Summertime in Lima

The months of January, February, and March are summer down here in Peru, and it's quite a welcome break from all that grey that hangs around the rest of the year (and from the extreme cold of the frozen north, which is where I was less than a month ago!). Lima is the only coastal capital in South America, and Limeños love going to the beach.

Jorge and I went last weekend for a bit, but getting there can be tricky. There's a reason the picture above is not full of people: look closely at the ground. It's full of rocks! There are sandy beaches in Lima, but the traffic to get there is awful and parking is impossible. That's manageable however; what I can't manage are the huge crowds. So we settled for our rocky bit of shore and had fun listening to the sound of the tide turning over the rocks.

Another thing that screams summer here in Peru are the ice cream vendors. They ride on little carts (and they breeze through busy roundabouts and intersections as if they had nine lives) and have a distinctive whistle that they use. Of course there were tons of them on the beach, but they are everywhere in the city and pass by the apartment at least once a day.

One thing I find charming about Peru is that many vendors will pass by, offering different services, and they each have their own distinctive whistle. Aside from the ice cream vendors, there is a guy who sharpens knives. He walks along, rolling his equipment with him and blowing his whistle, and when someone stops him to have their knives sharpened, he puts down the stand and connects the belt (it's like very rough sandpaper) and pumps the foot pedal to turn the wheel. It's an incredibly cheap and convenient service, and someday I will remember to take a video, or at least a photo.

Next week I start training for the elementary school, and I won't be able to take in the summer like I have been. But next weekend, Jorge and I are going to the beach in Paracas, four hours south of Lima, to celebrate Valentine's Day (and the anniversary of when and where we first met). I can't believe it's been a year already, but I can't wait.