Rodney Dodig

10/02/2009 (Friday)

I spent the rest of the day in Mancora sitting by the pool and just enjoying the sun before the taxi came to pick us up for the ride to Tumbes. There were a lot of people enjoying the sea that day. Some guys were para-surfing and it looked like they were having a blast. I think it must take a great amount of coordination and body strength to participate in that activity. It was a very windy day and these guys were traveling across the water at tremendous speeds. I also got some nice shots of the fishermen on their rafts bringing their catch into shore for sale. I can’t imagine how hard this work is and the danger they face everyday taking those flimsy crafts out to the deep ocean. We also had a late lunch, I just couldn’t resist having one more delicious dish from the cook here at the hotel, and then packed up and left in our taxi for the two hour drive back to the Tumbes airport.

It was nice riding back in the taxi during the daylight hours. The scenery along the way was beautiful and different from the land surrounding Lima. Our driver stopped at an overlook he knew about and let me take some photos. The sun was in a perfect spot and I got some great images of the coastline. The landscape for the first part of the trip reminded me a lot of Arizona. There were a lot of desert trees that looked like the Mesquite Trees there and the dirt/sand/rock was multi colored like the Painted Desert. It was very beautiful. I also got attacked by a pack of wild dogs (see photo) walking back from the lookout point. They were so cute, I am sure someone just abandoned them there hoping they would survive in the wild. After passing through this are we went through a section of beach that contained huge shrimp farms followed by scenes that reminded be a lot of Thailand. There were rice fields as far as the eye could see. It was very green and quite a surprise.

We eventually arrived in Tumbes and the driver took us for a little tour in the city and dropped me off in the main square to take some photos before heading out to the airport. The main cathedral was beautiful and unlike any other church I have seen in Peru to this point. The central square was large and well landscaped with a large amphitheater at one end for performances. There were a lot of people sitting there enjoying the cool of the evening. As the sun was setting they lowered the National Flag on the main government building and all the people in the square stood and remained silent while they played taps and brought the flag down. It was very nice to see that kind of respect. Then it was back in the taxi and off to the airport to wait for our plane.

We arrived back in Lima at just about 11pm but it was after 1am before I was crawling into my bed. It was a very long day for me. So about the only thing I accomplished on Thursday were laundry and some TV with a trip to the market for supplies. Today I am off to a lunch at Huaca Pullcana with Katrina and Larry to do a review of the restaurant there. They want me to do the photos; someone else will write the article. After that there is a National Pisco Festival at the National Museum and they want me to go with them to do photos there also. I’m not sure I will make that though, I had already made plans and am not sure I can change them at this point. I also have nothing in the works for the weekend. I will probably just do some writing and work on photos. Steve’s brother, Antonio, has his birthday on Saturday so we will probably do something then. So much for this entry, have a great weekend and to my Sister and George; have a wonderful Sorghum Festival.

10/06/2009 (Tuesday)

As predicted my weekend was pretty mellow. I went to the lunch with the Editor and Owner of LiP with Larry at Huaca Pucllana for the restaurant review. This is the first official review I have been invited to where the Chef prepares almost the entire menu for us to sample. I ended up being responsible for the photographs of the food and Katrina will write the review for the webzine. The dishes were amazing and as far as appearance went they got an A+ from me. But, in this case I can say that the food was actually as good as it looked. The Chef, a woman, was amazing and very articulate. She was very proud of her dishes and rightfully so.  We were served four appetizers, six main courses and two desserts so we all left very very full. The desserts were obviously my favorite; both involved a lot of chocolate.  The restaurant itself was very nice and had a large patio area where you had a marvelous view of the ancient ruins. The place was pricey by Peruvian standards though running 120 Soles (about $40) for a full lunch with one drink. The event took a lot more time than any of us thought so no one made it to the Pisco Festival at the National Museum. I spent the evening working on the photos of the lunch and getting them to Katrina for publishing.

Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly writing and working on more photos. I did get a short story I had been writing entered into a contest put on by Writer’s Digest. I am excited about my entry but we’ll see what happens. I won’t hear anything until February so it will be a long wait. I also went on a couple of walks with my camera since we had sunny afternoons.  It was very relaxing for me. Does anyone know what the guys standing on these boards and paddling are doing? Is this some kind of new sport I haven’t heard of yet?

Monday I E-mailed friends and polished up a couple of articles; then I met my friend Ben for coffee before he came over to work on paintings in my apartment. I finished up the one I was working on of the patio scene from Arequipa and started a new one of some boats I took a photo of in Mancora. Ben painted a picture of a Gatorade bottle he brought with him. I like the way he can take ordinary objects and do wonderful paintings of them. He paints a lot quicker than I do also. Afterwards I walked him back to Av. Grau and went to lunch at Las Mesitas. Then it was back home to work on photos some more before deciding to watch a little TV. My good friends David Gray and Brenda Lavender will arrive late Thursday evening and I am very excited about seeing them again. Not sure when my next update will be since I will be showing them around all day Friday and Saturday. They head off to Cusco early Sunday morning so look for it in that time frame. Meanwhile, have a great week everyone.

10/11/2009   (Sunday)

It’s been a busy few days for me since my last entry. The first couple of days involved cleaning and getting ready for David and Brenda’s visit. Then Steve and I took Ben and Zulma out to lunch on Thursday since they are moving back to the states and I will be living in their apartment. We took them out to Sarritas in Punta Hermosa. You will remember that this is the place with the great Tamals and BBQ Sandwiches. We had a great time which ended all too soon since Zulma had to meet a friend later in the afternoon. We drove them home and then went back to the apartment to wait for the time to head to the airport and pick up David and Brenda.

The plane delivering them into Lima arrived about 10 minutes early (22:30) and it only took them about 45 minutes to get through customs, immigration and get their luggage. That’s pretty good here time for the airport here. They saw us waving and screaming at them and after hugs and kisses we loaded ourselves into the car and drove back into Barranco to the apartment. We hauled everything upstairs and after sitting, talking and unpacking it was almost 1am so they went off to bed for some much needed sleep. Steve and I headed out for a late night snack since we hadn’t eaten after lunch and we were hungry. We took a quick trip to a sandwich place, ate them in the car, then back to the apartment and in bed by 2:30am.

It was up at 8am the next morning to get ready for the official Tours by “Rodney Tours”; they are amazingly cheap since I work for food. LOL  Brenda and David were up shortly after me and since they are not breakfast people we head out for a “Walk” around Barranco. I took them to all my favorite sights here; The Terrace Mirador, the Bridge of Sighs, The Walk Way to the Beach, The Historical Church, the Mirador by the Church, The Malecon, a stop at Espige de Oro, and then down Av. Grau with a quick stop in the Metro. All this took about three hours and it was time to get Steve and head out for some lunch. We took them along the coast to the restaurant of “The Diving Priest”. Naturally they got to see him jump from the cliff and the lunch was delicious. They also got to sample their first Pisco Sour. It was pretty good but not as good as the ones at the Hotel Bolivar. After lunch we took a drive to the top of El Moro so they could get some photos of Lima and the Bay. Afterwards we headed out to Pachacama where they got the Dollar Tour since the place was closing in one hour. They got to see all the important places within the complex with my quickie historical lecture on them. That was enough for all of us, so we headed back to the apartment for a short rest before meeting up with Steve’s family and having dinner. Tio Panchito also came and after dinner he measured both Brenda’s and David’s feet for handmade shoes. By the time all that was completed it was 2am once again. Will I ever get any sleep?

