January 2 - Day 2

January 3 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

Great day. The Marriott hotel I am staying in is quite elevated and located right on the water in the swankiest part of town - Miraflores.

I have befriended Alejandro, a local taxi driver, who always seems ready to take me places, offer tips, note attractions and keep me on schedule. It’s quite a luxury.

Today, off to the Museo Larco where the 150 year reign of the Incas pales in comparison to the 5,000 year history of Peruvian civilization, one of the six regions of the world where civilization emerged. The level of sophistication was impressive. Pics 4-6.

Along the way I saw the real Statue of Liberty (on a casino) and el Ombu, planted 200 years ago by General Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Peru (in 1821). Peru was the last Spanish colony in the Americas to claim its freedom. Walking down the street you readily can see that “mixed” and “native” populations are the vast majority.

Ethnic Groups:
- Mixed (Mestizo): 60.2%
- Native: 25.7% (including Quechua 22.3%, Aymara 2.4%, and other indigenous groups)
- White: 5.9% (including Spanish, Italian, German, and other European origins)
- Black: 3.6%
- East Asian: 0.2% (including Japanese and Chinese)

Compare to Chile (same 32 million population)

Ethnic Groups:
- White and non-Indigenous: 88.9%
- Mapuche: 9.1%
- Aymara: 0.7%
- Other Indigenous Groups: 1% (including Rapa Nui, Likan Antai, Quechua, Colla, Diaguita, Kawesqar, Yagan or Yamana)
- Unspecified: 0.3%

Then, a great visit to the ChocoMuseo run by two French sisters! It was a great opportunity for me to speak in French. I was able to identify Romy as Parisian by her pure accent. She has great Peruvian chocolate and gave a tour of the process. It turns out that Cocoa powder is a byproduct of making chocolate; that white chocolate is chocolate and uses just cocoa butter, and that cocoa nibs are the foundation of what becomes of chocolate. Very cool. Pics 8-11.

Good ceviche lunch (Romy told me, and I confirmed, that eating ceviche should be done before 4 PM. Otherwise the fish is not quite as fresh and is “overcooked,” ie acidic).

Later, I had an Asian dinner that in typical Peruvian fashion had samosas (of Persian origin), fish tacos with tuna and nori, and batter fried gyoza!Read more