Domestic Servants
SUMMARY: I get a domestic servant and discuss this industry in Peru.
I have an empleada. Her name is Ernestina. She’s the building’s domestic servant. She came for the first time Sunday to do my laundry. Roy also gave her a heap of laundry. She came over with her two year-old son, Javier. I led them to our laundry room. She had a brush but no detergent. I gave her five soles to pick some up from the corner store (two sol tip). She returned and began to wash our clothes by hand in our laundry room sink. I went back to bed. … Read more
My First 1st Birthday Party in Peru
SUMMARY: I go to Arturo’s niece’s first birthday party and get drunk. I describe the party.
Arturo’s a crazy dude, always joking. He’s fun to drink with. He invited me to his niece’s first birthday party at the hostel on Saturday. It started at 2pm and he told me to show up around 3. True to Latin culture, I arrived around 5:30.
I didn’t think about what to expect, but I did expect a lot of people. Family parties in Latin America draw all the family members in a 100-mile radius plus whatever friends they’re hanging out with at the time. There were at least two dozen people in the garden of the hostel when I arrived. Arturo had cleared out the entire living room of the building for a dance floor. On the table were various snacks, cake, and an arch of over fifty balloons – orange, pink, and green. A server (in white shirt and black tie) made rounds with various appetizers including causa balls, a kebab of spicy chicken and onion, and mini chicken salad sandwiches. The party was well-stocked with Cusqueña beer and Johnny Walker Red. Twenty bottles of scotch. … Read more
Not Every Peruana Wants a Gringo
SUMMARY: Mike comes to Arequipa to learn Spanish. To teach him, I take him to the bars and use him to meet girls and learn that not every peruana wants a gringo.
Mike came to Arequipa from Canada to learn English. I knew his sister in Denver. She contacted me a week before he arrived to ask me if I could take care of him. Mike and I have been hanging out ever since he arrived and, as a joke, Nicolas actually gave him a key to our apartment.
Mike has a girlfriend in Canada and doesn’t cheat, but he’s willing to be my wingman (I started drinking again last week). So we went downtown with the plan of him playing his position while I tell girls that Mike needs to practice his Spanish.
We went to a bar downtown sometime last week – it was a Tuesday or something. After being annoyed by some drunk Peruvian guy for twenty minutes, we joined a table of two young girls behind us. We talked for a long time. I don’t remember their names, or their faces very well, but I do remember that one was nineteen and the other was twenty. One was slim and good-looking enough and the other was not slim, but good-looking enough for me. … Read more
Chupe + Causa = Lovely Day
SUMMARY: Images and descriptions of two Peruvian cuisine favorites: chupe and causa.
I eat lunch every day at a menu named Don Santiago. I pass several other menus to get there because they have a better selection, a lower price, and faster service.
Don Santiago hasn’t served causa in some time and I’ve been pestering the owner about it. Apparently the cost of lime skyrocketed, making it too expensive to serve. However, the price came back down and they put it on the menu today. When the ladies in the kitchen saw me, they all announced that they had causa. I guess the gringo’s favorite plate had become well known. Causa is a cake made from golden potatoes, lime, chicken, and mayonnaise. I top it with a ton of ají for spicy goodness. … Read more
News Roundup – Nov 12, 2008
SUMMARIZED NEWS STORIES FROM PERU WITH LINKS:
Peru ‘to sue Yale for Inca items’
Peru offers Obama hairless dog
In Peru, a Rebellion Reborn
Naked model faces jail for offending Peru
Magnitude 6 quake strikes southern Peru
Reports: Police hurt, held hostage amid Peru protests
Years after slaughter, Peru opens giant burial pit
Fitch Upgrades Peru to Investment Grade
APEC finance ministers coordinate crisis responses
Santa Catalina
SUMMARY: I describe Santa Catalina monastery, arguably the principal tourist destination in Arequipa. Pictures.
Nicolas and I went to Santa Catalina during my sobriety streak. Besides Plaza de Armas and La Catedral (which are free), Santa Catalina is the top tourist destination in Arequipa and is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Santa Catalina was a monastery built in the 16th century in operation well into the 19th century. It takes up two square blocks of downtown Arequipa. Inside is a small town – a city within a city – closed off to the outside world. It’s a concrete maze of hallways leading to living quarters, dining rooms, kitchens, and gardens – beautifully painted with bright colors. … Read more
