Cónyuge Diplomática: May 2014

Being probably the only Sinhala-speaking Sri Lankan living in Peru, I was surprised to find that there was a massive Indian population here. So much so that the first Peruvian girls I met, said they loved Indian actors, especially Hrithik Roshan.
You wouldn't believe how surprised I was.
In fact, I met a lovely Indian lady Shikha at the spice section of my local WONG supermarket. We are great friends now and it is amazing that no matter what they say about Sri Lankans and Indians, like they say for Peruvians and Chileans, it was nice to have an Indian friend here in Lima.
What was amazing was that Shikha also lived in Colombo for a few years when her husband was working there. So she does have an understanding of both cultures.
And while my maternal grandfather is of Bengali origin, I am glad to say that she got me in touch with my Indian roots.
And Peruvians understand and know India and it turns out that someone would have met an Indian.
What's more, I'm glad to bring this diversity into Peru, the fact that being South Asian is good and unique.
I've also perfected a Peruvian/Sri Lankan dessert which makes me all the more satisfied that I'm here.
And I am willing to go the extra mile!
Peruvians also value spicy food which is great because Sri Lankan food entails spiciness. So let's see, maybe I'll make more recipes and treat my friends and family in Sri Lanka?
While people in Peru think that their lucuma or chirimoya is native to only their country, I always surprise them by saying its available in Sri Lanka.
We call lucuma, laollu and chirimoya is cherrymoor and guanabana is anoda! So many similarities!

Wow! A great many things have happened since I last wrote!
Firstly, my first 'proper' expat friend Tanya left Lima and I still can't believe she is actually gone. I mean we all knew she was planning to leave at some point but then the day arrived and she went!
In a country where everything was new to me and I hardly had made a friend, it was lovely to meet her, a Canadian Internations member who was fun to hang out with! I will miss Tanya dearly but we promised to be in touch and anyway, we will be seeing each other in Miami this December!

Last week and the week before was quite hectic but fun as we travelled out of Lima to see the real Peru. And what an eye-opener. While Lima can be bustling and the trendy places quite rich, when you venture out of Lima is when you see the awful truth. As much as it is a beautiful country, you can't believe that most people do live in poverty here. It's quite shocking but true. While here the mining companies, hotels and restaurants make big bucks with passing tourists and all, there is nothing going into poor communities or if there is money going in, as a bystander you don't really see it.
Our first destination was Pisac or Pisaq which was an hours' drive from Cusco, the biggest tourist town near Macchu Picchu. Pisac was nice and quiet all the more because of the less number of tourists that visit the ruins.
Its Incan ruins, also called Inca Písac is located at the foot of a valley. The ruins are sectioned into four types - P'isaqa, Inti Watana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiraqay. The best one is Inti Watana that houses the great Temple of the Sun of what its foundations exist and its impressive rectangular rocks.
According to legend, the Incans constructed agricultural terraces where crops are supposed to grow better at certain altitudes on the steep hillside and the greatest thing is that they are still used today! It was amazing seeing how the actual stones that the Incans erected are still in place today and that Peruvians still learn from their ancestors on the secrets of agriculture.
However, most tourists who want to make the journey all the way to Pisac, come to the town's most bustling and biggest market near Macchu Picchu. And it's quite a market. With everything from beautiful tapestries to clothes and warm winter Andean designed jackets, the market is fantastic! We bought Andean ponchos, an Inca tapestry and some random stuff.
The restaurants here are also good but since they cater to tourists, can be expensive.
We stayed at the Royal Inka hotel which had lovely views and even the though the food wasn't that great, they did have hot water and we got a nice room with a view of cornfields. The highlight of Pisac was visiting the ruins which were quite stunning and even though it was at a high altitude which was on par with Macchu Picchu, we managed to climb up without any issues.
Altitude sickness affects every person differently. For someone who is healthy and has the time to get used to the altitude it is advisable to go to a few places first before venturing to Macchu Picchu later. Pisac was a good example even though we quickly wore ourselves out and were gasping for breath with every step we took up the ruins. Eventually by the second day we were used to it.
Having Josh there and him being 8 months was good because as a baby they can get used to the altitude better and quicker than toddlers. But that did mean sleepless nights and more feeds. However, I would say we didn't have a bad reaction to the altitude like other people. We knew people would be vomiting, having drowsiness and just plain getting sick but thankfully, we were fine!
Next we went to Urubamba and stayed at the lovely Casa Andina Private Collection....but I'll post that later. Here are some nice Pisac pictures!
Pisac Views