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Peru = Success

Sara Allen has made it home, meaning all transports have returned to US soil!!

The Peru expedition has been declared an overwhelming success by all the various pundits, a very successful journey and wonderful trip--thanks to Logistics Officer Ted Allen for organizing and for everyone that helped out in all their different ways.

Meanwhile, the Peruvian Nation has shut down today in an impromptu national holiday to celebrate the departure of the Allens and their relations from the country, returning it to a more peaceful, joyous normal state. At last they are gone!

Oxygen!

The first of our transport of our team members has returned home safely to San Francisco!

After a week of thin thin air at Cusco and above, and a week of Lima's polluted air that was even worse, they are breathing deeply here, sucking in rich rich clean oxygen.

Let's hope the other transports can make it home safely as well.

Astrid y Gaston

The expedition team closed out their two weeks in Peru with an epic final dinner at Astrid y Gaston, perhaps Lima's most famous restaurant, and best of all, the were treated to by Uncle Jeff. A fantastic meal--thanks Heffie!

We're going in and going in full throttle

One Day left in Lima: no food will be left behind . . . all bets are off as the Allens and their partners eat everything in site in this wonderful gastronomic capitol of South America! Look out Lima.

Pisco Shortage

(Pisco at the Hotel Bolivar Bar)

Lima, July 6: Unconfirmed reports are coming out of Peru today of a massive shortage in Pisco caused by the presence of too many Allens in the country. 

Stopped for comment on the streets of Miraflores, Peter Allen said, "On the Inca Trail we indulged mostly in Pisco puro-the straight version of pisco- but really ramped up our consumption when we discovered the Chilcano de Pisco, which is Pisco mixed with ginger ale and lemon-- that was extremely good!" 

At first, the Allen family consumption of pisco was moderate. However, when news of the untimely passing of Michael Jackson was announced, their pace picked up considerably. Soon, Peruvian distilleries were unable to keep up with the demand and were forced to tap in to reserve stocks to satisfy the insatiable foreigners.

Asked to elaborate, Peter said, "By the time we got back to Lima, it was game on. Astrid y Gaston had many different fancy versions, and we tried a passionfruit pisco drink I didn't really like, and a number of places soak Pisco in various fruits for long periods of time to make unique drinks. Unfortunately, we didn't get to try a Peruvian version of San Francisco's Pisco Punch." 

The result of the debauchery was a government mandated rationing of pisco for an eight week period following the departure of the Allens. In addition, all Michael Jackson songs were banned, in particular a cloying cover of “Beat It” sung endlessly by the Allens in taxis throughout Lima. Below is a music video made of the song.

Barranco Random

Barranco boomed in the early part of the 20th century as a retreat for wealthy Limeans who built fine mansions, estates or very nice large bungalows. It seems to have crashed about 1920s, perhaps related to the depression? And was swallowed by Lima's astounding postwar urban growth. It is now Lima's best bohemian district and home to artists, to nightlife and pena's, though it never seems to have gentrified . . .

Sara enjoys the Pena nightlife


An old mansion and an the old La Iglesia de La Ermita


street art and graffiti were everywhere


Talhia enjoys the nightlife; Chaylee on San Francisco street


Old newspaper kiosks


Soccer walker; Ted orders his hamburger late at night from a street cart-it was awesome


typical quieter street: the general trend in Lima is to seize the front yard spaces behind well-defined gates or facades. 

Lima Downtown/Plaza des Armas

We spent a great day in the center of Lima, around the historic Plaza des Armas founded by Pizarro and the Spanish in 1500s. We visited the excellent cathedral with Pizarro's tomb, the pedestrian streets, nearby chinatown, and the amazing Iglesia de San Francisco from the 1600s with its monastery, historic library, a food fair, and most impressively, 18th century catacombs.

Cathedral doors; Pizarro's tomb chapel


Didn't know they were twins?


an old broken down huge Arcade ala Milan near the Rimac; Ted, Nidiana and Chaylee

tamales!

Smog

Smog. It was as bad as described, probably five years off my life span. At times unbearable, as here, when Sara covers up downtown, unable to take it anymore.

Taxi's and Propane

Is this a good idea? A lot of taxi's--most in fact--ran off these extra tanks of cheap propane they put in their back trunks or wagon space. This was a lot of fun for Sara when she was trapped in the back of Jose's wagon with one of these fuel tanks.

Taberna Queirola

Another great old school Italian place, this time off in Pueblo Libre. Papa Rellena's and ham rolls. Sara disliked against the ravioli, and we never got our Lomo rolls, so who knows? The table of peruvians pictured were on their second bottle of Pisco-at Lunch!

Huaca Pucllana

A great old giant pyramid from about 500 AD in Lima's San Isidro district. The image of the adobe bricks is actually from Pachacamac ruins, but in each case, the earliest natives used this this mudbrick method, dubbed librero technique, for its resemblance to a shelf of books. I guess it took a while to figure out laying flat was better? Nice 1960s era concrete fence surrounding the Huaca site as well.

Lima Random

Random Shots from Lima



Funny version of sidewalk garbage seen throughout Lima, this little catch baskets residents used for their garbage, and then a giganticly tall version of the same thing in the Parque Kennedy in Miraflores, used for the same thing?


Lima really boomed in the 1950s, and consequently, modernism is everywhere. A 50s era diner still kicking in Miraflores, and just one of the 1000s of aging modernist building in Lima.



What's up with the stubby fire hydrants everywhere? This one was relatively tall! And a tree from the pleasant Parque el Olivar in San Isidro, which has hundreds of old olive trees planted by the Spanish when they founded the city.

El Gringo Amistoso

Determined to repair fractured relations between the US and Peru stemming from the insults of the Bush era government in the US, former Chamber of Commerce official Ted morphed into the "friendly Gringo" bringing smiles and waves to his greetings with random natives throughout Lima. The intent was to reestablish friendly commercial relations and demonstrate to Peruvians the friendly economic possibilities inherent in US capitalism. Here the friendly gringo slips into local garb to better blend in and impress local Limians--You Go Gringo.

The friendly gringo made his first appearance in Chile in 1998-99. In the archive photo below, Ted dons a Chilean gaucho outfit, a pose he recreates in Peruvian garb above.

The Beach!

After the visiting the ruins, the team stopped for beers and snacks at the nearby Don Pedro beach.



Of course it was winter in Peru, so all was quiet, but still beautiful!