Lima - 22nd to 27th Jan 2018
Dr William escorted me on my trip from Cusco to Lima. Speaking excellent English, he tended to me the entire journey, making sure I wasn't over-exerting myself, even when I went to the loo! (He didn't come with me, but gave me strict instructions not to hurry the process!) We landed late and so didn't arrive at the clinic in Lima until around 7pm, when loads of locals were also coming for their after work appointments. It was very busy and impersonal - nothing like the attention I'd received in Mac Salud hospital. A few assessments later, and an annoying tussle with the cashier, who refused to accept that my insurance would pay directly, requiring quite a few calls to the UK, and finally at 8pm I checked into the Dazzler Hotel. 5 days of R&R in 4 star luxury. It's not backpacking, but it's what I need right now.
Having thanked Dr William and bid him goodbye, I crawled into bed, smiling to myself in disbelief that I was actually there. The nightmare is over. I'm not 100% well, but I'm not far off. I have so much, and so many, to be thankful for - everyone who helped me through it; Dr Luna, the nurses, Melissa, Dennis, Mummy, Daddy, Ann, Duncan, Dr William, Clare and Albert (my insurance contacts) and all my friends who posted on Facebook or contacted me somehow. I am a very very lucky person.
After 2 days of rest by the hotel rooftop pool, and a teensy weensy bit of shopping, I felt well enough to contact Best Bite Peru to see if they had space on one of the cookery tours of Lima. They did. Today. Leaving in 15 minutes! Hoping that my stomach would cope with a more varied diet than the chicken and rice I've been existing on, I was picked up at 10.30 by Alex, our guide, and a lovely mother/son American couple who had landed in Peru the day before.
Our first stop was a local market, where Alex took us around the various fruit, vegetable, chicken, pork and nuts/spice/grain/pulse stalls. We tried chirimoya (custard apple) and aguaymanto (physalis) and marveled at the size of the veggies; cauliflowers as big as a human head and Chinese cabbages the size of watermelons. I particularly liked the pork butcher with a whole pig's head in the middle of
his counter, and the line-up of tripe, hanging from butchers hooks like coats on a coat-rack.
From the market we headed down the coast to a Lima beach suburb, where wealthy Limenos (people from Lima) come to enjoy the ocean and cafe life. Into a small restaurant, we donned fetching hair nets and started our lunch preparation. The menu du jour was causa, a traditional dish of layered mashed potato, crab and avocado, followed by cerviche and washed down with a pisco sour. The yellow cooked potato was mixed with a yellow pepper sauce and layered into a mould with the crab and avocado. Looked very pretty and so easy and delicious. Next was the cerviche, raw white fish cured in lime juice, coriander, fish stock, salt, garlic, yellow pepper sauce, oil and chili. Served with thinly sliced red onion it was absolutely scrumptious. And finally, our pisco sours: 1 egg white, ice, 2 limes, 20ml pisco and 10ml of sugar syrup. I'll definitely be adding this to my cocktail repertoire!
In the afternoon I took myself out for a stroll around Miraflores. Down to the cliffs and through the park. Lots of Limenos were out, snacking on icecream and crepes, rollerblading and cycling or just lying on the grass, enjoying the summer evening. I'd have loved to have a dinner partner to try out one of the restaurants, but I wasn't hungry after the big lunch and anyway, my stomach isn't normal yet, so dinner wasn't even necessary. It turned our to be a good decision; the day had really worn me out and I fell asleep with the TV on. I'm obviously not back to full health yet and need to take it easy. I'll have a quiet day tomorrow...
