Hmmmmm ..... a couple of words have mysteriously turned into links to adverts ....... advertising by stealth courtesy of "blogger" ...... I have put no links into this blog other than to a "you tube"-video......
And a big thank you..... monthly readership is up to around 750 page views!
One of the suburbs of Trujillo has as it's theme philosophy with street names and a central park devoted to the great philosopher's from Greece, Rome,France, Germany and Spain.
As I start start week three living in Trujillo (and week five in Peru), I feel so much a part of this lovely city, the historic centre has colonial gems tucked away behind doors and portico's that are truly amazing. The main square is picture book perfect and self-consciously so, but that is it, all the surrounding streets are full of the bustle of daily life. I still find it odd that in the centre their are no buses, few cars but thousands and thousands of taxis! Every taxi seems to beep it horn as it passes anybody who might, however vaguely, want a ride - there is a stalwart group of citizens here try to pressurize the municipality into passing a by-law prohibiting the use of horns within the historic centre ~ I so hope that they succeed, the horns are a sonic "blot on the landscape".
Things are progressing well at the conservatoire my timetable seems to grow weekly and as each day passes new opportunities and requests come along. I have several 14 hour days and return home around 9:30pm absolutely dog-tired, by so happy, I feel useful and motivated in a way I have not felt for years! Sadly (je,je) after such a long day I have to stop off at a roadside "comedore" for a sustaining snack, and people joke with me now at the conservatoire about my nocturnal eating habits and my passion for Peruvian cuisine.
Opera Competition
This last two weeks have seen an international opera singers competition hit town, I went to the knockout rounds, the semifinal and lasy night attended the winners gala concert. The competition attracted some 44 contestants fdrom all over Latin America, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria (!) and the Ukraine!
I picked the eventual runner-up (in pink dress above) early on in the competition, so am pleased I can still spot a good singer, and, in my opinion on the strength of last nights performance, she should have been the outright winner, with a performance of the Doll Song" from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman that was amusing, stylish and sung with immense style and precision ........ so congratulations to the rising opera star Natalia Dopwell of Trinidad and Tobago, by comparison the winner Andrea Aquilar of Chile, was good, but for me lacked that extra sparkle.
Trujillo Symphony Orchestra
However it was an excellent evening, although I felt the orchestra could have done with a great deal more precision as winds and brass seemed incapable of playing exactly on the beat, and wind solo's were wayward, despite the best efforts of the conductor. I was also shocked to see a member of the UPAO Univerity Choir taking pictures whilst actually singing! However, on the plus side, there was beautiful cello solo in the accompaniment to Puccini's Vissi D'Arte.
My other gripe was with the lack of respect payed by the audience, who seemed to think talking on phones and not controlling young 3 years old's was perfectly acceptable behaviour! .......... But, again I say an excellent evening rounded off with a trip to a Parrillada with my friend Nick for a large steak and chips washed down with a couple of Pisco Sours! I was pleased that Nick enjoyed the concert as opera was anew experience for him.
On the subject of Opera, plans are now well underway for La Serva Padrona next April, I have a good authentic score, have my soloists and as this is a chamber opera we are going to work together to produce a witty Spanish translation of the libretto and it is hoped to give 4 performances in the courtyards of some of the lovely old colonial houses of Trujillo.
The original entrance gate to the old(er) walled city of Trujillo
This last week also saw the launch of another new venture by me, a junior (12 - 16 year old's) chamber orchestra that is going to specialise in baroque music. The enthusiasm of these youngsters is so vibrant and they are keen, especially as I have promised a concert for them at Easter. They will be a maximum of 12 players and we are exploring the differences between playing sitting down and standing up!
Spot the ballet-master.
Earthquake practice
Waiting for the all clear!
Thursday saw the centre of Trujillo engaged in "Earthquake" practice, which was a rather half-hearted affair as we all, (on the signal of the cathedral bells being run) ambled down to the main square, stood around waited for another clang from the bells and ambled back. As several of the female professors said to me in reality we would all be running home like crazy to make sure or families were OK, not standing admiring the view in the main square!
