February 8, 2017
Miraflores by the Sea
Miraflores, with its cliffside perch and views of the ocean, is not actually the location for any of our humanitarian projects, but it makes a nice getaway on our weekend preparation day.
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| Miraflores by the sea - a nice weekend escape (but not a place for any of our humanitarian activities) |
Glass & Crazy Wires
Lima is such a place of contrasts - glass-covered skyscrapers and yet evidence the country is still emerging economically. I love this scene, found all over town - glass buildings, so modern and new, with tangles of wiring overhead. Maybe the wiring is meant to help secure buildings during the next earthquake!
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| Modern Lima Buildings surrounded with crazy tangles of wiring |
Ruins Everywhere
Peru is covered from top to bottom with some of the most fabulous ruins in the world (although most of us only know of Machu Picchu). Even here in Lima, ruins are found all around the city. Any hill in town is usually the covered remnants of an ancient civilization. It is common to build city parks next to partially excavated ruins, like what is shown here at a park called 'Huaca Melgarejo', just a short walk from our apartment. Children run through the grass and adults play soccer right next to these partially excavated ancient cities made of dried mud bricks.
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| Huaca Melgarejo ruins - in a city park near our apartment. These ruins are about 5 stories tall. |
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| Huaca Melgarejo ruins are typical of those found all over Lima and throughout Peru. |
Peruvian Food
'Causa' - Food for the Cause
Peruvian cuisine is regarded among the best in the world. The mix of flavors (though not too overpowering) are delicious (although we usually add a bit of spice just to increase the heat).
During one of the wars with Chile years ago, soldiers would march to war and stop at villages along the way for food. Even though times were tough, the locals always made a potato dish for the soldiers to support the cause (or 'causa' in Spanish). And thus a national dish was born, called 'Causa' with cold mashed potatoes in a variety of colors wrapped around something like chicken salad. You can order this tasty meal in every restaurant we have visited so far.
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| 'Causa' - A national favorite served everywhere in Peru |
Granadilla Fruit
Exotic tropical fruits are available everywhere here - most of which are too perishable to be shipped to the USA. Here is a real interesting one called 'granadilla'. The fruit is about the size of an orange but with the most yummy ooey-gooey flesh with a taste that reminds us of orange marmalade with little crunchy seeds. It is so juicy you have to peel open the skin and eat the flesh with a spoon.
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| Granadilla - so juicy you have to eat it with a spoon! |
Aji (ah-HEE) Chilis
We love Mexican food, so we were afraid that moving to Peru would leave us without spicy things to eat. However, we have found a few killer chiles here. Every restaurant serves a salsa of a chile called 'aji', which can range from mild to super hot. Here is a shot of a bunch of aji chiles from the local grocery store - a colorful array of excellent fire and spice!
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| Aji Chile Peppers - Peru's answer to the Jalapeno |
This Little Piggy
We went shopping in a grocery store here. This is what I found in the frozen food section - a little frozen piggy! Yummy! This little piggy went to market (but this little piggy should have stayed home)!
YIKES! That is crazy!
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