Focusing on food

We were keen to be back to Hotel B on time because we had some great plans for the afternoon: cooking with Christian and Yurac in their SkyKitchen.  Before we did any cooking, though, we needed to know a little about some of the ingredients and so off we went to the market with Christian to see what’s what.

So, our first stop at the Market #1 was the fishmongers.  Christian identified several of the fishes and explained a little about each type; in particular, how they could be used.  Surprisingly, in view of the temperature, the shop didn’t smell at all bad, possibly because this was the freshest of catches and in a fairly wealthy area where the highest quality goods would be sold.

Having got to grips with the fish, we went inside where there was stall upon stall of fruit.

Now, this was where it became interesting, because though we recognised some, there were others which were totally unfamiliar to us.  Not only that, but there were different varieties of fruits which we’d consider to be everyday – half a dozen different types of banana for example – and Christian would explain the differences and how each could be best used.

Of course, there were some that he advised us not to eat raw at all!

Then, having exhausted the fruit, we moved onto the vegetables.  Now, these were mostly familiar to us though once again, different varieties were available for specific purposes.

I mean, a couple of thousand varieties of potato?  We could relax though, because only a couple of dozen or so are in regular use and readily available here.  Even so…

The choice of chillies was extensive too, though the popular one here is the small orange one which we don’t seem to have at home.

There was purple corn – we’d eaten sweets made from this a few times last week.

White corn, too, with really big kernels.

From there, we left the greengrocery behind and began to see more “ingredients” rather than produce.  The woman on this stall had several home made sauces and pastes available to buy, as well as a few specialised regional products.

There were dry goods stalls too, selling quinoa, rice, spices and herbs.

Then finally, by the door was one stall selling things we’d associate more with Chinese cooking.  Christian explained that there is a significant Chinese heritage here and many ingredients such as soy sauce, beansprouts and chinese cabbage are commonly found in Peruvian dishes too.

Well, I said this market was in a fairly upscale district, which could explain the “luxury” goods such as asparagus – though Peru grows most of the world’s supply of asparagus, it’s hardly eaten here.  Then there are brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and edible flowers!

Off we went, back into the car and through the streets of the city to Christian’s kitchen in the sky – where we’d meet Yurac and Carolina and do a bit of cooking.

The kitchen had quite a remarkable view!

Did I mention we’d enjoyed a fantastic lunch at the horse show the other day?  Well, when we heard we were going to learn to cook three of the dishes we’d enjoyed so much we were delighted.  Add ceviche to that list and we were happy.

First of all, a little tasting of those fruits we’d been introduced to in the market.  Whilst we were there, Yurac had washed and prepared some samples for us and we worked our way through several plates, me scribbling down names as we went.  The significant item on the first plate was the lucuma – the large orange-fleshed fruit at the bottom left.  This tasted perfectly good but had a weird texture and wasn’t in the least bit refreshing.  Christian told us it’s a popular flavour for smoothies and ice cream here – we must look out for it.

There followed plates of citrus, of mango and other reasonably familiar flavours, all beautifully prepared and very appetising!

Of five different varieties of banana.  Yes, they really did taste very different from one another.

And some rather different varieties of passion fruit which tasted almost the same as the deep purple wrinkly one we know, but different at the same time.  That little one was incredibly sour!

OK, now it was time to get cooking.  All the ingredients for each dish were presented so beautifully, it was a real visual feast.  Step by step, Christian and Yurac took us through each recipe whilst Carolina cleared up behind us and reset the table for the next course.

First, we made causa, which we’d enjoyed at the Hacienda and which Christian tells us we’d find on most Peruvian menus in some shape or form.  It’s made with yellow potatoes and avocados and in this case with chicken, though that can vary.  The sauce is from the orange pepper and the resultant dish is so delicious, we tucked in immediately.  That’s my effort in the picture – I had the blue chopping board!

Next up was ceviche, made with mahimahi and served with white beans, two varieties of potato, plantain chips, dried corn kernels and garnished with seaweed.  It was yummy too – though this portion was a little too much for me to manage!

Then it was to the stove, to create lomo saltado, one of these Chinese influenced Peruvian dishes.  Again, we’d eaten this yesterday and really enjoyed it, so needless to say, we were pretty pleased with the results.

This was served Peruvian style with chips and rice!

