Fun, Food & Friends

When we arrived back in Miraflores from Hacienda Los Ficus, Doris and I stopped at a salon on the way back to the house. She wanted a hair cut, and I decided to get a manicure and pedicure while I waited. A manicure and pedicure in Lima costs roughly 25 soles, which is less than $10. I added paraffin treatments and paid the equivalent of just over $20. Aside from the luxury of a manicure and pedicure (which I don’t do in Canada), I realized that I do stick out here when the pedicurist pulled the paraffin off my feet, looked up and said, “White!”. There are many foreigners in Lima, and there are many locals who could be mistaken for foreigners. It really is a mix of many cultures and races. Somehow, however, I still manage to stick out. I am taller than the average woman, and while blonde hair isn’t too rare, it seems rare enough that my long blonde hair attracts attention. In addition to these, I am paler than even the average Caucasian person.

On Sunday, one of Hatch’s directors arrived in Lima for a business visit. It was an excuse to relax and enjoy good food, so we did. We had a barbeque on the roof of the apartment building, which has a pool and a patio area. There were nine of us, but we had more food than nine people could ever eat! We had all of chicken, beef, and fish; a lettuce salad and a cucumber/tomato salad. We had buns and cheese and potatoes, followed by fresh berries, mango, and ice cream. We spent several hours on the patio, until the sun went down and the breeze atop the roof got cool. We continued the conversation inside, until everyone headed home late in the evening.





The week so far has been mostly uneventful. Work has kept me busy, and my evenings have been spent working late, cooking dinner, or going for short walks. Since I was sick, I have mostly regained my energy. I eat well (cooking it all myself, instead of eating out), and enjoy lots of fresh fruit. Once in a while I feel a little ill; I’m not sure if it’s a reoccurrence of being sick from last week, or if I accidently eat or drink something that hasn’t been washed properly or I should be avoiding.

On Tuesday, I notice on Facebook that two of my friends from Canada had posted pictures labeled ‘Peru 2011’. I sent them a message, and we made plans to meet up today (Thursday) at Larcomar. It was so nice to see them! We worked together in the Elk Valley, and I haven’t seen them in about 3 years. We had coffee to catch up, wandered around Larcomar, then shared some appies at TGI Fridays. It’s funny how things work out. I wouldn’t have known they were in Peru if I didn’t go on Facebook (which I do fairly infrequently). They weren’t planning on visiting Lima, except their bikes broke down. They’ve travelled this far through North and South America on their bikes, starting in Salt Spring Island! You can check out their blog here. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of the three of us!




They’ve been through the States, Mexico, Guatamala, Columbia... until their bikes broke on the way past Lima. Unfortunate for them, fortunate for me to get an opportunity to see them!
Now it is Thursday night and another week has flown by. Tomorrow I plan to explore Miraflores in the evening. Saturday I’ve made plans to visit the National Museum and downtown Lima, to check out some history and one of the largest markets in Lima.