What a whirl! Not only more trips to Caral, but more events associated with the Fiesta de la Virgen de Lourdes than I would have imagined.
There were two body board tournaments, sand soccer, kids activities, beach volleyball, the serenade, a procession, food booths, caballos de paso, and dancers! That was after bingo and before a baby shower. We haven’t had such an action packed weekend that I can remember, particularly since we were away from Barranca last year at this time.
The horses and dancers were impressive (so was the heat). I had never seen the Norteño dance between a woman and a rider on horseback.
We offered the Marinera dancers the shade of our front porch to gather and warm up.
The dancers were very good.
Our friend and neighbor Maria Luisa Lauzzeri is a competitive Marinera dancer.
There were dancers whose ancestors came from Puno based on the dance, usually done in that region. Their regalia looked better suited to a cold day at high altitude than a hot day on the beach, but they danced with passion.
The close of the dance was strange. The music turned to rap and the women waved V-signs by their eyes. Your guess is as good as mine. Probably a youthful update in symbolism.
We ate chancho al palo for lunch, along with some duck with rice, except that it was chicken, and some other things. By then it was way too hot, so Jonathan napped and I took a swim. By the time we sat on the porch to watch the sunset, the breeze cooled us and the sight of the red-orange sun subsiding into the ocean was as mesmerizing as ever.
Llywindatravels 2022 