Getting into the swing of things: beefing up my language skills

I have been in Lima for a little over a week.  The weather has been gorgeous, hot and humid. Just how I like it, seriously.

The unique thing about this trip for me is that with it being as long as it is along with me having been here twice before is that many of the standard tourist things I have done.  My reason for being here is also a bit different.  It is not just about seeing the sites and experiencing the culture, but rather to get to know more of the day-to-day life in Lima and honestly improve my Spanish.  My comprehension is already improving but my vocabulary, my conjugations, my grammar, all need a lot of help.  A monologue on my part may be slow but generally fine. However, any interactions are slow and fraught with errors. Luckily most of the time I can make myself understood.  There are times that a person just gives me a a quizzical look and I have to find another way to explain what I am asking.

Picaya amarilla

This morning for instance, I was at an open air market with Amybeth.  While she was going from stall to stall finding fruits and vegetables for the cafe, I was walking around being an obvious tourist taking pictures and asking what various items are.  Picaya (dragon fruit - delish), palto (avocado - creamy like butter), granadía (hard to explain - a fruit with seeds in a thick liquid-like paste - sweet and smooth), maracuyá (passion fruit - sweet and tangy), chirimoya (custard apple),
etc.

One stall was a lonchería (lunch place) that had prepared sandwiches in a glass case.  Most of them were clear, pork, chicken, egg... One kind of looked like a pig's foot or hoof on bread. When I asked what it was, the young woman said it was a relleno.  Relleno means filling kinda like "chile relleno," a green or red pepper filled with deliciousness. This was definitely not a pepper. It was brown and oddly shaped to be a pepper. When I tried to ask what was in the relleno, the young woman looked at me perplexedly like I had used words that didn't exist in Spanish, and... maybe they didn't, or if the word existed the combination of words I used were incomprehensible to her.  I tried something simpler, "¿relleno con qué?" I got an answer but not what I was expecting, "camote" (sweet potato). Luckily Amybeth came around the corner and helped me clarify things. The sánguche relleno was a sandwich of morcilla (blood sausage) filled with camote.

Like I said, I have a long way to go. It is a bit embarrassing with all my years of study.  Lack of practice.  UGH!

Un parque y una playa

So here's a little bit about Lima itself.  I will probably be doing this in dribs and drabs over the next few weeks as I learn more about the city's unique qualities. Anyway, here are the basics (numbers paraphrased from wikipedia):

Lima has a population of about 11,000,000 which compared to Chicago's 2.75 million is huge. The city is approximately 310 sq. miles in area which again compared to Chicago's ~240 sq. miles is significant but it means the density of the population is that much greater in Lima. Continuing with the Chicago comparison, Lima is also a long narrow city next to a large body of water except Lima's water is the pacific ocean and it is on it's west. Contrary to Chicago, Lima is in a desert kinda like LA. Somewhat similar but with some huge differences, like Chicago, Lima is built on the site of a former native culture, really many former native cultures; the Inca were only the last prior to the arrival of the Spanish (more on that later). Like Chicago and many big cities, Lima is broken up in to neighborhoods or districts. I am staying with friends in Miraflores, one of the nicer districts that borders the ocean. There is a cliff right along the coast that is almost two (American) football fields high (~600 ft.). Along the coast for almost the length of Lima is what is called the Malecón, a public walk way.  It is reminiscent of the Lakeshore Drive "path" that goes alone the coast of Lake Michigan past/through beaches, parks, activities, sites, etc.

So why all this info when this post is about a park and a beach.

There are many parks throughout Lima, a series of coastal parks, small community parks, large public parks, etc.. The other day I was with Amybeth at her cafe and we need to run some errands.  I needed to get my money on my phone (see the rant a couple posts ago - however I am still having data issues UGH!), she need to go to the bank, and pick up a few items for the cafe.  As we were walking to the bank, we crossed a street and looking to my right I unexpectedly saw the beginning of a well-groomed open area. Understand my surprise because all around were mid-rise buildings, and homes. This park was like an oasis among the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood leading all the way to the Malecón.  I left Amybeth to go exploring.  It is a beautiful small park that is shaped like a wedge or cone that has its point breaking through the hectic traffic of the city inviting people to enjoy the relatively tranquil community lawn and playground. The first thing that struck me was a pylon at the head of a boulevard/median that lead into the park...

 ...but the next thing to catch my eye was even more interesting, a bicycle station that had tools to maintain your bike.

I just thought, "what a great idea!" Make it easy for people to take care of their bikes and maybe they will use them more. Throughout the park there was a bike/running path to the Malecón. As with many parks there was a playground for kids, and one for adults though it was called a mini gym.