I was up early again the next morning to get ready to tour them around Lima Center. After everyone was woke up and got ready we had enough time to talk and catch up on everything. That was really nice. David went for a little walk and brought back some croissants for a breakfast snack. They were hot from the oven and delicious. Then it was time to head out, Steve was going to drive us to Lima Center and drop us off as he had business to attend to that day with his father. We arrived and began the tour at the San Francisco Church, one of the more famous landmarks in Lima center due to the catacombs located under the church. From there we headed over to the plaza de Armis which has the Presidential Palace on one side, the Main Cathedral and the Arch Bishop’s Palace on another. I was trying to take them to the most photo opportunities as possible. They saw the Convent of Santo Domingo, The Casa Osambela, the Casa Riva Aquero, the Casa Miguel Grau, several churches and finally the Hotel Bolivar on the Plaza de San Martin where we had not one but two Pisco Sours. We enjoyed touring the lobby of the hotel before adjourning to the bar where we relaxed with our drinks and chatted with the bartender and a young man, Angelo, sitting at the bar with us. Realizing the effect that two Pisco Sours was having on us we decided to find a place for lunch. After a little discussion I took them to Huerfanos for pasta. I had the Lasagna and David had the Canelones while Brenda after several tries to get vegetarian Lasagna, got a snack of spinach pie. Shortly after eating Steve came to pick us up and we headed over to Polvos Azules so Brenda could pick up some CD’s of traditional Peruvian music. Then it was back to the apartment to rest and get them packed for their departure to Cusco the next morning.

Now it’s Sunday and after dropping them off at the airport this morning I am typing this up for posting so all of you will know how the weekend went. They will be back around 10/21 to spend the rest of the trip here in Lima with me. I have lots more to show them and other friends to introduce them to before they head back to the States. They said to tell everyone “Hello” and they are having a blast so far. More in a few days, everyone have a great week.

10/16/2009   (Friday)

It’s been a rather laid back week for me. I went for a few walks to enjoy the coming of spring. We are seeing a lot more sun now, it’s warming up a little and they are planting flowers in all the parks here in Barranco. I have received a couple of E-mails from Brenda and David, they made it to Cusco just fine and enjoyed their tours there. They are headed for Puerto Maldinado and the Jungle now and are still planning to return to Lima on 10/21. David will get to enjoy his bird watching there and I think they have a four or five day tour in the works. Once they are back in Lima I believe they will be going to Nasca to see the lines. That’s a bit of a difficult trip since you can really only reach Nasca (the town) by bus and then take the fly over. I may or may not go with them, haven’t decided yet.

I worked on my “Hot Rod Gazzette” all week, got it printed, Christmas cards labeled, notes written and the newsletter stuffed into them. I will mail them around November 1 to make sure there is plenty of time for them to be delivered. It takes two to three weeks for letters to reach the US and other parts of the world from what I understand. I also went to coffee this week with Ben, Larry and Katrina where we discussed all manner of things. I think Larry and I are going to try to have once a week meetings and get more writers to attend so that we can discuss our works and help each other by critiquing the articles and stories we write.

This weekend I will be busy again. Today I am going for a walk through of the new apartment, then back home to work on some articles. Tomorrow I am going on a photo shoot to the oldest cemetery in Lima with my friend Jose and then in the evening I will be attending Ben and Zulma’s going away party. Sunday a day of rest and then Monday and Tuesday I will be moving into the new apartment. I hear the weather in Southern Illinois has turned to winter already. Cold and rainy, brrrrrrr! Hope everyone reading this has a fun weekend planned. The photos in this entry are just things I have seen on my walks. The vendor selling food in on the corner two blocks from my apartment and I enjoy seeing him every day on my walks. He always has a friendly smile and Buena Dia.

