mcharlottesmith

It wouldn’t be the Panamerican Games if we didn’t get to have some fun, and so it happened that we were invited to take part in a local charity sports day at a local school. What makes it even better is that this school is a stone’s throw from one of our sports venues.

Dressed to in our sports wear we arrived in the neighborhood, not really knowing what to expect. The school is in one of the developing areas of the city with a lot of less advantaged families, and a lot of hope. The school is the vision of a passionate director who has been building it, in numbers as well as in brick and mortar, for the last 20 years.

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The sports day was organised by a volunteer who is at the school full time, and it is clear they have so much passion and a “can do” attitude. The kids came over in 12 teams of 6 or so, each with a team name and war cry. The grownup kids got assigned to either a team or a sport, and handed a timetable for the day!

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I had the privilege of being captain to “los leones”, a group of cheerful third graders. We took part in athletics, dodge ball, street dancing, rugby, taekeando and off course, football (or soccer ⚽ as it is called at home.) Along with many war cries of “un, dos, tres, leones!” we managed to score plenty of points and end second over all!

Milko, the Lima 2019 mascot, stopped by for some additional fun, and of course to hand out trophies and medals.

Today I realised once more, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are, the smile of a child is the most beautiful thing on earth.

Last week I lost my best friend of the 4 leg+tail variety. Charlie escaped the yard one last time for a wild run and sadly did not make it back home, but was run over by a car.

As dogs go, Charlie was probably the best friend I could ask for.  Definitely the most loyal. And ever loving. And always always excited to see me. And play ball, especially if he could jump to catch it. I have a lot of photos of this little friend, although not many where he is both awake and in focus, because lets face it, there was always a part of him moving, usually his tail.

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The best part of coming home from work was when the garage door open and a little black lightning bolt comes out to say hello, jump in the car, try to kiss me and hitch a ride into the garage.

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Any day was a fun day with Charlie. Whether this meant hanging out in the sun, running around the back yard chasing balls, swimming with the kids “rescuing them”, chasing b balls, catching the odd bird and chasing doves and hadedas (sorry birds), eating rusks with my mom, watching TV with my dad, chasing balls, keeping me company when I had a sick day, curious about meeting my brother’s new baby when she came to the house the first time, “helping” the gardener and chasing balls,  keeping my parents company when I was at work, going for walks with friends old and new, chasing balls, one thing is certain, Charlie had a great life, probably the best a dog could ask for. I think it is fair to say he could end each day satisfied that he had done his best and deserve his rest.

And he was so generous in return. Not many people visited who did not fall for his charm. Not long will a visitor be at the house or Charlie would bring his ball of the moment. We had to warn each of them “do not throw the ball unless you want to continue throwing it.”

To be fair, ball skills were never my strong suit, however I think I improved with this little guy in my life. I sure got a lot of practice, and a whole lot of trick shots.  Think: into the beam of the varanda roof, down onto the table, and back behind me. Or hitting the little metal man 3 times out of 5 throws, in stead of missing the man and the column behind it completely.

I think everyone who knows me knows how much I loved this little guy. You should see how happy he was when i took out his green blanket, or his winter jacket, and especially his walking gear. If I had to move it somewhere I had to make sure Charlie doesn’t see it or hear it, otherwise he will jump around and I will feel incredibly guilty.

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I will forever remember you, my boy.

Pas die huis op in die honde hemel, asb.

“Een oor af, en een oor op… Pasop!”

They do not call Lima the Gray City for nothing… lets just say the sun don’t shine. Not much anyway.

But somewhere on this bonny earth there is a spot in the sun, and I thought of a lovely time spent with my parents in Sunny South Africa.

During my stay in the country, we went away for a few days to visit a game reserve close by and do a bit of Safariing. If there is one thing I learnt from living abroad, it is to appreciate what a place has to offer.

Arriving at our chalet we were met by some curious deer, looking for some treats. The lodge provides a packet of “bokkos” also known as “deer food” that you can feed the curious animals, although it states clearly that you are not supposed to feed the deer out of your hands, but rather put the pellets on the ground. It also reminds us that wild animals are in fact, wild.During the week other visitors to our cottage included an impala bull, and a bush pig, teeth and all! The little guy gets down on his front knees to eat the grass and other treats off the ground.

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Every day we were treated to a breathtaking sunset, and (nearly) every night I saw the stars of home, the southern cross, Orion and the milky way.

One of the days we squashed into the car and went for a self-drive game drive, with a map to give us directions and a lot of laughs. Our efforts were rewarded by sightings of all kinds. A number of nyalas, a magnificent Impala ram, and a herd of zebras a.k.a Pajama Donkeys to name a few. To crown it all, we saw a herd of gnu, and a few young and old giraffes! It is easy to forget the beauty of the country of my birth.

