I've spent the past week back in the U.S. with just a few more days to go. It's been great. The first leg was in DC, where I got to spend time with Mike and the dogs, visit with friends and clients and get lots of massages. Like 3 of them. My body doesn't like stress and when it feels particularly under the gun (like when you're opening a restaurant) it manifests into physical pain. I was (literally) aching for my therapists at home and, fortunately for me, they were all available for sessions when I arrived.
Whew. With my body under control (and soft and mushy), I spent the rest of the time cuddling Sam and Stella, lunching and dinnering with good friends and shopping. I've got a restaurant to buy for (and a weight limit to adhere to with the airline), so shopping was slow and selective. I cleaned out a lot of stuff from my DC kitchen as well (Mike never used the pasta machine anyway) and am almost ready to schlep it all back to Cusco.
And then I headed up to Connecticut to be with my mom. It's been a fun trip -- I tried out some new recipes in her awesome kitchen, watched a fair amount of TV and just slept. I had fully intended to make it to NYC for a day or two but am so relaxed and comfortable here in CT that I just don't think I have the energy to make it there. Next time.
Being back in the U.S. gets less and less strange each visit. I felt like a fish out of water the last time and couldn't wait to get back to Cusco. And while I'm still eager to get back to Peru on this trip, too, I'm a little more accustomed to being here again. I like having endless minutes on my cell phone and a Starbucks or Target just a few blocks away -- at least for a little while. And while I love my friends down in Peru, there's something to say about being around the people who've known you as long as my stateside friends have.
And then there was Gabs! She lives in Maryland and we got to spend an entire afternoon together last week (and for good measure, we ran into each other again by accident a few days later -- of course). It was wonderful. Lunch, shopping, walking around and catching up. I needed that. Big Time. I knew I was missing her, but I just couldn't believe how much until I saw her. If only I could get her to come back to Peru...
Being back in Connecticut has also got me doing something I never thought I'd do: consider moving back here. I love Peru but I know I'm not going to live there forever. I've got at least another year there -- and if the restaurant goes well, maybe longer -- but I think I will eventually feel the urge to live stateside again. And while I also love DC, it might be good to start fresh somewhere -- and be close to my mom, NYC and (close enough to) the dogs in DC. New Haven might be just the place...
Heading off to my last massage of the trip! If anyone needs an AMAZING therapist up here in Connecticut, shoot me an email -- this woman is fantastic -- and I'll give you her info.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sending Wiskey Off in Lima (and a Few Days to Kill Afterwards)
We arrived in Lima on Wednesday afternoon with enough time to meet with the representative Whitney had hired to help ship Whiskey to the U.S. He was a nice guy, checked our paperwork and determined that we needed to do more work. Oy.
The paperwork process to ship a dog to the U.S. is a pain in the ass. Starting at the vet in Cusco, we paid s./100 (about $30) for him to give us health certificates and other official documents. I don't recall Whiskey ever getting a check-up (other than shots), but somehow he got every bit of paperwork he needed to go to the United States with just a wad of money placed in his hand. Who'd have thought you could grease the palms of vets??
But then we had to deal with SENASA. It's the bureaucratic portion of the process. They're the ones who "approve" all of the (fake) paperwork to let Whiskey go to the U.S. And, of course, you have to pay them, too. It's a more official process though. You have to go to the bank and deposit another s./100 in their account and bring back the document stating that the money's there. And then they claim to want to see the dog before the flight to make sure he's healthy (although they barely glanced at him when we brought him there) and give us more paperwork and send us on our way.
The SENASA employee I brought all the paperwork to had 3 days to do the work to get Whiskey ready before we brought him in for his final "inspection." When we brought him in the day before we left, she was messing around on her computer, the paperwork NOT ready. Humberto just shrugs his shoulders as if that's just the way it is. I usually do the same, but this time had had enough. So, politely but sternly I asked this woman (in Spanish) why the documents weren't ready since she'd had 3 days to prepare them.
This woman was clearly not prepared for a question like this. Laziness is the norm here (unfortunately) and so she just assumed we'd tolerate this and quietly wait for her to do her job. That was not going to be the case this time. She made a bunch of excuses, blaming other co-workers, but I wasn't buying it. So, I followed her around for the next hour, and made sure everything was in order. She didn't like that very much.