The view along the cliff was gorgeous.  There were a number of couples and families sitting along the edge enjoying a warm summer day with a cool breeze coming off the water.

As I walked through the park I came across an event going on; a meet and greet with a local celebrity blogger, Valeria Bascuro. There was a good crowd of young teenage girls and their parents. It made me think of my niece Lindsey and her fashion blog and new social media marketing company, by Niche. I hope she has as much or more success as this young woman seemed to have.

The park was a great discovery for me. It is definitely a place I could find myself reading for hours. It was also the upper view of the beach.  Later the same day Julie, Amybeth, and I went to a beach near to their apartment.

When you think of a beach, you probably think of sand, maybe the white sand beaches of the Caribbean, or the yellow sand beaches we most frequently see in Florida or California, you may even think of volcanic black sand beaches found in Guatemala for example. That is not what this beach was. I would say it was a pebble beach but that would be too small.  It is a rock beach, good chucking-sized rocks like David may have used on Goliath.  As you approach the water, however, we are talking big rocks like you would build a stone fence from. Let's just say it is not a beach to just go and layout, or sit and watch the sunset, though we did. I think i still have divots in my not-so-fleshy backside from the rocks. The rocks also make it a bit precarious for walking along or into the water.

The water, however, was amazing.  I was warned at how cold it would be but after braving a toe and possibly an ankle in the August waters of Boothbay Harbor, this was almost a hot spring in comparison though not as warm as the Gulf of Mexico in summer.  Julie and I waded in and got buffeted by some huge waves, and walked out 100 feet or so with no appreciable change in the depth of the water.

We were in the water for a good 30-45 minutes.  When we got out we sat on the lumpy beach to dry off a bit and await the sunset. It was a warm evening with the smell of the ocean and a golden glow from the sun.

You can't tell from these pictures but the waves were big and there were dozens of surfers. It was fun to watch them as we also enjoyed the sun set.

We walked back to the apartment. If you remember one of the fun facts from earlier, the change in elevation from the beach to the Malecón is from say 5 feet to 600 feet. After fighting with the waves to stay up and not risk a concussive experience with the ocean floor, our legs were a bit tired.

 This was the view about a third of the way up.

This is the three of us blurry, a bit winded, and sweaty, as we approached the top of the cliff.  It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and Julie says we made the climb in just 8 minutes.  Pretty good for a sedentary guy like myself.  I did feel it the next day though.

I few of these each week and I will be in much better shape when I come home.

Marbella Café

Marbella Café

Today I got to go to Amybeth's cafe, Marbella Café.  The last time I was here with my friend Bob, it was just a glimmer of an idea.  Over the past couple of years I have followed what she is doing via Facebook and her blog.  It is wonderful to see her take on a monumental task like opening at restaurant and enjoying it so much.  She is such an accomplished and creative cook. When she first came down to Peru, she did a course of study at Cordon Bleu Lima Peru where she studied pastry. She then created her blog to reach out to the expat community to make tasty American treats.  Visiting at Thanksgiving one year she had dozens of pumpkin pies to make. I can't tell you how difficult it can be to get the ingredients you need to make the typical American cakes, pies, and cookies. Her next step is Marbella Cafe.

The food is a mix of Peruvian, American, and Vegetarian with a prix fixe menu for lunch.  I truly enjoyed the food and I sampled quite a bit of it. I was ravenous when I was there. I ate not one or two but three entrees in the few hours I was there.  While I am not a little guy, that is out of the ordinary for me. They were good and I pretty much devoured them.  I had the cau cau de pollo, a quinoa salad with avocado and mango, and a triple sandwich. Please, just because I am admitting to my gluttonous habits, do not think the sandwich was a triple decker Dagwood (for those curious about the reference, click the link). A triple (tree-play) is a sandwich with three ingredients. I had avocado, tomato, and olive, and for a bit of protein chicken. So, I guess it was a cuarto but that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well.

The quinoa salad was amazing with pieces of perfectly ripe creamy avocado, chunks of sweet velvety mango, mixed with nutty white quinoa, and dressed with a tangy lime vinaigrette. Cau cau is traditionally made with intestines (which many of you know to offal is awesome - I am all for Andrew Zimmer) but this version replaces the intestines with chicken.  So good, especially using the house made hot sauce.  What a great kick and addition to the lovely savory dish.

I forgot to take pictures of my dishes but above are a couple of other options on the menu. The top is a lentil quinoa burger with rice and salad.  The veggie burger rivals anything I have enjoyed at home.  The bottom is grilled chicken breast with veggies and salad.

