I’m not sure, because I’m still learning the language, but I think Lunahuana is an ancient Quechua word for Pisco. This small town, about three hours from Lima, Peru, and is one of only five regions in Peru that grow the magical Pisco grape. I didn’t visit Lunahuana for grape stomping, but for hiking, along with a hodge-podge of hikers […]
Lunahuana:
Winging it in Oxapampa
If you see a little Smoke-colored Pewee in Oxapampa, Peru, don’t call your doctor. Call a birdwatcher. Yes, a bird watcher. A smoky-colored pewee is just one of the three hundred bird species that will blow up your Merlin phone app in this high jungle bird mecca of Peru. Who named these birds in Oxapampa? Who knows. But you got […]
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 […]
Fa-la-la-la-llamas
It’s Christmas in Peru. Everything is decked in green and red, but you still can’t find an ugly holiday sweater. That’s because Christmas arrives in the summer, along with llamas and wiseman bringing gifts of sunscreen. No partridges in pair trees, just parrots in palm trees. And Santa takes a bus, that is, if there isn’t a transit strike. Truth […]
Battle of Ayacucho
Instead of having a mattress sale, Peruvians celebrate their war heroes with parades, each reminding me of the parade scene in Godfather II where young Don Corleone had Don Fanucci killed.
San Ramon
On the advice of Pedro, the gentleman I met at a local bakery who had an encounter with a Peruvian UFO, I ventured to San Ramon this Thanksgiving. Why? I was more interested in looking at birds instead of space aliens. Actually, Pedro isn’t the only Peruvian who recommended San Ramon. Being on the eyebrow of the jungle, San Ramon […]
Peruvian Ugly
OK. I admit. I’m a cat person and Lima’s Kennedy Park has forty-two purring creatures for me to love. But this town is dog happy and an overwhelming amount of them are beyond coyote ugly. They are even uglier than the extraterrestrials that supposedly visited this place. Take for instance, the popular Peruvian Orchid. This hairless variety is the rage, […]
Sleepy Joe
It was a big day in Lima, Peru. President Joe Biden and Xin Jinping were in town for the APEC meeting. For those of you who are not fluent in acronyms, APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It also meant lots of businesses were closed in Lima to keep traffic to a minimum, and a chance for me to catch […]
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 […]
Purple: Mes Morado Month
In Lima, there are no red states or blue states. Everything is purple. Well, at least today. Since I’m too lazy to google what the purple parade and celebration is about, I’m guessing it’s not to honor Barnie the Dinosaur or the Late Great Californian Raisins. It’s Mes Morado, or the Lord of the Miracles Month (I asked someone). This […]