Llywindatravels 2025

We are delighted to have had a visit from our colleagues who recently joined the ranks of the happily retired. Despite their global travels Sue and Z had not visited South America and started off their Peru trip with a few days in Barranca.

After visiting the market, our dinner was sauteed fillet of corvina filleted by Jonathan from the whole fish, peas and a festival of Peruvian potatoes. We baked Amarillo, Huayro, Peruanitas, Negros, and a couple of others. All delicious with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. We even drank Peruvian wine. Some of it is good now.

 

We had to visit a site so that they could see the wonderful 5,000 year old places we’ve worked. We could have taken them to several very large, very dry, very rocky sites, but we settled on Porvenir, where we worked in 2003.

There has been a lot of looting at Porvenir. The circular plaza, used as a burial ground by later people living in the area, is almost completely destroyed. Human bone, scraps of cloth and broken pottery lie abandoned where looters left them.

From Porvenir, we detoured past the home of the honey lady, who has the best honey I’ve ever tasted. She wasn’t home, alas, but we saw some of her wildlife.

With our feet sinking in the dust up to our ankles at the site, we needed showers when we got back.

The next day we visited the fishermen at the end of the beach. Sue has carried out research with artisanal (small-scale) fishermen, and was interested to see them and ask a few questions. We found a man repairing a boat while he waited for the rough seas to abate–probably by the end of the weekend.

What fascinated me was his repair. New planks were tornillo, resistant to rot, he says. He was filling the substantial cracks between planks with oakum. He used a hank of fiber, this material dates back to Dickens’ day when it was produced in poor houses and debtors prisons by people forced to unravel scraps of rope (picking oakum). No silicone caulk for this guy!
But why?

 

We decided to visit Caral, so that Sue and Z could see the reconstructed version of what they had seen at Porvenir. We arrived at the site in mid-afternoon. Ironically, the Supe River is quite high and we could not drive through the river to reach the site, so we had to continue down the road another mile, turn right in the hamlet of Supe, and find the parking area for Caral by the substantial footbridge that has been built across the river. We passed up a ride in a horse cart part of the way to the ticket office. The sign said 300m, and how far could it be, anyway? Big mistake.

After an interminable walk through 90° heat, we reached a point from which much of the site was visible. Excavated areas are wrapped/covered with white material, and roofs have been erected over some areas. There are flags on several structures to try and wave off birds. The effect is a bit incomplete, but gives a sense of the structures.  Later, our guide pointed out that the goal is not restoration, but only to rebuild what is excavated, hence the partial walls and stairways. You can compare today’s photos with the previous ones from Porvenir where all you see is rock, the unreconstructed versions. There was no longer a sign toward the ticket office, but a sign for restrooms pointing off toward a distant area. Sue and Z headed for the nearest structure while I went to the ticket office. It is positioned in a low spot (by the rest rooms) so that it doesn’t detract from the site, but I would have given a lot for a ride in a golf cart at that point. The temperature was approximately that of the center of the sun, and I hustled our mandatory guide off to the main pyramid before we collapsed from heat stroke. He tried manfully to interest us in visiting more of the site, and managed to get us to an overlook point built on a big mound of back dirt from the excavations (good use of back dirt).

We look pretty good for being burned to a crisp.

 

 

 

 

We took our pictures, looked at the circular plaza by the main mound, and walked around the corner of the next large mound, ready to leave.

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We weren’t able to take the most direct path (the archaeologists don’t like you to use the direct route) and the “authorized” path goes a circuitous route–I finally told our guide that we were not taking ONE MORE STEP the wrong way. We turned back toward the car and, mercifully, air conditioning. I will not mention the guide’s name. It’s not his fault that it was outrageously hot and his canned training was uninteresting. A former laborer on the excavations, he and several of his fellow workers have been trained as guides and now give tours.

NEVER GO TO CARAL BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER. That is what we learned. It may be the only restored site from the Late Archaic time period, but the center of the sun is not a happy place. We stopped for cold water and cool sodas in the village, the air conditioning blasted, and life gradually returned to our charred and blistered corpses. We went home and took more showers. Then it was time to sit on the front porch with cocktails and watch the sun set while a freighter headed north. That was a great end to the day.

 

 

It’s been swimming weather, hot enough every day to go in, and the ocean not as frigid as most years. Today that’s impossible, as the waves are crashing into a big froth and the undertow is fierce. Backwards waves hit the ones coming in and make a huge splash.

There’s always writing, but sometimes I need a break. I discovered there’s a glue gun here, so I made seashell people. I’m still working on them.

