Yesterday Michael and I spent just under two hours in DIGEMIN - Dirección General de Migraciones y Naturalización: the office for migration and naturalisation, i.e. where you go to have your expiring visa renewed.
The building was a maze of queues, information desks, very important people, surprisingly friendly security staff, offices, waiting rooms, a bank office for paying fees and a section for taking passport photos. I had enough after about ten minutes when we had to stand in the scorching sun in the inner court to queue for the bank people to relieve me of 20 USD and 27 soles. But then i remembered my nice new wooden 2-sol fan, and was instantly much more at ease, and could laugh at the chaos that always ensues when people are queueing at a distance from the counter and other people arrive and try to sneak up to the counter, whereupon there is a lot of shouting.
I have to say that it was a much nicer experience than acquiring my residence permit in Germany, where you are certainly made to feel as if you should apologize for wanting to come and pay taxes to a retirement fund you're not even entitled to.....the Peruvian official even smiled as she gave me my passport back!
In the end, it turned out that if I hadn't renewed my visa, I would have had to pay 1USD per day until I choose to board the plane for France in March, i.e. about 30 USD. I almost regretted my endeavours to stay legal.
I'm starting to get better at predicting the summer weather based on the morning outlook:
Cold and foggy: it's going to be hot, damp and sunny
Nice cool breeze and sunshine: it's going to be even hotter and sunnier
Overcast: expect hot and overcast
Overcast with distressingly dark clouds: clammy with possibility of two raindrops in the late afternoon
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A reason as good as any?
After reading El Commercio, I now know the reason for Monday's transport strike: the unions of transport workers, drivers etc. were asking for the reassessment of the applicable traffic fines and a general amnesty for the suspension, confiscation or termination of driver's licences (all three the result of severe traffic offences), something that upset a lot of people. In certain areas of Lima, strikers even set things on fire and threw stones at strike-breaking vehicles.
A summary of the Letters to the Editor, the newspaper comments, and Michael's background information; Lima's public transport ten years ago was much more organised with proper bus stops, fixed fares (which are still advertised in most buses, but hardly ever adhered to, to the disadvantage of bus operators, it has to be said - it's the old race to the bottom ruling there), fixed routes and more orderly conduct - now people sometimes have to leap from the pavement to the bus step or the other way while the bus hardly stops, stopping buses take up two to three lanes holding up traffic, and are constantly involved in accidents with other buses, taxis, cars and pedestrians.
The whole strike was by some considered symptomatic of the lack of respect for public order; this is apparently a result of poor politics, poor policing, inadequate legislation and inefficiency in enforcing existing regulations.
A summary of the Letters to the Editor, the newspaper comments, and Michael's background information; Lima's public transport ten years ago was much more organised with proper bus stops, fixed fares (which are still advertised in most buses, but hardly ever adhered to, to the disadvantage of bus operators, it has to be said - it's the old race to the bottom ruling there), fixed routes and more orderly conduct - now people sometimes have to leap from the pavement to the bus step or the other way while the bus hardly stops, stopping buses take up two to three lanes holding up traffic, and are constantly involved in accidents with other buses, taxis, cars and pedestrians.
The whole strike was by some considered symptomatic of the lack of respect for public order; this is apparently a result of poor politics, poor policing, inadequate legislation and inefficiency in enforcing existing regulations.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Money, money, money
YES! Today I received my first freelance pay statement! Well, the money is still not in my account due to interbank transfers (the banks are both in Bremen) which must indeed be very complicated in this day and age...but nonetheless I feel rich - today anyway.
Also a big plus today: people working in public transport, i.e. all those men and women driving around in rusty, dubious mini buses, are on STRIKE! YES!!! That has meant that the noise level on my street has been comparable to that of Sunday afternoon, and on a Monday morning that is quite agreeable.
Other great news: the first ají plant had a flower this morning, and some of the tomato plants have tiny green tomatoes. We are looking forward to harvest time already. But first we must eat the mountains of fruit and veg that we managed to take home from Minka yesterday. It's a cooperative running a food and commodities market including a huge fish section, but since we arrived just after 15.00, we didn't feel like trying the lukewarm afternoon leftovers...Next time! Instead we bought everything else, I think.