Last but not least, Yurac showed us how to form the pecarones.  These doughnut-like rings are made with a yeast dough which we’d put together as soon as we’d arrived, earlier in the afternoon.  Now, the dough had risen and was ready to be shaped in the hand, with the fingers and then fried in hot oil.

Yurac was very adept at this, of course; we less so – but triangular fritters taste the same, don’t they?  Served with a spiced molasses sauce, these really are the business and we enjoyed them Peruvian style by eating with our fingers.  Yes, very hot indeed, and yes, extremely sticky!

Feeling utterly stuffed and buzzing with all our new knowledge, we heard the phone ring and Christian return with the news that our driver was downstairs waiting for us.

There was just time to add to the visitors book, to take a quick photograph of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean and to offer our thanks to them all for a marvellous afternoon.

Guess what we’ll be cooking for our next party when we get home!?

Must. Keep. Up!

It’s now 7.50pm and we have returned to our lovely, elegant hotel in a rather historic area of Lima. We left the ship this morning and have had such a terrific day, it’s hard to know where to begin.

So, I’ll start at the beginning and maybe I’ll get as far as lunchtime?

It wasn’t the beautiful blue sea we could see over the bowl of Special K this morning, but a busy dockyard with lorries moving tons of grain from a ship just over the way. 

But, shortly after nine o’clock, we’d checked into the hotel, had investigated everything and realised that, in spite of our busy – and we thought, comprehensive – schedule, unless we hot footed it into the city centre this morning, we weren’t going to have chance to see some of the highlights of Lima.  The hotel manager said that, although we could hire a taxi, it would probably be easier to simply get a car for the morning and have the driver wait for us whilst we saw what we wanted to see.

Half an hour later, we were on our way to the Plaza des Armes.

We never did learn the drivers name and since we had no Spanish and he no English, it was a pretty quiet ride.

Once more, we passed a good number of people selling food by the side of the road though we were never quite sure what they were selling.

(I love the faces of the people here, by the way)

Once in the Plaza, we were dropped off outside the Cathedral and after a little difficulty, we managed to agree to be collected from the same spot in just over an hour and a half.

“Quarter past twelve….twelve fifteen…errrm, diec y dos…what’s fifteen in Spanish?….oh heck…show him your watch!!”

Much nodding all around and off we went.

We did a quick scan around the square, to decide where to begin and as we did, we spotted something going on in the yard in front of the Government House.  It looked pretty colourful too!

We went over for a closer look but as I stepped forward to take a photo through the railings, a policeman stepped forward and stopped me.  No closer than six feet from the railings, it appeared.

We heard speeches over the loudspeaker and the words “El Presidente”.  Oooh, was he there then?   We had no idea – and wouldn’t have recognised him anyway.  So, I took a photo and thought “I’ll google him later!”

But, excited though we were (though I was!) to see all the goings on, it was frustrating to be kept at such a distance and we decided that we needed to see what we’d come for – the cathedral and the other colonial buildings around the square.  No good standing here bemoaning the fact that we can’t get close enough to all of this when there was good, old fashioned sightseeing to be done.

The square itself is very spacious and there’s a wide pathway all around.

There’s also a covered arcade all around with lovely black and white tiled pavements.  So, we strolled around, enjoying being here and simply watching everyone around us.

On the steps outside the Cathedral, an elderly couple were sharing a snack.  I’d seen a woman dressed in traditional clothes yesterday but hadn’t been quick enough to catch a snap of her.  Here, I plenty of time to take the photograph I wanted.

Just along from them was another, younger pair.  I love the way women here dress in such bright colours!

Hearing a commotion from the other side of the Square again, we spotted that the police had gone and there seemed to be a free for all.  Did I want to go and have another look?  I thought about it and declined – far more sensible to go into the cathedral than spend our valuable time chasing around trying to see all of that again.

I was so pleased we did.  The interior of the cathedral was lovely.  Fairly plain for the most part, but along each side was a series of the most richly decorated small chapels.

We peered inside each one in turn, gasping at the richness of the pattern, the colour and the beauty of the figures.

The altar was set a good way back and framed by two lines of elaborate misericords. 

 

But most people here had come to see one particular chapel, containing a special tomb.

Francisco Pizarro is buried here.  The Conquistador who overcame the Inca on behalf of the Spanish and the founder of Lima’s remains are in a large, colourful chapel just inside the cathedral’s main door.