Football Latin American Style
Last Saturday night (10th), my mate Nick took me to a football match, it is nearly the end of the season and we were to see the local team Universidad Cesar Vallejo play Alianza, Lima. Nick had suggested that I leave my camera and valuable items at home, actually as it turned out we were sitting in a very safe part of the stadium and I so wished I had my camera.
The game was a bit dull, as the teams had nothing to gain in terms of their league positions by over exerting themselves, but we were treated to a good display of dramatic rolling on the ground and holding of legs and the calling of medics, despite players only being tapped on the shoulder! Bags full of scraps of paper were distributed before the match so that when the teams entered there was a kind of ticker-tape cloud accompanied by toilet rolls being thrown and the lighting of flares. Slightly worrying that the flares were held by random members of the crowd! The referees were treated to the full range of abuse about their parentage and objects were thrown at them, and all this before the kick off!
Fortunately we were sitting in an area of the stadium that was more family friendly and well behaved (having paid S.20 (£5)) whereas the rowdier elements ere in the S.5 area. The supports of Alianze, Lima are famous for their "antics" including chanting, gesticulating and taunting the large presence of riot police into some confrontations all accompanied by the biggest drum I have ever seen. The banging of this drum went on for teh entore 90 minutes, I was a curious how it got into the ground as we were all "frisked" on entry, but then if the security guards could "miss" flares then an 8 foot wide bass drum would be so hard to spot! Especially stuffed inside the jacket of a supporter!!!!
The flares in the crowds were slightly unnerving! Health and Safety? Never heard of it!
Alianza fans like Millwall supporters are famous for causing trouble!
Anyways, it was a fun evening and only my second football game ever, the last
being 42 years ago when I went to Wembley to see an under 21's
international. Nick suggested we beat a hasty retreat after the match, as Alianza fans were known to give rival supporters a "friendly" thump on the head if they felt like it! So we hot-footed it to a local restaurant for "Chifa" - Peruvian Chinese food - not a Chinese chef in sight but lovely food!
Trujillo is famous for its ornate windows .....
Honouring the flag .... "the great and the good" of Trujillo
Nationalism
EVERY SUNDAY - various organizations are invited to parade around the central square and take part in a ceremony to honor the Peruvian flag and constitution, sing the national anthem and generally be terribly patriotic. This weekly ceremony is overseen by the Mayor and other worthies. I was amused to see tat along with various military, police and other services the local diabetic society marching and also teh female secretaries of the municipality all in matching black suits with handbags slung at the same angle over their shoulders! I was more frightened of the secretaries than the police!
The fire service were parading their clapped out second hand USA fire trucks, all minus many of the necessary equipment needed to fight fires effectively, but special applause goes to the guy matching in an environmental hazard suit!
Apparently it is the turn of the conservatoire in April around the anniversary of it's inception ...... can't wait!
Loving the attention!
Young Marinera dancers
Master Trujillo!
Military Police to keep us under control!
No idea .... but the groom looks non too happy!
Axes at the ready! By the left, quick chop!
Phewy, it's hot in here!
Sports day ..... procession!
Miss Trujillo Sports (4 years) and her entourage!
Processions seem to be a national sport in Latin America - at least here in Trujillo ( as opposed to La Anttigua, Guatemala)they are devoted to things other than taking Jesus and Mary for a walk! Friday it was devoted to sports for the under 11's .......
No procession is complete without Disney!
Don't tell the IOC they are using the logo!
Anthropomorphism Warning ..... friends of Johnny Morris and
"Tales of the Riverbank" , Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat and GP
the Guinea Pig ........... (of course you will need to be over 50 to
remember this series) ............. here is an episode .......
ahhhhh, how sweet and anthropomorphic, but I digress, Guinea Pigs are not pets in Peru but are farmed in the same way as rabbits and chickens are farmed, they are a native species an dwell suited to the climate especially in the mountainous regions of Peru. To quote an official guide .........
