Nov 23. Back in Cehegin for 2 months.

I arrived in Cehegin as planned at 10.30pm and was met by the house owner Patricia, who had kindly offered me a lift to the house and in any case had the keys and a litre of milk. “The place is exactly as you left it except that the bed is made for you."

In the few weeks since I left, thinking I wouldn't return, I was glad at how I had left the house. There was tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits and a pretty well stocked provisions cupboard. Having paid the rent plus €10 for some logs, Patricia left and I was back “in situ” - I wanted nothing but a cup of hot chocolate, a biscuit or six and then bed.

The journey from Trujillo had been uneventful, 29 hours door-to-door, lengthened by the 8 hour wait at Lima. Flight from Lima to Madrid had plenty of empty seats so I slept.

Back in Cehegin, on waking the first thing I noticed was that it was dark, and 7:30 and chilly. Patricia had mentioned that the middle of the day was around 22ºC but that mornings and evening where decidedly chilly and I would be thankful of having the wood burning stove.

By 9am. I had showered dressed and was on my way to Mercadona for provisions sufficient for the weekend – remembering that except for Mercadona everywhere shut by 2pm Saturday not opening again until Monday. Sunday trading – gotta be joking!

I was a choir-boy and never a boy scout, but I knew that lighting a fire had a technique, just as singing “Brewer in D” had a technique.. However I also knew that “firelighters” were a good short cut. Whilst I had logs what I didn't have was “kindling” so after buy a small hand axe (a hatchet ?) I decided that a walk was called for and I would assert the ancient right of collecting kindling wood so went for a forage down by the river. An house later and I had a bag full of twigs, and was ready to start “pyromania 101” my first effort lasted maybe 40 minutes probably less, but did include filling the house with smoke. Suffice to say that it was only by attempt number 4 that I managed to get the stove up to heat and it was gobbling logs at an alarming rate – but I was as warm as toast.

I had received a lovely welcome back from Andrea the Welsh owner of “Cosa-y-cosas”, the second hand furniture, book swap and British mini-market. She is the repository of all knowledge, Cehegin's Delphic Oracle, she waxed lyrical about the right way to light a stove and keep it burning 24/7 – however I had already “you-tubed” the problem and was pretty clued up, but it was nice to have the reinforcement. By Tuesday I realised that four bags of logs was going to go nowhere, and my local garage wanted €5 per 10kg bag of logs. Andrea, of course, pointed me in the direction of local farmer Gines who sold me 500kg of logs for €50 and delivered them the same day.

500kg of logs is a lot, especially when they have to be carried from outside the house, through the house, up the stairs and stacked on the terrace. Also they were pretty hefty chunks of Apricot wood and way beyond the capabilities of a hatchet! An axe was required! Having searched every “ferreteria” (ironmonger) in town Amazon came to rescue – I am a “prime” member here in Spain – and I ordered my 2.7kg log splitting axe with rubberised handle at 17:00 and it was with me by 15:00 the next day and only €17.

It looks so easy. Let em say here and now, log splitting is not easy! After nearly smashing up the tiled floor of the terrace I have realised that I need to have a dedicated area for this “art” anyways, without pulling too many muscles I managed to split enough logs for maybe 3 days and immediately got to making a real fire.

In July it was on average 14ºC hotter and this week it is on average 14ºC lower. Today for instance it is maximum 7ºC for the day and a possible – 4ºC during the night. Just chilly! Clear, clear skys, weak sun and dry. But, I can wander round my house in just a tee-shirt (well not JUST a tee-shirt) but no need for jumpers. However, that 500kg of logs may not last me until Jan 7. So two things; 1. I am not attempting to keep the stove burning 24/7 and 2. I plan not avoid lighting it until after lunch, as morning as usually taken up with chores: shopping, washing, cleaning so I am saving the stove until I am ready to settle down to some reading. On that score I am having a bit of a “Patricia Cornwell-fest” this week.

Of course being back also means nice walks when the sun us shining and I am suitably wrapped up and cooking!

Do not be put off by the garlic quantity.