Also a big plus today: people working in public transport, i.e. all those men and women driving around in rusty, dubious mini buses, are on STRIKE! YES!!! That has meant that the noise level on my street has been comparable to that of Sunday afternoon, and on a Monday morning that is quite agreeable.
Other great news: the first ají plant had a flower this morning, and some of the tomato plants have tiny green tomatoes. We are looking forward to harvest time already. But first we must eat the mountains of fruit and veg that we managed to take home from Minka yesterday. It's a cooperative running a food and commodities market including a huge fish section, but since we arrived just after 15.00, we didn't feel like trying the lukewarm afternoon leftovers...Next time! Instead we bought everything else, I think.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Islas Ballestas - Pisco part II
For the second time that day, we arrived and were ushered out on a sandy crossroad before I had even realized that the bus had stopped. It hurried on accompanied by the ticket guy’s monotonous shouting.
It was like in a film, you get off the bus, dust blowing in your face and you stand there looking at your destination, in this case: Chaco beach, Paracas. One of the first things I noticed was the discreet King’s Hall, which looked more like a very humble abode (see photo). In front of us colourful, small houses lined the road down to the beach and further through the village and to some hotels on the left. Walking down to the beach, we passed an open tent advertising the boat tours to the Islas Ballestas, and several people approached us to try and sell tickets. The road ended in a small circle just by the pier, with souvenir shops on the right and the beach walk with restaurants on the left. The afternoon sun left the side of the peninsula opposite shaded, but nicely warmed the sand in Chaco. We took up some space down by the waterline and tried to be polite to everyone advertising their ceviche, fried fish etc. The water was nice and warm, like the Skälderviken bay at the beginning of August after a generous summer. It was only later that Michael told me about the small spiked rays that you, or rather, the soles of your feet might encounter if you move too quickly through the seaweed. Back on the beach we secured expertly chilled cristal beer and glasses from a gentleman in an orange t-shirt.
After sunset, we withdrew to one of the restaurants for crispy fried chita with rice –mmm! Afterwards we admired the pelicans, while one of the locals fed them with little fish and then asked for a tip. A bus took us back to town, and after having had a quick look at the main square with obligatory church and children playing on the grass until midnight we went home to our nice hotel room, leaving a substantial heap of sand in the shower.
The next morning, breakfast was served at the ungodly hour of 6.40, but I had some lovely scrambled eggs with ham (don’t blame me, the choice was American or Continental breakfast – at least I had fresh pineapple juice). The bus picked us and most of the other guests up and brought us out to Chaco again, while offering a dubious guided tour (hi my name is Juan and I’ll be your guide today) of the streets of Pisco, picking up more people as we went on.
In Chaco, we were seated in a large speedboat, with life vests and everything. Thanks to the early hour, the sea was calm, and the boats moved swiftly. On the way I spotted something really unusual floating and diving in the low waves: an otter. They were nearly extinct, but seem to be returning to Peru now. It felt like a good sign for the day.
First stop with the boats was El Candelabro, a strange symbol in the ground on the tip of the peninsula. No one knows who made it or why, but it has been speculated that it was used as a landmark by seafarers.
After another 20 minutes we approached the islands, and they were really amazing.
Unfortunately the light was most unfavourable for someone as inept with a camera as myself. But I can guarantee that it was a sight: on the stony beaches, sea lions were competing for space. On the rocky slopes of the islands, the anemones and sea stars in the waterline were succeeded by Humboldt penguins and Inca Terns, then black and guanay cormorants and Peruvian Boobies and pelicans. 
The more rare Red-legged cormorant (Chuitas) seemed to prefer to stay in couples a bit on their own. 
The curious vaults and caves of the islands only added to the spectacular views. The guide was ok, and sure enough knew all the names of the animals, but when he started explaining the larger systemic features of Peru's coastal water, the Humboldt current, El Niño and zooplankton, even I spotted some knowledge gaps. Nevertheless, he did well at explaining about the guano collection and other curiosa, while we admired the black “cormorant carpet” covering one otherwise white island. Our last stop at the islands was a big beach filled with sea lions, with some impressive big males raising their voices every so often. At the back, vultures were feasting on either an unfortunate sea lion cub or placenta from a newborn. Apparently, during the high season of sea lion births, condors are known to travel from the highlands to the islands to eat the placenta.
