Here is an article from a few weeks ago that I wrote about the elections but never had the time to post it.

It's been less than one week now and many Peruvians are still recovering from the shock of Ollanta Humala's victory over Keiko Fujimori for the coveted seat of power.  A total upset victory which had the two candidates practically neck and neck in the elections polls, that is until millions were stunned by the election day flash results, which painted a much different picture.  Now the reality has sunk in that Humala will be Peru's next president and like it or not there is nothing any of us can do about it.  When talking with most people I noticed that for many Limeñans what was initially a total aversion to the idea of Humala as president has quickly evolved to a lesser disdain that is transmitted through words and phrases of submission and uncertainty.  People genuinely want to believe that their predictions about our newly elect president will be wrong and that a contrary outcome could be possible, but for most those thoughts are about as possible as grandma winning the lottery.  Only time will tell what lies in store for many Peruvians as they sit playing a metaphorical game of russian roulette (except with five bullets load instead of one).

Incoherent and grammatically incorrect ramblings aside, I spent last week documenting several key political election events and thanks to poor planning had to take a most of my photos ala pedestrian.  As you read in my last post I spent Thursday night covering the end of campaign rallies that were being held downtown which was a complete blast, photography issues aside.  Sunday however was rather calm in the early morning hours, though there was a larger presence of traffic.  I decided to hit up my voting center first just to get it out of the way.  My original DNI was created while I was living in the US the address used on my ID card was the one in Portland, now because I moved to Lima I had to change my address to the one in Chorrillos which meant my voting number/code changed as well, no biggie right?  WRONG!  My father whom I reside with only votes a few blocks away from our home at some school (FYI all voting centers are at some school or university, in Lima there are a LOT), so naturally I should to right, same adress and all, but nooooooo... I have to vote clear on the other side of the F#$&ing district, nearly five to six kilometers away, in fact it's so remote for me that I wasn't sure I was even in Chorrillos anymore.  I guess the on the plus side the voting lines at IEP Tupac Amaru II are short and sweet, it took me only ten minutes to vote.  This school was also perhaps one of the few that actually let me take photos with hasseling me for such ridiculous things as credentials and permission. 




Did I mention that traffic was hellacious (please forgive the poor spelling, apparantly my British friend was unsure as to it's spelling), after about an hour I was able to get a colectivo to take me to Breña, where I met up with Zdenka.  There we hit up a few schools in the district and were forced to leave by the naval mp's and ONPE officials.  The day after that pretty much drudged on until the closing hour of the elections.  While having a late lunch at one of Lima's finest franchised establishments (KFC), everyone inside were glued to the incoming wave of flash reports that flooded every local channel and as everyone awaited for the response on the sound of the TV and the deep friers could be heard.  Then the faces of the presidential candidates were posted on the screen and in came the numbers from each department in Peru, the stress and anticipation in everyone's faces was almost similar to kind of response you get when watching for your Lotto numbers on TV.  Defeat and victory were both experienced shortly after and then just as quickly as the whole thing started it was over, and while some were unhappy with the end result little was left for them to do in response except continue about with their lives like they had been doing.

I found this rather cool video that was taken by Thermikfresser of his paragliding flight over Miraflores.  This video gives a great impression of what its like to fly over Lima's coast and might be enough to encourage those who have been reluctant to give it a try.


Paragliding in Miraflores, Lima, Peru from Thermikfresser on Vimeo.

Some photos from the popular cajón festival that takes place every year in Lima to celebrate the lively and upbeat percussion sounds of the wooden cajón (it's basically a box with a hole in the back, simple yet wonderful).  The event is amazing because it's open to anyone who is a fan of the instrument and provides a great experience for those learning or experienced to gather and play.  This year had a great turnout, though smaller than the previous years. 

All the photos were also posted on Living in Peru.com

Today marked the first day of a long over due vacation (granted it's unpaid), with plans of nothing more to do than lying around the house watching movies and hanging out with my family.  In theory it seemed like a fail proof plan with little that could possibly get in the way, but boy was I wrong.  Yesterday, after having finished my last class for the week I headed off home as quickly as possible to meet up with the wife and child who had been eagerly awaiting my arrival.  Wednesday afternoon and evening were amazingly relaxing and it was nice to spend some much needed time with Rosemary, who seemed more than content with being carried around while she gazed up at here obscure yet vivid surroundings.


Night came and Zdenka and I (like a couple of medical residents) working in shifts took one our new routine of caring for Rosemary's needs.  A process that was not willfully excepted at first by my part and which had to endure the harsh assimilation of my duties.  Though a short time has passed since Rosemary has entered this world the night shift still remains difficult for those who covet sleep and like any other night we spent it waking up at odd yet synchronized hours to change diapers and feed the baby.  Everything up until 0400 hours was going well right to the moment where Rosemary out of nowhere let out a large shriek which quickly evolved into a loud (ear-piercing) and sharp cry, one which seemed to be unstoppable.  Now I'm new to this baby/fathering stuff so my experience at this point in handling such situations is as limited as a security guards during a bank robbery.  I look over at Zdenka who lies lifeless next to me, her attempts to play dead throughout the night has been interpreted as code for "your turn".  Realizing I am on my own I quickly pick up Rosemary who is flailing her little body like crazy, I employ my method of swaddling while walking around which seems to work at first until I make the premature move of placing her back in the crib before she is fully asleep, she cries again.