Yesterday I cooked a whole chicken over a bed of 40 cloves of garlic with an orange, garlic and parsley stuffing, all basted with orange juice and cooked covered by a tent of foil. The orange steam generated make the chicken so, so tender and infused with the garlic and orange. After cooking the garlic cloves a squeezed and the super-sweet puree and orange juice make a wonderful sauce. I had this with vegetables in cheese sauce and a jacket potato.

I have enough food left to see me almost to Thursday. Friday I depart at 06:00 for Murcia and Alicante airport en-route to the UK and a few days with Andy followed by time with Martin and Jean taking in other friends on the way.

Also planned is the AGM of FOMCAS (Friends of Michael Cat Appreciation Society) which will be held at dear friends Rebecca and Shauns house, with their 6 cats and the gourmet food provided by ace-chef Rebecca. I get to catch up with my two lovely moggies: Mr Moggs and Dame Kiri who were re rescued by the said Shauna and Rebecca and now live a wonderful life along with 4 other cats including a new addition I am looking forwards to meeting “Mr. Van Diesel” - a monster cat or small tiger apparently.

Plan to buy some Christmas goodies, to take back for my special Christmas with Nick.  Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies ....etc.     All very traditional.

"Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat!"   (except these days it's a Turkey!)

A guide.

November 9 - Weekend away from the hustle and bustle!

Back into my “Trujillo A” routine of teaching and meeting nick in the evenings.

Friday was the first elimination round of the international singing competition, and one of my CEIM students Milton was participating. He is a baritone, and gave a very good, and intimate rendition of a Mozart aria, was pleased for him. Fingers crossed. 

The two elimination rounds have some 52 singers in total of which 50% will pass to the semi-final on Monday. Participants had come from some 15 countries, all of Latin America plus Romania and the USA! It was a very mixed bag, really some contestants were not ready and one or two overstretched themselves with disastrous results.

Sometimes "selfies" are just not a good idea!

But this week ended with super mini-trip to Chiclayo. We left Saturday morning at 7:30 and arrived in Chiclayo four hours later. Chiclayo is up the coast, so the scenery en route was unremarkable hills and stretches of desert, except for where agro-farming businesses had irrigated or there was a water course. Dry, dusty and incredibly boring, mile after mile of nothing. Chiclayo is a small city some eight kilometres inland.

Where there is agriculture, it is sugar cane and we passed close to the town or Cortavio – famous for it Rum distilleries.

Anyways we arrived, left our bags at the 4* Casa Andina hotel, couldn't check in until 14:00, and decided to walk into the “centro historico” see some sights and have lunch. The centre was not as interesting as trujillo, the traffic tens times worse and the cathedral interior unremarkable. But the weather was warm and with sunny intervals, so we were happy. After wandering aroudn for a while we found the restaurate “Romantica” which specialised in serving “comida Chiclayano” and food being what Chiclayo is famous four, along with one of the highest crime rates in Peru.

Lunch was a starter made of blood sausage opened and the contents fried served along stewed tripe, salad and yucca. Maybe not to everyone’s taste but it was tasty! Especially washed down with lovely sweet black beer. Main course was the North Peru favourite of Cabrito (stewed goat in a lovely thick gravy), beans and rice, very traditional, very tasty. 

This rather heavy lunch needed time to be digested so we headed back to the hotel, got upgraded to a junior suite and was surprised and the size of the bed, it was about 8 feet wide and 7 feet long, huge! 

The suite was on the top floor so we had a panoramic view over Chiclayo, but don't get excited as the view was not up to much!

So we snoozed and then decided to go watch the sunset at Pimental, the local coastal resort. Nick uses an “app" like Uber for taxis, which is the safest way to travel. So we shunned the line of limos outside the hotel and climbed into a little local taxi and were whisked of to the seaside!

First impression of Pimental was that it was so much better then Huanchaco. Lovely big sandy beach and very long pier, the length necessitated by the bay being very shallow. A nice Malecom (promenade) and a variety of bar and restaurants, plus what looked like a quite upmarket local community.

