The list was worthy of a world record. Umbrellas. Fountain pens. Three cell phones (actually two, as one was stolen), two favorite pair of sunglasses, one being retro Bausch Lomb scored for two dollars at an estate sale in Detroit, then left at a bus station in Vietnam, and another in a coffee shop in China, and a pair of […]
Lost Pérdida
Getting High
There’s a commercial for Puma shoes that plays a lot in Peru. It features a song about “getting high” one gets from the adrenaline rush of running. I don’t run, but I’m getting addicted to the thrill of hiking a huge mountain (metaphorically or physically) and the vibes felt afterwards. And in Peru, there’s a lot of getting high to […]
lluvia
This weekend in Lima, I saw something rather unusual. It wasn’t seeing a guy getting beat up downtown –which I did see–near the used bookstore street–about five guys pummeling one guy. Yep, just another day in the Lima city center. The unusual thing I saw in Lima wasn’t the rare yellow-tailed oriole–which I also saw– the bird looking like a […]
Toil
His scythe is from a past century; his muscles from hard work, not a protein drink. He doesn’t have the luxury to complain about headlines or Facebook posts. He was a reminder about how most folks in Peru live. Hard work with no paid vacation, Lazy Boy chairs or coffee breaks. While parts of Peru are gorgeous , rural areas […]
Wild Ones
Being typical Peruvians, piranha do prefer chicken.
¡corre!
I got up extra early on a Sunday to watch the Lima Marathon. I am humbled by the array of athletes, wishing I could buy their drive in a bottle. Some wore the unexpected. A few wore smiles. I hung out with the photographers and big finger people. Here are leaders of the pack. They make it look so easy. […]
Rimac Close Up
Rimac is not on the videos you see posted on YouTube about Lima, Peru. Actually, Rimac is one of the areas in Lima you are warned not to visit, unless you are accompanied by a few buff guys, which I was. This vibrant districts is also home to one of Lima’s shanty towns that bring a bit of color to […]
Bahía At Bay
“I see an eagle!” screamed one first grader. “I do, too!” screamed another. I had doubts if an American Eagle escaped to Lima, Peru, in spite of the divisive week in politics. But the week of birdwatching with the elementary students inspired me to do a bit of my own at the Paracas National Reserve, an easy safe bus ride […]
Whiz Kid
Sometimes I wonder if I am ever making a difference in the world. Am I just eating ceviche in Lima, or am I making a difference? Well, this week, I felt as if I was more than a consumer of fish and corrector of grammar errors (By the way, this ceviche below costs less than a specialty Starbucks drink). Well […]