Just... Like... My... Opinions on Seeing the World

During the last few years, and most certainly the past few months, I've had the opportunity to reflect at length about the the pluses and minuses, pleasures and pains, strikes and gutters, etc., of wandering the globe, whether for business, pleasure, or sheer nomadic instinct.

In particular, I've been struck by what I would call the "curiosity gap". Put another way, there is clearly a division, a fault-line if you will, between those of the human race with a curiosity about their fellow mankind, and those that may acknowledge the existence of "others", but appear to have little interest in any greater understanding. Thus the genesis of my little essay below:

This division struck me quite clearly just the other day during one of hundreds of encounters I've had with ninos de la calle (street kids) in Peru. A pair of 11 / 12 year old boys came up to me with the usual sale of gum, cigarettes, etc. I gave my usual prepared response (ya lo tengo - I already have it, no gracias nino - no thanks sonny, etc.)

But one kid was particularly inventive and gave me the line - "but you need good smelling breath for your girlfriend, right?" Now I had to applaud the creative sales pitch, so I said "of course, how stupid of me" and told him he made a good sale. Now is was thinking this is clearly a pretty quick kid, so I was curious:

"How many hours do you guys usually work out here?", I asked.

"Around 9 hours per day, normally - 6 days a week", the older one replied, nonplussed by my questions.

"Do your parents work?"

"Yes, both of them work, but we all work, the whole family. But me and my brother are going back to school next year."

"Hey, mister" the younger one asked "Where are you from - England right?"

"No way!", feigning hurt at being confused with a gin swilling Brit (no offense...) "from the U.S., Washington, DC"

"Cool", the older one said, "we have a cousin who lives in New York. Someday I'm going to visit him, and maybe go to other places too - like London, Germany, Tokyo. All those places where you tourists come from!"

At this point, some of my fellow travelers were giving my arm a yank to get going to our next destination, and I had given the kids their soles for gum and conversation, but as I was walking away, the one kid said "see you in America!" in damn good English.

Here's what I'm driving at:

You can travel the whole world and find hundreds of millions of kids just like this - smart kids, living in poverty, trying to find their way through each day, yet clearly possessing an extraordinary curiosity about the rest of the world. Now mind you, I understand that much of this is driven by sheer economics - if this was your situation, and you had an inkling of the "fabulous life" people lived in these far off, exotic places, of course you'd be curious.

But what strikes me as odd, is that the residents of these far off, exotic lands (like you and me) often have so little curiosity about the world beyond there borders (whether actual borders or socio-economic borders)

How is it that those of us with the means, the knowledge, and the time to become better acquainted with our fellow man are the first ones to put up the fence, build the wall, hide the kids, and hope that we don't ever have to encounter the "ugliness" of the "other"?

Again, I understand that rational interplay between "economics" and personal safety is at play here - we've got a lot, "they" have nothing, and we assume that if we seek "them" out, we will be robbed, beaten, killed, etc. or at least feel very guilty for thinking we will be robbed, beaten, killed, etc.

But once again, I don't think its that simple. I can see a clear line drawn between the kids in Lima, and a 12-year old in Pakistan chanting "Death to America", just as I can see a clear line drawn between a well-off Californian family who avoids, Mexican-food, Mexicans, and heaven forbid ever taking a few hours drive to the country on the other side of the border and the American family I met in Namibia who were in the midst of a 3 month back-packing trip through 5 African countries.

Its all a matter of curiosity trumping fear, tapping into what I always thought was one of mankind's better innate drives - the desire to explore.

The question I pose at the end of this little essay is: what kindles or kills that innate drive? Is it culture, education, opportunity, or something else?

I'd like to think that the more we ask these questions, the more we might encourage a little more curiosity in ourselves and about ourselves. One can only hope...

Well that's enough rumination for now. I'm off to do a little more exploring of my own, get to see a bit of the Amazon rain-forest (sadly, I think of this as an opportunity to see it before it's gone), and start prepping for my semi-triumphant return to the U.S.

Stay interested folks...

M

A Little Road Trip and Some Pics

Chan Chan, Trujillo, Peru

I spent this weekend traveling to Trujillo, a mid-sized city in northern Peru - trying to track down some sun and pre-Columbian ruins.

