Living La Vida Lima-A Photo Essay
I have been meaning to do this blog entry for quite some time, after I had requests from some of you to post pictures of and around Lima that Marianella and I may see on a daily or regular basis. It just took me awhile to get the photos taken. I'm happy to say it was a pretty fun endeavor, so I plan on doing another such entry sometime down the road. Enough words without pictures, onto the photos:
Most of the shopping we do in Lima is very similar to what we would do in St. Paul-supermarkets, department stores, a corner store. But there is a fun flavor that exists throughout the city, something unique in various locales. We begin with the markets of Chinatown, where there's little question where your meat comes from:
Fruit stands, freshly stocked in the mornings from the fertile interior of Peru, abound with a colorful array of choices:
Seafood is very popular and plentiful with the rich waters of the Pacific providing a wide variety. While large-scale commercial fishing is common, the waters are also populated with smaller operations:
As you may sense, the food of Peru is incredible. Throughout the city there are wonderful white linen tablecloth restaurants where you can enjoy a world-class meal without damaging your pocketbook too deeply. And then there are smaller establishments, such as this one a couple blocks from Marianella's parents, which is known as "The Garage". Each night, the owner opens up his garage door and fills several tables in his courtyard with diners whose mouths water for the grilled meats cooked on the adapted oil drum, fueled by wood. My personal favorite here is the anticuchos (cow heart), which is a popular dish throughout Peru:
Street vendors are everywhere in Peru, selling a wide variety of products, often trying to stay one step ahead of the local law:
The climate of Lima, even though located on the desert, remains humid enough to produce some vibrant flora with a little assistance from the gardeners:
The traffic of Lima is often a nightmare; fortunately there are several public transportation projects underway, one of which is an elevated train that will pass just a few blocks from our apartment:
Same as in the States, it seems there's more interest in being a foreman than a worker:
Part of the issue with the awful traffic is the types of vehicles that travel the main thoroughfares of Lima. Here's a couple interesting examples that are frequently seen sharing the PanAmerican Highway with semis and buses:
When our friend Sue visited a couple years ago, she remarked that many products seemed to be marketed with characters bearing wide smiles. Our personal favorite is this one that we saw just last weekend, aimed to drum up business for a new foot clinic that opened near M's parents. Have you ever seen such a happy foot?:
Peruvians can be an efficient bunch-here's a fella getting a shoe shine and a quick perusal of the headlines the day of Peru's presidential elections:
Just a few blocks from our apartment (in the opposite direction of the incoming train), is a beautiful park that Marianella and I like to frequent often. There's always some action going on-during the day it overflows with young children playing, older folks feeding the geese, and those in-between exercising or taking time to relax. On Friday and Saturday nights, the place is overrun with brides and 15 year old girls celebrating their quinceanara.
A bit overdressed for a Sunday afternoon; the rare quinceanara celebrated during the day:
I'm always a bit worried about the combination of young children and geese, which are not blessed with cuddly, patient personalities:
When Marianella and I don't have any plans on a Saturday night, we will stroll down to the park and place bets on how many brides we'll see and decide on the tackiest dress we see among the quinceanara celebrants (I've learned that 15 year old girls generally have an awful sense of taste). This picture is from a particularly busy night at the park, as brides jockeyed for the desired picture on the bridge over the pond; if you look closely you'll see four brides in this frame alone (one's in the gazebo):
In any city, you're surrounded by pollution, noise, traffic, and general annoyances that make you question the wisdom of living within city limits. But you also see things that make you stop and take notice, like many of the images shown above or the incredible mural on display here and you are reminded of the charms of city life:
And finally, I leave you with a sunset looking out from our apartment. Lima, especially in the winter is drawn in dreary gray colors, but when it is summer or another occasion when the sun breaks through, we are treated to such displays as this. Out there on the horizon is the Pacific Ocean:
Most of the shopping we do in Lima is very similar to what we would do in St. Paul-supermarkets, department stores, a corner store. But there is a fun flavor that exists throughout the city, something unique in various locales. We begin with the markets of Chinatown, where there's little question where your meat comes from:
Fruit stands, freshly stocked in the mornings from the fertile interior of Peru, abound with a colorful array of choices:
Seafood is very popular and plentiful with the rich waters of the Pacific providing a wide variety. While large-scale commercial fishing is common, the waters are also populated with smaller operations:
As you may sense, the food of Peru is incredible. Throughout the city there are wonderful white linen tablecloth restaurants where you can enjoy a world-class meal without damaging your pocketbook too deeply. And then there are smaller establishments, such as this one a couple blocks from Marianella's parents, which is known as "The Garage". Each night, the owner opens up his garage door and fills several tables in his courtyard with diners whose mouths water for the grilled meats cooked on the adapted oil drum, fueled by wood. My personal favorite here is the anticuchos (cow heart), which is a popular dish throughout Peru:
Street vendors are everywhere in Peru, selling a wide variety of products, often trying to stay one step ahead of the local law:
The climate of Lima, even though located on the desert, remains humid enough to produce some vibrant flora with a little assistance from the gardeners:
The traffic of Lima is often a nightmare; fortunately there are several public transportation projects underway, one of which is an elevated train that will pass just a few blocks from our apartment:
Same as in the States, it seems there's more interest in being a foreman than a worker:
Part of the issue with the awful traffic is the types of vehicles that travel the main thoroughfares of Lima. Here's a couple interesting examples that are frequently seen sharing the PanAmerican Highway with semis and buses:
When our friend Sue visited a couple years ago, she remarked that many products seemed to be marketed with characters bearing wide smiles. Our personal favorite is this one that we saw just last weekend, aimed to drum up business for a new foot clinic that opened near M's parents. Have you ever seen such a happy foot?:
Peruvians can be an efficient bunch-here's a fella getting a shoe shine and a quick perusal of the headlines the day of Peru's presidential elections:
Just a few blocks from our apartment (in the opposite direction of the incoming train), is a beautiful park that Marianella and I like to frequent often. There's always some action going on-during the day it overflows with young children playing, older folks feeding the geese, and those in-between exercising or taking time to relax. On Friday and Saturday nights, the place is overrun with brides and 15 year old girls celebrating their quinceanara.A bit overdressed for a Sunday afternoon; the rare quinceanara celebrated during the day:
I'm always a bit worried about the combination of young children and geese, which are not blessed with cuddly, patient personalities:
When Marianella and I don't have any plans on a Saturday night, we will stroll down to the park and place bets on how many brides we'll see and decide on the tackiest dress we see among the quinceanara celebrants (I've learned that 15 year old girls generally have an awful sense of taste). This picture is from a particularly busy night at the park, as brides jockeyed for the desired picture on the bridge over the pond; if you look closely you'll see four brides in this frame alone (one's in the gazebo):
In any city, you're surrounded by pollution, noise, traffic, and general annoyances that make you question the wisdom of living within city limits. But you also see things that make you stop and take notice, like many of the images shown above or the incredible mural on display here and you are reminded of the charms of city life:
And finally, I leave you with a sunset looking out from our apartment. Lima, especially in the winter is drawn in dreary gray colors, but when it is summer or another occasion when the sun breaks through, we are treated to such displays as this. Out there on the horizon is the Pacific Ocean:
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