Barranco, Lima

After sleeping like the dead, and the best scrambled eggs ever had from the hostel cook, we spent the day exploring Barranco. Many a stop was made to sit by the water or on the cliffs jus watching the waves roll in and soaking up the sun. For lunch we visited El Mueller on a recommendation from a girl at the tourist office. Carrie had a sharp eye to realize that the Biblioteca also had a tourism office.  They were really helpful with maps and the reco for lunch. Ceviche, arroz con camarones, yuca, papas, and corn.  I tasted as though it was straight from Neptune's garden. Glorious bliss.

Barranco is clean, neat, and has some of the most gorgeous modern residential architecture I have ever seen. I feel very comfortable here, and although foreign it's not like being a stranger in a strange land. We've mastered crossing streets and maybe at one point may brave mass transit.

We walked a bit longer and found some hidden eateries in some back alleys where the locals were lunching, so we may go back next week for more good eats. These are the very Bourdain-esque pull-up-a-stool and sit down to a bowl of soup with the neighbors. We've had some success navigating the menus, and what we couldn't translate, we pretty much got it in the ballpark and haven't been disappointed.

We couldn't resist one last time visiting the waterfront and watching the surfers and others along the promenade. The haze had cleared and the breeze was comfortable, and we were reminded that we were well above the waterline to avoid any impending tsunamis.  I only say this because we did ake note of signage for tsunami and earthquake evacuation routes.  We are, of course, sitting at the edge of a tectonic plate after all.

My Spanish is holding up far better than I had expected and am surprised myself. At the very least, I can be understood. I'll give Chicago credit for helping keep some skills sharp. We'll just see how long this lasts before I errantly redirect us to Bolivia. Hey, who doesn't want to see Lake Titicaca anyway?