Mechanic
The Dakar is an extreme race that this year for the first time included Peru. The race started in Argentina, continued to Chile and ended in Peru. This photo was taken in Pisco, as the race came to an end.
The open road
Back when I lived in the States I hated highway driving. Smooth, four-lane highways with rest stops conveniently placed every so many miles? Not for me. I once heard that many of our preferences as adults come from what we have experienced as children. As a child I went on many road trips. From my window in the the back seat of our white 1966 Volkswagen Beetle I got to experience a lot of Peru. From Lima to the border with Ecuador, from Lima to Arica, Chile and so many other shorter trips that included at least one to the rainforest to visit my grandma under a torrential rain. The rough geography of Peru has created curvy and narrow roads – the roads that I experienced as a child and that I now enjoy as an adult.
For new year I drove all the way to Cusco from Lima with my wife. It was my first road trip in Peru since my return last year. It was as if I was coming home. Driving is fun again.
Tren Macho
The fist time I took this train, I didn’t make it to my destination. The train punctually departed at 6:30 a.m. from Chilca Station in Huancayo. It had rained the day before though the clear skies of that morning put me in the mood for a sweet traveling day and an on-time arrival. I was wrong. About 50 km before our destination we were forced to head back. Heavy landslides had fallen that morning and completely blocked the tracks to the point of making them impassable.
They call it tren macho for a reason. The locals say it is like a man on a binge, he leaves when he wants and arrives when he can. And on this day, he couldn’t, so here I was heading back to where I had started my day.
The next day I didn’t know what to expect. Would I make it to Huancavelica on the other end of the line? Juan Lazaro, fare inspector and a 34-year veteran of this train tells me not to worry. “Today we will make it. Last night I had a good dream,” he said without a hint of doubt on his voice. I sure hoped so.
Traveling by train is something else. It is an experience made up of the sounds of a roaring engine, a screeching track and a steel colossus moving through the mountains of central Peru. What could be better than that? And there are also the food vendors. A fellow passenger told me that back in the day each station was known for a specialty item. Izcuchaca for chicharrón (fried pork), Cáceres (also called Mejorada) for its lamb soup, Tellería for its prickly pears, Yauli for its potatoes with cheese and Acoria for its corn and wheat buns. There were not as many food vendors as my stomach had hoped. The train recently returned to service after a 5-year hiatus and ridership is yet to reach the levels of previous years.
That day we reached Huancavelica after dealing with two small landslides on the track that added an extra adventure to the trip. Both were shoveled clean in about an hour by the train’s maintenance crew.
I no longer think of tren macho as a wild male on a binge. Maybe it was one a long time ago, during the days of its youth. The train’s nearly Japanese punctuality, its assigned seats and overall impeccable service (for being a state-run train of course) made me think of it more as a well-mannered and mature gentleman. A gentleman that departs on time and arrives when the unforgivable weather of the Andes allows.
More photos coming up in a few weeks.
Miracles
Elie Gardner and I went to the procession of the Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) last Friday. I was told that this is by far the largest and most important religious festivity in Peru. As soon as I got there I could not only see it, but feel it.
There is a gallery of photos on our website inti-media.com
Welcome to the (Amazon) jungle
I always believed that spending a few days in the Amazon meant roughing it. My friend Franco once told me about his experience staying at a jungle lodge near Iquitos. “It’s too hot and full of giant bugs,” he said. So when I scored a gig with Private Clubs Magazine requiring me to spend 4 days in the Amazon, I braced myself for a few days of sweat and extra-large mosquitoes.
My experience ended up being completely different from that of my friend Franco. And although I did break a sweat and saw a few big bugs, this assignment became one of the most comfortable I’ve ever had. It was hot out, but it didn’t matter. From my air-conditioned room I could see the never-ending Amazon greenery through floor-to-ceiling windows. Ahh…it is funny how a few amenities can completely change your perspective of a place.
Here are some outtakes from my trip to the Amazon on board the Aria, a luxury cruiser by Aqua Expeditions.
Hidden vendors
“Ají de gallina, papa rellena, escabeche de pollo,” announces Ana at the corner of Pueyrredon y Sarmiento. She does it discretely as if trying not to attract too much attention from the mostly indifferent passersby. She is one of the Peruvian food vendors that works in the area of El Once in Buenos Aires. With her husband Luis she cooks at home, serves the meals in individual containers and sells them on the street without a restaurant license. Luis says that they would be willing to pay taxes and all the fees necessary to operate legally if the city would give them a place to work. “We just want to work,” he adds.
Arturo
The Foundry is over and I am back in Lima. I miss Argentina’s meat-generous gastronomy, the clear skies of Buenos Aires, and of course, the European flair of its streets. Nevertheless, I am glad to be back in “The City of Kings,” as Lima is also known. Nevermind its forever-gray skies and somewhat chaotic personality. That is part of why I call this city home.
In Buenos Aires I spent some time with Arturo, a Peruvian expat who moved to Buenos Aires when he was 31 years old, 20 years ago. He owns a car repair shop in the Flores neighborhood. Here are some pictures of his shop.
