Today I was in the kitchen trying find something to silence my growling stomach and prevent it from eating itself, when I saw the lone Aji Amarillo and Limon (Lime) sitting on the kitchen counter. The colors really caught my eye and I knew that I had to take a picture of it to share with the world.

What you might not know is that these two items are key ingredients in many Peruvian dishes. The Aji Amarillo is a native chili pepper that has been used for many centuries in Peruvian kitchens. The Aji comes in various forms and vibrant colors. Some of the most commonly used Aji's are: Panca (a dark red Aji), Amarillo, & Limo (various colors and very spicy). Aji Amarillo is widely used to make the famous peruvian dish Papa a la Huancaina, which has always been a favorite of mine.

Limon as it is called in Peru is used a lot in seafood dishes which along the coast are quite popular given the proximity to the sea. Ceviche a popular favorite in Lima is eaten regularly and its the Limon that helps to marinate and cook the raw fish in the dish. Aside from seafood, limon is also used to add flavor to soups like Caldo de Gallina which is another favorite among Peruvians. Caldo de Gallina is spanish for chicken noodle soup, the only difference is that they add yellow potato (native to Peru and very hard to find in the States), cilantro, scallions (AKA: chinese onions), and hard boiled eggs. It is a fairly hearty soup in my opinion and is great on those rare cold days in Lima.

While waiting in afternoon traffic on the Panamericana Highway I saw this bus and it's painted letters caught my eye. The city of Lima is overrun with what I can only assume are thousands upon thousands of combi's and buses, excluding all of the taxi's, colectivo's, & mototaxi's. One thing is for sure it is easy to catch a ride in just about any part of the city, except when there is a paro de auto (halt of transit service).

The paro de auto usually comes about when the government decides to pass new traffic laws or more commonly raise the fine rates on traffic tickets. Fortunately paros don't happen very often so it's rarely an inconvenience.

Anyways getting back on track, being a huge fan of art I am impressed by the combination of colors and texts that are used to "pimp" if you will each bus and combi. What makes it more appealing is that most of the writing on the vehicles is done with what looks like spray paint and what I would assume are handmade templates.

I found this lamp hanging above a doorway in an alley in Breña and I had to take a picture of it.

Well its day 2 of my new photography project and I found this Tumi hanging on the wall and I loved how the yellow color of the wall really brought out the gold color of the Tumi. For those of you who don't yet know the Tumi was a sacrificial knife used by the Incan's in special ceremonies. The knife would be used to sacrifice a llama and their blood would then be offered to the sun god (Inti Raymi - in quechuan). This was practiced during the annual festival of Inti Raymi at the end of the harvest.

Hey Gang, I have been spending a lot of time on Flickr and have decided to start a new project. The project idea is to take my pocket Canon Powershot camera with me every day to take one picture each day. Starting today I will be posting one picture a day on both my blog and on my Flickr account. I would like to give thanks to Chase Jarvis for providing me with the inspiration to start this new project.

I look forward to all of your input. If you are not a follower of my blog I encourage you to join in a show of support. :)

Here is the very first photo of this project.

I was surfing the net and came across this interesting article about the Chan Chan ruins located in Trujillo. According to the author of En Peru. A mining company a few months back made a proposal to excavate for oil where the ruins are located. In fact, the proposed dig site is located right on top of the ruins.

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear about such things happening in Peru.

So last Saturday I had the house to my self, what with my father in Chicago for the International Plastics Convention. Everything was going great, I was just relaxing in the living room when I get a call from my girlfriend to go to a friend's (Carlos) birthday party. Since nothing else was going on I decided to get off my lazy @$$ and go enjoy the evening.

The birthday bash was planned to take place in a Peña (Peña, a grass-roots community meeting place where popular folklore - usually Nueva Cancion - and other artistic expressions accompanied by food and drink are showcased) called Del Carajo! in Barranco, near Chorrillos where I live. Having never been to a peña before I was quite excited, I had heard and seen so much about them and was really looking forward to it.

After getting lost driving through side streets and dark alleyways that could make the hairs on the back of anyone's neck stand up, I arrive at the peña. It was located in a very narrow and poorly lit street. The sidewalk was full of people from all walks of life and social classes waiting in a large line. Since no one that I knew had arrived yet I was forced to wait in line. Finally my girlfriend (Zdenka) arrives just as the line begins to move. The fee for entrance is S./20 (soles) per person before 11pm and S./3o after. As we approach entrance we are greeted by two huge bamboo doors that open to revel a large tropical interior filled with rows of tables, two seperate bars, a fairly moderate (at first sight) dance floor, and a large stage. We are seated at our reserved table and soon after the birthday boy and all his friends arrive. Beers are purchased and then consumed as the band sets up the sound equipment. 30 minutes later (Midnight) the house is packed with no empty table in sight, then our attention is commanded by the sounds of Criollo music.

The host, an older woman welcomes the patrons and introduces the band and establishment. Then we are treated to a presentation of the Afro-Peruvian dance, after all that's what a peña is all about. It is truly amazing to watch them dance and move their bodies in ways that most people wish that alcohol could do for them. After the performance we were encouraged to get out on the dance floor as the band played a medley of latin, cumbia, salsa, and criollo music. I can't begin to tell you how great it is to dance to your favorite songs with that live band sound. The only real downside was the dance floor, it got so packed that at times you were stepping on toes and heals left and right, back and forth.