Of Blackouts and Bones...a Gay Ol' Time in Lima

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Day 1:

Shortly after we pulled away from the airport, into chaotic, screeching traffic, the city went black. The streets snarled with no guiding lights, cars began zooming down the wrong side of the road to bypass the mess. Daredevils on bikes or foot wove shadowly between the honking vehicles. I felt like I had landed in Cairo or Delhi. But no: Welcome to Lima!

I am beginning to think Ecuador was a gentle introduction to South America...

Despite the heart-thumping introduction to Peru, Lima has beguiled me. I am not sure why it is sniffed at on most itineraries, seen as simply a necessary transit point to Cuzco and other parts of the country. "No reason to linger...," I have been told on several occasions. However, in my short time here, I have observed pious lines of young and old carrying flowers to Saint Judah Tadeo. I have explored the catacombs of Monasterio de San Francisco, with its concentric circles of femurs and skulls. I have sipped cafe con leche in Bar Cornado, a woodpanelled and mirrored institution that looks little changed from the 1920s. I have dined on quail in cream sauce in a French restaurant, L'Eau Vive, run by an order of nuns (some French, some Peruvian, some from various parts of Africa). I have watched a parade of stilt-walkers and bands promoting life without drugs, crossing the front of the Presidential Palace as the changing of the guards was taking place. I have seen the grave of Francisco Pizarro, the man who conquered, or rather slaughtered, the Incas; he rests in a place of honor in the Cathedral. Then there is simply the lovely, fading colonial charm of city's infrastructure, interspersed with the vibrant life of the streets. Tourists mingle with locals, vendors hawk to anyone and everyone. With a population almost double that of Quito and Guayaquil, Lima is a city's city. What's not to love?

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One of the things I most enjoy about travel is coming across the wonderfully unexpected. While taking a late afternoon stroll, I stumbled on a little fair / festival celebrating Andean culture. There was a stage with singers and dancers. Indigenes had set up craft stalls. The smell of cuy (guinea pig) roasting on an open fire wafted through through the crowd. As I wandered through the festivities, I caught sight of a parade passing by.

At first the rainbow flags confused me. They are, here, a symbol of the highland peoples. I thought for a moment: this must be part of the fair. And then I saw the transvestites and the gyrating muscle boys wearing little more than white feathery wings. It was Lima's gay pride parade! The sidewalks were thronged with bemused, befuddled onlookers of all stripes. Bowler hatted ladies from the mountains, punk kids with too many piercings, shoe shine boys. Everyone seemed to enjoy the spectacle. The riot police who flanked the floats seemed unnecessary. No one looked remotely threatening or threatened. I followed the rainbows for many blocks, till dusk fell.

In less than 24 hours in Lima, I had communed with the dead and seen Peruvian gay activism in action. Who says Lima is boring?

Day 2:

Gihan arrived last night, so I am no longer traveling solo. Although traveling alone has its pleasures, after a week plus on the road I am looking forward to the company.

Lima continued to provide ample surprises on my second (and Gihan´s first) day. Right after breakfast, we stumbled into Plaza de Armas only to discover that the president, Alan García, was in mass at the cathedral. The area had been cordoned off to traffic, and long lines of toy soldier-esque guards lined the short path between the church and the presidential palace. A band was ready to strike up a tune as soon as he appeared. We, of course, decided to wait...and sure enough, we got to see the president of Peru stroll by!

In the evening, we explored the affluent, seaside suburb of Miraflores. Sitting on a balcony suspended above high, sandy cliffs, the surf crashing below us, we sipped divine pisco sours and tasted equally heavenly ceviche. The young and the rich strolled by. The endearing scruffiness of Lima Centro seemed a million miles away.

Tomorrow, on to Nazca, to fulfill a childhood dream.

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Comments

[nancy]

cool!
Hey James- I saw all this stuff before you!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That never happens. Well, except the gay stuff. I don't remember that. And as I was travelling with two gay boys during my trip, I think I would have remembered that. Hope you continue to have a great time! Nancy