Pre-flight announcement

I just bought a Toronto-Lima ticket. I'll be leaving on January 11 and returning on July 11, at least that's the plan. I expect to spend the first few days in Lima and then check out Ayacucho (a possible candidate for my new home away from home, or perhaps it will turn out to be an armpit--who knows?) It will be the rainy season in the sierra, but I've gotten differing reports on just how rainy that is. The most detailed information I've found makes it out to not be too intolerably wet. In any case, I've already booked a hotel in Ayacucho during Semana Santa (Easter Week--April 15-25) since it's supposed to have some of the most spectacular celebrations in South America. This also means that I'll be spending my 50th birthday there.

Technology and travel, considered again

In an earlier post I commented that it felt a little strange to have such good technological connections to home whilst travelling in South America. I certainly came to appreciate technology's value during my father's recent illness, and subsequent passing away. I can't imagine how difficult an already emotionally fraught situation would have been without being able to call my family via Skype to discuss everything from treatment options to funeral arrangements. Not without its slightly amusing moments, as when I had to buy a drink at a bar in the Santiago airport in order to get their wifi password. It makes me nostalgic to think back to going to the post office in Vienna to make my first call home from Europe, 20-odd years ago.

(This post made possible by Bell Aliant's free wifi at St. John's airport.)

A slice of Lima

My flight from Cusco arrived in Lima at about 3.30 this afternoon and I had about 9 hours to wait before my flight to Santiago, so I took a cab to the Plaza Mayor (which I incorrectly referred to as Plaza de Armas since every other Peruvian town/city seems to have one) to have a look around. The ride took about 45 minutes in fairly heavy traffic, and cost 45 soles ($16).

My impression is that the taxi drivers are not as aggressive as in Arequipa, but the pedestrians are daredevils. To some extent, so is everyone who walks the streets of a Peruvian city: you just don't have as many rights (or lights) as back home and you can't just step off the curb without being very aware of what the cars in your vicinity are doing. That being said, I never saw any accidents. You do learn to adapt fairly quickly. One thing in your favour is that the streets tend of be narrow (in Arequipa and Cusco anyway) so you don't have as far to run.

Back to Lima. Once I got let off at the Plaza Mayor, I headed for the safety of the Cathedral. not physical safety so much as it being a familiar kind of stopping place. Though not religious myself, I do enjoy the artistry of Roman Catholic churches in Latin America. Those in Cusco were particularly impressive--it's a pity that no photography is allowed. Lima's cathedral was not as spectacular as those, but has a number of interesting chapels, including one that holds the remains of Francisco Pisarro. I didn't get there until 4.30 and the place closes to tourists at 5.00 so I had to motor and make the most of my 10 soles entrance fee.

After that I just walked around for a while. The main street emanating from the Plaza is Jiron de la Union, which is a pedestrian street for about 8 blocks, containing mostly uninteresting shops. There are also weren't particularly inviting restaurants, with an emphasis on bland eatery chains. I finally picked a place that seemed to have the most local traffic. The waiter copped a bit of an attitude when I asked for the "menu del dia" (the less expensive option) rather than ordering from "la carta". Nonetheless, I had a very tasty antecucho (beef heart) starter and then tallerin saltado criollo (chicken cooked with tomato and onion and embedded in a mass of noodles) and fresh papaya juice.

I don't think I saw enough to really form an opinion of Lima, but I will add it to my list of cities visited.

Update: Neil Boyd (1932-2010)

My father, Neil Boyd, passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 77. He had been ill for several years, and suffered a probable stroke about two weeks ago. His condition worsened late last week, which is when I made the decision to return to Canada. My mother and other relatives and friends were with him at the end.

El Gallo grounded for a while

On account of a family emergency, I have to end this trip and come back to Canada. I'll actually be in Peru for a couple more days, because that's the earliest I could make the Cusco-Lima-Santiago-Toronto connection. I still haven't sorted out how I'm getting back to Newfoundland.

I'll update further as events unfold. I could have some more interesting things to write about Peru, since I intend to take advantage of the rest of my time in Cusco. I might as well, right? I may be posting some more pictures and such sometime after I get back to Canada, so you can check back if you like. Or I could always use this blog for social and political rants, should I find myself with anything worth saying (unlikely).

The great adventure is just suspended, not ended. It was always my intention to return to Latin America early in the new year, and I'd like to stick to that. Now I feel like picking up where I will be leaving off in Peru (seasonal weather patterns permitting). Despite my attempts to plan my life by checklist, my travel destinations have often felt like a matter of revelation rather than rationale.

I'll let you know when El Gallo flies again.

Parinacota, Chile

I've uploaded some pictures to flickr that I took in Parque Nacional Lauca, which is about an hour's drive east of Arica, Chile, and borders on Bolivia. You can view them here (along with some other pictures from this trip). The pueblito of Parinacota is one of the standard stops on the tour, I guess because it's considered kind of quaint, but mainly because of its church. Unfortunately whoever had the key to the church was away the day we were there, so you'll have to read this Wikipedia article. Here's the door, at least.


This appears to be the main square:


It was still an interesting stop. The town has 12 residents (the Wiki article says 29, but I asked a woman living there and she said 12--when your town is that small, you probably know the exact number, though perhaps there are some who live there seasonally). That includes five kids. They have their own school, which actually has seven students: two come from other towns, and I wonder how big those are? There are several tourism-related shops, selling crafts and the like, near the square. I don't know if everyone works in tourism or if some do farming. There's even a small hostal. I briefly considered whether I'd like to come and stay there for a day or two. Given that tourists come every day, it wouldn't really be the ultimate in getting away from it all, but once the buses leave, you'd have only a dozen people, plus llamas, vicuñas, and vizcachas for company.

Coca - the Real Thing

I just said no to drugs the other day but I've been drinking coca tea like it's going out of style, which of course it will once I get back to Canada. It's perfectly legal here, and has no psychoactive effects. It tastes something like green tea and I like to add sugar to it. A bowl of leaves was on the breakfast table at my hostal this morning.


It's said to help with the effects of altitude. Since Cusco is at 3300m, that can't be a bad thing, even though I haven't had any problems other than feeling a bit winded walking up the steep hill to where I'm staying.

Coca has been a part of everyday Andean life for millennia. Chewing the leaves is said to produce a pleasant sensation in the mouth, and if you chew it with the burnt bark of a lime tree in paste form (so my Peru expert tells me) you get a buzz.

I'd like to bring some back to Canada with me (you can also get it in teabag form) but I'm sure that's illegal and Mr Harper's goondas would have no mercy if I were caught. Guess I'll have to come back to the Andes.