Saturday we went back to the cafe to have lunch with Julie's parents and aunt. What a great meal! One of the reasons I wanted to spend months in Perú was to improve my Spanish. I had a great time butchering the language while speaking with Julie's parents. I knew them when they lived in the United States.  It was good to see them and catch up. I need to spend more time with them since I have to be more deliberate with my language. I can't use English as much to fill in what my mind cannot in Spanish. I have to figure out ways to explain it until they get it and help me with the missing vocabulary.

So, one more Marbella cafe meal story. I think because the cafe staff had seen how much I had eaten the day before, my lunch portion seemed twice as large as the others.  It was a beautifully grilled Tilapia, with rice, an American-style chili, and a salad.  It also had one of my favorite things, fried plantains on top of the rice.

One of my other goals on this trip was to be more active and maybe shed a few pounds. If I keep eating like this, I may be more active but come home a few pounds heavier.

Getting Settled In

For those of you who know me well, a two month adventure like the one I am just beginning is about planning in general and dealing with the details once we get going. So my first day in Peru was about the details and settling in.

After a wonderful night's sleep that never once required me to pull a comforter to my chin or shiver as a burst of cold air hit my body when taking the covers off, we had a slow start to the day.  We relaxed and had breakfast. Amybeth had to go to her cafe (Marbella Café). Julie and I ran errands. My primary errand was to get a local phone service.  

<Warning: The yellow paragraphs relate a horror story of cell phone incompetence.  Jump down to the non-highlighted paragraphs to continue uninterrupted.>

Julie had found a special for tourists with Entel. I brought my old iPhone 5 with me. So this was supposed to be easy. Needless to say as with any mobile phone service provider there were limitations.  The tourist offer was only for 15 days which I could have renewed every two weeks but it would have almost cost a flight to the US.  Finally just picked up a pay-as-you-go chip for less than $3.  

The first complication I discovered was when my phone proved to be still blocked by Sprint even though I paid for it to be unlocked 3 years ago. Luckily Julie knew where to take me to get it unblocked. YAY! Service! but no.

The second complication was that my phone had sat in a drawer for two years and had not been updated. OMG! I forgot how slow an iPhone 5 can be. I needed a more recent iOS to download the App to add money to my pay-as-you-go phone. It took almost 8 hours for the phone to update the operating system from 8.1 to 10.2.1.  I downloaded the Entel App and WOO HOO! Service! but no.

The third complication was that the app would only accept Visa for payment but would not accept my Visa. UGH! So the next step was to go to a Pharmacy or Store to get them to add money to my phone. It was too late to do it last evening.  So, this morning I went to the cafe with Amybeth, and found a Pharmacy that could add money to my phone.  YES! Service! I now have a working Peruvian phone number.  

I also wanted to pick up a fan for the my bedroom.  There is no air conditioning, and some air moving around the room is perfect for this type of weather.  Julie had her errands to run as well including changing money, going to an architect's office, and meeting with a notario. After the initial set of errands, Julie and I went for lunch.  We went to Alfresco, a restaurant serving delicious ceviches and tiraditos. (Ceviches and tiraditos are very similar both being fish/seafood cut thin or small and served in a citrus/acidic sauce to "cook" the fish though ceviches have an abundance of onion in their sauce.)  We started out with a delicious grilled octopus (pulpo - pictured below). We each had tiradito Julie's with a more traditional citrus base and mine with a spicy ají pepper sauce. Both were served with a "camote glaseado" (a candied sweet potato that tasted like a delicious candy" and "choclo" (a large kernel white corn).  

After doing another set of errands including freeing my phone from the bonds of its former US carrier, Julie had to meet with a notario.  I went to relax and have a "pancake" or crepe at a place Julie has raved about since my first visit to Lima, Palachinke.  I ordered a pancake with Nutella, strawberries, and vanilla ice cream. I was expecting something the size of a 45 record. What I got was a crepe the of standard beer tray, slathered in nutella, covered in some of the reddest strawberries I have ever seen, and topped with three huge scoops of ice cream. The mesero (waiter) proceeded to fold the crepe and its delectable contents like a burrito. It was like two of Chipotle burritos.  When I took my first bite I was delighted by the wonderful smooth texture of the crepe and the coolness of the ice cream with the always enchanting chocolate hazelnut flavor of nutella and a burst of tangy sweetness from the strawberries. There was no way I would be able to finish the whole thing.  Julie arrived about when I was halfway done. Being on a gluten free diet, she could not help me. Alas I had to leave about a third of it on the plate.  