"Cuy", alternately called Cobayo or conejillo de indias is a guinea pig or cavy. The taste is compared to rabbit, thought delicious, and though difficult to accept for people in other countries who regard guinea pigs as pets, the cuy is a staple of Andean cuisine. They are called "cuy" for the sound they make cuy, cuy.
It's the head, that makes it so difficult to eat
Spatch-cooked they look more appetising
The cuy has a place in pre-Colombian Inca tradition. Consumed only by the nobility or used as a sacrifice and a means of foretelling the future via the entrails.
Cuys are today raised commercially and form a nutritious part of the Andean diet. An important part of the Novoandina cuisine, cuys are prepared in various ways according to region, but in Peru, they are usually served with potatoes or rice and a savory, spicy sauce. In the Huancayo region, the cuy is preferred fried with a sauce of pepper and achiote. In Arequipa, it is prepared baked as cuy chaktado and in Cuzco, it is baked whole, as a small suckiling pig, with a hot pepper in its mouth. In Huanuco, Tacna and Cajamarca, the preference is also for fried Cuy.
Cuys are available in the markets, already skinned and cleaned, but many recipes begin with instructions to skin the cuy in hot water, then remove the internal organs and cleanse well in salted water. Following this, hang the cuy to drain and dry. Since cuys are small, recipes call for one per person, unless the meat is cut into smaller portions. Most often, the cuy is split apart and cooked whole, with the head still attached".
and ......... I am about to take an hours journey out of Trujillo into the Sierra region in order to have a Sunday lunch of Cuy.
Mr. Cool in anxious anticipation .....
One of four dining halls
Well Nick took me to this restaurant complex about in the countryside like a mini-theme park, huge restaurant seating about 1000 people in four areas, swimming pools, an aviary, horses, and activities for children. Not what I was expecting but it was fine, although we both agreed that better Cuy could be had elsewhere, anyways I had Cuy. Just like chicken/rabbit though fattier, nothing too exciting, which i why i want to try it again maybe prepared differently and I think I could eat a whole Cuy next time. The half seemed a bit meager to me.
Don Isaac's .....
Yes it's a Guinea Pig (on the plate, that is!) mercifully almost headless!
Behold ..... the Cuy (well half a Cuy actually)
the obligatory "dotto" train
Nick
Sugar Cane growing in the area which is the start of the Sierra
Completely bare hills/mountains
Well I hope you enjoyed most of this weeks blog .................
(Don't forget that by clicking on a picture you can see it in a larger size.)
Patasca
There is nothing quite like starting the day with a nice big bowl of soup made from a cow's entrails ................. ok, back from the bathroom? ....... I'll continue, much tastier than it sounds! This is actually my second encounter with intestines and tripe, the first was when I ordered Mondonguito and the restaurant owner asked me if i knew what I was ordering, I said no, but could she only tell me after I had eaten the food ...... the smell was a bit off-putting but the taste was good, rich. Mondonguito is a tripe stir-fry, a bit dry, although it did seem to contain tubes as well, along with vegetables and some herbs. Today's "Patasca" was tripe and other odds and ends along with potatoes, maize and herbs.
Huanchaco resident
Despite the seeming preponderance of tripe the food here is excellent, of course I am really talking about the "food of the people", the food that is served up in the many little restaurants that open just for lunch and serve a "menu del dia" for between 4 and 10 soles (£1 - £2.50) at the higher end you will get 3 courses and always a refresco (drink) is served. The drink is normally a fruit juice, papaya, pineapple, apple, orange or a mix or chicha morada, a wonderful drink made from purple maize and with a rich fruity taste, the colour morada is a deep purple.
(actually tripe is not in preponderance, but it is cheap and tasty when well prepared)
Every day I try something new, potatoes are the staple here and they come in an enormous number of varieties, and are served hot, cold, boiled, mashed, chipped and roasted. There is some wonderful street food here and a great treat is "papas rellenas" stuffed potatoes, actually mashed potato is wrapped around a savoury filling dunked in batter and deep fried, delicious! As we are on the coast also popular is deep fried prawns, all served with some salad and a sauce (salsa) the local favourite being "aji", made with chillies ..... for that warming experience!
