This post is not about anything specific but instead will likely be a rambling assortment of details, observations and opinions formed over the past week of being here in Lima. All of this while I sit here watching the world go by, eating peas and drinking beer (that is me, not the world, eating the peas and drinking the beer).
I should probably start with the beer that Nancy and I acquired on our foray into the local supermarket. Very modern by the way, with a surprising assortment of just about everything you might need. In our case, bread, cheese, ham, bananas, peas, olives and of course, beer. Eating food from grocery stores makes some healthy economical sense when traveling for extended periods, especially when just a nutritious snack is all that is wanted. While not particularly glamorous, it is cheaper and does expose you to a variety of foods that you might not see in a restaurant. Our friends Laura and Joe were kind enough to take us on a small tour of their local market where we learned about the purple corn they have here as well as the regular corn that has GIANT kernels compared to what you see in the U.S.. Already I digress, guess I need to get back into the habit of writing. More on Laura and Joe and the amazing Sunday organic food market they took us to in their neighborhood later. But now back to grocery store.
On our walk back, bags in hand, Nancy commented that shopping at the grocery store, carrying bags back to our hotel, made her feel like we live here. It’s not surprising really when you consider we are quite comfortable in new places even not understanding the language (and we understand more here than we ever did in Taipei). For that matter we are homeless and so for all intents and purposes wherever we currently are is home. Twice already I have referred to our room in this hotel/hostel/lodge as home to Nancy, much to her amusement. Lima could easily be home. So far it has shown us its modernity in ways Salvador could not manage in the two years we lived there. I am sure Lima also has its less than favorable sides but so far, apart from one fairly major flaw, it is a very livable and attractive city from any standpoint, not even just a South American one. Flaw you say? Flaw I say. Today was glorious, the sun came out around noon and chased the clouds away until none remained to be seen. It warmed up to 72 according to Yahoo Weather but it felt warmer so garbed in shorts and flip-flops we basked in it as we gazed out at the Pacific, drinking our DC’s and snacking on one of our favorite Brazilian food, Sticksies (that’s pretzels to all you non-Brazilians).
Flaw you say? Flaw I say. This is the first day since we arrived a week ago that has proven to us that that brilliant ball of gas in the sky really does exist. Lima, apparently in the winter, (that’s now) almost always has overcast skies for almost 6 months of the year. It’s like sea fog in a way although it is above the city and not at street level. It makes it difficult to tell what time it is, the light doesn’t change. (that’s what a watch is for you say, that’s a different story I say). Average temps here have been in the 64’s which is really pretty refreshing after the nearly continuous 82 degree days we had in Salvador. I do have to say that I like sun. Most locals here are outfitted for winter, some even resorting to scarves and gloves. Flip-flops, shorts and t-shirts receive occasional sidelong glances. We explain we are in the polar bear club. (or just from near Boston). It’s not really all that different.
We have heard talk of an el Nina this year, apparently Lima has been experiencing a warmer than usual winter. What the impact will be on the rest of our travels, only time will tell. Although our Yahoo Weather app tells us La Paz is in the 40’s most mornings and evenings. Brr. Plan on seeing pics of Nancy dressed in shorts and T-shirts grinning like the Nanouk of the North she is, next to a gringo dressed like an alpaca. The alpaca will probably be wearing a very colorful hat.
Working back in time, we bought our Peru-Hop tickets today and are very excited. We leave on the next leg (why is it called a leg?) of our trip on Wednesday, early. That post is Nancy’s so I’ll let her tell you our plans and about the Hop, a very cool idea that just might revolutionize travel on this continent (for better or worse, which might have to be another blog after we have experienced Bolivia).
Our other accomplishment today was finding a replacement camera for me. Canon no longer services my ancient camera and my sensor is basically toast. Not sure why or how this has happened but I do know living next to the ocean this past year has probably not done it any favors. It did serve me well these past 9 years though so I won’t complain. We thought it might make more sense to get the same camera (Nancy just bought an Olympus OMD-M1?) but alas, we could find nobody in Lima that sells them, there are however plenty of people that service them. If I could have done that I probably would have. Our friend Dustin’s pictures have sold us on this camera and we cannot wait to learn its secrets. Since I already have a fairly sizable investment in lenses for the Canon, I opted for the 70D since it is the equivalent model to the 30D that it replaces. Now I just have to say at this point that Nancy should most likely be sainted because although patience is not always her strong point, when it comes to shopping with me she seems to reach way down inside her and keep the snide remarks to a bare minimum. I deserve them really but old habits are hard to break. You see, when I shop, I like to look, then look some more, then I like to look over there, even when I have found what it is I have been looking for over here. Then I look somewhere else. After I have exhausted places to look, I inevitably return to the first place I looked and found what I was looking for. It had what I needed and now I have found that it also had the best price around. I should, by now, take on faith that the first find is the best find and although Nancy will no doubt dispute this, I can almost feel myself coming around to her point of view. Almost. What bothers me most is that Nancy is probably right. Probably. Maybe. It makes me feel better that I explored all my options, weighed all my choices, carefully considered all variables. Maybe that makes it worthwhile. It makes my legs tired that it took me half a day to accomplish this though
No comments:
Post a Comment