But we got all the paperwork and were on our way. But when Pablo, Whitney's rep in Lima, checked it, he said that the photocopy of the health certificate wasn't sufficient and we needed the original. SENASA had kept the original, telling us that all we needed was the copy. But since they were in Cusco, we had no way of retrieving it. Soooo, off we went to find another vet to give Whiskey a "check up" (read: look at him, take our money and give us another certificate). With that in hand by the end of the day, we crashed in our hotel early that night (with Whiskey), awoke the next morning and headed back to the airport (the cargo section), met with Pablo and handed Whiskey over to him.
We stopped in one of Lima's parks along the coast on our way back from the vet to the hotel
Hum was rather torn up over it. He'd grown quite attached to Whiskey over the past couple of weeks and it was hard for him to put the pup in his crate and walk away, listening to him cry. That night, he dreamed that they were playing catch and running together. We got a call from Whitney the next day with the news that Whiskey had arrived safely in Detroit and was sound asleep on her lap on the way back to Troy. Everyone was relieved and happy.
Hum & Whiskey's last morning together
Sending him off
And then we headed out into Lima to buy stuff for the restaurant. We shipped back barstools, potholders, cool dishes, etc. on the bus and Hum picked them up when he got back to Cusco the next day. We parted ways Saturday morning at the airport, when he took his 1-hour flight back home to Cusco and I set out on my all-day journey back to the U.S.
The paperwork process to ship a dog to the U.S. is a pain in the ass. Starting at the vet in Cusco, we paid s./100 (about $30) for him to give us health certificates and other official documents. I don't recall Whiskey ever getting a check-up (other than shots), but somehow he got every bit of paperwork he needed to go to the United States with just a wad of money placed in his hand. Who'd have thought you could grease the palms of vets??
But then we had to deal with SENASA. It's the bureaucratic portion of the process. They're the ones who "approve" all of the (fake) paperwork to let Whiskey go to the U.S. And, of course, you have to pay them, too. It's a more official process though. You have to go to the bank and deposit another s./100 in their account and bring back the document stating that the money's there. And then they claim to want to see the dog before the flight to make sure he's healthy (although they barely glanced at him when we brought him there) and give us more paperwork and send us on our way.
The SENASA employee I brought all the paperwork to had 3 days to do the work to get Whiskey ready before we brought him in for his final "inspection." When we brought him in the day before we left, she was messing around on her computer, the paperwork NOT ready. Humberto just shrugs his shoulders as if that's just the way it is. I usually do the same, but this time had had enough. So, politely but sternly I asked this woman (in Spanish) why the documents weren't ready since she'd had 3 days to prepare them.
This woman was clearly not prepared for a question like this. Laziness is the norm here (unfortunately) and so she just assumed we'd tolerate this and quietly wait for her to do her job. That was not going to be the case this time. She made a bunch of excuses, blaming other co-workers, but I wasn't buying it. So, I followed her around for the next hour, and made sure everything was in order. She didn't like that very much.
But we got all the paperwork and were on our way. But when Pablo, Whitney's rep in Lima, checked it, he said that the photocopy of the health certificate wasn't sufficient and we needed the original. SENASA had kept the original, telling us that all we needed was the copy. But since they were in Cusco, we had no way of retrieving it. Soooo, off we went to find another vet to give Whiskey a "check up" (read: look at him, take our money and give us another certificate). With that in hand by the end of the day, we crashed in our hotel early that night (with Whiskey), awoke the next morning and headed back to the airport (the cargo section), met with Pablo and handed Whiskey over to him.
We stopped in one of Lima's parks along the coast on our way back from the vet to the hotel
Hum was rather torn up over it. He'd grown quite attached to Whiskey over the past couple of weeks and it was hard for him to put the pup in his crate and walk away, listening to him cry. That night, he dreamed that they were playing catch and running together. We got a call from Whitney the next day with the news that Whiskey had arrived safely in Detroit and was sound asleep on her lap on the way back to Troy. Everyone was relieved and happy.
Hum & Whiskey's last morning together
Sending him off
And then we headed out into Lima to buy stuff for the restaurant. We shipped back barstools, potholders, cool dishes, etc. on the bus and Hum picked them up when he got back to Cusco the next day. We parted ways Saturday morning at the airport, when he took his 1-hour flight back home to Cusco and I set out on my all-day journey back to the U.S.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
After Two Weeks of Whiskey I Need a Drink.
