Not much to report on yet.   Mostly we've been visiting with relatives here in San Felipe, puttering in the apartment --unpacking and putting stuff away, giving the kitchen cabinets a long overdue cleaning out, just chilling-- , and shopping for groceries and, perhaps, a larger and more powerful stove.

Today we are heading en masse to the Pachacutec district on the northern outskirts of the city, at the edge of Callao, to a pachamanca lunch at Diego's new place.

We're in Lima!

We're in Lima ... And the sun came out!

We arrived two nights ago and have been visiting with Sara and the kids, mostly.  That, and getting resettled in to the apartment.

Merry Christmas!

In Lima!

We arrived in Lima late last night, and pretty much just settled in for the night without even unpacking, as it was well after midnight by the time we got home.

Today, we had a lazy Sunday with the family.  Willy picked us up in the morning and we headed to the San Jose Market in the "downtown" part of Jesus Maria, where we picked up the ingredients for a North Coast-style lamb stew (seco de cordero a la nortena).

The lamb and mutton butcher's stall. Note the tuft of wool left on the carcass'
tail in order to show that it is indeed lamb, and not goat.

We then went to Jacho's apartment in Los Eucaliptos to fix the lunch, where we were joined by Mito, Pali, Jose, Carlita, and Tono.

Liz and I took the opportunity between Wordl Cup games and before everyone arrived to head to the Metro supermarket here in San Felipe to get some necessities, some wine for lunch, and to get SIM cards for our phones.

After lunch Liz and I adjourned to our apartment to take care of stuff -unpacking, taking stock of the pantry, and so on- and to watch the USA-Portugal game.

Birthday Luncheon: My turn to cook!

Today, it was my turn to treat myself by cooking a big meal for the family - and, yeah, to show off a bit.

Usually we have at least one gathering at the apartment when we are here, and this time I used my birthday as an excuse to gather everyone here, even if it was two days after the date.

I decided for a Chinese buffet, and started cooking last night so I could get ahead on some things and lighten the load this morning.   That gave Diego and I time to to  the market in Jesus Maria for a few last-minute items -mainly a fresh halibut that I steamed in the oven with some vegetables and scallops.

I accompanied that with some steamed rice, fried rice with Chinese sausage, sauteed vegetables, red-cooked pork, soy sauce chicken, explosive pepper chicken wings,  steamed broccoli with mushrooms and oyster sauce, and beef slices cooked in a spicy broth.

As additional treats, Willy ventured back to the tea house in Chinatown this morning and arrived here with an armload of sweet shrimp buns, and black-bean and white-bean paste-filled buns.  For dessert, Marina brought her yummy rice pudding (arroz con leche), with an extra can of condensed milk for those who like it extra sweet!

Explosive pepper chicken wings

Red-cooked pork

Sauteed vegetables

Fried rice

Broccoli and mushrooms with oyster sauce

They must've liked it all, as every bit got eaten. 

Apartment

Among the things that have been keeping us busy in these last days in Lima there has been a bit of shopping and housekeeping.    

One of the things we promised ourselves on this trip was that we'd not leave Lima without having obtained a dining room set.  For a while it seemed that we'd not be able to keep that promise to ourselves, but then we wandered into Saga Falabella on Ave. La Marina again and found a set we liked.  

In addition, we purchased a print by a contemporary Lima artist I like, German Kino Ganoza, who goes by the nickname of  "Cherman". 

So, bit by bit the apartment is coming together and reaching a "finished" stage - at least in the main parts (The bedrooms still need a bit of work).

Sunday Family Lunch

On Sunday, as a sort of despedida to those who were leaving the following morning (i.e. today), and mostly, for simple pleasure of hosting everyone, we fixed a big family lunch at our apartment.

The main dish was a 12-lb piglet that we baked with oranges and rosemary.

We served it with corn, glazed carrots, and a trio of native potatoes, boiled and then baked with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic.

Afterward, everyone hung out, and the boys -not unexpetedly- broke out the cards and chips.

On our way ...

On July 27th, we departed from Lima, leaving the apartment in somewhat better shape than when we arrived.


On our way back to the U.S. we made a 3-day stop in Quito, a city that Liz and I had had the pleasure of living in many years ago, but which we hadn't seen in seventeen years.

More on that portion of our trip to come in the next few days.

Apartment

First views of the apartment as it starts to get furnished. We managed to get this far before we left Friday night, and in time for a small housewarming gathering with family on Thursday evening. The black dining room set is a 19th century family heirloom, made for my great-great grandparents.

We got it!

Yes, we got the apartment, though it took some last-minute wrangling and fretting, and a looong meeting that took all morning long to get a three-page form signed.

We then went shopping for kitchen appliances and went to spend a few minutes in our new, but as yet empty, digs.

In a Saga-Falabella department store, hunting for good deals.

The view to the south, from the living room.

To the east, from one of the bedrooms.

Measuring the small, back bathroom.

Two views of the kitchen.

Counting down ...

In less than a week, I'll be in Lima ... for less than a week.

When Liz was there during Carnaval she spotted an apartment in San Felipe that we are now looking at buying. It's been a bit nerve-racking getting it all together, and I probably won't be able to fully relax until the papers are signed. I just hope it all goes well...


If it does, ... we'll have our own place in Lima!