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We treated ourselves to a Rare Game game drive one evening with the youngsters from the lodge. The game reserve has a training academy for young game rangers, chefs and spa staff, and a couple of the alumni took us through the rare game camp on a lovely game drive.

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The reserve has a breeding program for rare variations of game, and we were treated to see them all. From a copper springbok to a black impala and a beautiful sabel, with horns for days. We saw a pair of beautiful kudus, as well as another three bulls that was beautifully running out of a piece of bush. The highlight of the trip was an up close encounter with two giraffes, who are truly inhabitants of the nearby wildlife centre, but for practical reasons they live in the bigger enclosure. They pop their heads up to the jeep to ask for some treats! I had the opportunity to feed one of them – from the other side of the fence, just to make sure.

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On the way back to our chalet, we had one more treat: a beautiful silverback jackal was in the road, out at night. The car headlights lit it up beautifully as we slowed down and admired it before it slunk away into the bush.

As the sun set on my last day in the bush, I knew that my tank is ful, of wonder of sunshine, and of love for a family and home country that is deep and honest.

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Some Saturdays we start out with one plan and then it changes a bit, or completely. That is exactly what happened this past weekend. One moment I had some plans with a friend, and the next I had other plans with the same friend! A colleague had invited us to go out on his boat and since the winter is coming closer at a crazy pace, it is a good idea to get some of the summery things done while the weather allows. What started out as a lazy foggy Saturday morning, turned out to be full of adventures.

Arriving in San Bartolo at the boat club, we were met by a lot of people in white clothes with red flowers behind their ears. A little investigation told us that they are there for a big competition of Marinera Nortena, a peruvian form of dance. The brass band was blasting out a tune, and the dancers took to the floor in pairs to demonstrate their fast footwork and their passionate moves.

We enjoyed a chilcano and some seafood snacks – cerviche, kausar, etc – while enjoying the dancing, before heading off to the boat.

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It took us a while to figure out how the boat will get from the parking area to the water, until we noticed the winch!

We pulled out of the little harbour, past the rocks and had a lovely adrenaline and seaspray filled journey on the boat.

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We pulled into an old fishing harbour and noticed the contrast between the holiday houses, all boarded up for the winter season, and the fishing boats, inhabitants eating lunch on the deck with laundry in the background.

A line spanned across the bay, from a house perched on a rock to a house shaped to a ship… the perfect place for birds to get themselves seated.

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Around the corner the sea lions awaited us! Old big mane sea lions basking in the sun, reaching up into the sky. Young ones trying to scramble up the rocks while the water tries to wash them off. A host of magnificent animals, just doing what they do, and for us to see!

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Afterwards we had a relaxing hour looking out over the bay, waiting for the day to end. In short, an absolute treat of a Saturday!

A long weekend presented itself over Easter, and i took the opportunity to explore some of the not so far places around Lima. A few friends went with our surf school for a camp in Punta Hermosa, the local surf haven. The lovely guys from Surf X-Perience introduced us to a number of different beaches and showed us what it could be liek to surf in other spots. Please note, when I say surf I do mean a lot of paddling around and trying to stand up. I haven’t quite mastered all the tricks and greatness yet, but who knows

Needless to say there was a lot of laughs, a lot of fun, a lot of waves, and as always some interesting sites. In Cerro Azul, our first destination, we saw a tuk-tuk that managed to carry an entire surfschool in one load!

I was happy to enjoy the sandy beaches after surfing and to make friends with the local dogs. This little guy was so curious but got a bit skittish when I took the camera out. I hope he didn’t think I was going to steal his soul.

The beaches had a bit of everything, from a bit of structure and some traders selling trinkets, to cliffsides and piers to walk on. Aside from Cerro Azul, we also had a chance to brave the currents and big waves (and big surfers) in Puerto Viejo, and had the lovely opportunity to see dolphins, just a few meters from us in the water. If the weekend ended there my day would have been made as it was.

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Not that it ended there, of course! We had some lovely meals, including cerviche, Rosa’s come cooked glory and some of the best pizza I have ever had in a crazy tall building with some reggae music and sangria.

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The last surf day was at a beach called El Silencio. The paddle out was so far, but we made up for it by having some drinks and icecream and a lovely day on the beach.

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The evenings were spectacular, with lovely views over Plaza Sofia, a celebratory space for the peruvian surfing world champion, Sofía Mulánovich. 

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Along with many surprises and Easter fun, we had lovely sunset every single day, the perfect way to end a fantastic day with a bit of sweetness, like an Easter egg.

The seasons are changing, but it is very subtle in Lima. There is no extravagant colour changes and no leaves on the ground. But the weather changes, ever so slightly, with a freshness that allows for leisurely Sunday walks, down the stairs, to take in the beach.

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One thing that I haven’t found is hot cross buns. I miss celebrating the Easter period without it, so I found a recipe and decided to try my hand at it. It’s harder than it looks, but not impossible. The first effort looked unlike any form of hot cross buns I ever bought at Woolies, but the taste was close enough. I might try again and change up a few things.