Regarding the sun, I got almost a day and a half's worth! Even a pale-face like me is really happy to bask for a bit. I did most of my basking at Trujillo's Plaza de Armas, where I also got to do some people watching:
























Plaza de Armas, Trujillo, Peru





















Street Parade Supporting Earthquake Relief



















Scary Clowns

























Amazing Colonial Architecture


The hospedaje I stayed at in Trujillo was a trip unto itself - a vintage mansion that has been mostly restored to its former gaudy colonial glory:


























Staircase that Would Have Seriously Bothered Mr. James Stewart
















The Ridiculous Balcony and Patio



















Can You Say Red-rum? The Hallway to My Room

After spending a day exploring Trujillo, and gorging once again cheap seafood (sudo langostinos - shrimp stew with spicy pepper - good s#*t) I met up with a couple of fellow travelers (a Brit and German who were both on the last legs of 4 month and year-long world travels - we Americans really don't do that enough) and headed out to check out the nightlife in Trujillo.

I can report that bands in Trujillo suffer the same problem of 99.9% of the other bands in the world - lousy, preening, uninspired lead vocals. Put it this way - if the band was JBs Soul Generals, the singer would have been Kenny Loggins.

My second day in Trujillo, I headed out on a tour of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Colombian (and pre-Incan) ruins in South America, covering over 14 hectares of desert, with 20 separate complexes, over 400 dwellings, and some truly impressive friezes. Although large portions of this adobe city have been word down by flooding and the ravages of huaqueros (grave robbers). The scale and scope is still quite awe-inspiring:
















Arco Iris (Rainbow Temple) Near Chan Chan Site















Central Plaza at Chan Chan site - Only 1 of 20 sites are currently open to public. The rest are still being excavated.













Me and the Ruined "Fish-Net" Decorative Wall - Fish and the Ocean were sacred, and a common motif. Mmm - fish... aghhh...














Artesian Well Built and Maintained at Chan Chan. Pretty impressive engineering for the time.













Friezes















Wooden Idols Keeping Watch Over a Ceremonial Room














One of the local Peruvian Hairless Dogs, Keeping Guard and Looking Heroic - Where's your cape perrito?


Nos vemos

M

Part 1: La Alma de Un Pais Puede Encontrar en Las Mesas

Poor Translation of - "The Soul of Country Can Be Found on Its Tables"

In case I never mentioned it before, or you've been hiding under a rock recently, you've probably heard someone wax poetic about the wonders of Peruvian food - delicate and refined ceviche bursting with the taste of the sea and tang of lime, a hearty and spicy criolla stew of aji de gallina, italian-style gelato made with the freshest tropical fruits of the Peruvian Amazon, Japanese-Peruvian sushi.

Recently I have made it a mini-mission of mine to test out the hype and see if Lima truly is the new "gastronomic capital of the Americas"

Favorite Cevicheria: Segundo Muelle

Segundo Muelle ("The Second Dock") is now a mini-chain of three exceptional cevicherias in Lima. Ceviche is a lunch-time ritual in Lima (apparently in the old days, you wouldn't eat it at night because the fish might be old and make you sick!) Although not a problem these days, ceviche is traditionally eaten in the afternoon, during a long, leisurely lunch if possible.

For the uninitiated, ceviche is simply fresh diced fish, shellfish or other seafood, in various combinations, "cooked" by marinating it in lime juice (with a little onion, spicy sauce, sweet potato and/or corn on the plate). Deceivingly simple, the best ceviche can be truly food-gasm inducing.

Segundo Muelle is a favorite of local Limenos, and I have no doubt why. My lunch at the sea-side Miraflores branch included tastes of ceviche mariscos (with scallops, mussels, squid, and sole) which were wonderfully sweet and briny and ceviche mixto (bonito, tuna, shellfish) was hearty yet delicate.

Top this off with a few expertly crafted Pisco sours, and a few hours slipped by in a haze of foodie bliss. Although quite pricey by Peruvian standards - my lunch ran a cool $28 with drinks and appetizer - this was perhaps one of the best seafood meals I've had in years and I challenge any of the finest restaurants in New York, London, LA, or Tokyo to top it.

