Hiking to Palakala Waterfall: Will I Never Learn???

This weekend I took a hiking trip to Palakala Waterfall. As you may recall, I discovered, while hiking in the Swiss Alps, that I am NOT a hiker. So what prompted this unexpected excursion? I'm not sure, other than my students' assurances that it would be worth the trek.

From almost the moment I got there and saw the mountains looming over me, I knew that this was a mistake. Not only am I not a hiker, but I was also attempting this feat with students who are much younger and much fitter than I.

This was the first lookout point on the way up.  We are not even 1/4 of the way there and the town looks tiny!

This is what I saw for most of the trip as the guys bounded ahead and I lagged behind!

But we did have some good times and saw some breathtaking scenery:

I even got to interact with some of the local flora and fauna:

The eucalyptus lining the path made parts of the trek smell wonderful!

One thing I did learn from this trip was that Peruanos are extremely patient! This trek, which is supposed to take, on average, 3 hours, took us 5-and that was just TO the waterfall!  Of course this is partially because I had a breakdown halfway through, insisting that I couldn't go on. They patiently talked me through it-motivating me with promises of a beautiful experience (yes), a feeling of accomplishment (maybe), and food (nope!) once I arrived at the waterfall. If it had been me, I would have left me..but they waited, amused themselves taking pictures and eventually, we trekked on.

The motivational signs along the way were so helpful: Don't turn back, it's just a little further...
(All lies-it was still quite far ahead!)

But the journey went much quicker once we began to see signs of the waterfall:

And the waterfall itself was refreshing and reinvigorating: 

And the fading sun provided some beautiful moments on the way back (which almost made up for having to finish the hike in the dark!):

More food

Last weekend was all about food (as it should be in Lima!)

First I started out at El Pichito, a restaurant that serves food from the jungle with a couple of my students.

The girls are eating juane, seasoned rice mixed with chicken that is wrapped in a banana leaf before cooking. I'm eating patacones y cecina, fried plantain slices and ham.  We also had a similar version, tacacho, where the plantains are mashed and mixed with ham before being fried, for an appetizer.  I think I enjoyed the tacacho the best.  We also tried a couple of different juices and, for dessert, an ice cream made from a fruit that is supposed to make you curvy like an Amazonian woman.  (We'll see about that!)


Later I was off to Mistura, a famous food festival here in Peru.

You can find anything and everything related to Peruvian cuisine and culture here:

Mundo del pan (World of bread)

 Mundo de las Brasas (World of the Grill):
What's a food festival without grilled meat?

A traditional cooking technique

Mundo cervecero (World of Beer):
Now THIS is a beer tent!

It even had a museum about the history of brewing

Each brand had their own themed 'room' in the tent 

And in the center, a booth where you could learn all about tasting beers

Round 2: Some fancy causa and pisco 

Some traditional dancers

All in all I had a great time, but if I went back again, I'd have to take someone who knows where the best places are to eat, because the amount of options is a bit overwhelming.  Mistura 2015, though, would be a great activity for someone considering visiting me here (hint, hint!)  

Parque del las Aguas

I think I've discovered a new favorite place in Lima-the Parque de las Aguas!  It's amazing and so hard to describe, so I will attempt to show you the beauty in pictures.

Another view of Lima

Last weekend, I went back to the La Plaza Mayor-this time during the day.  Outside of the President's residence there is a changing of the guards ceremony.  While not as extensive as the one outside of Buckingham Palace, it was worth seeing:

Near the plaza, you can take a bus that takes you to the top of a hill, Cerra San Cristobal, from where you can look out over Lima.  This was a recommendation from one of my students and I was very glad I took his advice.  The bus takes you through a residential district where the streets are just barely wide enough for the bus to pass pedestrians on the side, combined with a steep grade as you ascend the hill. (Pittsburgh people, imagine a barely one lane assent of Potomac Ave-that is 3 times as long-from Banksville Rd and you will have a rough idea of what I'm talking about.)  Watching all of this from the front seat can really get your heart racing, let me tell you.  But the view from the top was worth every nerve-wracking moment:

The Fauna

Over the holiday, I had a chance to visit one of the zoos in Lima.  Despite the massive crowds, it was a fun experience.  The zoo is very nice and the animals are well-housed and well-taken care of.  Part of what made it so interesting was that they had animals from each of the different regions in Peru-the coast (where I live now), the mountains and the jungle.  I didn't take any pictures of the coastal animals, but I took some to prepare for future trips to the mountains and the jungle.

The Mountains:

The Andean Condor: I can't wait to see these in the wild when I visit Colca Canyon.

Vicuñas: A relative to the llama and domesticated alpacas

A llama

The Jungle:

The Andean Cock of the Rock

Jaguars

 

Geoffroy's Monk Saki

Musmuqui: Peruvian Red-necked Owl Monkeys

Barranco

I haven't started travelling around Peru yet, but I have been getting to know some parts of Lima.  Lately I have been staying in Barranco, a trendy neighborhood with great restaurants and night life.  I love it because there are some great views of the Pacific Ocean.

The most famous landmark in Barranco is the Punto de los Suspiros, the Bridge of Sighs.  I'm not sure of the story behind it, but apparently it's a romantic place to take someone on a first date.  

Barranco is full of museums too-my favorites being the ChocoMuseo and the Museum of Electricity.