It was strange leaving the islands with all the images in our minds, and facing just water again, but a group of pelicans accompanied us for a while.
Back in Chaco we were given a 45 minute break, which Michael and I took advantage of to buy postcards, beer and lovely, just made papa rellena - filled potato mash.
A bus then took us further into Paracas, stopping at the national park museum, where the guide had another stab at destroying my faith in his biological expertise. Moving through the desert, we finally arrived at El Catedral, a cave/rock formation by the beach. to see the cave, we had to descend a narrow sand path onto the gorgeous, vast beach. Walking along and getting our feet soaked by occasional waves, I admired all the crabs getting washed up, and the lizards running over the hot stones near the steep rock wall. Michael showed me some stones with fossil shapes in them. The cave was huge, damp and chilled – a nice change from the scorching heat in the desert. I was wishing for my snorkel and mask. On the way out again, I managed to spot a red araña de mar – a type of crab – scuttling over the seaweed and sand.
Having climed back up to the top, we moved to the designated “panoramic spot” of the cathedral, and obligingly took lots of photos of the beautiful scenery; the cathedral, the yellow desert sand, the blue waves, and in the distance, more beaches and islands that reminded of Scotland, raking into the sky.
With our stomachs grumbling, we arrived in Langunillas, the secluded fisherman’s hamlet with 5 restaurants and a lovely beach with calm waters. The guide told us to be weary of the sea urchins, but assured a nervous Swiss that there would be no medusas (jellyfish). He was proven wrong the instant we set foot on the beach, where a big, brown jellyfish with a bell pattern like Arabic henna adornments was frying in the sand. Fortunately that was the only one, and the water was soooo nice. After my first contact with the spiky sea urchin bottom, I kept my toes where I could see them.
Lunch was had in restaurant "El Che". We had tiradito de pejerrey: small sardine-like boneless fish filets in lime juice with ají amarillo and cilantro, served with camote. Delicious.
Afterwards, Michael went for another swim at a different beach, and I took some pictures of rocks that hinted at very interesting diving sites.
At three o'clock sharp, the bus left, bringing us back to our hotel for around 4 pm. The evening before, we had decided that we'd like to stay the next night at "El Amigo" just by the beach in Chaco, so we paid the bill at San Isidro and returned to Chaco, passing by the market in Pisco to by some necessities (small yellow mangoes and bananas). After checking in, we spent the afternoon and the better part of the next day at the beach, before getting on the bus just after 6 pm Friday. It was definitely a very agreeable way to spend the days between Christmas and New Year, especially knowing that at home wind and rain were doing their worst - we even managed to avoid a freak rain incident in Lima.
The plan is to come back and maybe camp directly in Paracas, with nothing but the blue ocean and white-yellow beach, crabs and birds for company. We'll see, there is so much else to explore too!
It was like in a film, you get off the bus, dust blowing in your face and you stand there looking at your destination, in this case: Chaco beach, Paracas. One of the first things I noticed was the discreet King’s Hall, which looked more like a very humble abode (see photo). In front of us colourful, small houses lined the road down to the beach and further through the village and to some hotels on the left. Walking down to the beach, we passed an open tent advertising the boat tours to the Islas Ballestas, and several people approached us to try and sell tickets. The road ended in a small circle just by the pier, with souvenir shops on the right and the beach walk with restaurants on the left. The afternoon sun left the side of the peninsula opposite shaded, but nicely warmed the sand in Chaco. We took up some space down by the waterline and tried to be polite to everyone advertising their ceviche, fried fish etc. The water was nice and warm, like the Skälderviken bay at the beginning of August after a generous summer. It was only later that Michael told me about the small spiked rays that you, or rather, the soles of your feet might encounter if you move too quickly through the seaweed. Back on the beach we secured expertly chilled cristal beer and glasses from a gentleman in an orange t-shirt.
After sunset, we withdrew to one of the restaurants for crispy fried chita with rice –mmm! Afterwards we admired the pelicans, while one of the locals fed them with little fish and then asked for a tip. A bus took us back to town, and after having had a quick look at the main square with obligatory church and children playing on the grass until midnight we went home to our nice hotel room, leaving a substantial heap of sand in the shower.