The pier had been constructed to export sugar and the pier being so long had its own train. It was in a reasonable state of repair and mainly used by guys fishing with rods or just with a line they let down between the planks. There was a group of boys diving from the pier and except for the fact that the final section had no had rails or any form of protection, and of course no life-bouys, it was charming. There was a group of resting Cormorants and we were able to watch the local fishermen in the reed boats ( the origin of the surf board!)

We strolled back and found a bar and Nick suggested I try a local favourite of Black beer mixed with Coke-cola …… not sure! Nick said well it's just like a Sangria … even less sure! (on his visit to Spain in December I will disabuse him of this idea)

Practicing my Spanish with local resident.

Not sure what I am thinking .....

 Back to the hotel, bathed showered and rested and we were ready to hit the town. Nick had messaged friends from Chiclayo for recommendations and we headed out to “La Novena” a resto-bar with DJ. I decided that, I shouldn't object to the DJ and was so glad. The place was cool. The restaurant was at the front with an open kitchen and at the back the bar and DJ all safely ensconced behind floor to ceiling glass doors so the music was diffused. 

Chicken with bacon, grapes and ricotta: yummy!

 Service was excellent and the food a very pleasant surprise. Cocktails in hand we choose a selection of Makis (Peruvian version of Japanese Sushi) to start, these were great, but lacked the piquancy of the Japanese original. No Wasabi. But very tasty non-the-less.

Postre with Apple Martini.

Recharging the cocktails we choose a main course of chicken rolled with bacon, and served with a ricotta cheese and grape sauce, served of a bed of potato puree with courgettes. It was an exciting and excellent combination of flavours, the two chefs were standing looking at us as we ate our first mouthful waiting to see our reaction, they were not disappointed. This plate of food was exceptional and would have matched many fine dining restaurants in the UK. 

With a third cocktail we then moved onto desert: ice cream stuffed crepes, quickly fried served with a chocolate sauce and strawberries, another triumph.

Not a cheap evening by Peruvian standards but a very well spent £60. It had been ages since Nick and I enjoyed such a pleasant and relaxed evening of good music, food, drinks and conversation.

 After a rather poorly organised and slightly chaotic buffet breakfast, which left both Nick and I with unsettled stomachs (the sausages?) we spent the morning just wandering around and visiting the mall and our favourite Ripley departmental store. Back to the Hotel, resting our stomachs, checkout, a walk and then we sat on the hotel patio for some snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.

We got talking about the famous marketing film made by Peru, which is funny and very clever. You can see it here.

PLAY THE VIDEO

Add Peruvian TV personality ...who?
No idea.

We were reading the papers in the lobby (or rather I was as Nick was sound asleep), I got our bags from reception and at 2:50 looking at our tickets, realized that our bus to Trujillo was at 3:00 and not at 3:30 as I had thought. I panicked, shot out of the hotel and hailed the first passing taxi, a very clapped out old vehicle, but the old boy drove like the clappers (as much as was possible in the old banger), went through red lights cut up drivers and got us to the bus terminal for 3:00 "keystone cop style" on the dot just as they were calling our departure. Nick had not panicked relying on the fact the this is Peru and a 3:00pm departure would actually mean 3:15! He just grinned and said my reaction was so typical..... "no comment."

Anyway, I had 3.5 hours on the luxury VIP bus to calm down, with seats that are “like” beds (bus-cama) the bus was brand new but our seats would not stay upright, so lying prone was the only option for the journey. Nick slept, snored occasionally and the journey passed quickly aided and abetted by the obligatory pirate DVD films.

Milton Hinsbis - Baritono - My student!

Back at my room, a message from Milton to say he was through to the semi final. Hooray.




Then sorted out Nicks Schengen Visa obligatory insurance (for Spain) €36 and reflected that the next few months were going to be hectic. For me Spain, UK, Spain,then  Nicks visit and a return to Peru on January 7. For Nick, Chicago, this week; Spain, December; San Francisco, January; Germany, February and heaven knows what for the rest of the year. So pleased his career is advancing at such a pace.

Starting today I give my last lessons, and start to get ready for my return to Spain on Thursday. Time has flown (haha!).

Handsome, Nick.

My next blog will come from the little house in Cehegin, hopefully warmed by the log burning stove and for inner warmth "carajillo's."

Hasta luego.

