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Published: August 8th 2008
MotoTaxi Ride
Riding in the back of a mototaxi. One sol (35 cents) will take you just about anywhere local.Rose and Ray on R&R in Peru
August 2 - 6, 2008
Rose’s sister, Valeria, owns a fishing boat here in Peru. They fish for anchovies, so the next time you get one of those stinky little dudes on your pizza, I can tell you where it came from. The boat (Alaska 1) was docked in Chimbote, and the captain told us that it was somewhat of a minor miracle that they were just arriving and off-loading their catch at the time they were there. They normally arrive in the wee hours of the night, off-load, clean up, load with ice and take off again.
That night we spent at the hotel El Brujo in Trujillo. The hotel was quite nice, well staffed with really nice help, and they had hot water. Don’t laugh. Hot water in the shower is somewhat of a commodity here. They also had a business center with WIFI for your laptop and two computers for guests’ use. The web site for the hotel is www.elbrujohotel.com. A brujo is a witch doctor or curandero, one who heals people. The name of the hotel comes from the archeological dig of the same name. Trujillo is
The Fishing Boat
This boat is owned by Rose's sister, Valeria. She had only seen it once when it was christened. We got very lucky to be able to see it offlaod the catch during daylight hours. an old colonial capital and the city seems a lot nicer to me than Lima. There is a good bit of tourist sights to see which we will have to check out the next time we go there. We did get to go see the Huaca del Sol y la Luna. (http://www.huacadelaluna.org.pe/en/HuacadelaLuna.asp). This looks pretty much like a big mud hill now, but on the inside, the history of the place is told. The rulers were apparently buried on different levels. When one died, they covered him up and built on top. We saw multiple levels, some really nicely done friezes and were treated to a nice tour. We hired a car to take us around, and the driver told us about the Restaurant El Establo (the stable) and we had a huge meal called a patchmanka hauncaina. It is mostly meat in huge portions served with potatoes, Peruvian corn (kernels are huge), sweet potatoes and some kind of bean that no one seems to know the name of. Everything is pit-cooked. The driver had a plate of cuy, which many of you may know as a guinea pig. He just got a hindquarter, but it still had its cute
Anchovies being loaded onto the truck.
These are for human consumption. There are other uses for anchovies. little claws on the foot. It was the weekend so they folklorico dancers and I really enjoyed taking their pictures.
We had gone to buy our bus tickets earlier in the day because the buses tend to fill up quickly and you must have a reserved seat to ride. We took the bus back to Chiclayo and caught a taxi back to Pimentel. We hit the sack and rested up for what the next day might bring.
August 4 and 5, 2008
Completely unbeknownst to me, the two sisters had plotted a trip to Olmos where Rose’s mother was born. They still have lots of family there. So, up bright and early, we jump in a taxi and head for Transportes Olmos, a special little van/bus company that runs to the town of Olmos. We made it somehow, and found our way to the Hostal Gran Valle, which is basically the ONLY lodging in Olmos. Did I mention that Olmos is not exactly a metro area? OK, so we have our rooms and I am told (surprise) that we are going BACK the way we came to another tiny town called Motupe. In Motupe, they are having
Pelicans on the dock
There were hundreds and hundreds of them. All sitting around waiting for the inevitable handout that was coming when they hose down the deck and wash little fishes into the water. a big procession of the crosses from three towns, Olmos, Motupe and Chóchope. (http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=qncunDNEXZI=) Anyway, this was a big deal for these folks. The streets were painted and then covered with a dyed material that looked a lot like sawdust. This was spread over the designs. All this just so the crosses and the people bearing their heavy weight could walk over them. The flowers on these crosses were magnificent, some of the biggest, most beautiful roses I have ever seen. As dusk approached, the parade started with the cross-bearers taking tiny six-inch steps under the weight of the device the cross was mounted on. It was obviously a labor of love. There was a definite carnival atmosphere with vendors selling everything imaginable. Rose bought a bunch of little sweets that are so cheap it makes you wonder how they make a living selling them. As a matter of fact, I just gobbled one up while writing this.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the fifth of August, we got up and took a warm suicide shower, checked out of our rooms and headed to one of Rose’s aunt’s house (actually Rose’s Mom’s cousin) for breakfast. Guess what we had. FISH! Fried fish
A Couple of Love Birds
I just liked this picture. for brekkie plus a little bit of fried Yuca and coffee made from essence of coffee (esencia de café). Either it wasn’t half bad or I’m just getting used to it. Did I mention that I hurt myself by tripping over a speed bump the night before? Those of you who live near me know that I occasionally have trouble with my knees and ankles. Well, this little trip blew up my right ankle so we went to a sobador (a masseuse). A blind guy named Manolo first gave me a nice shoulder and neck rub that almost put me to sleep and then he started on the ankle. I have to tell you that I entered a skeptic and left a believer. Today, I am having no trouble walking, and when you are five stories up, that is important.
Just prior to finding Manolo, we had gone to look at a grifo, or gas station that was under remodel. I kind of think we were looking at it as an investment possibility, but we left with nothing really happening. I was a bit lost on this one. Rose just explained to me that her Dad was interested in
Peruvian Hairless Dog
The little dog is a Peruvian Hairless. People like them because they are very warm and because they are uniquely Peruvian. This dog and his ugly little buddy were among the most photographed things at the Huaca de la Luna y del Sol. the land across the street. We were also looking for land for Rose’s sister. If you are born in that town, you have a right to claim property for free, as long as you build on it within two years. We wrapped up our Olmos visit and headed for Chiclayo to come home.
August 6, 2008
We got home yesterday evening and boy was I glad to see our little apartment. We had snacks for dinner and went down to the beach to watch the sun set. We have our eye on a little piece of beachfront property that is physically joined to the Peruvian Coast Guard station (24 hour vigilance for free). We are trying to contact the owner and see if we can buy it for a reasonable price. It looks like crap now, but with a lot of work (tear it down to dirt), it could be a nice place.
We got up this morning, washed our sheets by hand (yep, no washer, no dryer) and hung them to dry. They came out smelling like a rose. We take our clothes to the lavanderia in Chiclayo. We went to the market and bought a
Huaca de la Luna y del Sol
It might just look like a big mud hill, but there is some fascinating stuff under there. big fresh fish that had just been swimming a couple of hours earlier. He was delicious, along with red onions sliced julienne style in lime juice, with Peruvian beans and rice. We had him again for dinner and we still have quite a bit in the freezer.
I needed a haircut so we went to the only barber in town. When we walked in, there was this little guy who appeared to be blind in AT LEAST one eye. His hands were shaking and he looked to be about 120 years old. The haircut was only a dollar (three soles), and believe me, I got what I paid for. I am going to Chiclayo tomorrow to get it repaired.
We went walking on the beach and day dreamed about our new beachfront property.
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