SubscribeLima was actually the shortest leg of our trip so I'm not certain if I can squeeze 10 highlights out of it but I'll try!
Serina's Peruvian List of 30 (continued)
21-30 Lima
21. Anyone who has been to our home knows I love, love, love color. Being in Lima brought a lot of art into one small perimeter of space so I was in heaven. I landed some incredible swag. When you step outside onto the square there are a ton of street vendors peddling wares. It such a fun feeling strolling through and looking at everyone's goods.
There was a stand of very fun and colorful watercolors. I liked the simplicity in the design and the man was just way too nice. We wound up getting a handful of his pictures. Most went with Aunt Deb and this one came home with me - love those alpacas!
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| From Peru Swag |
I happened through some of the bazaars with my aunt while Chris grabbed a cold one at our hostel's pub and we came upon this artist tucked away in a small closet sized space. He was from Cuzco and was selling water colors. I flipped through his sepia themed art and fell in love instantly! I snagged these two immediately! There is just something about the dancing piece that makes me so incredibly light (my aunt says it's the "air" in the design) and well, I couldn't pass up the llamas. They each have such character (which unfortunately due to my horrible photography skills you can just BARELY make out). Their faces have this cute mischievousness to them and their ears just make me so happy!
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| From Peru Swag |
I continued to thumb through more of his sepia pieces and saw a lot of couples. Thinking of my swill swiggin' honey back at the hostel I wanted to find THE perfect couple painting that represented us. No luck. I spoke to the artist, whose English he apologized for but was impeccable and he said he'd have a piece done especially for me! This astounded me. I watched him take his paper out and grab his brush that he wielded as heavy as a feather and I watched it dance as gleefully across the page as the men above. I made one plea in the beginning that the man be at least a head taller than the woman and he asked me our favorite colors. I was in even more shock when he told me how much it would be after he completed - only asking $1. There may be a simplicity to the painting that I'm sure he's trained his hand a thousand times to complete but the effort and the meaning to me is priceless.
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| From Peru Swag |
We spent so much time in his little corner of Lima and I feel all the richer for having done so. His name is Ramani and I managed to snag a card with his email address but I believe my aunt stashed it away in her luggage.
One of the other nifty little items I managed to snag was a small box containing tiny figures making masks to celebrate Carnavales. I've been looking for a thoughtful and fun companion to the Dia de los Meurtos wedding couple my friend Lisa bestowed upon me at my "bridal suite" she hosted in 2006. I have this two-cubby perfect shelf (coincidentally a wedding gift from Lisa as well) and the betrothed are housed in one of them. I'm stoked this little piece will be joining them.
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| From Peru Swag |
22. I enjoyed refining my skills of haggling. I hadn't really done such since I bought a Faux-lex in New York in 2005 (bargained to $20 from $65) so I was admittedly shy about the whole thing. I was quite surprised at how easy it became. I happened upon it unknowingly after paying $1 for two finger puppets from a child in Cusco - his going rate was 5 puppets for s/10 or $3.50. I had to get my mind conditioned for the exchange rate. Mos tof the time I window shopped but shop keepers are keen to this. They notice what you linger on and make an offer. If you still pass it up (feigning disinterest) they'll stand back for a minute and watch you as you peruse. In Aguas Calientes, which was noted to be pricier due to the tourist attraction it is, we wandered into a shop where Chris spotted a bottle opener. I happened across a wood carving that looked like a mask (which I had been fiending to find) , picked it up, asked how much and put it back down. We wandered through the store longer and the man in the store would ask me "Lady, how much do you pay?". I honestly wanted to think about it a little longer so I wouldn't offer anything in return. The original price was s/60 but I walked out paying s/30.
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| From Peru Swag |
I never intentionally would run the price down so low that the seller would be offended or take it for a loss but it is an interesting way to do business and surely was a culture shock returning to the States and going to "no-haggle" stores. The thrill, I think, is in the negotiation!
The mask above is the representation of the duality of the Inca realms: the condor (top) represents Hanan Pacha - the upper world/heavens, the puma (bottom) represents Kay Pacha - the outer earth/where humans dwell, and the snake represents Uku Pacha - the inner earth/underworld. Inca religion and mythology is a fascinating study.
23. One of the main things Chris and I knew we'd have to do is hop a taxi around town. We'd read a lot about how you'd need to agree on your price before hopping in the cab because otherwise you could be in for a big surprise. We also read you'd need to negotiate where you are going as some drivers turn down fares on account of whether they'll be able to pick another up at drop off. What we were amazingly surprised with were the rates. We'd drive across Lima for $3 and although it is customary that drivers don't get tipped we'd add gratuity anyway. On top of being speedy, braving crazy traffic conditions and being amazingly accommodating and resourceful (found out about all the nifty places in town) they were the most friendly folks we encountered. The gasoline was higher than it had ever gotten here so it makes you wonder when you shell out $30 to drive 3 miles and are obligated to tip regardless of cordiality of your driver in Atlanta what the Peruvian drivers really take home at the end of the day for the effort put in.
24. When we arrived in Lima I felt like we had stepped into areas of Los Angeles. It's a big city and like most big cities, you've seen one, you've seen them all. Advertisement billboards, traffic, people everywhere. What is the most interesting thing to see is the traffic control consisting primarily of mimes and other folks in costumes.
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| From Busy Lima |
25. Never underestimate the power of taking stickers of your brother's tattoo parlor with you on trips. I exchanged one for a trip to the restroom of another tattoo parlor in Lima. It was quite the scary bathroom, straight out of a horror film with the dark corridor leading to the doors, fluorescent lights and sounds of people on the other side of the wall but man was it a lifesaver!
26. Parque del Amor was such a fun little side trip while we were in Lima. It is overlooking the beach where you can watch the surfers. The beautiful statue of the lovers embracing and kissing "El Beso" is larger than life and I found out, my husband is, too! We followed the lead of the colossal caressers but all seriousness was lost when the Mister started to zerbert my sweet, tender advances. He's a good and humorous man, he is.
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| From Busy Lima |
27. Chris, Debra and I all wound up headed to the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera. There were absolutely breath taking pieces in this museum and as you strolled through the collection you could see the evolution of styles. Each exhibit explained in full detail. The storage that is open to the public absolutely floored me. Multiple rooms of floor to ceiling pottery findings of epic amounts. There isn't enough time in one day to take it all in. From metal works and ornamentals:
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| From Busy Lima |
To weavings and carvings. This place was great! It also helped there was a friendly and chipper bird at the entrance singing for us as we entered. I've found I am a fan of the Chavín ceramics. Chris found out what his favorite exhibit was but I'll let him expound if he so desires.
28. New Years Eve confirmed that we are old farts now. We spent the day walking around Lima's Miraflores district and parks only to realize by about 10pm we were completely bushed. I managed to buy a few yellow flower leis before the clock struck midnight. Chris and I wound up falling asleep to the traffic outside our window but woke up when we heard everyone celebrating the new year to wish each other a happy one!
29. There was a lot to see in the city and unfortunately the pictures were lighter taken here than in Cuzco or on the Trail but here are a couple of my favorites:
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| From Busy Lima |
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| From Busy Lima |
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| From Busy Lima |
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| From Busy Lima |
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| From Busy Lima |
30. All in all this trip was such a "Once in a Lifetime"treat and has really got us thinking of our travels and possible futures. I got to use the nifty little Smilebox application to toss together a digital scrapbook - which was pretty fun. I've posted it below for you to enjoy!
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| Make a Smilebox scrapbook |
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