Almost to bursting we completed our errands including getting my fan and some necessary grocery shopping. Once we got home I worked to get my phone going and Julie napped. When Amybeth got we had a nice relaxing evening cooking, talking, and catching up.

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As I am writing this, I am thinking about how I can best keep up the journal without the excruciating detail I seem to have started with these first couple of posts.  I will think about how to keep these shorter.  Suggestions are welcome.  

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Heading to South America

Preparations:
So, it has been a crazy couple of weeks getting ready for my trip. With most of my things in storage, finding the right clothes for summer, the beach, the amazon, and higher elevations was a bit tricky. Also packing for two months is a new experience. Things I wouldn't normally worry about for a week or two (i.e. shaving) I had to plan for.  The friends I am staying with had a lot of good advice about things to bring such as sunscreen at SPF 50 or higher, moist towelettes, medications, etc.

My original plan of bringing on medium suitcase and a carry on went out the window quickly. I ended up with a large suitcase, a large duffel and fully packed carry-on and backpack. Shoes, gifts, and other sundries required me to increase my capacity.  Now I just have to hope I can come home with the same or less.  Fingers crossed and a doubtful expression.

Travel: 
The 15th was a long day. With about 3 hours of sleep, I got up about 4:00am to get ready to go to the airport in Appleton.  In one way it is great to start a trip out of Appleton's airport; no lines! In another way it is less than pleasant because for the most part it means at least one change of planes; for me it was 2.  UGH! Appleton to Chicago, to Newark, to Lima. The flights were pleasant enough because my lack of sleep let me crash on the planes no matter how uncomfortable.

All of the flights were packed. The benefit of having a premier status pays off when you can be pretty sure that because you get to board early you carry-ons will be with you. I was lucky enough to get bumped up to business class for the flight to Lima, a huge relief considering the sardine can that coach seemed to be.

Let's talk international flying: I find it interesting that on flights to South America, United does not offer First Class.  The highest level was international business class, now called Polaris. They are these odd pods.  The seats are generally comfortable with reclining features, lumbar support, and a lie flat option with two blankets and two pillows that I took full advantage of. The awkward part of it are the amenities. For me the place to plug in for power and audio was high and far back over my left shoulder.  It was easier for me to stand up and plug things in than is was to to it from a seated position. The audio was designed with a two pronged connector. Unfortunately, my adapters were packed in the depths of my rolling carry-on. I couldn't use my go to Bose QC2s or my noise cancelling headset I use for business calls.  I ended up needing to use the one provided which were passable but I ended up with a headache because of how they sat in my head. The entertainment options were great. I watched a movie, listened to music, listened to an audio book, and could even watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory. The only problem was the controls.  There were two options: 1) the touch screen which worked fine but it was unreachable without contortions when reclined; 2) the remote control which was housed with a tether by your hip.  It was awkward to get out of its little niche and did not work well. The audio controls need to be more expensive.  The book I listened to (Working for Bigfoot) was enjoyable but kept skipping around. It didn't follow the segments in order and if you went too far or heard a part before there were no fast forward or rewind options.

This is all picayune complaining compared to my friends (two petite women) that didn't get the upgrade. They were in the last row of the over crowded plane next to a large man who needed more than one seat and was in considerate of the person in the middle seat.  As I understand it, most of the trip, he was viewing rather explicit photos on his phone. So, my experience was amazing compared to what they went through.

Arrival:
Once we arrived in Lima, I waited for my friends to de-plane before heading to customs.  While an international arrival is never a breeze, this was about as close as it could come. Since we were close to the last people to get down to immigration and customs most of the crowds were gone. We zipped through immigration and waited, and waited, and waited for our bags to come off.  I swear they must have know we can down from the plane last because our bags were some of the last ones to come off the belt.  Once we had our bags it was simple to go through customs.

Getting a taxi from the airport is quite the experience.  While I have done it a couple times before, it is still amazing to deal the the gauntlet of taxi options that you got through as you exit the secured area.  We had a car waiting for us.  I recommend it.  You can guarantee the price and the driver will be waiting for you with your name on a card.  Some of the official services like Taxi Green you can connect with just before you leave the secure area.  They are not a bad option either.  I just do not recommend leaving the secure area and grabbing a random driver.  There are many and it can be confusing to know who to trust and what a good price is.

We got to the apartment about 1:00 am.  Did some unpacking and then chatted for a while.  Finally we went to bed about 3:00 am. Since Lima is basically on the same time zone as DC or NYC, it means my travel day was approximately 22 hours on three hours of sleep and catnaps on the planes.  I was ready for bed.  Just as I am now.  Good night.