For the next five hours this would be the scene, where baby would cry, one of the parents would get up in their ogrish and drowsy state to pick up the baby, a comforting method would be executed, the baby would suspend crying (an enticing trap for the parents), parent would foolishly place the baby back in bed, said parent would quietly tip toe back in to bed where they would flop down lifelessly onto it, baby would resume crying shortly after, and rinse and repeat.  A stressful and daunting situation for the noob parents as tensions run high and the will of an adult is crushed leaving them crying pitifully in the corner while the rock themselves for comfort.  By the time the sun had risen both of us were exhausted and defeated as the baby who apparently could not be consoled continued her rain of terror.  Another hour went by and suddenly there was silence in the house, an almost eery silence that left us unsure what to do, terrified to trust our instinct and take advantage of the situation.  There she lied in her mothers arms, resting peacefully, like an angel she smiles and the tension is cut, Rosemary is gently placed in her crib and with no words exchanged both of us veered off into separate rooms to enjoy the comfort of a bed all to ourselves.

Not being able to sleep I managed to take a few photos with my camera and grabbed a quick peek of Zdenka curled in a ball under the covers of the bed in the next room, not even an earthquake could have pulled that woman out sleep.  After that rest became the decree of the day as everyone took to sleep in their own respected beds, so as not to disturb each other.  Hours went by and soon a refreshed family emerged with an insatiable hunger which was dealt with by visiting a local cevicheria just a few blocks down the street.

Being the holy week and all, fish was the preferred item for a late lunch and was well received.  The place we ate (of which I can't remember the name) had a wonderful open environment and great service but what really made it a winner was the high quality of the food.  We ordered two popular favorites one being Tiradito tres tiempos (a dish of thinly fileted fish cooked ceviche style and served under a blanket of three popular pepper sauces), and the other fried calamari.


The rest of the day has been rather relaxing and I am confident that last nights experience has definitely put some hair on both our chests in regards to child rearing.

Just saw this on the internet a few minutes ago.  The Lima photo event was started last year apparently and has returned for it's second year along with a photo competition for any interested photographer who would like to enter one of their works.  The Spanish oil company Repsol is sponsoring the competition and will be giving away to prizes to the two top finalists.  First place offers a prize of $3,500 while second place receives a fairly modest $1,500, all in all not bad for just submitting one of your best photos.

I may just very well be participating in this competition since it would be my first time competing in a photography event.  Those of you who are in Peru and are photographers should definitely consider competing in this event.  The deadline for submissions is June 15th and must be sent to Centro de la Imagen located on Av. 28 de Julio in Miraflores.  If you are interested checkout the rules on their website here.

I saw this video on Facebook today and wasn't the least bit surprised at what I saw.  The video is old (posted in 2008) and shows just how bad traffic can get in the capital city of Peru.  There may be laws that supposedly enforce traffic but when the police don't even follow them how can you expect the general public to take them seriously.

If you have been checking this website since early last month (which you probably haven't) then you may have noticed a lack of articles being posted.  I would normally blame this sort of behavior on good ole procrastination but luckily I actually a good excuse this time!  As most of you don't know my wife Zdenka gave birth to our daughter Rosemary, on March 3rd at around 12:05pm.  She was born at about 8 months and weighed in at 2.6 kilos roughly.  A few colds and stuffy noses aside, her health is great and she has really grown in such a short period of time.  Since her arrival home there have definitely been many and I mean MANY sleepless nights which have rendered both Zdenka and I certifiably dead from exhaustion.  Sure she looks like an angel during the day while she sleeps with little difficulty but once the sun sets over those coastal hills she transforms into this tiny insomniac child who will stop at nothing to keep her parents from catching one single hour of uninterrupted sleep.  All in all it has been a real joy and learning experience to have this girl in our lives and I for one look forward to all future trials and tribulations that she will unwilling bring.

On another note, work has began to breathe new life as the classes start to roll in (just when I was getting accostomed to my prolonged vacation).  I also obtained a rather interesting and fun part time job working for Living in Peru.com, a very well known English website about all things Peru.  Aside from some rather menial computer work there is the more interesting aspect of the photography work I am paid to do.  This usually involves a few hours of my weekend but has been really fun.  My photos mostly comprise of popular events occuring in Lima.  As of so far I have had the opportunity to photograph (GAG!!!, sorry I'm sitting next to my aunt who reeks of a stripclub ashtray) crazy events like the 2nd annual pillow fight which sounded lame at first but was rather amazing to witness, or the nude bike march that happened not to long ago where many Limeñans bared all in a fleshy displayed protest against the horrible conditions of Lima's traffic and it's loose laws.  What makes the job so great is that it affords me the ability to gain more experience as well as build up my photographic resume for the future, which are both BIG pluses in my book.



Lets see, my college friend and Phi Delt brother from Portland, Oregon surprised me with a visit after his long stay in South Korea.  I have been showing him around Lima and corrupting his precious little mind with the day to day lifestyle that most citizens of Lima have to indure.  Just like me he also has a lust for sick perversion that is photography and has been snapping away photos and putting regular tourists to shame, and with roughly 3,700 photos already accumulated since he arrived March 15th you can bet his Facebook albums are going to be HUGE!  Interestingly enough since he first set feet in Lima his wishes were that he experience a slice of what it's like to be a Peruvian living in Lima and he sure has been fulfilling that wish with everthing from working in a plastics factory, to dropping of merchandise at local markets, to drunkenly arguing with taxi drivers at 2 am, to eating sketch and suspect street food.  The street food was a two for one deal since it left him immobilzed for a few days short of wearing Depends everywhere.






I know that I have neglected my readers by not providing you with the nurishing sustenance of my insightful and deep posts, but looking back I understand that my hands been tied tighter than a guy in a bondage dominatrix film (and that's without a safety word).  Granted things are expected to slow down here in the next few days as my friends heads home to the US before his return back to Korea (they apparently pay really well there...), but I do intend to keep feeding you with the same quality brand product you've come to love.  Rest assured my friends, rest assured...