surf as we enjoy another fabulous lunch in a second story restaurant with a view of the entire town and the ocean beyond. It’s quieter here today than it was on Saturday – and we thought it was quiet then. There is only one other table of people at the restaurant. We shared another unbelievably good ceviche mixto and a fish in a garlic sauce, along with one of those big bottles of beer. We could…
Later in the day we met two cute brothers from Naples, Florida. Probably in their late 20’s or early 30’s, they said that people here really give them a hard time because of their accent. They moved from here to Florida when they were pre-schoolers. Their parents are both Peruvians, so they speak Spanish “fluently,” but it is not their first language, and their pronunciation, and their phraseology, is off. I guess people are more patient with us because they look at them and think that their Spanish should be perfect, like a native. Listening to their experiences traveling to the country of their birth as foreigners was interesting. They were just happy to find someone they could speak English to! They thought their dear mother was being ridiculous a few years ago when she insisted on buying a lot right on the beach in Huanchaco, which is where she grew up. She paid $US 10,000 for it. Her sons are now shocked that small houses right on the beach are selling for the outrageous price of $80,000 - $100,000.
This is our last day in Trujillo. It was a good day. We like it here. But we’re looking forward to getting back to Miraflores, which we love. Tonight’s another big bus ride.

Why We Love Demarco's

Croissants & cafe. Little tables crowded about the room. White-shirted, black-vested, black-bow-tied waiters rushing about making sure everyone has what they need. Front of cafe opening through French doors to the ever-changing street scene. Sparkling selection of wine glasses hanging above the bar on the far wall. A language that I don't understand being spoken at the next table. Swedish maybe. Soft classical music. Free wireless! Paris maybe? London? Madrid? No, we're in Trujillo, Peru's 3rd largest city. Not as cosmopolitan as Lima, not quite as sparkling, it nevertheless feels more like a European city than what I think of as Latin America. The Colonial city part of it reminds me a bit if Granada, Nicaragua. It's nice. We like it. But not as much as we like Lima.

El Mochica

It’s the sort of place you take your mom on a Sunday afternoon. Big menu. Excellent local dishes, some of it the kind that Mom used to make back when Mom used to cook. Several big dining rooms available. Going all the way to the back one, expecting a more intimate environment, we found – guess what! A very lively, very loud band! Probably great music but nearly as loud as the stadium. Gene saw the glazed look on my face and grabbed my arm, dragging me back into the very pleasant entry area room. Tranquilo. Cabrito with beans again. Love that stuff. Here, in the country where I came to eat fish, I am getting hooked on meat, which I always thought I didn’t much care for. Gene had a fabulous steak – 300 grams worth – and it was delicious – cooked rare just the way we like it. Add a Pisco Sour (Catedral – super sized!) for me and a media jarra de sangria for Gene – and we are happy!

Huanchaco - Day at the Beach

More Bad Coffee - & then Off to the Beach

Oh, my God! For coffee this place is the worst! Did that stupid thing again this morning of going downstairs for the included breakfast! Poured myself some “coffee” out of the little white pitcher. Added some “milk” from the other pitcher. Took a taste – of cold axle grease, I guess! Jesus! Am I ever going to get a decent cup of coffee in this place??? So I asked the waiter what the hell is this all about! He explains to me that I am supposed to pour myself a cupful of hot water out of the big coffee urn. Then I am supposed to add a bit of the strong cold black stuff that looks like axle grease. Then I can add some of the weird tasting “cream” if I want. OK. So that’s closer to an actual cup of coffee, but, I really just need a real cup of coffee in the morning! Without all this work!
So ultimately we find a place that will serve us an actual cup of actual coffee. After that we are able to function well enough to decide to go to Huanchaco, the nearby beach town. Fun day. A real beach. Beach-town type restaurants. Great ceviche and cold beer. We’re happy again! It is fun wandering around a beach town but not burning up. It was so comfortable. And tranquilo. Not wild and crazy with weird tourists. Just really pleasant. Kind of like a Maine beach town. Nice town, good food, cold water. But here they surf it wet suits. Looks pretty weird, but they all seem happy. I like this place.

