Life from Behind the Visor: Local Hopsitality

Dec 26-30
The Paraguay embassy was a bust as explained, so we head back to the hotel, pack up our stuff and find our way to our friend’s house. Their neighborhood has tradition Spanish walled properties with ornate doors and gates. We love this type of architecture as it is always a surprise to see what is behind the gates. The Castaneda residence is simply beautiful behind a white wall with blonde stained wooden gates accented with wrought iron hardware. The house is lovingly decorated with collectables that tell the story of their travels and is a testament to their impeccable taste. We are greeted with open arms and hearts and are soon being treated as part of the family.

We share our story of the Embassy and no-one is surprised. Our first afternoon at their house and we are doing laundry and repairing the bike. The bolt that broke off in Quito has once again failed. This time the hardened stainless steel bolt the machinist installed is nearly impossible to drill through and I end up with a mess of a hole. I install a bolt right through the frame member and tighten it down firmly. This should hold nicely, and once again we are grateful for the use of a power drill.

The Castaneda’s have a blend of Spanish and Peruvian traditions, one of which is to eat lunch between 2-3pm, and lunch is a substantial meal. Then dinner can be served anytime between 7-9pm or as it is fairly popular to do is dine out. This would take some getting used to especially since the food is so good that it is hard not to over-indulge both at lunch and dinner. We enjoy staying at their home, and we are also treated to the “local” knowledge of the city which includes numerous tours to different sights and areas of town, and of course the best Ceviche restaurant in the city. Lima has a reputation for the best food and the widest variety in the country, there is some good to having a population of 10 million.