The walls are decorated with mosaic images of the man himself and if we’d had the place to ourselves, I might well have spent the next half hour looking more closely.  But, sharing the small space with a large group (not from a cruise ship, surprisingly!) wasn’t easy, so I did what I could and we moved on.

Stepping back outside into the sunshine, we saw the beginning of a procession right outside.  There was music, dancing and singing and we recognised the people from the celebration earlier as they moved towards us.

And we had the grandstand view!

Throwing themselves wholeheartedly into every move, the first group came by.

The men were wearing woollen ponchos and were swinging their arms inside them, wafting the fabric to the music and singing at the top of their voices.

The women, in their white, lace dresses took a gentler approach but nevertheless were enthusiastic performers too.

The next group were more colourful and more boisterous too.

They were laughing and shouting, having a thoroughly wonderful time as they paraded around the square, creating quite a din!

Every so often the procession would come to a halt and they’d dance on the spot for a while, turning around and laughing with their friends.

Their costumes were amazing!

And though it was really great having them all walk past, I’d have loved for them to have stood still for a while, just so i could take their photograph!

Bringing up the rear was the man with the dustpan and brush, sweeping up the streamers which some of the dancers were leaving behind. 

Was that it then?

Well, not actually, for another colourful group was over there on the other side.  Let’s go…

They were the most brightly dressed of them all.  Not only that, they were gathered, standing around chatting and sharing drinks and snacks and posing for photographs.  And guess what?  My camera battery died!  Not only that, but I didn’t have my spare one with me.

No. More. Pictures.

I know, I’ve often written that the best photographs are in my head and that is certainly true.  But here we were in the middle of one of the most photogenic places, surrounded by colour and faces and life and I just wasn’t sure I was going to be able to remember it at all.

So I did what anyone would do in this situation – I got out my phone.  As I did so, I cursed, because as we did our final pack up this morning, I realised that I’d forgotten to charge my phone overnight.  It had 16% battery life left but I’d thought nothing of it, thinking that I don’t use it on holiday anyway. 

Not like some…

Being able to get in amongst the dancers made all the difference, but as I faffed about in my bag, looking for spare batteries and switching my phone on, this bunch were assembling for their part in the procession.  And this man was in charge.

They hurried over – the little one holding tight to her Mummy’s shoulders as she went.

You’re right, that is a harp – fancy playing that in a procession?

The girls looked so pretty and the boys looked a great deal better wearing those hats with earflaps than people usually do!

They were off…and so was my phone.  This time, it was really the last photograph.  Never mind, I probably had enough.

We looked at our watches and noticed it was almost time to meet our driver.  But hang on a minute…we’d arranged to be picked up outside the cathedral and now this procession was going on, the road was closed!  We did a quick think about the best action to take, did a recce of which direction he might come from and worked out what to do if he didn’t appear somewhere at 12.15pm.  We stood on the corner and kept a look out for a black Toyota and for once, I was glad I’d worn my lime green T shirt – at least he’d see me!

12.10 and we’re wondering if we really are standing in the right place.  Would it be better if I went and stood in the place where we’d agreed anyway?  But no, it made no sense to split up.  He’d be along in a minute.

Wouldn’t he?

Just when we were beginning to panic slightly (we had to be back at the hotel for 1.15pm and it was now 12.15, we were sure) I spotted the roads had reopened.  The procession was over and it was back to normal.  We ran to the spot outside the cathedral and met our driver hurrying along on foot to the same spot.  I’m not sure who had the most relieved expression on their face!  He’d parked the car around the corner and we were soon on our way back to the hotel, where my hero was surprised when he asked for $10 more than the hotel had quoted us.  Oh well, he’d done as we’d asked, he’d got us back on time and maybe the extra was for the car park or something.

Shortly after we reached our room, the phone rang.  It was the manager on reception with the news that the driver had just returned to the hotel with $10, full of apologies that he’d made a mistake and charged us too much.

Those horses…

Even though we know nothing about horses, we were immediately captivated by this handsome man and his team.  Here we were in the sunshine, sipping pisco sours, nibbling on the yummiest of snacks in an elegant hacienda whilst five talented caballeros led their Paso horses through the most tricky demonstration of their skills.

The particular characteristics of this breed of horse, native to Peru, were explained to us.  Forgive me if I share only the most basic, for I’m sure those equestrian experts out there know a great deal more than I do!  What we learned was that the unusual gait of the Paso horse means that the rider doesn’t bob up and down but remains still and level, even when trotting or galloping.