10/19/2009   (Monday)

Well, the weekend was just as much fun as I had anticipated. Going to Ben and Zulma’s apartment for the walk through was fun. I got to know how everything works and where to put the trash for trash day. It’s a nice place and I will take some photos and post them here after I move in and get the place the way I want it. I think I can make it a little more roomy and spacious than they have it now just by re-arranging the furniture some. It has a beautiful view of the Huaca Pullcana out the windows and is in a very nice neighborhood. After the tour we went to lunch at a Trattatoria (not sure I spelled it right) where I had lasagna and a fantastic Lucuma Pie for dessert. Apparently the Chef at this restaurant is famous for her desserts and actually has a TV show where she teaches people how to make them. On our walk to the restaurant, Ben pointed out places that I might be interested in; restaurants, small tiendas, a gym as well as other places. Afterwards I walked back to Barranco where I ran into my friend Larry who was walking his dogs in the park along the Malecon. We had a nice chat and then I headed back to the apartment where I worked on an article or two.

Saturday was my really big day. I was up early to head over to meet Jose at his house before heading out to tour the Presbyter Matias Maestro Cemetery in Barrios Altos. His girl friend Fiorella and her Mother Frida would also accompany us there. Fiorella’s mother is a noted genealogist here in Lima and has lectured at several colleges on her work. She knows this cemetery like the back of her hand and I cannot tell you how much I appreciated her taking the time to show us around and give us the history of this place and the famous and not so famous people buried here. She also managed to get us the special permission to take photographs inside. The cemetery has over 700 neo-classical mausoleums and marble statuary that rivals the works in Italy and Greece. The detail on some of the statues is just incredible. I was particularly impressed with a lace shawl and veil that was carved on the statue of one of the wealthy women buried here. The cemetery was opened in 1808 and you can see the burial sites of the wealthy families of Lima like the Goyeneche, the Riva Agüeras, the Torre Tagles; the heroes of wars such as Miguel Grau, Peru’s most beloved hero, Francisco Bolognesi and Alfonso Ugarte; artists and writers like Jose Santos Chicano who was buried standing up at his request, Ciro Alegria and Rosa Marino the first person to sing the National Anthem. You will find former Presidents of Peru here like Jose Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero (the fourth President of Peru), Manuel Prado and Ramon Castillo (Peru’s Abraham Lincoln). If you have a great guide like I did you can also see the burial sites of people like Maria de la Cruz de la Luz. She was a Nun who reportedly worked miracles and people still visit her grave site and leave flowers while asking her to perform a miracle for them. She was buried in 1810 which make her grave one of the oldest which still has its marker so that you can locate her.

The mausoleums were built like mini churches so that the family priest could perform Mass at the burial site before the body was interned in the crypt. This practice started after the churches quit burying people in the catacombs under the churches to help prevent the spread of diseases. I imagine that the smell of the rotting corpses leaking up into the churches also had something to do with it. You will also see that many of the plaques on the above ground catacombs are missing. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that for a time the cemetery was rather deserted and became the hangout of people doing drugs. They tended to steal some of the more fancy ones to sell to tourists. The other reason I heard had to do with the fight for independence. The Spanish families (royalists) had a special section of the cemetery for themselves and when the war of independence began they went to the cemetery and removed the plaques for fear that their families would face retribution for supporting the King of Spain. They thought that the revolutionaries would come to the cemetery to see the family names which were on the plaques and set about killing them all. There are also entire sections dedicated to the burial of children. From the dates listed on the plaques I would imagine that they coincide with the spread of several diseases that ravaged the world during these times. The most spectacular mausoleum of all is a newer one dedicated to the Heores of the War of the Pacific with Chile. Here many of the men who lost their lives are interned with much honor. The mausoleum itself is beautiful with stained glass windows and made entirely of marble. It is quite a sight. The cemetery was closed to sales of plots in the 1960’s but you can find tombs as late as 2005 where the family had purchased the burial plots long ago. Of course if you have enough money they will make room for you here. Unfortunately the cemetery has fallen on hard times and you can see the deterioration everywhere. It is so sad to see these beautiful mausoleums and the statuary in this place come to these conditions. One can only hope that something will be done to preserve and restore this historically significant cemetery. Once again I want to mention how incredible it was to have a famous genealogist like Frida Galdos Rubatto showing me around. It was an incredible experience. Finishing the tour we all had a nice lunch at the Bolivar Hotel.