The next morning, breakfast was served at the ungodly hour of 6.40, but I had some lovely scrambled eggs with ham (don’t blame me, the choice was American or Continental breakfast – at least I had fresh pineapple juice). The bus picked us and most of the other guests up and brought us out to Chaco again, while offering a dubious guided tour (hi my name is Juan and I’ll be your guide today) of the streets of Pisco, picking up more people as we went on.
In Chaco, we were seated in a large speedboat, with life vests and everything. Thanks to the early hour, the sea was calm, and the boats moved swiftly. On the way I spotted something really unusual floating and diving in the low waves: an otter. They were nearly extinct, but seem to be returning to Peru now. It felt like a good sign for the day.
First stop with the boats was El Candelabro, a strange symbol in the ground on the tip of the peninsula. No one knows who made it or why, but it has been speculated that it was used as a landmark by seafarers.
After another 20 minutes we approached the islands, and they were really amazing.
Unfortunately the light was most unfavourable for someone as inept with a camera as myself. But I can guarantee that it was a sight: on the stony beaches, sea lions were competing for space. On the rocky slopes of the islands, the anemones and sea stars in the waterline were succeeded by Humboldt penguins and Inca Terns, then black and guanay cormorants and Peruvian Boobies and pelicans. The more rare Red-legged cormorant (Chuitas) seemed to prefer to stay in couples a bit on their own. The curious vaults and caves of the islands only added to the spectacular views. The guide was ok, and sure enough knew all the names of the animals, but when he started explaining the larger systemic features of Peru's coastal water, the Humboldt current, El Niño and zooplankton, even I spotted some knowledge gaps. Nevertheless, he did well at explaining about the guano collection and other curiosa, while we admired the black “cormorant carpet” covering one otherwise white island. Our last stop at the islands was a big beach filled with sea lions, with some impressive big males raising their voices every so often. At the back, vultures were feasting on either an unfortunate sea lion cub or placenta from a newborn. Apparently, during the high season of sea lion births, condors are known to travel from the highlands to the islands to eat the placenta.It was strange leaving the islands with all the images in our minds, and facing just water again, but a group of pelicans accompanied us for a while.
Back in Chaco we were given a 45 minute break, which Michael and I took advantage of to buy postcards, beer and lovely, just made papa rellena - filled potato mash.
A bus then took us further into Paracas, stopping at the national park museum, where the guide had another stab at destroying my faith in his biological expertise. Moving through the desert, we finally arrived at El Catedral, a cave/rock formation by the beach. to see the cave, we had to descend a narrow sand path onto the gorgeous, vast beach. Walking along and getting our feet soaked by occasional waves, I admired all the crabs getting washed up, and the lizards running over the hot stones near the steep rock wall. Michael showed me some stones with fossil shapes in them. The cave was huge, damp and chilled – a nice change from the scorching heat in the desert. I was wishing for my snorkel and mask. On the way out again, I managed to spot a red araña de mar – a type of crab – scuttling over the seaweed and sand.
Having climed back up to the top, we moved to the designated “panoramic spot” of the cathedral, and obligingly took lots of photos of the beautiful scenery; the cathedral, the yellow desert sand, the blue waves, and in the distance, more beaches and islands that reminded of Scotland, raking into the sky.
With our stomachs grumbling, we arrived in Langunillas, the secluded fisherman’s hamlet with 5 restaurants and a lovely beach with calm waters. The guide told us to be weary of the sea urchins, but assured a nervous Swiss that there would be no medusas (jellyfish). He was proven wrong the instant we set foot on the beach, where a big, brown jellyfish with a bell pattern like Arabic henna adornments was frying in the sand. Fortunately that was the only one, and the water was soooo nice. After my first contact with the spiky sea urchin bottom, I kept my toes where I could see them.
Lunch was had in restaurant "El Che". We had tiradito de pejerrey: small sardine-like boneless fish filets in lime juice with ají amarillo and cilantro, served with camote. Delicious.
Afterwards, Michael went for another swim at a different beach, and I took some pictures of rocks that hinted at very interesting diving sites.
