One of the reasons we decided to come to Peru this year as opposed to next was that it had been too long since we had seen my friend Fico, who appears in some of these photos. We worked together back in the early 1990s when I was living in Caracas. He quit on me, but I never held that against him. C'est la vie.
He came by the hotel today and we walked to another great restaurant called Franceso's, which was about a 45 minute was from the hotel
You may notice that we are walking quite a bit. That is not because we don't like cabs, but just that we like to walk.
Taking taxis in Lima is always an adventure. I think I mentioned earlier how lightly regulated they are, and how you need to negotiate the price up front. Sometimes, people will just pull over in their cars if they think you are going in the same direction. And the universal inquiry to see if you want a cab is a short beep on the horn as they pass by. We get cabs that way.
The taxi drivers are also all very much integrated in to the street scene. Because traffic can be very bad, there are a lot of vendors selling things in the middle of the street. Halls cough drops, for example (they were on special). Gum. Inka Cola. We took three taxis in Lima, and in each case the driver purchased something from the street vendors. The first was a bottle of water. The second was a little red soccer ball that you can hang from the rear view mirror. The third was a candy bar (though not my beloved Sublime)
But that isn't getting us any closer to Franceso's.
As we left the hotel, this little Vermillion Flycatcher stopped by to say hello:
We took our time getting to the restaurant. But that is OK.
Here I am with Fico. I tried to step down behind him, but he wouldn't let me:
We had another great meal with Fico and Betty.
It is always fun to know people with such wide ranging interests and who are eager to discuss them. We covered Latin American Literature (old and new) why you have to read Mario Vargas Llosa even if you don't like him. Why writing in a language other than your native tongue changed not just the words but the whole narrative (and not always for the better. Not all of us are Somerset Maugham or Joseph Conrad). How magical realized was evident in the writing of Balzac and Dickens long before Gabo made it a Latin American trope.
And, of course, we talked about how corn originated in Mexico.
We had a nice long leisurely lunch (tiriditas, causas, cechive) with some good desserts as well.
Then we walked back to Fico's apartment, overlooking Kennedy Park (the one with all the cats)
It is a great place with plenty of windows that look down on the park and surrounding streets.
You can't see it from here, but the place is filled with books. Which, if you know Fico, is to be expected.
I was taking some panoramic shots like this:
and a self portrait, when Google decided to put them all together
and made my head part of Fico's apartment.
Then we walked back to the hotel. In the park below, there was a dance going on (Disco for old people) with a live band and plenty of people having fun.
And if you look carefully, in the background, you can see Fico's building. I think he is looking out the window.
He came by the hotel today and we walked to another great restaurant called Franceso's, which was about a 45 minute was from the hotel
You may notice that we are walking quite a bit. That is not because we don't like cabs, but just that we like to walk.
Taking taxis in Lima is always an adventure. I think I mentioned earlier how lightly regulated they are, and how you need to negotiate the price up front. Sometimes, people will just pull over in their cars if they think you are going in the same direction. And the universal inquiry to see if you want a cab is a short beep on the horn as they pass by. We get cabs that way.
The taxi drivers are also all very much integrated in to the street scene. Because traffic can be very bad, there are a lot of vendors selling things in the middle of the street. Halls cough drops, for example (they were on special). Gum. Inka Cola. We took three taxis in Lima, and in each case the driver purchased something from the street vendors. The first was a bottle of water. The second was a little red soccer ball that you can hang from the rear view mirror. The third was a candy bar (though not my beloved Sublime)
But that isn't getting us any closer to Franceso's.
As we left the hotel, this little Vermillion Flycatcher stopped by to say hello:
We took our time getting to the restaurant. But that is OK.
Here I am with Fico. I tried to step down behind him, but he wouldn't let me:
We had another great meal with Fico and Betty.
It is always fun to know people with such wide ranging interests and who are eager to discuss them. We covered Latin American Literature (old and new) why you have to read Mario Vargas Llosa even if you don't like him. Why writing in a language other than your native tongue changed not just the words but the whole narrative (and not always for the better. Not all of us are Somerset Maugham or Joseph Conrad). How magical realized was evident in the writing of Balzac and Dickens long before Gabo made it a Latin American trope.
And, of course, we talked about how corn originated in Mexico.
Then we walked back to Fico's apartment, overlooking Kennedy Park (the one with all the cats)
It is a great place with plenty of windows that look down on the park and surrounding streets.
You can't see it from here, but the place is filled with books. Which, if you know Fico, is to be expected.
and made my head part of Fico's apartment.
Then we walked back to the hotel. In the park below, there was a dance going on (Disco for old people) with a live band and plenty of people having fun.
And if you look carefully, in the background, you can see Fico's building. I think he is looking out the window.
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