I've finally gotten around to writing my first blog post from the field. Two weeks have now past since team Peru touched down in Lima, and the first half of our time so far will be the subject of this particular blog post.
Upon our arrival in Lima, we were met by the kind and hard-working WUSC Peru staff, who spent this first week showing us around the city, briefing us on the current Peruvian situation and showing us some of the finest dining Peru has to offer at the Mistura festival.
Highlights (i.e. things that I took pictures of):
Orientation included a trip to the Plaza de Armas in the Lima city-center, from where we could see the important, yellow, government buildings...
... the presidential palace...
... and even a slum through the fog in the distance. Grey skies are apparently the norm in the part of the world, at least during the winter, which will apparently last until november.
Not far from the Plaza de Armas, we found ourselves in a museam dedicated to the telling of Peru's culinary story. The museam included information about historical culinary practices, references to the social aspects of food throughout the country, and even a transubstantiated guinea pig (right). But this museam was merely a warm-up for the real Peruvian culinary-cultural experience that was to cap off week number one in Peru: Mistura.
Mistura is a national gastronomic festival held every year in Lima, bringing together in celebration the diverse and the delicious from every corner of Peru. Top chefs from all across the country are invited to Lima to bring their delectable (and usually inaccessibly expensive) food to the good people of Peru (as well as any tourist who happens to have the good fortune of visiting Lima during this weekend and is somehow able to secure the necessary tickets).
Highlights:
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Claiming Lima in the name of Development!
What bacon shortage? BBQ'd pigs a la Peruana.
Left: Arroz con Mariscos; Rice with shellfish
Right: Ceviche; Raw fish, onions, and cilantro soaked in lime and aji pepper juice.
Parades and other cultural manifestations circled throughout the festival.
Anticuchos:Skewered cow heart, served over grilled stomach, lung, and intestines. Trust me, it's good.
Frying up the guinea pig.
Mistura's central market, selling food, drinks, and other culinary products from throughout the country.
Overall, it was a delicious first week. I might have overindulged slightly, since Saturday found me stuck in my bed with a fever and an upset stomach. Thankfully, I was able to recover quickly and begin work with GEA this past Monday. For now, I'll be working on my project out of Lima, though I'll probably be moving to Huancayo in November. My first week of work so far has been interesting, and included an amazing trip into the mountains of the Nor Yauyos-Cochas reserve. But more on that later.
Thanks for reading. Nos vemos,
Dan
