Peruvian Elections 2010 – The Circus Arrives In Town

Over the course of the last couple of months, Peru has been gearing itself into a political frenzy in preparation for the national elections on the 3rd of October.  I haven’t seen a great deal of enthusiasm from the population, conversations limited to the occasional grumbling complaint about the general state of things or the [...]

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…And Back Again

I exit the bathroom briskly to be confronted by a selection of expressions.  Two of them belong to police officers, the other pair to Peruvian truck drivers.  Luckily for me, the police officers look delighted.  The truck drivers, not so much. “We have found you a ride!” exclaims one of the policemen, thus signalling the [...]

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Throwing Thumbs All The Way To The Mountains

“You shouldn’t be here, it’s very dangerous,” explains the woman turning greasy lumps of mystery meat on the roadside restaurant grill.  It is 9am in the morning on the outskirts of Trujillo, a neighbourhood called Moche.  Her words aren’t news.  Everyone who we’ve told about our plans to hitch-hike to Huaraz from Trujillo have given [...]

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Man 0 Machine 1

Monday was an important day for me. After trawling the internet for examples of good organizations in the hope of finding a project in Latin America with which to involve myself, I’d come across Fairmail, a non-profit that was based practically on my door step.  Needless to say, they’re a fantastic organization and I was [...]

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Finally, Culture

I’ve felt very proud of myself in the last couple of days having pro-actively gone to a local art exhibition at the Alianza Francesa in Trujillo. Not a grand show by any means, the gallery consisted of about twenty canvases spread over two rooms, but the event was a gem. I’m the first to admit [...]

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Weighty Responsibility

Continuing the theme that seems to be predominant for this month, the next couple of months promise to be pretty tight on the purse-strings. Luckily I’ve been offered the option of house-sitting for the lovely couple who run a beach-front surf hostel and house themselves elsewhere across town while they fly back to Finland for [...]

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Me Engaño

Boooo, the swell arrived late…just as I started my teaching again!  No Chicama trip to gloat about; never mind, I’ll be here for a few months yet and I’m sure to get the opportunity another time. In the meantime, bumped into this fairly impressive piece of graffiti in Trujillo.  Great photo courtesy of my Beligian [...]

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Paradise Found

Following my comments a month or so ago for my lust for the ocean, I’ve taken the bait sooner than expected.  With a pause in progress with the work with COCLA while they tidy up the business plan that I’ve helped with and do the run-around for funding, I’ve made a dash for the seaside. [...]

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Couchsurfing; Not As Lazy As It Sounds

I’ve just had my first Couchsurfing experience!  What is this?  I hear you ask.  Well… Couchsurfing calls itself a social project.  It’s a non-profit website that allows travellers to find people who will let them stay in their house for free (actually sleeping on their couch in most cases, using the luxury of a bed [...]

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