They have a narrow face, hold their heads high and because they live in a sandy environment, are not fitted with horseshoes.  Their hooves are hard enough to withstand that.

Cue the “aaawwww” moment!  A one month old foal was brought to show us that these horses really do walk in this way from birth, that it’s not training or learned behaviour but a genetic characteristic.

A one year old was brought for us to admire.  These horses were so beautifully groomed and well behaved, it was impossible not to love them.

As they went through their paces, though, we smiled because number 4 was the skittery one, the horse which didn’t quite want to keep in step with the others, who preferred to do a little jump here and there.  We soon discovered why.

He wanted to dance!  We’d watched the couple perform a traditional dance our there on the sand, but now, it was the horses turn to dance with the beautiful young woman.  They performed a dance involving the waving of handkerchiefs which had been introduced to Peru by the slaves, most of whom originated from Angola.  (who knew?)

The show was brought to a close and it was time for lunch.  Well, it was around 4pm and yes, maybe we were a little peckish!  I loved the decorated tree on the buffet table – oh, those little hats!

Each one, no more than three inches in diameter, perfectly woven from the finest straw and a slight variation in shape from the panama hats we are all wearing.  Beautiful!

The dancers returned for another colourful show as we tucked into a fabulous assortment of traditional Peruvian dishes – quinoa, cornbread, a kind of quiche and the most delicious lime dessert which could have been a variation on a posset.  Need to investigate that one!

Before we left, there was time for those braver members of the party to have a go at riding one of these beauties.  Needless to say, we declined!

And that was that.  5pm and really, time to get back to the ship, along the Pan American Highway again, driving north against all the weekenders travelling to the beaches south of the city for the weekend.

Past the squatters settlements on the sand dunes – goodness knows what happens here when El Nino arrives?

And back to the ship for one last evening.  Those Tsunami signs are another reminder of how fragile life is in this part of the world.  Apparently, Lima experiences some kind of seismic activity most days.  I hope the big one doesn’t happen when we are in residence!

It’s now Saturday morning, our internet has been switched off and we are packed and ready to leave.  We’ll go and find some breakfast in a while, say goodbye to our friends and wish them bon voyage.  Whilst we’re envious of those who will stay on board until Buenos Aires, we’re also excited to begin the next part of our trip, to Machu Picchu.

I hope you’ll come along with us?

Well worth waiting for

So, having spent the morning packing, we heard a call around 11.30am that we should meet in the theatre and await further details.  But it seemed as though the port authority were not being terribly cooperative in allowing the tour company access to the ship and so it was a while before the twenty or so of us on our excursion were given the nod to go ashore.

The port of Callao is quite some way from the centre of Lima and yet again, we drove through some unprepossessing areas before they gradually turned into a more modern, world class city.

It seems as though Peruvians like their ice cream and their cold drinks because on every street corner stood an ice-cream salesman dressed head to toe in yellow (including a yellow hat) with his yellow bicycle.  Cars stopped at the traffic lights would toot their horns and have them bring something over and many were doing a brisk trade.

We also noticed that most houses were behind high walls or secure fences like this one.  Windows and doors were gated or barred and even some letterboxes had metal grilles over them.  What to make of that?

We were still going to the archaeological museum first, but our delayed arrival had caused one or two changes of plan for later.  Never mind – there was nothing we could do and we had such a great guide, Diana, we felt sure we were going to have a great afternoon.

So, walking down the street close to the museum, she pointed something out about the streets in Lima that made them different from the streets in almost every other city.  Can you spot what it is?  (I’ll add the answer at the end of this blog!)

The Museum was situated in a leafy square and was, we were told, in the building which had been the barn alongside Simon Bolivar’s home.  Good grief, did that man go everywhere?!

Though the courtyard was pretty, this didn’t look like a world class museum, even though we had heard great reports of it.

Our views soon changed when we stepped inside, however.  For now, I’ll simply offer a bit of an idea of what we were able to see but for my textile junkie friends, I’ll post some extra bits when I have a little longer.

Because, this museum had the most amazing collection of textiles from Paracas.  These included this shawl like piece which wasn’t knitted (because knitting was only introduced to Peru when the Spanish arrived) but was constructed more like sprang.

The main treasures were the funerary cloths; the mummy wrappings if you like, which were layered up to thirty times one over the other and in this dry climate have been perfectly preserved.  Trouble is, it’s expensive to open them up in a way which preserves the details, and so many remain in the vaults, awaiting funding and expertise before they are investigated further.