After that spectacular experience it was back home to get ready for Ben and Zulma’s going away party. It was being held at their friend Owen’s place which is a spectacular roof top apartment with a balcony that has an amazing views of Miraflores and San Isidro. There were a lot of their friends in attendance and I got to meet a lot of new people including Zulma’s parents. The party itself was great, full of laughter and tears with good food, wine and spirits. In the one pic, that’s Ben standing up in the background and Zulma is on the right and the second lady back. I left between one and 1:30am and headed back to my place. Just can’t hang the way I could in the old days. LOL  Sunday I rested and worked a little on some articles. Today is a packing and cleaning day to get ready for the move tomorrow. Also Brenda and David will be back in Lima on Wednesday for four more days. I am looking forward to showing them around some more. I will update on Friday again hopefully with the events of the week. All of you have a good one yourselves.

10/24/2009   (Saturday)

Wow, what a week! It seems as if I have caught myself coming and going I have been so busy. The only writing I have been able to accomplish is what you are seeing now with the exception of updating my facebook page and putting the finishing touches on two articles and mailing them in. Monday I started the packing process, finishing it up Tuesday morning for the move to the new apartment. I didn’t realize how much stuff I have accumulated here in Peru already. I ended up having to hire a truck to take it all to the new place since there was so much it would have taken us multiple trips in the car and probably two in a taxi that would hold the desks I bought. It was amazingly cheap though, for $/.50 Soles (about $18 US) I got a big truck and a driver who helped load all the stuff from the old apartment. It was nice getting it all here in one big move. The rest of the day and the morning of the next were spent arranging the apartment to my tastes, cleaning and unpacking all the stuff again. Now I remember why I HATE moving. I still haven’t finished yet because before I knew it, it was then time to go pick up Brenda and David at the airport. We were a little late in getting there but they were ready when we arrived so it was a quick in and out of the airport. They were excited to be back and full of stories about Machu Pichu, Cusco and the Jungle. They had a great trip, so everyone at home be ready to be regaled with lots of stories and many many photos.

Wednesday morning after getting up and getting ourselves organized, David, Brenda and I headed out for a little walk and to accomplish some chores. We first dropped off some “Jungle” laundry at the lavadoria and then headed over to a travel agency to check out trips to see the Nasca Lines, got some quotes and options and then headed up to Haiti (pronounced I T) on Parque Kennedy for some lunch. About half way through we had decided on the trip we wanted to take and I called Alto to have him hold it for us since there were only three seats left. The lunch was delicious and very filling. Heading back to the travel agency, I stopped off to buy some towels while David and Brenda went straight to the agency to start the process. Naturally when I arrived there was a kink in our plans. Without belaboring the point, we ended up with a private Van which would pick us up Friday morning at 5am and have us back that same day. Then it was off to Vivanda (a slightly more expensive version of Metro) to buy some supplies and a couple of bottles of wine to celebrate their return to civilization. The rest of the evening we spent sitting and chatting while we enjoyed the wine. Just before we were going to head off to bed, Steve showed up with their shoes. Tio Panchito had finished them and they were amazing. Brenda’s shoes were especially nice since they had a lot more detail than the ones that David had made for him. At the same time they were publishing my article about Tio and the shoes he had made for me on Living in Peru. Already 14 people have commented and want Tio to make shoes for them.

The next day we were supposed to go for a walk about in Miraflores and I wanted to introduce Brenda and David to some other friends but alas, David came down with the dreaded Traveler’s Disease so we spent the day in the apartment just resting. Steve, Brenda and I took a little respite and went to lunch at a little $/.6 Sole lunch place where they feed you an incredible amount of food for that price. I can’t make lunch at home for that much money so it’s nice to have a good restaurant so close by, only 1½ blocks away. Then another trip to Vivanda for Soda Crackers and some other supplies I missed and then back to the apartment. David recovered slowly but surely on Thursday (Imodium helped) and after retiring early he was all better for the trip to Nasca.