Some other dishes I have tried:
Papas a la huancaina - cold, boiled and sliced potatoes covered in a sauce of farmers (cottage type) cheese, yellow chillies, garlic, onion, cream and served decorated with black olives and hard boiled egg and normally served as a starter.
Aji de Gallina
Aji de Gallina - chicken cooked in a sauce of yes, yellow/white chillies and served with rice and potatoes (french fries).
Cabrito de Trujillo - goat or lamb knuckle stewed with vegtables.
Pescado Frito - simple fried fish served with Aji and popular for breakfast
Sopa de gallina - chicken soup with potatoes maize and sometimes pasta, also popular at breakfast as well as lunch.
Lunch is a big deal here, and dinner is normally just coffee and a piece of cake or some type of bread. The lemon meringue pie here is to die for, the meringue standing some 6 or more inches above the lemon filling, mmmmmmm
Tacu-tacu
Then there is tacu-tacu a kind of pancake/frittata made with rice, mashed potatoes and onions served alongside either chicken of a nice piece of steak.
Lomito saltado - strips of beef stir fried with peppers, chillies, tomatoes, onions etc and served with the ever present rice and chips!
Meat cooked a la plancha - on a griddle - is very popular and so tasty .........
Sand crabs - prepared and served in a spicy sauce or as a thick soup (chupa)- mmmmmmmand a huge selection of different types of clams and shell fish in general all go to make the eating experience so memorable.
Chupa
So I reckon that each day I will spend around £4 on my three meals, £1 for breakfast, £2 for lunch and maybe £1 for supper. I have no cooking facilities in my room, but will be buying a kettle for tea/coffee. There is no need to cook when the restaurant/street food is so cheap, plentiful and nutritious!
Ordinary coffee is served with the (I suspect) instant coffee diluted to a thickish liquid, presented in a small bottle alongside a cup of boiled water and sugar, you add the coffee solution to taste! Good coffee, is very expensive!
Chicha-morada
Other drinks are mainly, juices made with either water or milk and the chicha morada, tea is mainly herbal or fruit. Gaseosos - fizzy drinks include the usual coke, pepsi and inca cola.
I have yet to try the local beer - brewed in Trujillo - and said to be excellent.
So, today I move house, Huanchaco is definitely a place for me to visit rather than stay, too many disco/bars and tourist restaurants, too many surfers, beach bums and the like .... and this is the end of the low season, apparently December - March the place is absolutely heaving! So I am moving to the relative tranquility of the historic centre of Trujillo ......
So, ....... Prof. Carlos very kindly helped me move and so here I am in Calle Raimondi, in a lovely quiet room, which I shall very soon make my own. My landlady Senora Nery is charming and nothing seems too much trouble, she has even provided me with an iron and an ironing board!
The conservatoire is behind the cathedral (green 1 on the map) in Independencia and I am three blocks to the left in Calle Raimondi - just outside Avenida Espana which circles El Centro Historico. See the black * on the map.
Within 100 yards of my room are about a dozen restaurants all offering a "menu", I had a lunch for Soles 5 (£1.25) and it was good and filling. I've bought a kettle so am pretty much set up, I have cable TV including BBC world, though that won't help my Spanish.
Week two and I feel very settled in at the conservatoire and am just getting busier and busier, which is just fine. Last Wednesday was a celebration of music Criolla a mix between Peruvian, Caribbean and Spanish, lovely jazzy and sung by a group made of both professors and students. The building on three levels around a central courtyard is just perfect for concerts "al fresco".
Well the big shock for me is the terrain, Peru has three distinct regions, the amazon east of the Andes, the high sierra of the Andes themselves and thenthe coastal northern extension of the Atacama desert. Although the Atacama is generally known as the most arid region on the planet, the climate along Peru's shores is made cooler and less dry by La Garuùa, a dense fog created by the collision of the frigid waters of the Humboldt Current with the heated sands of the Atacama. Lima, Trujillo, and Chiclayo, three of Peru's major population centres, are located along this coastal desert.