I discovered there’s a glue gun here, so I made seashell people. I’m still working on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also made a fig tart with figs from the garden.

The festival of Our Lady of Lourdes is this week. We’ve already purchased raffle tickets, chicken dinners, and are awaiting the actual events.

As far as I can tell, this includes several evenings of saying the rosary, and sports competitions. There is both a serenata and a procession next week, so we’ll see what those are. In the spirit of something for everyone, on this coming Sunday there is a mass and a Miss Bikini contest. I love festivals.

The sun dropped below the clouds long enough to display a brilliant red orb that slid into the ocean. You may not always be able to swim in the ocean but there’s always something to look at.

 

The weather has been hot and humid. Sorry, all of you freezing in the north, but it has finally gotten uncomfortably hot so that going in the ocean almost every day becomes important, as does the fan. We all suffer as we must (smirk). We went on an expedition to the beach at Medio Mundo, my favorite for beach combing. I don’t know why there are so few visitors and so many dead things, but it results in great beach combing and I love that. We took Rufo for his first trip outside, stopping to buy him a leash. He ran around like mad and then jumped back in the truck.

He then jumped out and ran around like crazy until he was so tired that he drank water and sat under the truck in the shade. We couldn’t get him onto the beach because the sand was too hot on his paws.

 

 

Maybe that was just as well. We watched flocks of birds, several kinds of gulls, cormorants, Inca terns, skimmers, pelicans. There were thousands of them fishing and sitting on the beach.

There were four vultures sitting on top of a dead dolphin.

There were baby oystercatchers crouched in the pitiful shade of a broken bucket. Apparently, this is how they are raised. The last time we were at Medio Mundo we saw a slightly larger oystercatcher sitting on a chunk of plastic. Their nests are just a flat spot in the sand so the parents seem to put the babies near objects as a sort of camouflage. The babies play dead when anything comes by. It makes them easy to photograph.

Last but not least was my great find. I found a whale bone!

Jonathan’s birthday was much more low key than the others we’ve helped celebrate.

Jonathan and Alex had a beer next door. The day was beautiful, but the ocean was too rough to swim.

 

 

 

 

 

We had great food, but a quiet day. Dalmira gave us two guinea pigs that she raised herself. They were young and tender (she said). Jonathan roasted them and they were excellent. Dona Berta gave us an apple pie. It was also delicious. I love my neighbors. Another friend brought by a copy of a book by her son, who we’ve met. He is a professor of the history of photography at a Peruvian university.

The sunsets continue to be lovely–sometimes even when the sun is only visible dropping between two layers of clouds.

We were invited to a birthday party. Come to lunch! It sounds so simple, but you have to understand what it means (it’s a lot more fun if you know what you are agreeing to). Our friends Alex and Leila live in a beautiful setting, with a lovely house, patio, and yard that benefit from Leila’s love of painting, both large and small scale (note the blue walls of the patio). Alex works for his uncle, managing a large farm/ranch operation. We went to lunch to celebrate Leila’s birthday.
People are invited for 1 pm, and start trickling in then. We were not the first to arrive (we’re learning). The first two or three hours are for socializing, drinks, snacks and conversation. (If you think you have plans for later, you can ask that your drink be ‘suavecito’. You’ll probably abandon those plans, however.) We all wandered around the beautiful patio and the yard. Some people still had to shower and change, pick up young people and return. At one point, I think Alex went for a swim. All very casual (I was overdressed, as usual. I seem to go over or under, and haven’t quite absorbed the dress code yet.) We went through a stage of taking photos–of everyone with everyone.

We admired the lamb roasting in the style of “Chancho al palo.” It was slowly grilled over an open fire held up by stakes of rebar (the palos, or sticks).
There were lots of animals. Jonathan and I both like the tiny yorkie, Tommasa, though there’s also a cat, several dogs that go with the property wander in and out. One had new puppies and we put our names in for one when they are old enough–they were only a week old. The new puppy will be company for Rufo, our mostly blue tick hound. He’s still young enough to want a friend. There was also Alexa’s horse. Alex put him through his paces for us.

Lunch was served around 4:30 pm. It was delicious.

I even helped a little bit. It was totally farm to table. The lamb, potatoes and beans were all from the farm. Everything was delicious.  After lunch–it’s about 5:30 pm and everyone has been drinking beer and Chilcano’s since early afternoon (Chilcano: Pisco, ginger ale, a slice of lime). Now there’s dancing.

