I’ve been coming to this event for 3 years. I know nothing about it. I don’t even know what it’s called nor do I remember what day it falls on. But every summer I happen to cross under the BQE on my way to or from something and there it is: a colorful American subculture erupting all over my neighborhood. I happened to have my camera with me and got some pics of the beautiful cars and the people for whom pin-ups, tattoos, and rumbling engines are a way of life. People are very friendly and happy to talk to you about their cars. I’m fascinated by how devoted these folks are to what are fundamentally, purely aesthetic concerns.
Jorge Luis
Today we visited Callao, the port of Lima. We had lunch. Nothing much happened. But it was nice.
This cracked me up, because it looks like you are supposed to throw dogs away here.
Alexis
After we visited the farm in Chincha, we traveled a bit further south to Paracas. It is an area in the Pisco province (yes, where the liquor comes from) in the Ica region (the desert where they just found a sea monster fossil - thank you Casey!) which is basically a desert peninsula and it has the largest bay on the coast of Perú.
It was a great day trip because the weather was beautiful—super sunny, which is a huge change from the constant grey skies in Lima. We stopped in at a superb hotel for lunch. The place was beautiful. Upon arrival we learned that lunch wasn’t served until 1:30 sharp, so we had to pass the time with a drink at the bar. As we walked past the jacuzzi pool, of course we ran into someone that Jorge Luis’s uncle Lucho knew, so after a lot of hellos and kisses on the cheek poolside, we made our way to the bar.
I ordered a maracuyá sour, which is a pisco sour with passion fruit (maracuyá) juice. It’s one of my favorite drinks here. They brought us canchitas (sort of like popcorn that hasn’t completely exploded, so it’s still in the shape of corn kernels but crunchy like popcorn) and peanuts, and we ventured outside on the patio to take in the sun and the view and sip our drinks. The grounds were perfectly manicured and music played from little green Bose speakers in the garden. Looking out at the view I was thinking about my life and the last two months and how random and wonderful everything is (maybe it was the maracuyá sour on an empty stomach).
Lunch was an amazing buffet of seafood, hot creole dishes, and an awesome array of desserts. Here’s a partial (semi-remembered) list of what I ate: ceviche, tiradito, pulpo al olivo (octopus with olive sauce), scallops, stuffed avocado, lomo saltado, aji de gallina (chicken in yellow pepper sauce), pescado a la chorillana (fish in tomato and onion sauce), brownie con manjar blanco (brownie with caramel/dulce de leche), maracuyá tart (passion fruit tart), mocha maracuyá mousse, apple pie (yes, that’s four desserts but they were small portions!), and one more maracuyá sour. It was epic and it was great to share the day with Jorge Luis’s dad and uncle. After the meal we walked along the malecón (boardwalk/path along the water), which was almost empty, totally peaceful and quiet.
Alexis
On Sunday we took a little trip to the old farm in Chincha. It’s a small farm and it’s all organic. There are artichokes and pecans and some corn and I think a few other things. It used to have horses, turkeys and cows back in the day, but it was kind of neglected for a while. The equipment is really old and parts of the farm need some fixing up. My dad took over the running of it a few years ago and he’s been working it back into shape in his spare time.
I really like these pictures because they tell you about the place. There are cracks all over the old farmhouse from a recent earthquake. The shovels are worn down from hard work. My dad’s office at the farm is typical of him: only the bare essentials (note the coffee cup on the safe—he drinks a lot of coffee).
We went with my dad to check on a problem with one of the wells. The ground beneath the engine base for the well pump was sinking and throwing it out of alignment. There’s a moment where my dad is figuring out how to raise the engine block and give it more support. I think that was my favorite shot of the trip.
Jorge Luis
So we’ve been back in Lima for a while and I figure it’s about time we posted some pictures. Here’s a little family dinner we had to celebrate my sister’s new company, Bell & Whistle. I remember the conversation revolved around coping with Lima’s insane traffic situations.
Jorge Luis
(fixed!)
Monkey parade!
Here’s a little video I took one day at CICRA when a troop of squirrel monkeys was passing through. There were a lot of them, maybe 20 or 25. It’s so funny to watch them because once one monkey finds a good route, they all follow the same path (monkey see, monkey do!). The video could have gone on for a few minutes, but I think you get the idea. Alexis
From our last day at Wayqecha.
Jorge Luis
I realized today we hadn’t really written about the canopy walkway at Wayqecha. From the ACA website:
The project consists of four towers ranging in height from 20 meters (65 feet) to 44 meters (144 feet) above ground level and an observation platform. In total the walkway is 146 meters (479 feet) with suspension bridge lengths ranging from 21 meters (68 feet) to 44 meters (144 feet) between towers and a width of 0.35 meters (1 foot) along the length of the bridges.
It’s the first canopy walkway of its kind in the region and took five years to create. They just opened it this year. Jorge Luis posted a picture earlier of one of the suspension bridges, and here’s one that shows a tower:
The suspension bridges definitely bounce up and down as you walk along them. It’s pretty cool though, to be able to walk up high among the tops of the trees. These trees aren’t especially tall as they are out in the rainforest, but the change in perspective is great. There are just so many things growing here, twisting and hanging and covering every other growing thing.
The walkway is set in a sort of crevice, with one of the observation platforms sitting right next to a small waterfall. It’s very beautiful and feels sort of hidden. The picture’s not so great but maybe I can get Jorge Luis to fix it.
The canopy walkway is a great place to see birds, especially hummingbirds flitting all over the place. One of the projects they’re working on right now is to create placards that act as guides, telling you what to look for in different places and etc. I think that’ll make the experience even better for people like us who aren’t scientists. I’d love to walk up there during orchid season. I’m sure it must be chock-full of flowers then.
Alexis
Here are a few pictures to give a sense of the wide variety of orchids and flowering plants we saw at Wayqecha. There were orchid plants everywhere, but most were not in bloom. The blooming season is actually November-December, and I’d love to go back for that because it must be quite a sight.
Jorge Luis