November 1. A quiet week.

A quiet week.

 The week started with a lovely tea-time with Paula one of my excellent students, it was great to hear how well here voice has developed.

And then .............

After all the drama of the last few weeks if was so good to have quiet week. Each day I received an excuse as to why the Director of Culture could not see me and each day I taught some of my old students so there was some balance, and just as 3 years ago each evening Nick and I met up to go out for something to eat and to talk about our day.

Bureaucracy rears it's very ugly head.

On Thursday, I was given my long awaited appointment, one final wait of 45 minutes whilst all the staff took time off from real work in order to celebrate the Birthday of the Director, I was ushered into her office. I was presented with my “execution panel” of five managers, The Director had invited the entire selection panel plus one other manager (no idea who he was), basically I was told that the first part of the selection process was based on a pro-forma application form and all other supporting evidence was not allowed to be consulted and yes, whilst it was obvious that I had much more than the minimum requirements for the post applied for, on the form I had failed to establish 8 years of experience as one section was discounted. I was given 7 years and 5 months “credit” but owing to the limitations of the form I had to put some six posts in the space allotted for one, so I gave this section a generic title and then listed the various posts including up to 20 years association with various orchestras mainly in India. Conservatively I had 8 -9 years concrete experience plus the 7 years 5 months, so maybe 16 years! (rather more than the 8 required)

I had written “Independent Professional Musician"  in the job-title box and then listed each post as “Director of orchestra of x” and “Organist of”, “Accompanist to” and “Visiting Professor at” etc all with the number of years  BUT as I had failed to use the term “Director” IN the box everything subsequently written was worthless! So I was rejected for three misplaced words!

Yes, you read that correctly ........  I lost an opportunity for THREE WORDS!

If it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny.

The Director said to me that she was sorry, but the system was the system, [all hail the system] and the committee had to follow the rules, it was “lamentable” to use her exact word, but she hoped I would apply again in January as, she was now very desperate to fill the post. I hope the requirements would not change, but she could not guarantee this and I would simply have to wait and see what was required in January.

I shall be ready for them!  

Many of my Peruvian friends here so embarrassed by the crazy world of government bureaucracy. To them ......"Thanks for the kind words."

And I am now going to move on and forget this nonsense!

And Peru wonders why it is not advancing as it should.

Another example has occurred this week.

Passport to travel without let or hindrance.

From December 4 Peruvians will no longer need a Schengen Visa to visit Europe (not the UK) – this has been negotiated for over 2 years - but this is concession is subject to having a biometric passport and, yes, you have guessed it, 99% of passports issued are not biometric! And the process to obtain one has not been clarified.

The three police in the background spent more than an hour texting rather than working!

Had two lovely reunions with friends this week, Wednesday with Gerrardo and a visit to the much missed Metropolitan Pizza and Crepes Cafe and then last night with Lucio and Marco at Lucio's “pied a terre” in town.

Lucio, Michael, Nick, Marco

Nick and I starting to think about what we do next January on my more permanent return to Peru. So a very interesting two months ahead for both of us.

Next weekend we go north, to Chiclayo, for a mini-break, posh hotel, posh restaurants and sunshine! Should be great.

Chiclayo Central Square

FINALLY>>>>>>>>>> on the horizon  read this about PERU

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34504269

October 25 - All change!

No blog for a few weeks simply because things have been more than a bit crazy. 

When I last blogged I was in Spain, since when I have been on a flying visit to UK (pun intended) and thence to Peru and am shortly to return to Spain and re-enter Peru in January 2016.

At the start of this month (October) I had decided that I needed to return to Peru as I was missing Nick and felt that I had resolved some of my issues sufficiently to move forward. The space and calmness afforded by Cehegin had done its work.

I had also planned a UK break from Oct 08 – 19, and then my good friend Andy was to come to Cehegin for a holiday.

In the middle of this the Ministry of Culture announced that the next “Convocation” to select the Artistic Director of the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra was to take place from October 15 and I realised that I was eligible.

However, given the complexity and lunacy of airline ticketing, it turned out that the cheapest route for me to Peru was from Heathrow although that route had a first call of Madrid!  Flying from Madrid being MORE expensive!

