Lynn's Trip to Peru Part 3
As usual, I will quote the text and comment on it.
Liu and I spent the morning in the markets before meeting Nilda and Rosa for lunch.
Back to the markets for shopping and now she’s called Liu instead of Liuba. I think this is first time I have seen Lynn refer to her by this shorter term.
Ana Maria, a busy social worker, could not take another day off - so, in her borrowed car, Rosa drove us along the top of the ocean front escarpment to show us another view of Lima.
Ana Maria is the one with the car yesterday, so Lynn has to make a point that Rosa has to borrow a car and apparently has a lot more free time than working Ana Maria. I don't have a good feeling for what Nilda or Ana Maria do. Obviously Nilda has the finances to be able to travel to Vancouver, but neither woman seems to own a car.
New hotels and a modern sea-side shopping complex bordered a large, well manicured boulevard. Along the boardwalk, we ate freshly made ice cream, drank hot chocolate and watched kids play on big, colourful coin operated rides.
Lynn is probably talking about the Parque Salazar(Park Salazar). This website has this description and some pictures:
Named after the great Peruvian aviator Alfredo Salazar the park offers a stunning view over the Pacific Ocean. On clear days you can see the whole bay of Lima from Chorrillos and Barranco in the south to Callao with its islands in the north. Built into the cliffs is the famous ‘Centro Comercial Larcomar’. Larcomar is one of the modern shopping and entertainment centers in Lima. You will find exquisite clothes and shops for all kind of accessories, casual and sport clothing, lovely souvenir and arts and crafts shops, bookstores and the best cigars in town. Relax while having an excellent meal or snack in one of the restaurants, a good coffee or even an ice-cream or burger overlooking the beautiful bay. See the latest movies in one of the biggest cinema complexes in Miraflores, have fun at the bowling center or enjoy the theatrical performances at the theatre ‘La Plaza Isil’. Small kids will have fun with the coin-operated rides, bigger ones with arcade games. Since 2006 Larcomar houses as well an exhibition hall of the ‘Museo de Oro’ (Gold museum). The entrance is just next to the theatre. And for all night owls: nightclubs and discotheques invite you to an exciting evening and night. Parque Salazar is a beautiful starting point for a walk north to the many other parks along the ‘malecon’ of Miraflores.
It could have been anywhere, except for the endless desert beaches, precipitous grey cliffs and a dryness that makes your throat tighten and your eyes sting. I wouldn't spend so much time describing the delights of Lima were it not for the vast difference in living conditions we were to see later on.
In other words, Lynn is preparing for the fact she is going to do some kind of social commentary on the differences between living in Lima and living in Cuzco. She is usually terrible at writing about such things, so I can hardly wait for the Cuzco description.
That evening, Ana Maria joined us again and we were taken to another fine restaurant, known for its chicken - roasted over charcoal and spiced just right.
Trying to find this restaurant, all I found was that the Peruvian style of roasting chicken is considered to be a very common Peruvian food, oftentimes imported into Peruvian restaurants in the United States and Canada.
We had become connoisseurs of dark chicha - the fruity non-alcoholic corn drink - and ordered large glasses full.
As opposed to ordering small glass empty? Anyway, it’s nice to see that Lynn isn’t drinking the alcoholic form of chicha today as she did yesterday. However, I will note that even though Lynn talked about the roasted chicken, she still didn’t talk about eating it.
We toasted each other and said once again how much we three strangers had enjoyed our time together.
Yes, folks. Just like in the comic strip, Lynn does this in real life.
We promised to stay in touch. We exchanged gifts and addresses and warm, affectionate hugs before going back to the hotel to pack for our trip to Cuzco. Liuba and I talked again about our three hostesses and how much we would miss them.
Yes, Liuba is on her own with Lynn after this, so I am sure she missed those three.
Who'd have guessed that a chance encounter on a flight to BC would lead to such a wonderful relationship and two full days of fun!
And now going to Lynn’s favorite theme of fate, with her chance encounter. I suspect there was a lot less chance to that than Lynn is trying to put across. Nevertheless, it seems like the 3 ladies were pretty gracious to Lynn to tour her around Lima for the last 2 days.
Liu and I spent the morning in the markets before meeting Nilda and Rosa for lunch.
