Our week in Lima

Our intention upon arrival in Lima was to take a week to get acclimated, see some sights, and soak in the sun. We accomplished these things, some on purpose, others by chance. Since the weather has been so warm, we went to the beach and shaved Josh's head. He then took a swim with all the Limenos (people from Lima) and the copious amounts of floating debris and funny looking foam riding the waves. Later, we had the good fortune of meeting Kitty, a woman visiting from Trujillo. The second largest city of Peru is an eight hour bus ride up the coast, with a population just shy of a million.
Kitty invited us to her son Ricardo's Marinera dance performance later that night. We didn't know what Marinera was, nor that we would be on an adventure with her until four in the morning, but we gladly accepted. The performance was an hour and a half south in a coastal shopping mecca everyone compares to Las Vegas, NV. Despite the absence of casinos, tall buildings, and dazzling lights, it was just like Las Vegas. We were relieved to arrive before dark after a three shady buses and a taxi ride.

The performance did not start until ten, but it was well worth the wait. Marinera is beautiful, complex and flirtatious. A live band provided the music and the dancers were of all ages (from about 6 years old - as in the video - up to perhaps 60 years old). Ricardo showcased a new variation of Marinara dancing - 5 males taking turns soloing accompanied by a lone drum. The grand finale included all the dancers, lots of confetti and ginormous puppets.

We spent the following day with Kitty and her son, Ricardo, wandering the streets of Lima. Our discussions were half in Spanish, half in English, but always interesting. The evening ended playing frisbee and devil sticks with all the little kids in the park near our hostel.
I recall someone making me promise we would post not only the cool things that are happening on the blog, but also the gritty icky things too. Hmmm. Well, since we arrived in Lima I've broken out with the worst case of fever blisters I've ever had. I thought it was due to the yellow fever vaccine suppressing my immune system, but am not sure. The entire circumference of my lips is covered, the condition has hindered my ability to smile, talk and eat for a week now. Josh has also been fighting off his first bout of traveler's diarrhea the past few days. Thankfully, we have enough calcium bentonite clay to cover our GI tract for months to come. Both annoyances will be gone soon though, and we are excited to fly to Iquitos tomorrow. We will stay in this Amazon river basin city for a week.
Last fun tidbit before we go to yoga class :
This little invention is the coolest! No more slimy soap dishes! No more soap slipping into the sink! I absolutely love this thing!!!