A orillas del Pacífico

Encanto natural y arquitectónico, bañada a orillas del Pacífico se levanta Ciudad de Lima. Con su magia y la calidez de sus habitantes logra fascinar desde el comienzo. Su arquitectura milenaria, sus calles llenas de historia y una gastronomía tan variada como su gente, invita a recorrer cada rincón y descubrir cada uno de sus misterios.

Desde los paisajes más humildes a los barrios más adornados, se recoge la sonrisa amable de quienes hacen su vida en aquella populosa ciudad como de aquellos curiosos que caen bajo el hechizo de una ciudad tan alegre como vivaz.

Su clima subtropical, fresco, desértico y húmedo a la vez, permite el disfrute total de cada paseo. Ideal para quienes acostumbrados a las inclemencias del tiempo encontramos que todos los días son el día perfecto para conocer un nuevo escenario, y más aún para quienes buscamos capturar aquella imagen que logre encerrar todo el encanto de aquella magnífica ciudad.

Al recorrer sus calles no es extraño encontrar la simpatía del locatario deseoso de dar a conocer su singular cultura. Dejarse llevar por aquella amable sencillez y grandeza de espíritu lleva siempre a descubrir lugares, gente y paisajes que de otra forma permanecerían escondidas al apresurado ojo del turista inexperto.

Peruvian ways

Travelling is one of those challenges that always opens the mind. No trip is the same. Even when traveling to someplace we’ve already been before, we always have to face new challenges, meet new friends, find new roads and, definitely, learn a lot about socialize with different kind of people. I can recall traveling to Peru this summer to discover a culture, much alike my own but, in many ways, completely different. Cheerful, friendly, talkative people who opened their arms and hearts to teach, this foreigner, about their way of life and a life lesson I’ll never forget. One thing I learn for sure is that it’s not the possessions you have, but the richness of your heart and soul, what makes you the happiest man in the world. Not less important, another thing I learned, is that you must try everything when it comes to food, it may surprise you.

As I was traveling alone and no clock was hurrying me up, and no map was telling me where to go or not, with my GPS on hand, and the wise pieces of advice of a Peruvian friend of mine, I had come to meet places no excursion would dare to show and no naive visitor would get to know. Peaceful, quiet, open landscapes, ruins of what once was, so imperfectly crafted and yet so mysteriously preserved. And among this landscape, and contrasting with the arid, colorless environment, lived those joyful, cheerful people who were always ready to lend you a hand and share all their knowledge about the mysterious, millenary history of their land. So humble and yet so happy, their colorful clothing blended with the little, handmade houses on the hillside. I learned then that no possession did have the power to make men happy but the possession of his own will of happiness.

All these cheerful in colors is found even in food. Every region in Peru has its own typical food. The amazing variety of foodstuff makes it very difficult for a foreigner to chose what to eat. I had been a vegan for many years therefore, when I got to Lima and found all that variety of fruits and vegetables I felt so very happy that I tried almost every single fruit and green I found, it was heaven on earth to me. Never could I have imagined the things I came across while trying so strange kinds of food. To make a long story short, let’s say that, finally, I decided never to ask for the ingredients. “Just eat and enjoy” I told to myself. Certainly not a single day will I ever regret it.

All in all, I presume every country has more to give than just a bunch of famous landmarks. Travelling is not just passing through. Getting to know a country or city, is about knowing its people, its culture, history, food and traditions. Only then can you say that travelling opens your mind.

Adriana Terzian

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The World is My Oyster!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” I’ve always like travelling and getting to know other cultures. Although it was not till the winter of 2008 that I was able to fulfill my dream of travelling overseas, nowhere did impress me more than New York city back in august of 2013. It was love at first sight, and an unforgettable experience that I cherish down deep in my heart. It was one of those mind-opener trips, not only because it was the first time I was travelling on my own but due to the fact that I encountered an astonishing, lively city that can be so warm and cold at the same time. Nowhere in my wildest dreams did I imagine to find myself in such a place. But among many things I could recall to have learned from this trip, one of them is that it’s likely to come across respectful, nice, friendly people even in a big, cold, cosmopolitan city as it is New York.

My experience started right on the plane, on my way from Miami to New York where the respect of the people in general and the organization were obviously different from my experience on the flight from my hometown, Montevideo, through Miami. Heaven in earth!, I thought. Everyone respecting each other naturally. But one thing I remember that called my attention walking in the streets of New York, was the quiet, long, tidy line of people waiting for his hot-dog in one of those hotdog stands in the 5th. Av. alongside the Central Park. This is certainly one scene you don’t see in Montevideo where everybody is trying to take advantage and get in front of the line. That kind of behavior that may look so trivial and for many people just pass unnoticed, really got my attention. I got really amazed by such community made up from very different cultures and religions that can blend and coexist in such an harmonic and cordial way.

But even though as a cosmopolitan city it was full of people from different countries with different native languages, the only way to communicate was, of course, through english. Therefore I finally came to the conclusion that the first thing I would do just arriving at Montevideo, was improving my english skills in conversation. Even though I was able to get myself understand, I’m convinced that the experience would have been richer if I could have spoken a more fluent english. Even though people in New York were eager to understand what I was, so hardly, trying to say, I was very insecure about my speaking skills. The most frustrating experience in this sense was when I was trying to ask for some coffee milk on the plane, and no one could understand what I was asking for. On my way back to Montevideo, one task lengthen my to-do list: “practice english. NOW!!”

The Big Apple, as it’s usually known, was quite an enjoyable, unforgettable city for me. The city that blowed my mind. Its wonderful, amazing, well-developed landmarks, and its beautiful, breathtaking landscapes, along with the large variety of foods and goods made an indelible impression on me. It’s one of those places I definitely want to go back; not before, of course, I have make a good improvement in my english skills... and that’s for sure!