There were wonderful braids, some made on a backstrap loom, others finger woven.

And there were the knotted quipu too, which are deserving of a whole lot more research and investigation.  Oh my, we were moving quickly and I was scribbling!

Oh, and I rather liked our guide’s silver jewellery too!

It was well past time for lunch and we were reminded that we were going to enjoy lunch and a horse show.  A horse show?  That’s strange…we wouldn’t normally have booked something like that.  But no matter, we were hungry and as long as there was food involved!

We drove along the seafront where the surfers were out and the beach was full of families enjoying the sunshine. 

Looked a bit like Bournemouth, we thought – or maybe Torquay!

Families were buying the same things as they do the world over, from shops selling brightly coloured inflatables, buckets and spades…and of course, ice cream, from men wearing yellow suits and riding yellow bicycles!

We arrived at the Hacienda Mamacona around 3pm and loved the setting amongst the trees.  This beautiful place was a private home of a family renowned for breeding Paso horses and we were to learn a great deal more about them in the next couple of hours.

A traditional greeting awaited us – four beautiful horses and a couple dressed so colourfully.

So, settle back with Pisco sour in hand, nibble on some yummy deep fried corn sticks and I’ll continue in the next post.

Oh, I nearly forgot.  Did you spot what made those Lima streets different?  What was missing?

There are no gutters nor drainpipes on any of the buildings.  In fact, there are no drains in the streets nor gratings or gulleys at the side of the pavement or in the road. 

It doesn’t rain.

Well, actually, it does rain every few years when El Nino comes and drops a few feet of rain in one go, when it creates a huge problem and takes forever to sort out.  But otherwise, it’s dry.

Who knew?

Being patient

Not something that comes easily, but then there are times when, for one reason or another, there’s no choice but to sit back, relax and let someone else do all the worrying.  It’s what we pay for, in this case at least!

Our cruise is coming to an end and those familiar with Regent cruises will recognise the “Krew Kapers” show which we enjoyed last night and which, as usual, brought the house down.

For those unfamiliar with it all, the show is put together by a group of crew and is hugely entertaining.  To close, every member of crew is brought on stage (quite who sails the ship as they do, I have no idea!) and it’s a great opportunity to thank them all for a job well done. 

We went off to dinner with friends afterwards and enjoyed another evening on the ship before some begin to depart.  We don’t leave until Saturday, so though we still have another night on board, others aren’t quite so lucky.

This morning, we were woken around 6 by the regular sounding of the ship’s foghorn and looked out of the patio doors.

Hmm.  Not looking good here.

So, we spent a while packing a bag or two – complex packing here because we don’t want to take all of our luggage up to Cuzco and beyond and will leave some behind in Lima.  Oh, and we were watching jelly fish in the sea beside us.

There were quite a few!

The Captain came on the radio to say that the port of Callao (Lima) was closed and that we were at anchor until the weather clears and the visibility improves to more than 1km.  Nothing we can do but to sit back and wait – but for those friends with an early flight to Cuzco this morning, that could prove tricky.  It seems as though an inversion is holding over the coast this morning and with the sea temperature higher than that of the air, the mist settles creating disruption with both sea and air traffic.

So, no-one is going anywhere right now.  Except for the jelly fish.  Aren’t they amazing?

Around 10 am, the Captain announced that we had a small window of opportunity and that we had been given permission to continue.  We heard the engines in action again and sure enough, before long we could see the harbour.  In the meantime, we’ve packed most of our things, have completed the end-of-cruise questionnaire and had breakfast.  I suspect that elsewhere on the ship, things have been rather more hurried, as flights are rebooked, tours rescheduled and all kinds of other arrangements have been updated.

The thought of making new plans for all 600-odd of us doesn’t bear thinking about, but they are experienced professionals and can manage it all far better than we can.

Once we were underway, we made our way to the breakwater with the tug Polux alongside.

Oh my goodness.  Birds.  Thousands of them!

So, here we are.   Lima.  A couple of hours late, but hey ho, these things happen.  Our tour wasn’t due to meet until 10.15 so we’ll relax and let those headed to Machu Picchu get on their way as quickly as they can and we’ll await instructions.

One of our travelling companions is particularly excited to be arriving in Lima and may well be on the look out for The Home for Retired Bears to pay one or two relatives a visit