Back to the markets for shopping and now she’s called Liu instead of Liuba. I think this is first time I have seen Lynn refer to her by this shorter term.
Ana Maria, a busy social worker, could not take another day off - so, in her borrowed car, Rosa drove us along the top of the ocean front escarpment to show us another view of Lima.
Ana Maria is the one with the car yesterday, so Lynn has to make a point that Rosa has to borrow a car and apparently has a lot more free time than working Ana Maria. I don't have a good feeling for what Nilda or Ana Maria do. Obviously Nilda has the finances to be able to travel to Vancouver, but neither woman seems to own a car.
New hotels and a modern sea-side shopping complex bordered a large, well manicured boulevard. Along the boardwalk, we ate freshly made ice cream, drank hot chocolate and watched kids play on big, colourful coin operated rides.
Lynn is probably talking about the Parque Salazar(Park Salazar). This website has this description and some pictures:
Named after the great Peruvian aviator Alfredo Salazar the park offers a stunning view over the Pacific Ocean. On clear days you can see the whole bay of Lima from Chorrillos and Barranco in the south to Callao with its islands in the north. Built into the cliffs is the famous ‘Centro Comercial Larcomar’. Larcomar is one of the modern shopping and entertainment centers in Lima. You will find exquisite clothes and shops for all kind of accessories, casual and sport clothing, lovely souvenir and arts and crafts shops, bookstores and the best cigars in town. Relax while having an excellent meal or snack in one of the restaurants, a good coffee or even an ice-cream or burger overlooking the beautiful bay. See the latest movies in one of the biggest cinema complexes in Miraflores, have fun at the bowling center or enjoy the theatrical performances at the theatre ‘La Plaza Isil’. Small kids will have fun with the coin-operated rides, bigger ones with arcade games. Since 2006 Larcomar houses as well an exhibition hall of the ‘Museo de Oro’ (Gold museum). The entrance is just next to the theatre. And for all night owls: nightclubs and discotheques invite you to an exciting evening and night. Parque Salazar is a beautiful starting point for a walk north to the many other parks along the ‘malecon’ of Miraflores.
It could have been anywhere, except for the endless desert beaches, precipitous grey cliffs and a dryness that makes your throat tighten and your eyes sting. I wouldn't spend so much time describing the delights of Lima were it not for the vast difference in living conditions we were to see later on.
In other words, Lynn is preparing for the fact she is going to do some kind of social commentary on the differences between living in Lima and living in Cuzco. She is usually terrible at writing about such things, so I can hardly wait for the Cuzco description.
That evening, Ana Maria joined us again and we were taken to another fine restaurant, known for its chicken - roasted over charcoal and spiced just right.
Trying to find this restaurant, all I found was that the Peruvian style of roasting chicken is considered to be a very common Peruvian food, oftentimes imported into Peruvian restaurants in the United States and Canada.
We had become connoisseurs of dark chicha - the fruity non-alcoholic corn drink - and ordered large glasses full.
As opposed to ordering small glass empty? Anyway, it’s nice to see that Lynn isn’t drinking the alcoholic form of chicha today as she did yesterday. However, I will note that even though Lynn talked about the roasted chicken, she still didn’t talk about eating it.
We toasted each other and said once again how much we three strangers had enjoyed our time together.
Yes, folks. Just like in the comic strip, Lynn does this in real life.
We promised to stay in touch. We exchanged gifts and addresses and warm, affectionate hugs before going back to the hotel to pack for our trip to Cuzco. Liuba and I talked again about our three hostesses and how much we would miss them.
Yes, Liuba is on her own with Lynn after this, so I am sure she missed those three.
Who'd have guessed that a chance encounter on a flight to BC would lead to such a wonderful relationship and two full days of fun!
And now going to Lynn’s favorite theme of fate, with her chance encounter. I suspect there was a lot less chance to that than Lynn is trying to put across. Nevertheless, it seems like the 3 ladies were pretty gracious to Lynn to tour her around Lima for the last 2 days.
posted by howard at 8:53 AM
12 Comments:
It's always amazing to see how blinkered Lynn's vision of the world is, isn't it? It's as if she's totally unaware of how out of it she looks and sounds.
Back to the markets for shopping and now she’s called Liu instead of Liuba. I think this is first time I have seen Lynn refer to her by this shorter term.
