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Laura Bush Does Peru: Toilets for the People!
Laura Bush had an interesting itinerary this past weekend in Peru. I think it merits more public attention than does her husband’s hobnobbing with APEC leaders at the final summit meeting. Laura Bush looks on as aid worker demonstrates how to decontaminate drinking water in earthquake zone (San Clemente, Peru, Nov. 21) Of note: (1) She didn’t come with W. (He flew with Arroz.) Instead of arriving at Lima in Airforce One with her husband, Laura Bush flew from Panama to southern Peru. Some bloggers have read into the separate travel itineraries (strained marital relations), but I’m skipping those speculations because… (2) Laura Bush should be commended for visiting Pisco,…
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More APEC Poncho Outtakes: Bush & Friends Do the Free Trade Boogie
Now it's U.S. President George W. Bush in his APEC poncho get-up that's driving traffic to expat blogs like An American in Lima. Never say I don't oblige. These shots are all originals by El Fotografo, taken on Nov. 23. I let EF write the captions this time. (You can tell by the sexist joke above that EF wrote it, not me.) If you are going to reproduce the photos on your web site, please give him the proper credit line (photo c. Jorge Vera 2008) and link to this site.
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Bush Stifles Urge to Wring Asian Leaders’ Necks at Summit (Just Kidding)
Bush towers over Japanese leader Taro Aso (L) and Korea’s Lee Myung-Bak (R), at the Official Group Photo for the APEC Leaders’ Summit, Nov. 23, Lima, Peru; photo c. Jorge Vera 2008 El Fotografo snagged this photo of U.S. President George Bush making an incriminating gesture with his hands behind the Japanese and Korean leaders at the APEC Leaders’ Summit, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008. Korea’s Lee Myung-Bak looks like he’s flinching in pain. If Bush did secretly feel like wringing the Asian leaders’ necks, I don’t know why. Nearly everything went his way at APEC, and he got to go home with a nifty $300 alpaca-wool poncho. The day prior to…
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(Not) Trailing Bush at the APEC
The Texas cowbow-turned-El Chalan, APEC Leaders’ Summit, Nov. 23, 2008; photo c. Jorge Vera It was 4 p.m. on the final day of the APEC Summit, and most of the leaders and the journalists had left the Minstry of Defense building where the summit had been held. El Fotógrafo and I were huddled in a cubicle in the International Media Center, trying to identify which Asian leader was which in a photo EF had taken earlier that afternoon. “Is that the president of Thailand? No, Vietnam?” We kept checking with a list of published photos of the leaders, most of which appeared to have been taken when the leaders were younger…
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Waiter, There’s an APEC Fly in My Ceviche Classico!
By Barbara R. Drake, with photos by Jorge Vera Ceviche Fuerza Asiatica, from Pescados Capitales, Lima, Peru Call it haute cuisine with a political bite. That’s what some foreign dignitaries are tucking into at a top eatery in Lima this week, when the APEC Leader’s Summit concludes with a special focus on the world economic crisis. Pescados Capitales, on the city’s gastronomic corridor of Avenida La Mar, is serving up a menu of original dishes that salute and satirize “Los Pecados de la APEC” (The Sins of APEC). Overseen by head chef Wilfredo Castillo and owner Nguyen Chávez, the APEC dishes feature “summit” gatherings of classic Peruvian foods like ceviche…
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Peru Police Arrest Man with 36 Grenades (for APEC?)
Just two days ago, El Fotografo and I were talking with El Hijo about the beefed-up security for the APEC Summit, which concludes this week in Lima. “Are terrorists going to kill the presidents?” EH asked, as we drove by the LarcoMar shopping mall in Miraflores, which was swarming with police. “Probably not,” I told him. “But you never know, so that’s why they have roadblocks and police checking things. Sometimes it can be just one crazy person who throws a bomb to get attention.” “Oh,” said EH somberly. He looked out at a row of police in green uniforms guarding the entrance to the Marriot Hotel. One guy in combat…
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Best Cevicherias & Seafood Restaurants in Lima: Where to Dine During APEC Week
An American in Lima recommends… Seafood and rice at La Mar La Mar (Av. La Mar 770, Miraflores; 421-3365): Gaston Acurio’s chic cevicheria is sure to be on many APEC dignitaries’ “must eat at” lists. There’s always a line at this trendsetting restaurant, so expect even longer waits during APEC week. La Mar’s head chef tells An American in Lima he’s ordering 30% more fish than usual to accommodate the rush. Open 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. only.* Pescados Capitales (La Mar 1337, Miraflores; 421-8808): Top-notch, innovative ceviche served in upscale/rustic surroundings. I lurve, lurve, lurve this place, which is several blocks down the same street as Acurio’s La Mar. I…
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Cootie-free APEC Eating Zones in Lima
The final week of the APEC summit begins next Monday, and that means thousands of hungry delegates and heads of state will be seeking good places to eat in Lima. Peru’s capital city may be home to the best cusine in South America, but not all its restaurants are up to par. In fact, some eateries violate sanitation codes and use contaminated tap water (with e coli) to wash their produce. (Visitors cannot drink the tap water in Lima because it contains foul bacteria and heavy metals; many locals have adjusted to it, however.) To prevent epic outbreaks of diarrhea among delegates, APEC and Peru’s Ministry of Health have instituted…