It is weird, outside of Trujillo city you enter a kind of arid moonscape, but not hot, temperatures range from 14 - 22 degrees in winter with only a few degrees of change during the summer (December - March) where it soars to 25 degrees C. So very pleasant and of course no rain! Maybe a very occasional shower for a minute or two, once or twice a year!
The city centre itself is full of small squares, with lawns and trees and shade and within the historic centre (within Avenida Espana) it is a Spanish Colonial treasure with some 10 churches and unlike Antigua (Guatemala) all are in perfect condition as there is a distinct lack of volcanoes.
Last Thursday, All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead was a public holiday so Nick very kindly took me to Pacasmayo about 100km up the coast. A delightful little town on the coast with a very long pier, colonial buildings and the home of Pacasmayo cement! The factory dominate the skyline when you look inland. Unfortunately, they were renewing the sewage system and nearly every road in the centre of town was dug up - and thankfully the stiff breeze took away unfriendly odours most of the time.
Pacasmayo cement central!
Having said all that, as you can see from my picture it was a very happy and relaxing time for both of us. The town is delightful and I hope to visit it again. For me, it is good to have friend not connected to my music world. We enjoyed the tastiest chicken a la plancha (and chips!) ever washed down with a cool beer all for an amazing £4!
For our next adventure, I think we will venture into the mountains.
There are no trains in northern Peru and everybody travels by coach, I was surprised that the two hour journey cost only Soles 8 (£2) and seats have to be booked, but there was a bus every ten minutes.
My mate Nick!
Colonial charm.
On Friday, government employees were given an extra day holiday, so it is a long weekend vacation here. Luckily I was able to go to the conservatoire to do some much needed practice, as I am to accompany some students in their final recitals and also need to practice some piano duets which I am playing with the delightful Prof. Vicky Valdez. She and her husband Prof. Frances Alarcon have taken me under their wing, and along with Prof. Carlos have made sure that my first two weeks have been so good.
Maestro Alvarez
I have been given permission to attend the rehearsals of the symphony orchestra when time permits and the conductor Maestro Teofilo Alvarez and I share the same birthday!
These birds are like Pteridactyls - so ancient!
One thing that Trujillo seems to lack is decent bars, of course many cafes are also bars but I wanted to find something with more character, and having just been out to the local supermarket I think I have found what I am looking for, tucked away in a side street is the "Museum of Games" and situated in the corner of this lovely colonial building is the museum cafe and bar; all dark wood, dim lights, character ..... and only 3 minutes walk from my room! Plan to explore this more this week along with the exact nature of the games in the museum!
Old houses in Huanchaco - amazing architecture.
I am so glad to have made the move from Huanchaco, it really wasn't me, and being 45 minutes away (door to door) was a terrible drain at the end of a long day, but I remain a Otra Cosa volunteer and will go back when I can for the volunteer lunches, quiz nights and to stay in touch with the delightful Laura. Huanchaco will also be great to visit for its sunsets, and the quality of its fish based food.
Amazingly there was a mural on the walls of the cemetery in Pacasmayo, and one of the scenes shows the creation of the world, and it would seem that first God created Peru, then he created Latin America, and then he created some other insignificant places ......
The creation - the final "blob" is the rest of the world!
Peru is central here!
Latin America
Finally, some shots of Huanchaco market and my new room in Trujillo.
The game was a bit dull, as the teams had nothing to gain in terms of their league positions by over exerting themselves, but we were treated to a good display of dramatic rolling on the ground and holding of legs and the calling of medics, despite players only being tapped on the shoulder! Bags full of scraps of paper were distributed before the match so that when the teams entered there was a kind of ticker-tape cloud accompanied by toilet rolls being thrown and the lighting of flares. Slightly worrying that the flares were held by random members of the crowd! The referees were treated to the full range of abuse about their parentage and objects were thrown at them, and all this before the kick off!
