Arrr Matey

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Well, we did get back to Lima on Wednesday afternoon (May 31st). Alli was still feeling not so great, so we had a low-key day. We had lunch at Canta Rana, a local's cebicheria in Barranco. Then we walked to Larcomar.

Larcomar is the lovely little cliff-side mall complex in Miraflores. It has everything two exhausted people could want, including Starbucks. But actually we didn't go to Starbucks, and instead found a little cafe with seats outside looking at the ocean, and we watched surfers while we sipped our drinks (tea and capuccino) & shared a slice of cheesecake. The stores here are quite upscale, as is the clientele - a mixture of Peruvian and tourists. What a beautiful location though! We didn't do any shopping, besides picking up a children's book for a friend.

We did go down to see what movies were playing. Pirates of the Carribbean was out and subbed in Spanish. Finally I would learn to talk like a pirate in Spanish too! Arrr ye hombre! Tierra's Ahoy! Yo ho ho y un botella de Ron! Better yet, the tickets were only USD$3!!! The theater was very comfortable, just like a theater at home - even all of the same foods (popcorn, hot dogs). Being sick, we didn't try anything - but we did enjoy the movie immensely.

I know, what a copout! Some traveller I am, going to a mall and seeing a Hollywood blockbuster.

Well, the next day, I started to feel queasy and tired. AFter a three hour breakfast with Lillian and the other guests, we decided to take it easy and go to the Raphael Larco Herrerra museum. It is filled with ceramics and metalworking from all around Peru. The signing comes in three languages, but is very small. I was pretty disappointed. The setting was beautiful but the art wasn't displayed in a very compelling manner. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't the best museum ever as the price might indicate (8$USD!!!) The lunch there was pretty tasty, as the cafe is run by the famous Peruvian Chef Gaston of Astrid & Gaston.

The main draw apparently to this museum is the erotic Moche pottery collection. I have to say I found it very creepy. I know, it's my Western sensibilities, but this culture seemed so remote from ours! Very few of the pottery showed a woman on top, and none showed a woman receiving oral pleasure, though occasionally they showed digital stimulation. Sometimes dead people were shown copulating, I guess it's a sign that life goes on after death. The faces of the people in the pottery were often anguished or bored rather than lustful. I was particularly creeped out by the snarling jaguar figure having sex with a woman, even though it is likely a representation of a god. Finally there were countless images of anal sex and fellatio, and with the complete lack of cunnilingus or even homosexual sex, I definitely felt their culture left something to be desired!

After this, we went to the Indian Market, where I saw all the same crap from Cusco and stuff from other places, and had no desire to buy any of it - and was beginning to feel overwhelmed. We spent the rest of the day in the hotel room watching TV, with a brief field trip out to buy yogurt and then watch the surfers from the back of the hotel.

I was glad to be going home that night, so glad we changed our flights, but it didn't work out well - the flight timed exactly with the worst stomach cramps ever. I was doubled over in the airplane bathroom, not sure which end should be pointed at the toilet. This was for a seven hour flight. When food was served, I almost had to use the barf bag, but somehow I kept it down and just told myself to keep breathing. Somehow I made it home by the next day, with a bad case of Atawalpa's Revenge and a fever. I'm now taking cipro and trying not to let the illnesses of the past few days cast a negative light on our wonderful trip to Peru.

Watch out for those Pisco Sours.

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