However, we all know that there is a very large torta (birthday cake) made by Dona Berta, one of the guests, so there is no leaving the party until the cake comes out. The birthday girl says something about going until midnight. There is not a loud chorus of support. Skinny-dipping in the pool meets with similar lack of enthusiasm. Conversation continues. Women argue over who is allowed to clear dishes. Men sip their drinks without comment. The big moment arrives and the torta comes out. We sing Happy Birthday, first in English and then in Spanish with much pounding of the table. It’s fun. The cake is delicious.

After cake, we all wound down. It’s been a great event, and we’re all caught up on the goings on of all our friends and neighbors. Everyone kisses everyone on the cheek and we leave for home.

And that….. is a birthday party.

 

There was no need for dinner. Jonathan gave up and went to bed at 8:30.

Last year at this time we were on the road, headed for Bolivia (!), Argentina and Chile. This year we are on the beach, enjoying summer unfold. Our daily walk

 

Last year at this time we were on the road, headed for Bolivia (!), Argentina and Chile. This year we are on the beach, enjoying summer unfold. Our daily walk updates us on local happenings, such as the surfing workshop for young people of Barranca going on this week.

Jonathan still takes photos for people.

The local security guard cabin is about finished.

A little girl was waiting for the waves to fill her bucket. It may be a while.

The sand makes patterns as the waves go out.

We watch the sunset most days. On Sunday we sat on the seawall, listening to the waves crash added to the din of music from the opposite end of the beach where the music was going full tilt. There’s a frenetic quality to the late afternoon, related to the impending work week, the close of the weekend, the party winding down. Music from La Choza, a full half mile away, was as loud as if they were down the block. Percussion began to override the pop beat and we realized that a drum group was working its way up the beach, playing and passing the hat. The combination was enough to drive us indoors, but the view of the sunset kept us hanging on. That’s what happens most days.

 

Can you believe I took this one tonight? No filters or anything. What a sky!

 

 

 

 

 

I agree to speak with Lindsay Park, a woman who is recording a series of podcasts called “The Story of Woman.” We spoke for about an hour in December 2015, and the episode is now available. My interview runs in the middle of the podcast from about minutes 10-50. (I add this in case you’d like to hear a few minutes but are not up for the entire 110 minute podcast…). We talk about the origins of inequality in the Norte Chico region of Peru. I think most of you know we’ve been working in this area since 2000, and it’s our base of operations right now. During the months we spend here each year we are writing up additional pieces of research–the articles and book chapters we’ve published don’t yet cover all the material that we excavated. It is enjoyable to revisit the work and rethink what we found, despite my comment on Facebook–something about an exploding head at the end of the day…

http://storyofwoman.org/podcast/episode-eleven-the-birth-of-inequality/

 

 

 

The best idea for a birthday celebration comes from a neighbor, Billie, who spends a day on the beach with friends in Barranca, her home town, every year. We were delighted to be included this year. Early birds hit the beach by about 10:30am. To avoid roasting under the sun, we joined in at about 12:30 with our umbrella, lawn chair, beach mat & towel. The El Nino has raised water temperature from painfully frigid to downright enjoyable, though I still wear my wetsuit most of the time.

The only other person who likes to catch the waves with a body board is 9 years old.

 

 

 

Enjoying the sun.

 

 

 

The treat for the kids was ice cream on the beach.

Here we are in the midst of celebrating.

We went home about 2:30 pm for a break from the sun. Went back at 4 pm and they were still on the beach, just heading indoors to have lunch. We joined in for chicken, rice and beans, all delicious, followed by a stupendous birthday cake. It was three vanilla layers with fresh fruit (mango, strawberry) and manjar blanco (butterscotch). This was frosted by fluffy white frosting. Delicious.

By 6 o’clock we were home–it was an all day party.

 

It was a quiet week…..yep, even here in Barranca.

The ocean has never been better for swimming or playing around. Remember that I first came to Peru the year after the last El Nino (1997-1998–we arrived in 1999). The water is usually frigid. By the time you are wet, most of your lower half has gone to sleep. Not this year! I don’t even wear my wet suit all the time. I love riding my body board in on the waves. OK, so I stay in pretty close, but it is so much fun. My friend Leila Wilson is going to post a photo on Facebook of me riding the waves with her daughter, who is ten. What can I say?

Now it is Sunday afternoon and a rock band is playing next door. 3 pm Sunday is a popular time for music, so that people can enjoy themselves and get home before it gets too late. They are a bit loud for me, but it’s lively and I imagine most people are happy to have even more racket on the beach. About every third restaurant plays music, resulting in a happy din, unless you like the quiet and crashing waves. But, Don’t worry! Never Fear! No problem! Tomorrow is Monday and it will be quiet again until Friday evening. That’s four and a half days for me and two and a half for everyone else.