A Sunday morning wouldn’t be quite complete without a cup of coffee after church. Last Sunday I cycled to church, and ended up with a photogenic looking bike next to a giant cup of coffee afterwards.

The coffee was really good, as was the cake.

The end of a relaxing day is well spent in the park, reading a book and looking at the day coming to an end. Ambience was provided by an old guy with a flute. This place never fails to surprise!

Even every day things turn into an adventure when you are living the Lima life. Saturday was a day of waterworks and adventures. The morning started off with relaxed surfing lesson and a whole lot of chit chat, as the waves were flat, but just being in the water was amazing.

After a lovely breakfast and a leisurely stroll I got home to enjoy the little comforts, like naps, fresh fruit and a good cup of coffee. After washing my dishes I thought, “Let me cut up this pineapple and wash the cutting board in this lovely dish water”. I turned my back and have not even retrieved the knife out of the drawer, when I heard a bang, a crash and a massive SPLISH!! I looked around, ready to face a burglar when I notice that the “intruder” was in fact my kitchen sink. It had been dislodged from where it was mounted, and fell out, water and all, through the cupboard doors and onto the kitchen floor.

And so, in an instant, my afternoon plans changed from cooking to mopping, and ther was a lot of mopping! In the process I learnt something new: Peruvian plumbers work on Saturday evenings, and efficiently at that. The guy did arrive at 6pm, went out to buy supplies, came back and was still finished by 8. The only warning was that I had to leave it be for 24 hours – who doesn’t like an excuse to avoid doing the dishes, right? I did receive a stern call from the building doorman, informing me that work is not allowed outside the hours of 8am-5pm. If I had a bit more practice, I could have explained it was an emergency, but luckily the helpful landlady gave him a call and explained.

All’s well that ends well! Another every day adventure, living the #limalife

When you get invited to join some friends who are going to surf the longest wave in the world, you go, even if you’re not sure about your own surfing skills. Well, I do anyway, and I am so glad I did!

On a Friday night we shipped out to Turjillo to get to Huanchaco. After a  10 min drive from the airport, we checked into our hostel and went to explore the nightlife of the little hamlet. We had a lovely dinner at Bily’s Jungle Bar. Beer is served in quarts, and the Lomo Saltado was really good. The music was provided by a local band who played on guitars and bamboo flutes. We followed this up by a party at Frogs, a big local backpackers, where the band played Salsa music and the Clarinet player gave us some additional dancing lessons.

After a hearty breakfast Saturday Morning, we explored the little town of Huanchaco and had a look at the waves. The town feels a bit like it could be part of a movie set. Some things are really run down and very old, some things look a little kitch, like an old family holiday resort that was looked over when renovations happened to the rest of them.

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In a side street an old man walks with his beard, wetsuit, and surfboard. In the main street the street dogs follow you until you reach the front door and bark at taxi’s and police cars. A seemingly abandoned bike is parked next to a seemingly abandoned building. Across the street there are vendors selling curios and leaf canoes are stacked next to the side of the beach, ready to go out in the ocean.

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After a surfing lesson and a fantastic cerviche lunch, it was time for a bit of R&R before heading out to a festival! There was salsa music, paint and a lot of dancing!

Early Sunday morning we packed up a couple of vans with wetsuits and surfboards and took a roadtrip into rural northern Peru to Chicama – home of the longest left hand wave in the world!

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We stopped along the way for breakfast at a local market. Underneath a shelter on the hard baked earth is a market that sells anything from potatoes to shampoo!

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Surfing, Cerviche, sun and more surfing… this is what the day consisted of. Of course there were laughs and fun and a lot of staring at the ocean as wave after wave crashes to the shore. These waves are long, consistent and really something worth the trip!

Many thanks to my amigos for arranging and for Lorenzo, an amazing Peruvian surfer who introduced us to this wonder!

This restaurant was so good, it deserves it entire post of its own.

A friend and I visited ámaZ yesterday, on recommendation of a few other friends and the Lonely Planet guide.

The food was a delight of Amazonian cuisine, and to be honest, I have to constantly try not to say Amazing Amazonian food at amaZ… but there, I said it. As previously mentioned, it is part of the culture to order a bunch of dishes and then share it among the table, and lucky for us, a lot of things came in half portions so we could try more things! While we had an idea of what we wanted, the incredible servers offered us some suggestions on what to have and it did not disappoint.

Along with the fantastic gastronomical experience, the decor is really special. Something between jungle kitch and modern art, without going too far into each extreme. Along with the multicolour chairs and origami cameleons on the lampshades in the entrance area, there are lovely booths in jungle huts upstairs, hidden behind a lush green wall. To top it off the menu is illustrated with some mischievous jungle creatures. I should have taken many more pictures, but I was too busy enjoying the experience. If you are interested, please go have a look.

Curiosity did not kill this cat….