Japanese With a Peruvian Twist: Osaka

Thanks to the strong Asian influence in Peru (over 50,000 Japanese-Peruvians, mostly in Lima, and nearly 200,000 1st and 2nd generation Chinese immigrants) a profusion of "Asian-Peruvian Fusion" food has taken root, both in Peru and abroad. However, "fusion" is usually a death-knell for a decent bite of sushi, sashimi or maki.

However, Osaka, located in the quiet yet trendy San Isidro neighborhood of Lima, managed to defy my prejudice against "Asian-fusion" cuisine. Led there my a local friend (Cristina - my tour guide for all things cool in Lima), I was blown away by the freshness of the fish - think Bay Area fresh for my Californians, the excellent presentation, and the subtle Andean touches that accented rather than overwhelmed the fish.

Of course this should be no surprise - sushi impresario Nobuyuki Matsuhisa (of Nobu fame) began his rise to fame, and his creative experiments with sushi traditions in Lima.

Particular favorites at Osaka were the norteno roll - a hand-roll mixing Peruvian sweet-potato and Japanese cucumber, whitefish and a lemon-creme sauce, and conchitas Tai - scallops in a red curry sauce with leek tempura. And of course, the true test of any sushi joint is its hamache nigri (yellow tail) and Osaka didn't disappoint, with buttery, sweet fish that I could talk about for days.

Throw in a few drinks and you will set yourself back a pretty penny, by Peruvian standards - $70 for two with drinks. But if you're going to seek out sushi with a local accent anywhere in the world, you really couldn't go wrong with Osaka.

Chicken Joint Coming to A Strip Mall Near You: Pardo's Chicken

Sure the U.S. has plenty of roasted, braised, bbq'd, etc. chicken joints. We've even had a massive growth in Latino-styled pollo a la brasa chains in recent years (think El Pollo Loco). And certainly, in most major cities with any sizable Latino population, you will find excellent mom-and-pop pollo a la brasa.

That said, if you have the chance to hit the Pardo's Chicken in NYC, or any other soon to open location in the US, I highly recommend it based on my taste-tests in Lima. Of course you may not get the ridiculously amazing view of the Pacific ocean that you get at the Larcomar shopping center in Miraflores, Lima. But I'd put money on the fact that the crispy, tender, spicy and juicy chicken you're going to get will be every bit as good.

And please, for God's sake - use the salsa de aji (hot yellow pepper sauce). It packs a punch, but adds a great sweet and earthy flavor that perfectly compliments the chicken.

So whether you're in Lima, Peru or the West Village in Manhattan, be sure to pop in on Pardo's before the rest of the world finds out how damn good it is.

That's all for now chicos - I'm off to catch some sun and pre-Incan culture in Trujillo this weekend, but I'll be sure to snap lots of pics for the blog - and more ruminations on food to come next week!

Hasta Proxima Semana

M

Charlie Kaufman did not Write "Eternal Sunshine" in Lima, Peru

Because the phrase "eternal sunshine" falls under the same category here as "government ethics", "early to bed", and "courteous driver".

When even Brit travellers are bitching about the lack of sun, you know it's a serious issue.

By my count, I have seen that big, beautiful ball of blazing fire for a grand total of 4 hours since I arrived in Lima on August 7th.














Picture to remind myself what it looks like...

Well, here's the scientific explanation, for those weather geeks out there:

"The influence of cool, sea-surface temperatures associated with the south to north flow of the Humboldt or Peruvian Current combines with hot, dry Equatorial air from coastal deserts of Peru and Chile. Also important is the influence of strong atmospheric subsidence associated with a positionally stable, subtropical anticyclone. The result is a mild, uniform coastal climate with the regular formation of thick stratus cloud banks below 1000 m during the winter months.

Where coastal topography is low and flat, this stratus layer dissipates inward over broad areas with little biological impact, but where isolated mountains or steep coastal slopes intercept the clouds, a fog-zone develops with a stratus layer concentrated against the hillsides. These fogs, termed garúa in Peru and camanchaca in Chile, are the key to the extent and diversity of vegetation throughout the deserts of the western coast."