We've had a houseguest over the past couple of weeks: Whiskey, my friend Whitney's dog. Whitney went back to the U.S. a little over a month ago and couldn't bring the dog with her at the time, so he stayed behind for the time being. His living situation wasn't the best, though, so she asked me to take him for a little while and help her get him to the states. So, here he is. In my house. Right here.
He's a cute puppy. He's a big guy for 10 months and he's an absolute lovebug. He wants to be on your lap or licking your face every second of the day, which is cute at first. At first.
And then, when you've had enough of the kissing and need to get on with things, he eats your shoes in retaliation for leaving him. Or your welcome mat. Or the butter in the kitchen.
But for a puppy, he's one smart little guy. He's very trainable (hint, hint, Whit) and eventually listens to us when we command him. I'm just not really in the mood to do a lot of training (and for those of you who know my dogs at home also know that I'm not very good at training -- but Sam and Stella are not the easiest dogs to train!)
Hum and Whiskey
So tomorrow Hum and I take Whiskey to Lima (by plane) and ship him off to Whitney in Detroit. Poor Whiskey has no idea what's in store for him the next couple of days and I feel horrible about it. He's finally into a routine here, eating his food regularly, happy, etc. I'm glad to send him off (I just don't want a dog here) and I get solace knowing that however traumatic this trip will be for him, when he gets to Detroit his mommy will be there waiting for him. He will lose his shit. Probably literally (enjoy cleaning that up, Whit!).
And after we spend a couple of days in Lima buying some furniture for the restaurant, Hum will go back to Cusco to continue working on the business and I will head to the U.S. for 10 days. This wasn't a planned trip until this weekend when, after a huge fight with Hum, I realized that I needed to get away for a little R and R and gain a little perspective. I'm homesick at the moment and my body is achy. I need massages BADLY and a little Sam and Stella time. And I need to see my mom. And after that, I'll be OK and ready to jump back into Cusco!
Aaaaaand I'm also pleased to announce another new addition to the house. And I think I love it more than my blender. It's our new water tank, which means we have water ALL DAY. I'm so spoiled.
The new love of my life
Photo taken at 2pm! We have water at 2pm!!
He's a cute puppy. He's a big guy for 10 months and he's an absolute lovebug. He wants to be on your lap or licking your face every second of the day, which is cute at first. At first.
And then, when you've had enough of the kissing and need to get on with things, he eats your shoes in retaliation for leaving him. Or your welcome mat. Or the butter in the kitchen.
But for a puppy, he's one smart little guy. He's very trainable (hint, hint, Whit) and eventually listens to us when we command him. I'm just not really in the mood to do a lot of training (and for those of you who know my dogs at home also know that I'm not very good at training -- but Sam and Stella are not the easiest dogs to train!)
Hum and Whiskey
So tomorrow Hum and I take Whiskey to Lima (by plane) and ship him off to Whitney in Detroit. Poor Whiskey has no idea what's in store for him the next couple of days and I feel horrible about it. He's finally into a routine here, eating his food regularly, happy, etc. I'm glad to send him off (I just don't want a dog here) and I get solace knowing that however traumatic this trip will be for him, when he gets to Detroit his mommy will be there waiting for him. He will lose his shit. Probably literally (enjoy cleaning that up, Whit!).
And after we spend a couple of days in Lima buying some furniture for the restaurant, Hum will go back to Cusco to continue working on the business and I will head to the U.S. for 10 days. This wasn't a planned trip until this weekend when, after a huge fight with Hum, I realized that I needed to get away for a little R and R and gain a little perspective. I'm homesick at the moment and my body is achy. I need massages BADLY and a little Sam and Stella time. And I need to see my mom. And after that, I'll be OK and ready to jump back into Cusco!
Aaaaaand I'm also pleased to announce another new addition to the house. And I think I love it more than my blender. It's our new water tank, which means we have water ALL DAY. I'm so spoiled.
The new love of my life
Photo taken at 2pm! We have water at 2pm!!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Luxury Hotel Tours, New Recipes and Lost Jobs
I know I say this a lot, but boy, do things change here quickly. Yes, we're still working on the restaurant -- that's still gonna happen. At least, it is right now.
I kid, I kid. It's gonna happen. I think. It's not that I'm a pessimist, it's just that once you've experienced the bureacracy that is setting up a business in Peru (and I imagine it's worse in the U.S. to some degree), you just can't count on it until it's done. It's truly an amazing process -- and I don't mean that in a good way. Lawyers who don't keep their appointment, notaries who lose paperwork, bank associates who don't give a shit and therefore make you come back three or four times with different information/money, etc. It's enough to make you give up. Fortunately, Humberto and his colleague Wauldir expect this and have had more patience than I could ever have for this process. So, they're handling that. Whew.
