So Many Dances

There are so many influences in the many folkloric dances of Peru. Andean, Spanish, Black (from the early slaves) and more. We saw a wonderful show at Las Brisas de Titicaca. There were so many dances it was 3 hours long. Alex and Noelle loved it. Now they want to learn the Marninera Nortena - the national dance of Peru!

This is Poverty

We are staying in a lovely part of Lima right on the coast but real poverty is just a short drive outside the city. There are miles and miles of shanty towns like these. Houses stacked on top of each other covering the dirt mountainsides. Some adobe houses even appear roofless. It doesn't rain much in this part of Peru - only a few millimeters a year.

A full time live in nanny - 6 days a week gets paid around $200 US Dollars!!!! And, they are the lucky ones! They have their meals paid for, hot water and shelter. (A maid's quarters in a fairly well off home is what we would consider a closet. It only fits a twin bed.) The maid's quarters that is built into the house we are renting is outside!!!! Kind of looks like a utility closet with a twin bed in it. Sad.

Put a Zip in Your Step with these Coca Leaf Products

Had an energy bar that I purchased at an archaeological site today. It really worked. I was walking around town with new vigor and my whole mouth was tingling!!! Hmmm. What was in that thing anyway? Looks like birdseed but let me read the ingredients.....quinoa, sesame seeds, raisins, etc...Ooooohhh, coca leaf powder.

Wow! Now that's an energy bar that really works!

Oh, forgot one of the best things. We took the kids to the Museo de Oro where we saw lots of Peruvian gold and silver, mummies (Alex thought this was way cool. Noelle did not.) We saw Francisco Pizzaro's actual swords. We learned that some of the civilizations that were pre-Inca cut off the heads of their enemies and wore them on their waist - like a fancy belt buckle. They had some of these heads on display - complete with hair, teeth, everything. And, I must say they had good teeth. No need for braces. We saw a scull that had brain surgery - you could see the hole they cut. Of course, not sure how effective this surgery was as we were looking at the skull but who knows? Also, did you know that the Incas plucked all of their hair off their faces including eyebrows, beards, etc...? The Spanish documented their hairlessness. OUCH! Ther are many tweezers on display in the museums. Think how much time they had to put into this. The Spanish also called them the big ear people. WOW... you wouldn't beleive the size of the earrings. Think small plates with studs as wide as a few inches. WOW! Anyway, all of this has given Alex the inspiration for his next Halloween costume. I just have to convince him not to shave his eyebrows. We weren't allowed to take pictures in this museum but I have a couple of others from another museum. Also, for those of you who don't know. All of the gold that is left was discovered in tombs. The Spanish melted down everything else into coins or bars and sent it back to Spain. What a shame!

Oh my goodness! It's been a few days since my last post. We've been running ragged here visiting all kinds of family and friends and trying to squeeze everything in before Robert was due to leave. The gastronomic tour continued for quite awhile. We tried to hit as many of the top restaurants we could. Didn't even make a scratch.

We also went to the Circuito Magico de Agua. Basically a Bellagio water fountain park on steroids in downtown Lima. It had several fountains to admire and even some you could walk through which the kids loved. There's a picture of us walking through a water fountain tunnel. Alex and Noelle were sopping wet afterwords. Robert ran them into one of the water fountains and was unable to escape without getting completely drenched. It's a good thing the kids had rain jackets.

This past weekend we spent in Chaclacayo - a sunny warmer neighborhood 1 hour outside Lima. We spent Saturday with Robert's cousin Lila and Sunday with the Castillo's - some old family friends. We drank more pisco sours of course and had a wonderful time.

Sadly, Robert has left and returned home as of early Tuesday morning. We are on our own now and trying to develop a routine. I tried to kill a few hours yesterday while the kids were in school so I went to the gym at the Marriott hotel and worked out for 31/2 hours. BIG MISTAKE. I can barely walk today. I also checked into an intensive Spanish school for me to see if I can jump start my Spanish. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever become conversational. It's a little depressing. The amount of Spanish I have taken in my life. If you don't use it you really do lose it. Plus, they talk SO FAST down here and with a limena accecnt. Sometimes I'm mentally just saying "What the %^$* did they just say?" Robert has even said that he has had a hard time understanding them a few times - and I don't think he was just trying to make me feel better!!!

I've posted some new photos. Take a look. Ciao!

Anyway, that's it for now.

On the lighter side

Translations into English are always funny. We visited a very elegant restaurant that had a menu with English subtitles. I definitely needed it because the menu was so sophisticated and my Spanish food vocabulary is pretty limited. One dish in particular caught my eye. I don't remember what it was but it was topped with a sauce in a pineapple "spherification". Is this a word anyone has heard before? I don't know if this is a real word but I'm definitely incorporating it into my vocabulary! I'm already trying to work it into conversation as much as possible. :) Really!

Robert and I bought a Spanish children's book for the kids to read. The store had a selection of books about the animals of Peru. This particular book is titled El Puma de los Andinos. (The Puma of the Andes.) It's an illustrated cartoonish children's book with lots of neat facts about Pumas. On one page they inform the children that Pumas in the United States are called Cougar Mountains. I was confused when I read this but Robert and I had a good laugh when we realized they were joining two names together.... Cougars and Mountain Lions. I have to go pick up the other books in the series just for some more comic fun.

Peru Week Two

Kids have started their school and are having fun. They look great in their new uniforms. Alex scored a goal at recess on his first day of school and was greeted with a big "Golazo!!" from the kids. Looks like he'll be playing lots of soccer while he is here. Noelle has made two friends - her seat mate named Francesca and another girl named Angelica.

We got an unsual day of sunshine during a season with a tenacious overcast sky. We enjoyed a walk along the coast watching the paragliders and surfers while the sun was out. We walked to Lover's Park which is on the bluffs above the ocean. The main feature of the park is a beautiful mosaic wall and bench that wraps around the entire park - it contains the verses to Spanish love poems. You know how I love mosaic!!! The kids enjoyed a Lucuma ice cream which is made from a fruit here in Peru. The flavor is similiar to Butterscotch.

We had a nice lunch with Robert's cousin Danny and his lovely girlfriend Jeanette. They took us to a fabulous restaurant named Chala in Barranco. At each restaurant I declare that this is the best food I've ever had. The tiradito and the causa were AMAZING! (Say with a Peruvian accent - como Terry) We continue to enjoy lots of Pisco Sour's (Peru's national drink) and Jeanette introduced me to a Maricuya (passion fruit) Sour which was delicious too.