Unfortunately that diversity of vegetation does not apply to Lima, where the greatest impact of the garúa can be seen in the rustiness of the cars and the amazingly long time it takes for anything to dry!














The depressing daily view from roof of my apt.




Hasta chicos

Matt

Tales from the Crypt

The pictures kind of say it all don't they?

But just so you know what you're looking at...

In Central Lima, Peru, there is a Franciscan Monastery - La Iglesia de San Francisco, which I paid a visit to yesterday.

Built between 1546 and 1672 it is purported to have been one of the most elaborate and ornate in the world during its heyday. It is still quite impressive:




















However, in addition to its religious functions, the catacombs also served as the first commoner's cemetery of Lima, up until 1810. Thus, when you take a few steps down beneath the ornate wood, tile and gold walls and floors of the monestary, you enter another realm.

Dimly lit, claustrophobic brick passageways and rooms with a series of pits and wells lining them on either side. Each of these pits and/or wells are up to 15m deep - and most are still filled to the brim with skulls, femurs, and other assorted bone fragments, one body piled on top of another almost 45 feet deep.

Apparently, at some point, the caretakers decided to arrange some of the remains in geometric patters - as seen in the pictures above. The guides, as best as I could understand, weren't sure when this practice began. I put my money on a monk who either a) knew a good tourist photo op when he saw one, or b) had some OCD issues and a lot of time on his hands.

Needless to say, I did not necessarily rest easy last night - funny how being underground, surrounded by a few tons of skeletal remains will do that to you.

Ciao for now...

Matt

A few pics from inside and outside

Here's a few shots of my apartment, the Huaca Pucllana (pre-Incan ruins in Lima) and the view from the precipios (cliffs) of Lima:



My expansive dining area



The office / music room / place to pass out




Where all the "magic" happens ("magic" meaning me falling asleep drooling on my pillow)



The pre-Incan temple of Huaca Pucllana in Lima - Absolutely massive!



The "biblioteca" technique of building walls - looks like library books



The "view" from the top of the temple - kind of ugly, but shows you how big the complex is



The cliffs of Miraflores - looks exactly like a cross between Santa Monica and Palos Verdes (for my SoCal brethern)



Paragliding over the cliffs - I was going to give it a shot, but ended up looking a little tame for
my tastes (Maybe if they shot flaming arrows at you... that would do it!)

More tomorrow!

Hasta

Matt

Peru Earthquake Relief Fund

For those of you who visited this wonderful country last year for our friend's wedding, you know both what a special place it is, but also how difficult life may be for many of its citizens.

Unfortunately, life has just been made all the more difficult due to the massive quake near Ica in the southern desert.

For those who have yet to visit this unique place, I encourage you not to be scared off by the news reports. The majority of the country remains unaffected by the quake, almost all of the popular (and less popular) areas to visit are open, and of course, your tourist dollars will be most appreciated.

I am encouraging everyone who can spare a little cash to donate it through OxFam (generally well-regarded, non-religiously affiliated charity) as they have an extensive operation set up in Peru.

Go here: OxFam Peru Earthquake Donations

Mil gracias y saludos

Matt

Shakin' That A#@ - Show Em' What Ya Workin' Wit

Tranquile' dudes and dudettes - everything is ok in Miraflores, Lima. In case you missed it, there was a 7.9 earthquake off the coast of southern Peru earlier this evening, about 90 miles south of Lima.

Now in my experience as a Los Angeleno, 7.9 is wrath-of-god type stuff - freeways falling down, sand liquifying, the Dodgers winning a playoff game (sorry, wining any game). But strangely enough, I was just sitting in a cafe sipping a cappucino con crema when it hit - and I barely noticed it!

There was a little rolling and rockin' and that was it... and I went back to my coffee. However, the locals seemed verrry nervous - I was informed that the history of earthquakes in Peru has been extremely bad. As recently as the 1990s, entire towns were wiped out. So I guess I get it - I'm just a jaded California.

Anyhow, it appears the Lima was relatively unscathed, although some of the poorer neighborhoods have reported power outages, scattered fires, minor damage.

Hoepfully we will remain tsunami free as well...

I'll check back in with further reports.

Tiene cuidado chicos y chicas.

10 Things You May Not Know

- The Spanish word for "plunger" is embolo. A very useful word indeed.