So, we're plugging along. The lights are all in and they look gorgeous. Our bar/kitchen is supposed to be ready this coming week (our carpenter confirmed this -- we shall see) and we found the exact chairs we want to have made -- just need to find someone to make them (and the tables, too). I've also completed the Website, and will send you all the link when I'm ready to annouce (probably in another week or so, but if you're absolutely desperate to see it, send me an email and I'll send you the link).
Some older shots of the "work in progress." We're a little further along now...
And I'm no longer working at the travel agency. It's a shame, really, because I was really liking the work and my co-workers. We went on a tour of the 4- and 5-star hotels of Cusco the other week, which was really cool. I ate breakfast at Hotel Monasterio, the most expensive property in the city and saw, from a distance, the royal suite where Richard Gere stayed with his family the other week. Beautiful hotel.
Some shots of Monasterio
And then I went to Machu Picchu with a group of them as well -- again to check out the high-end properties that we'd be sending our clients to (and that I'd be writing about). We took the "ejecutivo" train there and back (more comfortable than the Vistadome train but not as expensive as the Hiram Bingham train -- think $700 a pop for the latter) and stayed (and ate) at the Sumaq Hotel, a 4-star property right next to the roaring Urubamba river. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know my co-workers a little better. I also got a massage out of it. Too bad it wasn't up to snuff -- especially for a 4-star hotel. I just don't get it. Why are there no good therapists here in Peru??
The problem (or as I see it), is that the "therapists" here receive very little training -- no more than 6 months -- and consider it nothing more than a job. They don't love what they do and in a profession such as massage therapy, the client can feel that. Or at least I can. Their work is routine. They don't take their time to "feel" the bodies they're working on -- they don't care. It's just a job. And that pains me. I would love to be proved wrong JUST ONCE here in Peru to restore a little faith in the therapists here...
A few pictures of the best hotel in MP, Machu Picchu Pueblo. We didn't get to see Sanctuary Lodge (owned by Orient Express, the same company that owns Monasterio) because they didn't have time for us, so I can't give you my take on it -- but I've heard it's just OK.
Unfortunately just a few days after returning from Machu Picchu my boss decided that my services were no longer needed -- after I spent the past 3 weeks rewriting her company's Website. She paid me for 4 weeks (something I'm still kind of confused about -- I mean, if you're gonna pay me for 4 weeks why not use me for 4 weeks? I still had more to write) and sent me on my way. I keep thinking I did something wrong, but all I did was what they asked of me (even though it seemed like the right hand never really knew what the left hand was doing over there -- but that's no different than most offices, eh?). Communication in just about everything you do here is mediocre at best, so I probably wasn't doing what they wanted me to do, yet no one told me otherwise and so I just kept writing and writing. Meh.
I'm gonna miss those fun travel perks though. And having a schedule. It was good for me to have someplace to be every day. Without it, I get caught up in one project (say, trying new recipes or running errands for the restaurant) and then my day is gone. It's definitely going to be a lot easier to have just two jobs (the restaurant and massages), so I shouldn't really complain.
And speaking of trying new recipes, I've been on a roll lately! We want to serve breakfast in the restaurant since we're already going to be there prepping for lunch and dinner, but we don't want to cook anything -- just coffee/tea, fruit salad/juices and baked goods. So I've been working on the baked items and have a couple of good recipes ready to go. The first is the house favorite (read: Humberto can't stop eating it) and it's a banana, chocolate, yogurt cake. It's delicious and we'll be serving it by the slice. I'm going to refrain from posting anymore recipes here because I'm going to have a blog for the restaurant, too -- so you'll have to go there to get them!
Banana Chocolate Yogurt Cake
The second is a chocolate avocado brownie. I have also make it more cake-like, too, for breakfast. You really can't taste the avocado, but it adds a denseness to the texture, which is really great. High-altitude baking is kicking my ass, but I'm figuring out ways to make it work.
More to come this week. I promise (but I live in Peru, so promises are, well, you know...)
