Exploring the city...first impressions

Living in a city of 8 million people (17th largest in the world i might add) there´s always something going on. Sometimes because of so much activity, an event that would typically get lots of exposure in say...Blacksburg, doesn´t in Lima. For instance, closing big roads randomly and not putting up one of those lighted boards a few days or weeks in advance announcing the closure. Alright, so maybe a pipe burst unexpectedly and required an immediate fix. I can deal with that. But when I found out the circus (¨Zirkus¨in Spanish) was in town, it was the last thing I wanted to hear. It´s not that I hated the circus, actually I´ll admit that I can´t remember ever going to one, but I just really wanted to play basketball. Basketball courts aren´t the easiest things to come by here in Peru since it isn´t exactly the country´s national sport. It turns out the only public courts in walking distance from my house around are just outside a giant arena, that yes, was hosting the circus. The courts were empty and I´m pretty sure they weren´t going to move everyone outside to show them a huge dunk or something. But apparently those courts were circus property as long as the circus was there. My roomies and I pleaded our case, but the circus won. Now I hate the zirkus.

On a less sarcastic note, there is a lot to see here in Lima. Last week, some friends and I went to a book fair down the street. They had a very...interesting portrayal of Afro-Peruvian music. Had a video, but am unable to upload. Maybe next time. Also, The human body exhibit is here until next month. Plus, there are a ton of museums to visit. One museum I´m looking forward to visiting in particular is the Museum of the Nation. It hosts a permanent photo exhibit on the terrorism in Peru from 1980-2000.

Did I mention Peru also has some of the best waves in the world?
Got my first glimpse at some pretty nice olas (waves) yesterday.
In spanish they either say ¨hacer surf¨or ¨correr olas.¨ I much prefer the latter, which is literally translated as ¨to run waves.¨
The wind was coming fairly hard off the water but the waves were still holding a decent shape. I saw the potential for the longest left in the world for sure. Once that wind switches...forget about it. Glad I brought my wetsuit.

And finally, the food! When you think Peru, you probably don´t think cheese, nor should you. Let´s just say a nice block of hard, sharp Parmeasan is pretty hard to come by, among others. However, the Peruvians have got it going on with queso fresco (fresh cheese). It´s basically just cheese curd, similar to a very mild feta cheese. And because it´s so mild you can eat it by the handful (yes, i do). And although it originated in Spain, Peruvians have managed to produce it with quality and incorporate it into their cuisine. A spicy, cold sauce is made from it and drizzled over boiled potatoes, often served with the aforementioned antichucho (marinated and grilled cow heart). Yum!

Until next time...