I was up at 4am getting ready for our road trip to Nasca. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that hour of the day. A cup of coffee, a quick shower and I was ready to go. Brenda and David were down in plenty of time also and once we looked out the window and saw that out driver and van were here early, we headed down to begin our trip. The Van was large and comfortable and made the VERY long trip there and back bearable. It took us 5½ hours to get there and 6½ hours to get back. The drive itself was very interesting and if I had been younger or my knees in better shape I would have enjoyed it a lot more. We passed through several different types of vistas on the way there; from desert dunes to fertile valleys being farmed with everything from corn to grapes. We saw a lot of wineries on the way which made me wonder if they have an official wine trail here or not. The vistas were both stark and beautiful and definitely helped pass the time during the drives there and back for me. Once we arrived in Nasca (a town with a population of about 30,000) we went straight to the airport and checked in at the flight desk of the airline that would be giving us the tour. Then it was over to pay the airport tax and wait for our turn to go up. They had a nice documentary for us to watch on the Nasca lines and their culture while we waited. About 30 to 40 minutes later they told us I was our turn and we headed out to the small 5 passenger plane that would take us over the lines. I was surprised at the amount of leg room I had in the plane as it was one of my main worries about this little excursion. Our pilot was great and the take off and landing were smooth as silk. Our fly over included the Trapezoids, the Astronaut, The Monkey, the Dog, the Condor, the Spider, the Frigate Bird, the Spider, the Humming Bird, Alcatraz, the Parrot, the Tree, the Hands and the Baby Condor as well as seeing some spectacular desert scenery. I think I disjointed my neck trying to get photos of it all. All too soon it we landed and after buying a couple of souvenirs at the airport gift shop we headed back into Nasca for lunch. Our driver (Walter, who didn’t speak English) took us to a nice restaurant where I had the Aji de Gallena and D & B both had the Tacu Tacu, then it was time for the long drive home. We arrived back in Miraflores about a quarter to nine and after sitting for a minute and catching our breath we quickly headed off to bed.

Today we are off on a walk about here in Miraflores. I will post our adventures on Monday.  Hope to post this after we return, everyone have a great weekend.

10/27/2009   (Tuesday)

I took Brenda and David on a long walking tour of Miraflores Saturday that took almost six hours. Besides stopping by my friend Jose’s Bike Shop (he wasn’t there but they got to meet Fiorella) we eaded down to Larcomar so they could see the nice views from the fancy Mall here. We stopped in at Mango’s and had coffee and tea plus a nice Lucuma Postre. You know me, I love my desserts. After that we headed out along the Malecon towards San Isidro and Magdalena to see the beautiful views of the Pacific and other interesting sights. We wandered through the Parks that line the Malecon including the famous Love Park where the statue called The Kiss by Victor Delfin can be found along with poems in tile by some of the famous poets in history. We passed guys doing tricks on bikes, and the para-gliders riding the winds off the coast. We passed the Lighthouse that used to guide ships safely along the coast and admired statues and other art placed in the various parks along our route. It was a great walkabout and tired us out sufficiently for the day. We returned to the apartment in time for them to finish their packing and get a little rest before we headed to the airport. Steve brought the car and Tio Panchito so that they could thank him personally for doing such a wonderful job with the shoes. He also accompanied us to the airport to say goodbye.