- Peruvian taxi drivers are very closely related to fruit bats. Similar methods of navigation are used, I think.

- Do not make Sendero Luminoso jokes. This is just plain stupid and insensitive.

- Singing karaoke with a live band in Peru may generate an audience of 300 or so people.

- Singing Sublime's "What I Got" may thin the crowd somewhat.

- Singing "My Way" with a Peruvian dude at 4am will definitely empty the seats.

- If your wife is a Cubana, do not piss her off , she may take the car and leave you with a slightly inebriated American guy.

- Vendors selling fresh paltas (jungle avocados) y choclo con queso (roasted giant corn with cheese) are my new heroes. Hope I can find some guys in DC - 16th St. maybe?

- The signs at the airport in Lima telling you not to sell your children are there for a reason!

- My name has changed once again, to "blanquito"

Lima, Peru: Tocado de la Cabeza... Off on Another Damn Fool Crusade?

Yep, that's right, the long drought of blogging is over now that I'm semi-comfortably situated in my apartment in Lima, Peru.

It's cloudy and grey, as usual, in Lima, which is appropriate given the cloudiness of my language skills right now. Tourist Spanish is one thing, but trying to negotiate payment of my rent in multiple installments with the apartment owner's Peruvian mother-in-law... whole nuther' ballgame.

Anyhow, I'll be here for the next 6 weeks, working on some anti-corruption research (who knows, maybe I'll decide to write a paper - I hear many of the more respected law journals will be running low on kindling this winter!).

I will also be busy studying at a language school trying to rapidly put a stop to the aforementioned atrocities I have been committing against the Spanish language.

And last, but certainly not least, I hope to find time to see more of this beautiful country. Suggestions are welcome (as long as they aren't of the "how about a long walk off of a steep cliff.." - I've tried that... bit bumpy at the end).

All in all - should be an interesting time.

hasta

See You Down in California Bay...

Yes.. greetings from sunny, SoCal, where the weather's hot, and the mayor's even mas caliente (at least that's what the papers say)



LA's alcalde Antonio Villaraigosa and his financial femme fatale Mirthala Salinas

Hope he's getting some good advice on how to structure his investments once half of them disappear in a cloud of depositions, tax bills, and settlement agreements.

Meanwhile, the other BIG news round here is the sad, sad tale of Miss Lohan.



As Homer might say.... "DUI'OH"

Oh, how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall of the squad car that picked her up - I hope the officers had a little bit of fun...

"So, Miss.... Lohan, is it?"

"You seemed to have spilled a bunch of sugar all over the floor, can we help you clean that up?"

"Oh, and your ankle seems to be making strange noises, you should really get that looked at, you might have pulled a muscle or something!"

So, that pretty much covers what people are paying attention to in LA.

As a famously weird little rock singer once said...
"Learn to Swim"

Looking forward to getting back to normalcy inside the Beltway... wait, did I actually just say that?

Debriefing and on to the Next Mission

What I Learned During My Summer Vacation:

- Saddam Hussein is not, in fact, alive and living in the Namibian desert.

- Mentioning the words "anti-corruption" to the man on the street in Africa is a great way to get someone to ask if you are a comedian by trade.

- High-school kids should, absent some sort of qualifying exam, no longer be allowed any vacation time, or generally let out of the house.

- There is such thing as bad Cuban food, it lives in Windhoek, Namibia, and it involves "salami" ; 'nuff said.

- Animals you see at the zoo also make for excellent eating - "Mommy, mommy - can we take a zebra home for dinner?!"

- Despite advertising to the contrary, Jaegermeister is not, "the house wine".

- Sand is abrasive...

- Namibian Germans are even more abrasive.

- Hyenas will eat your face.

Now off to begin writing my reports, holding my meetings, and sorting out the useful bits from my work in Namibia - hopefully it will lead to some future anti-corruption efforts there, but we'll have to see.

Next up - prepping for part II of the summer globe trotting, to Lima, Peru.

over and out...

From Arandis to Zebra - A Few Very Busy Days in Namibia: Part 2

In a wild and radical change from earlier posts, I will refrain from attempts at witty and insightful commentary and just show you a selection of great pictures I was able to take in Namibia's Etosha National Park:



A really nice sunset pic across the savannah on our first night in the park



A lone jackal. Look like cute little dogs till they're
running through your camp in packs and howling.