At three o'clock sharp, the bus left, bringing us back to our hotel for around 4 pm. The evening before, we had decided that we'd like to stay the next night at "El Amigo" just by the beach in Chaco, so we paid the bill at San Isidro and returned to Chaco, passing by the market in Pisco to by some necessities (small yellow mangoes and bananas). After checking in, we spent the afternoon and the better part of the next day at the beach, before getting on the bus just after 6 pm Friday. It was definitely a very agreeable way to spend the days between Christmas and New Year, especially knowing that at home wind and rain were doing their worst - we even managed to avoid a freak rain incident in Lima.
The plan is to come back and maybe camp directly in Paracas, with nothing but the blue ocean and white-yellow beach, crabs and birds for company. We'll see, there is so much else to explore too!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Pisco part 1
It had been hinted with little subtlety by family, friends and colleagues that Michael should take me to some nice places instead of keeping me trapped in Lima, so in the end we decided to go to Pisco for a short holiday between Christmas and New Year. Because Michael’s dear mum is not well, we did not want to go too far away, and besides it’s the rainy season in the highlands. Pisco is on the coast and only about 3 hours away.
We took the coach from central Lima in the morning on the 27th. This, naturally, included several mini buses to get to the actual coach station. Finally there, I was happily surprised at the standard of the coach. Michael had told me that sometimes the buses in the countryside have been put together using parts of old trucks, tractors or whatever else was lying around. The bus we took was not brand new, but clean enough and equipped with video screens and curtains (no toilet, but I prefer it that way, as the state of the toilets tends to deteriorate very quickly). As we moved out of the station and drove to the first bus stop along the Panamericana, uniformed coach staff moved up and down the aisle selling snacks and drinks of various kinds. We bought some habas – roasted giant beans that taste like crackers. The first film was “Kingdom of the sky” or whatever the English title of the film with Orlando Bloom and Jerusalem is. We passed the poorer and poorer outskirts of Lima, and I noticed that there is actually stairs built in the hills surrounding the city – painted yellow, they are too, so as not to be missed. The environs with occasional greenery smoothed the transition into the complete desert that makes up coastal Peru, from Chile to Columbia. After a while, we passed the extravagant hideaway of truly rich Limeñans – a small beach town which boasts all the commodities, including a shopping mall which is bigger than Plaza San Miguel and has its own cinema as well as everything else you might wish for. It put the later villages with their half finished brick houses, walls towards the Panamericana filled with brash Christal beer advertising, and dirt roads in stark relief.
Further south, near one of the rivers that carry water when it’s raining in the highlands, people were working the fields and growing things, for example wine. I kept a lookout for donkeys, which I’m still not used to seeing.
We finally got out at “el Cruz” – a crossing of a sand road with the Panamericana, with some shops and nearby houses. There, in the early and very hot afternoon, we were whisked into a taxi by some man, who got a sol from the taxi driver for his trouble (the taxi fare in total was only 5 soles). The taxi driver was very nice and gave us a briefing about Pisco while transporting us down a windswept gravel road between green fields with irrigation systems to the dusty town of Pisco, and our designated hostel, San Isidro. I was a little worried that there would be no rooms, as we hadn’t booked anything, and because it is the start of the summer and many people have holidays this week, Lima residents favour an exodus to the beach resorts. Fortunately, there was a nice en-suite “matrimonial” waiting for us. The hostels here very much in design and available facilities. This one, although very discreet on the outside (but nevertheless boasting a Lonely Planet entry), had a small but deep swimming pool in the centre, free laundry, a souvenir shop, breakfast kitchen and a separate kitchen for the guest’s convenience.
Having made use of the kitchen to eat our potatoes and camotes from the previous day along with a gigantic chirimoya (the most unlikely fruit I have ever tasted), we took a moto taxi down to the market to catch a bus to the beach.
A lot of the streets in Pisco are just packed sand and dirt, but what shocked me was the amount of garbage just lying around. According to Michael, the town just doesn’t have a properly organised garbage pick-up system, and so people rely on either disposing of domestic waste themselves or hiring someone else to do away with it for them – and where one person has dumped their leftover food or construction rubbish, anyone else can feel quite free to do the same. Down by the sea it got quite bad.