I kid, I kid. It's gonna happen. I think. It's not that I'm a pessimist, it's just that once you've experienced the bureacracy that is setting up a business in Peru (and I imagine it's worse in the U.S. to some degree), you just can't count on it until it's done. It's truly an amazing process -- and I don't mean that in a good way. Lawyers who don't keep their appointment, notaries who lose paperwork, bank associates who don't give a shit and therefore make you come back three or four times with different information/money, etc. It's enough to make you give up. Fortunately, Humberto and his colleague Wauldir expect this and have had more patience than I could ever have for this process. So, they're handling that. Whew.
So, we're plugging along. The lights are all in and they look gorgeous. Our bar/kitchen is supposed to be ready this coming week (our carpenter confirmed this -- we shall see) and we found the exact chairs we want to have made -- just need to find someone to make them (and the tables, too). I've also completed the Website, and will send you all the link when I'm ready to annouce (probably in another week or so, but if you're absolutely desperate to see it, send me an email and I'll send you the link).
Some older shots of the "work in progress." We're a little further along now...
And I'm no longer working at the travel agency. It's a shame, really, because I was really liking the work and my co-workers. We went on a tour of the 4- and 5-star hotels of Cusco the other week, which was really cool. I ate breakfast at Hotel Monasterio, the most expensive property in the city and saw, from a distance, the royal suite where Richard Gere stayed with his family the other week. Beautiful hotel.
Some shots of Monasterio
And then I went to Machu Picchu with a group of them as well -- again to check out the high-end properties that we'd be sending our clients to (and that I'd be writing about). We took the "ejecutivo" train there and back (more comfortable than the Vistadome train but not as expensive as the Hiram Bingham train -- think $700 a pop for the latter) and stayed (and ate) at the Sumaq Hotel, a 4-star property right next to the roaring Urubamba river. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know my co-workers a little better. I also got a massage out of it. Too bad it wasn't up to snuff -- especially for a 4-star hotel. I just don't get it. Why are there no good therapists here in Peru??
The problem (or as I see it), is that the "therapists" here receive very little training -- no more than 6 months -- and consider it nothing more than a job. They don't love what they do and in a profession such as massage therapy, the client can feel that. Or at least I can. Their work is routine. They don't take their time to "feel" the bodies they're working on -- they don't care. It's just a job. And that pains me. I would love to be proved wrong JUST ONCE here in Peru to restore a little faith in the therapists here...
A few pictures of the best hotel in MP, Machu Picchu Pueblo. We didn't get to see Sanctuary Lodge (owned by Orient Express, the same company that owns Monasterio) because they didn't have time for us, so I can't give you my take on it -- but I've heard it's just OK.
Unfortunately just a few days after returning from Machu Picchu my boss decided that my services were no longer needed -- after I spent the past 3 weeks rewriting her company's Website. She paid me for 4 weeks (something I'm still kind of confused about -- I mean, if you're gonna pay me for 4 weeks why not use me for 4 weeks? I still had more to write) and sent me on my way. I keep thinking I did something wrong, but all I did was what they asked of me (even though it seemed like the right hand never really knew what the left hand was doing over there -- but that's no different than most offices, eh?). Communication in just about everything you do here is mediocre at best, so I probably wasn't doing what they wanted me to do, yet no one told me otherwise and so I just kept writing and writing. Meh.
I'm gonna miss those fun travel perks though. And having a schedule. It was good for me to have someplace to be every day. Without it, I get caught up in one project (say, trying new recipes or running errands for the restaurant) and then my day is gone. It's definitely going to be a lot easier to have just two jobs (the restaurant and massages), so I shouldn't really complain.
And speaking of trying new recipes, I've been on a roll lately! We want to serve breakfast in the restaurant since we're already going to be there prepping for lunch and dinner, but we don't want to cook anything -- just coffee/tea, fruit salad/juices and baked goods. So I've been working on the baked items and have a couple of good recipes ready to go. The first is the house favorite (read: Humberto can't stop eating it) and it's a banana, chocolate, yogurt cake. It's delicious and we'll be serving it by the slice. I'm going to refrain from posting anymore recipes here because I'm going to have a blog for the restaurant, too -- so you'll have to go there to get them!
Banana Chocolate Yogurt Cake
The second is a chocolate avocado brownie. I have also make it more cake-like, too, for breakfast. You really can't taste the avocado, but it adds a denseness to the texture, which is really great. High-altitude baking is kicking my ass, but I'm figuring out ways to make it work.
More to come this week. I promise (but I live in Peru, so promises are, well, you know...)
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