A rare sighting of a spotted hyena on the prowl.


The oryx - national animal of Namibia, and just damn
cool looking.





Giraffes were everywhere we looked. Course, they're hard to miss.


I swear this gal was smiling for the camera.


Zebras cooling off at the watering hole


The Kudu


And finally, I give you... the elephants on parade



I called these guys "Norm" and "Cliff" - they showed up for a drink long before everyone else


A little family photo



The Whole Committee - You know its a special moment
when even the guide was snapping pictures



The tour group at the edge of the Etosha Pan (4000 sq km of flat salt desert)

Other pictures will be available in the near future I hope.

So now, back to work for the rest of the week. Hope to have a few more interesting dispatches from the field.

From Arandis to Zebra - A Few Very Busy Days in Namibia: Part 1

Now that the satellite is back in orbit, stars aligned, technology gods appeased, etc., I can catch everyone up on my very brief tour of some Namibian hotspots Friday through Wednesday.

First it was a trip to the coast and Namib desert in Swakopmund (Swakop if you're into the whole brevity thing...).

A few things to know about Swakop:

- It is on the edge of the oldest desert in the world, the Namib
- It is the “adventure sports capital of Africa” (at least that's what the brochures say)
- It is verrrrry German

So here's what I did:

A 5 hour combi-ride from Windhoek to Swakop. Anyone who has ridden combis from Lima, to Accra, to Delhi know what this is all about – cram about 15 people in to a VW van, drive like a twitchy poodle on crack, and hope no person, animal, or pothole gets in the way.

Side note on the trip. About 1 hour outside of Swakop, in the absolute middle of the desert, the driver takes a little detour to drop a local off in a tiny town called Arandis. As we pull up, I see three things:

1.A busted-up, vaguely military looking jeep, with what appeared to be a mount that you would put a heavy machine gun on;

2.A few small building with Arabic writing on them; and...

3.An enormous mural depicting, the late, not-so-great Saddam Hussein in all of his mustachioed, beret-wearing glory.

Needless to say, I had two immediate reactions – laughter followed by a brief sense of dread. Not that I really though that I had been taken to a den of Sunni insurgents in the middle of the Namibian desert to be held for ransom, but hey its a weird world out there. Inshallah, we pulled away without incident, but after getting confused looks by the locals when I asked, essentially, “WTF?”, I was left wondering what was going on.

So after my long trip to Swakop, here's how I spent my time:

- Hiking through some of the most spectacular sand-dunes I could possible imagine. Words can't quite capture it, so here's some pics:




My attempt at artistry...


Wow...



Is it just me or does that look like Mos Eisley in the distance?



Obligatory shot to prove I was actually there




And ending with a walk down to the ocean. There is truly something about the sunlight in Africa.

- Sliding down said dunes on both a piece of wallboard and an honest-to-god snowboard, in the Swakop tradition of “sandboarding”. Here's a few pics (with a few truly spectacular wipe-outs to be subsequently emailed to me by the very nice guides):



Preparing to begin our day of sliding to the bottom and
walking to the top... so naive and foolish

- Being talked into tandem-skydiving by a particularly amusing group of college students from Emory U. No pics from the free-fall, but here's an idea of what the dune sea looks like from 10000 feet:



Slightly digitally enhanced, but not much. Again - wow...

I finished off my weekend, by nearly getting pummeled by some less than polite German Namibians when I asked, not-so-innocently, if they knew the back-story to the Bob Marley song “Buffalo Soldier” that they were loudly singing along to (and mocking the local staff about). I know, sometimes I should keep my mouth shut...

Finally, I ended up having far too many shots of particularly ugly tasting “Jaeger Bombs” with a group of scary-looking, shaved-head S. African gents, who it turned out... were in town as extras in the HBO Films production of “Generation Kill” - about the Iraq War! Thus, Saddam poster explained, and I can return to Washington to let the DOD know there's no need to cruise missile Arandis, Namibia anytime soon.

Next up, some hot animal-on-animal action from Etosha National Park...