Apart from the glaringly obvious (the Peruvian national alcohol), Pisco is famous for its national park, the desert reserve Paracas, which includes the Ballestas islands where sea lions and a huge variety of birds compete for nesting and mating space. Ironically, three important industrial sectors are also represented within the reserve; fish meal factories and gas/oil refineries line parts of the shore, while the islands have been slightly modified to accommodate for the collection and transport of guano (low brick walls sit on top of the islands to make sure the guano stays put and is not lost into the sea). This, of course, does little for the natural landscape. But we still managed to visit some breathtakingly beautiful spots along the way...
We took the coach from central Lima in the morning on the 27th. This, naturally, included several mini buses to get to the actual coach station. Finally there, I was happily surprised at the standard of the coach. Michael had told me that sometimes the buses in the countryside have been put together using parts of old trucks, tractors or whatever else was lying around. The bus we took was not brand new, but clean enough and equipped with video screens and curtains (no toilet, but I prefer it that way, as the state of the toilets tends to deteriorate very quickly). As we moved out of the station and drove to the first bus stop along the Panamericana, uniformed coach staff moved up and down the aisle selling snacks and drinks of various kinds. We bought some habas – roasted giant beans that taste like crackers. The first film was “Kingdom of the sky” or whatever the English title of the film with Orlando Bloom and Jerusalem is. We passed the poorer and poorer outskirts of Lima, and I noticed that there is actually stairs built in the hills surrounding the city – painted yellow, they are too, so as not to be missed. The environs with occasional greenery smoothed the transition into the complete desert that makes up coastal Peru, from Chile to Columbia. After a while, we passed the extravagant hideaway of truly rich Limeñans – a small beach town which boasts all the commodities, including a shopping mall which is bigger than Plaza San Miguel and has its own cinema as well as everything else you might wish for. It put the later villages with their half finished brick houses, walls towards the Panamericana filled with brash Christal beer advertising, and dirt roads in stark relief.
Further south, near one of the rivers that carry water when it’s raining in the highlands, people were working the fields and growing things, for example wine. I kept a lookout for donkeys, which I’m still not used to seeing.
We finally got out at “el Cruz” – a crossing of a sand road with the Panamericana, with some shops and nearby houses. There, in the early and very hot afternoon, we were whisked into a taxi by some man, who got a sol from the taxi driver for his trouble (the taxi fare in total was only 5 soles). The taxi driver was very nice and gave us a briefing about Pisco while transporting us down a windswept gravel road between green fields with irrigation systems to the dusty town of Pisco, and our designated hostel, San Isidro. I was a little worried that there would be no rooms, as we hadn’t booked anything, and because it is the start of the summer and many people have holidays this week, Lima residents favour an exodus to the beach resorts. Fortunately, there was a nice en-suite “matrimonial” waiting for us. The hostels here very much in design and available facilities. This one, although very discreet on the outside (but nevertheless boasting a Lonely Planet entry), had a small but deep swimming pool in the centre, free laundry, a souvenir shop, breakfast kitchen and a separate kitchen for the guest’s convenience.
Having made use of the kitchen to eat our potatoes and camotes from the previous day along with a gigantic chirimoya (the most unlikely fruit I have ever tasted), we took a moto taxi down to the market to catch a bus to the beach.
A lot of the streets in Pisco are just packed sand and dirt, but what shocked me was the amount of garbage just lying around. According to Michael, the town just doesn’t have a properly organised garbage pick-up system, and so people rely on either disposing of domestic waste themselves or hiring someone else to do away with it for them – and where one person has dumped their leftover food or construction rubbish, anyone else can feel quite free to do the same. Down by the sea it got quite bad.
Apart from the glaringly obvious (the Peruvian national alcohol), Pisco is famous for its national park, the desert reserve Paracas, which includes the Ballestas islands where sea lions and a huge variety of birds compete for nesting and mating space. Ironically, three important industrial sectors are also represented within the reserve; fish meal factories and gas/oil refineries line parts of the shore, while the islands have been slightly modified to accommodate for the collection and transport of guano (low brick walls sit on top of the islands to make sure the guano stays put and is not lost into the sea). This, of course, does little for the natural landscape. But we still managed to visit some breathtakingly beautiful spots along the way...
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