Not all Beaches are sweet as Peaches!

Last weekend we went to two Peruvian beaches.
I have to say, they were not beautiful at all. I am so blessed I am Sri Lankan because Sri Lanka does indeed have some of the world's most beautiful beaches. Only thing is, we don't really care or love our beaches!

After my son's doctor's appointment and a quick check up, we headed to the beach. By the way, he is healthy and way above average for his height and weight. At nearly 7 months, he is nearly 10 kilos!

We travelled on the South Panamericana highway to Pucusana (about an hour away from Lima). We stayed at the El Mirador guesthouse.
It's a quaint guesthouse with about 10 rooms atop a deserty hill. We had to be careful when we walked along the towns, the stray dogs and cats could be aggressive. I was happy I had my rabies booster shots at MASTA in London before moving to Lima.
The food was delicious! Cerviche and the seafood dishes were fresh and well-prepared. We ate too much!
Jhonny's is a good restaurant in the beach front. There is an island in front of Pucusana beach but believe me, neither is that beach any better than Pucusana itself. And most of the houses on the island are all private houses, not hotels. But anybody is free to use the (dirty) beach so you could see babies and the locals having a whale of a time even though the fish market right opposite stank to high heavens!
In addition to this, there is also a blow-hole in Pucusana which is opposite a restaurant called El Sol where we ate some delicious seafood omelettes! It was quite impressive!

Unfortunately for us, that Saturday was a massive concert, the 20th anniversary of some hotel so we were bombarded with noise, much to our chagrin. Fortunately, Josh slept well and we were the ones who had to endure it.

Having had enough, I told my husband that I needed a clean beach if he wanted to dip Josh's toes in the Pacific Ocean. I didn't want him near Pucusana beach!
So we headed to probably the most exclusive beach in South Peru.... Asia! Asia is about half an hour away from Pucusana. But Asia was not as beautiful as any Sri Lankan beach but definitely nicer and cleaner.
It's like the Peruvian beach equivalent of America's The Hamptons!
We stayed at the Hotel Asia which was a 3 star hotel with a pool.
Asia is in fact a Lima city away from Lima. At the Asia Boulevard, you get all the restaurants and stores you would normally find in Miraflores. The famous WONG supermarket (UK's equal to Waitrose) was there and a whole heap of designer clothes stores including Roxy (where I bought a pair of leather-strapped slippers)!
I bought a few nice dresses at Michelle Belau and Josh got a nice gecko shirt and shorts. My husband opted to get a leather pair of Quicksilver flip-flops! And we managed to see many SUVs on offer as we were looking to buy a car! We finally settled on the Nissan Qashqai!
So we went to Asia in reality to get some shopping done and to dip Josh's toes in a clean beach. It was his first Pacific Ocean experience and he was happy!

But seriously, I miss Sri Lanka...there is indeed no place like home, especially our beaches!

Why the hell did it have to be Mel?

Today's post is dedicated to Mel. I've been wanting to write about her for ages but it was just too difficult.
Words can't express how awfully depressing it is to know someone and then hear of their murder.
What a sad way to die.
Mel was there on the first day I met my husband but sadly, we didn't really talk. We happened to be in the same social setting and she spoke to my husband but we were never acquainted.
Nearly a year later, we found ourselves on the same whale-watching tour and we had to share a room (common for most journalists of the same gender) at the prestigious Fortress hotel in Koggala.
Compared to others in the Sri Lankan journalism sector who knew her well, I can't say Mel and I were close. We were journalist acquaintances. But somehow the person she was and the way she died really made me connect with her.
On the whale-watching tour, we shared a room and got on well! We had things to share, she talked about herself and I spoke about myself. How she was a wine journalist before anything else was quite ironic because she never drank too much alcohol! Or probably didn't drink at all even though sometimes I would catch her with the occasional glass of wine!
Moreover, what makes me think about her, is the way she understood things. She had this sharp mind, smart and witty vibe about her. She could ask the interrogative of questions and could give some of the harshest statements. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or telling the truth. She had this way with words, when she spoke and when she wrote.
Either way, Mel was Mel.
You could spot her in a crowd. We weren't close because there were several already known to her. I thought I would be just another journalist friend but back then, considering my husband's then position at the British High Commission, she was one of the first to commend our new relationship. She even mentioned in a Facebook comment what a wonderful thing it was that we donated blood for our birthdays!
Mel was also fair. She never believed in all the freebies people misuse and take for granted in journalism. Getting something at an event was a bonus but if there was a time to pay, she would pay her way. She would never try to say 'I'm a journalist, I deserve an upgrade in business class of your airline' and that was what struck me about her!
She was honest, open and had her firm beliefs.
I just can't believe the way she died.
Living in Peru now, I was so gutted I couldn't go to the funeral. The most we did was send her father a sympathy card. And that's not enough.
In memory of Mel, I only hope we offer our young journalists the chance to do as much as she did. In a country where journalism is now mostly government propaganda, it's imperative that we inspire a better generation of journalists. Ones who would educate themselves, differentiate the good from bad and not think that the wrong thing is right!
She was one of a kind and I sorely miss her! If only I had the chance to say goodbye I would have but never did I know...!
                                              Mel at our posh Fortress hotel room! (2009)

                   Mel writing furiously all the while ignoring the good-looking guy next to her! (2009)