Arrival in Trujillo - Please Just a Decent Cup of Coffee

Well, first off the bus ride wasn’t as great as it sounded, but I think it was all my fault. I just couldn’t figure out how to make the seat work right and it was dark so I couldn’t see what I was doing. Everything else was ok and if I could have got my seat adjusted, it would have been very comfortable. Definitely recommend bringing munchies and drinks. The little sandwich and brownie things didn’t look bad – wasn’t hungry, didn’t try them. But first thing in the morning, as we wheeled into Trujillo, the “conductor” came around with what I thought was to be coffee. Just what I needed at that point. Thank you. I took one sip and nearly spewed it across the bus! I don’t know what it was. Something like a strong blend of very old coffee and engine grease, maybe? With about a half cup of sugar added, so that it had the consistency of syrup and the taste of – well, I don’t know what, but trust me, it was really bad! After a week of raving about how incredible the coffee is in Peru, it was all destroyed with that one sip!
At the bus terminal, while I was in the bathroom, Gene, friendly guy that we all know him to be, befriended a charming taxi driver who wanted to help us out with all of our plans. Well, of course, the bitch traveling with Gene didn’t want help from anyone about anything. She simply wanted to be taken to Plaza Central, so that she could find a decent cup of coffee. No, she did not want to be taken to Huanchaco because all the hotels in Trujillo were full. No, she did not want to check in to the hotel in el centro that he recommended. She just wanted a damned cup of coffee. Finally convinced, and tired of the discussion I assume, he managed to drop us off at a coffee shop a block away from plaza central. The worst coffee shop I’ve ever been in. Absolutely the worst coffee I’ve ever had. Well, ok, even this was not as bad as the bus coffee thing. But still! We’re talking a tall glass full of lukewarm milk with a little side pitcher of coffee. Helloooo! This is what I get when I ask for “café con leche!” The waiter didn’t seem to understand and asked me if I wanted “coffee with milk.” OK, I agreed to that, not understanding why he didn’t understand it in Spanish. Well, apparently they do coffee differently up here in the North. By now it was looking like I was never again going to get a decent cup of coffee. Somehow we walked around (with fully loaded backpacks) until we found a normal coffee shop and obtained really good cups of cappuccino. OK. Happy now. After our first cup, I left Gene at the café with all of our bags while I walked around and quickly found a hotel. The one I was looking for, the charming old, slightly run-down colonial building one, of course was closed. Just because the guidebook says it’s there … OK so I find a hotel. Good location. Even has wireless, so I can do a little blogging. Has all the usual stuff. But a bit boring. A newer hotel with little or no character. But fine. And it’s in the area that we wanted. Lots of cafes and colonial architecture. We’re good.
Later in the day we stumbled into a great little neighborhood restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately I don’t remember now where it was or what it was called. But we had some fabulous food! Cay Estofado (Guinea pig), Papas Huancaina, Arroz Chaufa.
There is some interesting colonial architecture here, as promised. But I think I’m going to miss my sidewalk cafes. And good coffee. And the park.

Lobo del Mar - Had to Do Lunch There Again!

Thank God for La Favorita

There's No Such Thing as a Good Free...

breakfast. Since breakfast is supposedly included with our room, we decided to go up to the rooftop cafe this morning and check it out. While waiting for Gene, I sipped on a cold coffee. Ten minutes after he joined me, Gene had still not been served coffee. We were the only customers up there. So much for breakfasts included with hotel rooms. Don't think I've ever had one worth bothering with. Every other cup of coffee we've had here has been really great. This was bad.

Arrecife-New Favorite Lunch Place

Walking back from the market, we discovered El Arrecife - a great little cebicheria operated by Isabel. The lunch special #1 was a beautiful plate of ceviche, followed by a big plate of arroz con mariscos. Along with an Inka Cola, the cost was 13.90 soles, or about $US4.50 or 2,500 colones). Delicious!

Donatello's - My New Favorite Place

How could it NOT be my new favorite place? Great coffee for 2.5 soles. On my favorite street where I want to live. Four tables for 2. The kind of place where they know your name. And this guy. Who could resist?

Rincon Chami Again

Back to my new favorite place again for lunch. Couldn't help myself. Had to have the Seco de Cordero, which was absolutely fabulous. Gene had the Pollo Asado. With Inka Colas, the total meal was 44 soles ($US14 or 8,000 colones). I love this place. There are apartments upstairs in the same building, but there are no vacancies. There are a lot of art supply stores in this area, which is close to the park. Gene says "I could..."

Emma: Please help me out here. Why on earth do they call it dried lamb? It is delicious!

La Favorita - My New Favorite Place

And Gene says "I could..."

Rincon Chami - My New Favorite Place

The cabrito (goat) was fabulous. The chicharones de pescado were, too, but we ate them before we remembered to take a photo. And here's a Picture of the Street where I want to Live. You can click on it to make it bigger. Then hit the return arrow thingee at the top of your screen to get back here.