Happy Birthday Lima!

Happy Birthday Lima!

Buenos dias amigos.

A week on the road and so far pretty much all I feel qualified to talk about is food and drink - and the traffic in Lima. But more on that at some later date. 

The reason I haven't seen more of Lima by now is that after more years than I care to admit, I've been back on the school bench. In a language school trying to remember what Spanish I learned 15 years ago on my previous trip to South and Central America. Surprisingly, it seems to be coming back rather nicely. 

However, as the couse progressed, I found myself stepping out into the unknown - permutations and past tenses I hadn't even know existed and other riveting stuff. For example, Spanish has one past tense dedicated solely to comparisons of thing present and past (when I was young, children were polite and diligent, whereas kids nowadays...). Much favored, no doubt, by complaining old ladies and grumpy old men, but why oh why wouldn't a regular past tense do for this use as well!

Therefore if we have, at some past date, taken a nice stroll in the park, this could be "hemos caminado", "caminamos"or "caminabamos", depending on my sadistical tutor's whim (and possibly a bit on Spanish grammar).

But it hasn't all been a lost cause. I can now say "bat shit crazy" (loco como una cabra - crazy as a she goat. Applicable to 90% of drivers in Lima) and point out any passing UFO's (OVNI - objeto volador no identificado). One interesting saying is "Cuando manda capitan, no manda marinero!" - when the captain decides, the crew don't. A patently absurd statement as years of experience as a deck hand on the sailing ship Inga-Lill verifies.

Anyway, Friday was the last day of school, so now I finally have had time for a bit of Lima sightseeing, before heading down South tomorrow morning. The winter (or local summer) climate here is very agreeable. I don't know why they even bother to have weather forecasts, since every day is 20-26 degrees and sunny. Aparently in the local winter, the town in shrouded in heavy and clammy mists, so thick, that it may be impossible to see the opposite side of the road. So it would appear to be an informed choice to hit town around this time of year.

The various townships of Lima I've had time to visit seem to have very distinct personalities. The centro historico with its old colonial buildings, parks and fast food restaurants, Miraflores with its youthful backpacker vibe, Surquillo (where I've ended up living - image of local street with flowering trees attached), an opulent residential neighbourhood full of quiet parks and security guards, and the seaside area of Barranca, which seems to be on a perpetual summer holiday. 

This weekend Lima celebates its 480th anniversary. Not that it was very visible in the historical centre of Lima - well apart from one instance of spontaneous dancing to brass band music I ran into. A rumour that, alas, turned out to be false claimed that the fountain in the main town square would be spouting pisco (national booze of choice) instead of water. Unfortuntaly water and pigeon droppings was all.

Therefore I had to sustain myself with yet another pisco sour. This, the national drink of Peru, is fast becoming a favorite!

Tomorrow I head off for Ica and the "mini Galapacos" islands, of which more to follow. Hasta luego!