My last 2 days in Lima were pretty dull, aside from my morning ritual of waking up and watching re-runs of Sex and The City until going down for breakfast before the buffet closed. Hopeful that I'd be able to explore the district of Barrancas on my last day (Saturday) I took it very easy on Friday. My stomach was still bloated and I had no appetite, but I foolishly decided it would be a good idea to finally use my hotel voucher for a welcome drink. One pisco sour later (the choice was either pisco sour or a cup of tea - so it wasn't much of a contest) and I headed to my room, not feeling great. I spent the next 3 hours throwing up, feeling dreadful. What a setback... I think my stomach is just way too tender to handle lime, alcohol and raw egg white. On Saturday I slept all day, other than a weary excursion to a health food store for some hefty probiotics. Hopefully they will help restore my stomach to normal - and maybe, just maybe, I'll loose my constant headache that's been with me all week. Just in time for Quito, and Charlotte.
I'm happy to be leaving Peru. It's been a strange trip and I'm sad that I didn't have the fun that I should have had. There's only one thing for it - I'll have to come back!
Having thanked Dr William and bid him goodbye, I crawled into bed, smiling to myself in disbelief that I was actually there. The nightmare is over. I'm not 100% well, but I'm not far off. I have so much, and so many, to be thankful for - everyone who helped me through it; Dr Luna, the nurses, Melissa, Dennis, Mummy, Daddy, Ann, Duncan, Dr William, Clare and Albert (my insurance contacts) and all my friends who posted on Facebook or contacted me somehow. I am a very very lucky person.
After 2 days of rest by the hotel rooftop pool, and a teensy weensy bit of shopping, I felt well enough to contact Best Bite Peru to see if they had space on one of the cookery tours of Lima. They did. Today. Leaving in 15 minutes! Hoping that my stomach would cope with a more varied diet than the chicken and rice I've been existing on, I was picked up at 10.30 by Alex, our guide, and a lovely mother/son American couple who had landed in Peru the day before.
Our first stop was a local market, where Alex took us around the various fruit, vegetable, chicken, pork and nuts/spice/grain/pulse stalls. We tried chirimoya (custard apple) and aguaymanto (physalis) and marveled at the size of the veggies; cauliflowers as big as a human head and Chinese cabbages the size of watermelons. I particularly liked the pork butcher with a whole pig's head in the middle of
his counter, and the line-up of tripe, hanging from butchers hooks like coats on a coat-rack.
 |
| Cookery school Peruvian style |
From the market we headed down the coast to a Lima beach suburb, where wealthy Limenos (people from Lima) come to enjoy the ocean and cafe life. Into a small restaurant, we donned fetching hair nets and started our lunch preparation. The menu du jour was causa, a traditional dish of layered mashed potato, crab and avocado, followed by cerviche and washed down with a pisco sour. The yellow cooked potato was mixed with a yellow pepper sauce and layered into a mould with the crab and avocado. Looked very pretty and so easy and delicious. Next was the cerviche, raw white fish cured in lime juice, coriander, fish stock, salt, garlic, yellow pepper sauce, oil and chili. Served with thinly sliced red onion it was absolutely scrumptious. And finally, our pisco sours: 1 egg white, ice, 2 limes, 20ml pisco and 10ml of sugar syrup. I'll definitely be adding this to my cocktail repertoire!
 |
| Anyone for icecream? |
My last 2 days in Lima were pretty dull, aside from my morning ritual of waking up and watching re-runs of Sex and The City until going down for breakfast before the buffet closed. Hopeful that I'd be able to explore the district of Barrancas on my last day (Saturday) I took it very easy on Friday. My stomach was still bloated and I had no appetite, but I foolishly decided it would be a good idea to finally use my hotel voucher for a welcome drink. One pisco sour later (the choice was either pisco sour or a cup of tea - so it wasn't much of a contest) and I headed to my room, not feeling great. I spent the next 3 hours throwing up, feeling dreadful. What a setback... I think my stomach is just way too tender to handle lime, alcohol and raw egg white. On Saturday I slept all day, other than a weary excursion to a health food store for some hefty probiotics. Hopefully they will help restore my stomach to normal - and maybe, just maybe, I'll loose my constant headache that's been with me all week. Just in time for Quito, and Charlotte.
I'm happy to be leaving Peru. It's been a strange trip and I'm sad that I didn't have the fun that I should have had. There's only one thing for it - I'll have to come back!
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