So I decided that I would curtail my UK visit and fly from LHR on the 14^th.

Leaving Cehegin

All well and fine, but then I had to quickly settle my rental situation In Cehegin, and as per my rental contract actually had to pay the rent up until November 14 and loose my deposit. So calm turned to a fairly fevered few days as I cleaned the house, defrosted the old fridge – a 24 hours nightmare! And prepared to leave.

Patricia my landlord, very kindly said we could do the handover at 05:50 on the 8^th and that she would then give me a lift to the bus station for my trip to UK. Just as well as I had two big bags and a rucksack full of my worldly goods.

Sad to say goodbye to Cehegin. Of course in the middle of all this the purchase of my house had collapsed as the owners – 4 sisters and brother – had not proved their right to inherit the proceeds of the sale as the house was owned by their deceased sister. They had had 5 years to do this! I had to get a solicitor to get my deposit back, which was done in 2 days as the sellers were in such disarray. Sad but fortunate (as it happens.)

So armed with my bags I went to catch the 06:20 bus from Cehegin to Murcia. The bus station was deserted and Patricia was very worried that I had got the time wrong and that there was no bus!

I reassured her, but to her credit, she drove off and then sneaked back and parked at a distance from the bus station, thinking I couldn't see her, and waited until the bus arrived. How lovely.

From the first bus I had 10 minutes to lug my luggage to the ticket counter at the Murcia bus station and buy my ticket for the bus to Alicante Airport. Done with a minute to spare!

I had made a plan for my UK (now much foreshortened) trip which took in Brighton and Hove, London, Hereford, Birmingham and then Heathrow.

I had arranged with Andy that he would meet me at the local train station of Portslade.

On arrival at Alicante airport I managed to misread the indicator and hauled my luggage the entire length of the terminal to check in desk 145 only to find that was a flight to Gatwick but with Easy Jet and I was booked with BA, so I then hauled the bags all the way back to desk 19!

Checked in and only when in the departure lounge found out that all flights from UK were delayed due to action being taken by the French Air Traffic Controllers, so the 2 hour 20 minutes flight was now taking 3 hours and 20 minutes. Suffice to say I got to Gatwick late and then had a fun time lugging luggage from north terminal to the railways station at the south terminal, with unhelpful train staff telling me that I couldn't take my trolley into the railway station and that there was a train for Portslade due in 3 minutes and of course, from the furthest platform. Collapsed into a seat on the train, wasn't told I had to change at Hove (but the connecting train was from same platform) and arrived 2 hours late to Portslade.

Arrival in UK.   Hove .....  Hereford ....... Birmingham

 Andy of course had been tracking my flight and realised I was delayed and estimated my ETA, so all was well. Had a relaxing time with Andy, but didn't go to London as planned as had really bad back ache. Sunday saw me National express bus-ing it to Hereford for my usual Sunday night dinner and sleepover visitation with friends, Michael and Tim and then had lunch on Monday in Hereford with Tony, one of my oldest and dearest friends before taking the train to Birmingham. I have known Michael for 46 years and Tony for around 38 years. Amazing!

Martin was waiting for me at the University station in Birmingham and he and Jean had planned a very lovely dinner party that evening so that I had a chance to meet up with one or two other mutual friends. Tuesday was a trip to the dentist, a filling had fallen out and a problematical tooth needed some attention, a trip to the Library and then a couple of pints with Martin in the real ale pub par excellence “the Wellington”, Fish and chips in the evening then a bit of relaxing television until I was taken to the bus station for my 00:01 bus to Heathrow.

Leaving UK

Bus went via Coventry and Warwick, terminals 1-3, terminal 4 and thence to an almost completely deserted terminal 5 at 03:10. My flight to Madrid was at 06:20 and was the first take-off of the day, transited at Madrid and again at Lima and arrived to Trujillo at 22:30 the same day and took a taxi to the pre-booked hotel. Journey time door to door 29 hours.

Migraciones - Lima Airport ..... One unforeseen complication was that, having cancelled my residency visa last May, I am only allowed to be in Peru for 183 days in 2015 and therefore must leave on 18 November (unless I have a contract for employment before that date) as I have only 35 days left of my 2015 quota.

