An American in Lima

Dog at Yungay National Cemetery; Mount Huascaran in background (photo by Barbara Drake 2009)

 Last Sunday, El Fotógrafo, El Híjo and I toured the cemetery above the buried town of Yungay, about 30 miles north of Huaraz. We were with a group of scientists and historians taking part in a glacier adaptation conference, and there couldn’t have [...]

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Lola had an eventful morning. El Fotografo and I took her for a long stroll along the Malecón in Miraflores, overlooking the ocean, and in the course of one and a half hours she met:

her longlost mother
her longlost father
author Mario Vargas Llosa.

We had been walking for an hour when we ran into Pepa. The eerie thing about [...]

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This post originally appeared on August 9, 2008. I like the piece so I’m running it again while I’m on vacation.

Es hembrita?
That’s the first question Peruvians ask me when I’m out walking Lola. It doesn’t matter if the person is male or female, young or old, with dog or without. Nine times out of ten, [...]

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The come-ons are written in Spanish and taped to a wooden counter by the cash register:
” I’m handsome, neat, and my name is Chester. I’m looking for a hot little bitch who’s crazy for me!”
“I’m playful and loving, with a good character. Searching for a beautiful girlfriend to make a family. (Please call my owner’s [...]

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Figure 1: Lola at 3 1/2 months, on the Malecon, in Miraflores

Es hembrita?
That’s the first question Peruvians ask me when I’m out walking Lola. It doesn’t matter if the person is male or female, young or old, with dog or without. Nine times out of ten, a Peruvian seeing my dog for the first time [...]

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Lola’s in heat. Where do I begin this story?
I can’t. Not today. It’s a saga.
I’ll just post the image and explain later. It does have something to do with attitudes toward pets in Peru.
Utterly redonkulous, as Meg from Cute Overload would say.

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