An American in Lima

slices of my life in Peru

An American in Lima header image 4

Entries from August 2009

Robbers Hold up NatGeo Team at Nasca Hotel (and the place where you don’t want to book a room is…

August 8th, 2009 · 12 Comments · Ancient Civilizations, Money, Economics, Politics

Enigmatic geoglyphs in the Nasca desert draw tens of thousands of tourists to southern Peru each year (photo c. RPP)

Great timing, criminals in southern Peru.
First a Peruvian trucking company diverts 100 tons of UN rice for cold-spell victims to the black market in July. SUNAT seizes three truckloads (32 tons) of hijacked rice in Ica; [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ·

Government Extends State of Emergency in 21 Regions; More Children to Die from Cold in August

August 7th, 2009 · 8 Comments · Climate Change & Disappearing Glaciers, Peru's Andes Mountains

These two kids live near Upis in southern Peru, where children are dying of extreme cold brought on by climate change. More deaths are predicted for August, typically the coldest month of the year in the high Andes (photo c. Barbara Drake 2008)

Peru is finally acknowledging that the humanitarian crisis caused by extreme cold in the Andes isn’t [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Thanks for Shout Out, NatGeo

August 6th, 2009 · 13 Comments · Blogging & Social Media

Got a minor thrill yesterday when I learned that An American in Lima is mentioned in the latest edition of National Geographic Traveler. Writing for the Sept. ‘09 Lima destination guide (”48 Hours in Lima” by Nicholas Gill), Marisa Petrich observes that this blog “began as a way for author Barbara Drake to document her transition to [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ·

AlmaZen Organic Cafe Thrives in Lima

August 4th, 2009 · 16 Comments · Food & Dining

Appetizers ready in the kitchen of AlmaZen, opening night

I haven’t seen much of my brother-in-law El Filósofo and his wife La Orgánica lately. That’s because they are busy until 1 in the morning every day with their new vegetarian restaurant AlmaZen, which opened two months ago in old Miraflores (see address below).
What makes AlmaZen different from [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Citizen Journalists Respond to Cold Deaths in Andes

August 2nd, 2009 · 14 Comments · Money, Economics, Politics, Peru's Andes Mountains

These are the things I think of when I read the news reports on deaths in the highlands — the humble, hard-working people who live at such a remove from the “civilized” world and who can be helped at not that much cost, if only there are willing souls to climb the mountain paths and meet them halfway.

[Read more →]

Tags: ··

Of Poisoned Dogs, Pigeons and Fujimori

August 1st, 2009 · 14 Comments · Animals in Peru

Many thanks to the concerned people who’ve sent their good wishes to our dog Lola, who was poisoned last week in Parque Leoncio Prad0, in Miraflores. Lola recovered thanks to the efforts of her vet, whose office is just blocks away.
Not every animal that is poisoned in Peru is fortunate to live close to a [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: ·