Whilst I was in England, Nick was in Cologne at the worlds biggest food-fair, where a team from DanPer was exhibiting. It was Nick's first trip to Europe.

Thursday I rested, and fortunately the hotel had a bath so could soak. Had lunch with my good friend and conservatoire director Carlos and patiently awaited the arrival of Nick back from Germany on Friday early morning.

A Pervian civil servant is a master of the first part and never heard of the second part!

LTCL in Orchestral Conducting

The farce begins.

I put in what had now grown to a 40 page application for the Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra post. This was: an official form, a declaration of honesty, my CV, all my diplomas in both music and management, letters proving my various work roles and letters of recommendation from UK, India and professional musicians. All of which had to be translated into Spanish – hence 40 pages (20 + 20).

Nick and I had worked on these papers all weekend. I had studied the requirements meticulously and I know that I met them sufficiently to be granted an interview. So feeling confident I put in my application on Monday 19^th.

You can (actually you can't) imagine my shock and disappointment to see that along with the other five candidates we were all judged on our paperwork to be NO APTO (not appropriate) and the process was cancelled. Maestro Alvarez had not applied, actually despite his 30 years experience he couldn't apply, as he had no diploma in conducting!

I wanted to know why I was not granted an interview and was unable to get a satisfactory answer so I have an interview with the Director of Culture tomorrow (Mon 26) to try to get an answer as my first attempt led me to believe that they had made an error (a personnel officer stated that probably I was rejected because whilst I have a diploma in conducting  I had no (Peruvian) municipal orchestral experience – she was shocked when I pointed out that it was not a requirement this time, but was last August. 

So had they used the wrong requirements for the selection process? 

Had an error been made? 

If it has, this will never be admitted.

MOZART - Sorry NO APTO  - you do not have a diploma in conducting

Actually under the rules as they stand, I think that Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Gustav Dudamel and many many other famous conductors would also have been adjudged NO APTO as all might have failed the administrative procedure.

Talent, musicality, professionalism count for nothing. The joke gets better. Had any of us been granted an interview we would have been interviewed by a panel of three administrators, non of whom know the first thing about music, orchestras, conducting or the like and this great interview would have lasted a maximum of 15 minutes. The same amount of time as was allotted for secretaries, cleaners, ticket sellers, an architect and a lawyer, who were also being interviewed the same day by the same panel.

So the Director of culture had better have a good answer tomorrow otherwise I am off to see my good friend Luis, who is the arts journalist for “La Industria”, one of Peru's most famous daily papers.

If there is to be another third and final (?) convocatoria, and assuming I can apply I think this will not be before January 2016.

I have now to concentrate on the fact that, as I didn't get the job  I must leave Peru on November 18.......... cue: sleepless nights.

Ecuador

Celebration

The day of my “rejection” meant that the 21^st which was to be a celebration of Nick and I being together for 3 years was rather dampened, nevertheless we spent the next day (22^nd) going out for lunch, me getting sun burn and have a good a day as possible.

Great lunch in Squalos

Solution

After discussion with Nick, friends here and in the UK, a solution has been found.

I am going to return to Spain, the landlord Patricia has agreed that I can stay on in the house in Cehegin and so I return on November 12/13. Nick will join me in Spain for his holiday from December 19 to January 3. (We had originally thought of a holiday in UK but visa processing times preclude this - 3 weeks for UK visa, 7 days for Schengen visa and Nick is away in the USA in November so can't apply before November 20.

I will return to Peru a few days after Nick and then be eligible for a 183 days visa, which gives us the breathing space to restart our life together and for me to start some enterprise and request residency again.

Friendship

But I am so fortunate to have the love and support of Nick, also  special mention in dispatches to Martin, Andy and Tony in the UK, help and support from many people here in Peru. Including offers of help with lawyers in order to ensure that Trujillo gains from my presence (not my words but those of a colleague) ……. and of course I still have a core group of students who have missed me and want to restart their studies with me ASAP.

So, all in all, it has been a rather eventful October………….. (and there is still 5 days to go!)