Sunday I was up early again and trying to catch up on some of my writing, I am so far behind now. I managed to get a couple of new articles started before heading downstairs to do a little cleaning in the apartment. I spent most of the day putting things in order and then going shopping for things that were missing from the apartment like a mop, bucket, more trash cans and some boxes to store some of Ben and Zulma’s things in that we would not be using. Then back to the market for some needed food stuff. After that I crashed because I am still tired from that trip to Nasca. LOL

Monday I met with another writer for coffee, his name is Levi Novey and has been living in Peru with his wife and young daughter (age 2) while his wife finishes her Doctorate. We had a long discussion about our writing, what it’s like living in Peru and the places we have seen here. It was a great chat. He will be joining Larry, Katrina and I for our regular Thursday meetings. After that I returned to the apartment to meet up with Sonia and go over the things I will need her to do in the new apartment. The photo in this section is of a place I walk by almost everyday. I keep wondering if it’s a cowboy bar or maybe there’s a place on the east side of Peru called the Far East.

Sonia was there at the appointed hour and we went through the house along with Steve while he translated what I wanted her to do on a weekly basis. She quickly got to it and now the apartment has been scrubbed from floor to ceiling and we had packed up a lot of the things Ben and Zulma left behind and put them in storage boxes under the central stairs. The place now looks a lot roomier and dare I say it cleaner. LOL  The apartment, as far as square meters is concerned, is larger than the one in Barranco but due to its layout and floor plan can feel a bit smaller. On the first floor there is a Kitchen and laundry room with a small (extremely) maids bedroom with bathroom. In addition is the living room which is separated into two areas, the living and dining areas. There is also a ½ bath on the floor. Upstairs are the two bedrooms and two full bathrooms with showers. I have the Master bedroom divided into my sleeping area and office area where I do my writing and work on my photographs. This place already feels like home and it’s nice to be able to sit in a chair and watch TV for a change. Ben has left me his large library of books so I have plenty of reading.

Today I will be working on some articles and trying to do a little more catching up. I also need to make one of the never ending trips to the market and the bank to deposit the rest of next month’s rent. I can’t believe November is almost here and in two short months it will be time to return to the US to visit friends, family and take care of my taxes. Wow, time really does fly when you are having a good time.

10/31/2009  (Saturday)

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope all of you have your costumes set and have a lot of fun tonight. The pic is of my new friend Levi who has joined our coffee group on Thursdays. After our coffee I showed him around Barranco a bit before we parted company. The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful for me; mostly going to the store, doing some banking, signing up for beginning Spanish classes and buying my membership at the new gym. I am all set now to get into a regular routine here. The Spanish classes are only 6 blocks from the apartment, the gym is only 5 blocks, the market either 4 or 8 depending on which I choose to go to; so you can see how convenient everything is for me. Despite not having the charm of Barranco, I think I will also enjoy living here. Ben and Zulma’s apartment already feels like home to me and I must admit that it is very comfortable.

I had coffee with my writer friends on Thursday, always an enjoyable morning. Then on Friday, my previous Landlady, Kathy, stopped by for coffee and a chat. We have promised to stay in touch and continue to do things on occasion. I always enjoy her company.

I have gone for a few walks through the neighborhood so far just to check things out and get my bearings. The pictures I have included in this section are of this area. Piura is the street I am living on and it is a few blocks from the big noisy main drags like Pardo and Arequipa.Here a shot of Huaca Pucllana I did with the telephoto lens on my G9 and a shot of the street leading up to it. There are several small parks in the area where you can stop for a rest on one of the benches or have a little picnic if you so desire. In addition, there are several areas dedicated to tourism shopping. There is an Inka Market and an Inka Plaza within ½ block of each other and several small stores selling hand crafted goods between them. There is also a nice theater which is now showing Cabaret, which I hope to see before it moves on. I hope to discover much more in future walks about the area. The neighbors are already getting friendlier and exchanging greetings with me which makes me happy. I hope the Spanish classes teach me to communicate better. The classes are from 8:45 to 10:15 in the morning so my sunset memory loss will not have kicked in yet. LOL  Anyay sorry for the short post but I hate to bore you with too much routine stuff. Tonight I will head up to Parque Kennedy and hope there are a lot of people in costumes that will let me take pictures of them. It might even make for a good article. Hasta Luego mis amigos.