Curiously, this is a shortened version of a shortened version. According to the write-up at the official site:
A little trivia: Liuba's full name, Liubov, means "Love" in Russian. Lynn named Mike and Deanna's landlady, Lovey Saltzman, after her.
I don't have a good feeling for what Nilda or Ana Maria do.
I think you mean that you don't have a good feeling for what Nilda and Rosa do. Ana Maria is the social worker with the car. (Sorry, "continuity goddess" urges never quite go away!) ;)
Yes, folks. Just like in the comic strip, Lynn does this in real life.
I was expecting you to link to this strip.
dreadedcandiru2,
It's always amazing to see how blinkered Lynn's vision of the world is, isn't it?
"Amazing" is a good choice of words for it. Of course, Lynn has shown us that her more critical perspective is reserved for particular venues and not her website. She is trying make the situation with her and the 3 Peruvian women seem like they are the best of friends, but there are little signs, like her confession that she contributes very little to the conversation and how generous her hostesses were on Day 2 (but not mentioned on Day 3), which give a somewhat more realistic impression.
It's always a challenge with Lynn's writing to figure out what is going on. Much of my writing about her travelogues is devoted to that task, even finding out where she was in Lima based on her description, when Lynn fails to mention it herself. After reading a few of these travelogues, I get the impression that Lynn is taken places by people and never bothers to find out what the name of the place is.
aprilp_katje,
A little trivia: Liuba's full name, Liubov, means "Love" in Russian.
I have the feeling Liubov's opinion is something like, "She can call me what she wants, as long as I can still cash the cheque."
I think you mean that you don't have a good feeling for what Nilda and Rosa do.
Right you are again, my continuity goddess.
I was expecting you to link to this strip.
Indeed. That's a another good toasting strip. I wonder why Stephanie didn't put "toast" in as a keyword.
I get the impression that Lynn is taken places by people and never bothers to find out what the name of the place is.
Exactly. She seems to think these details aren't important, even though she intends to write about her travels.
I have the feeling Liubov's opinion is something like, "She can call me what she wants, as long as I can still cash the cheque."
I suspect you're right.
Oh, and I almost forgot....
Lynn is preparing for the fact she is going to do some kind of social commentary on the differences between living in Lima and living in Cuzco. She is usually terrible at writing about such things, so I can hardly wait for the Cuzco description.
Same here--I can hardly wait. And by "I can hardly wait," I mean to say I am cringing in anticipation. ;)
Adding another comment just to get myself subscribed to replies. I thought I'd checked the box, but after I'd already hit the "publish" button, I saw I'd missed.
aprilp_katje,
She seems to think these details aren't important, even though she intends to write about her travels.
With some travelogues, you get the impression the writer is trying to tell what a wonderful place it is and gives you the information necessary for you to go there yourself. With Lynn, it is like she is being led by the hand to some place and if it wasn’t on her travel literature or on a receipt, she has no idea what it was. To go on a tour with Lynn must be like traveling with a small child, where the experience is more important that the knowledge of where you were.
Same here--I can hardly wait. And by "I can hardly wait," I mean to say I am cringing in anticipation. ;)
I find it very interesting that she seems to be unable to go someplace without casting some kind of judgment on the place and the people who live there. The best part of it is that she makes these judgments with virtually no understanding of the circumstances and with all her preconceived notions in mind.
To go on a tour with Lynn must be like traveling with a small child, where the experience is more important that the knowledge of where you were.
A very small child who hasn't yet reached that "inquisitive" stage.
The best part of it is that she makes these judgments with virtually no understanding of the circumstances and with all her preconceived notions in mind.
She lacks understanding and doesn't seem to have the slightest inkling about how gapped she is.
April_Patterson,
You aren't kidding about her refusal to ask where she is; she didn't even ask what they called the fountain that she gushed over.
Parque de la Reserva. It looks nice.
I am surprised at the carnivorous attacks on a fellow traveling marine biologist. I think you are way to hard on Lynn . She went with all enthusiasm to help out with the goings on in Peru. Not every body is a fine writer, & frankly I think I would rather mentor a child into a maturity than travel with you overly critical experts. We are all different flavors of people.Perhaps when you point at Lynn, you neglect the 3 fingers pointing back at yourself. Hang tight Lynn you will be home soon.
merry christmas from AK T & Bob
AK T & Bob ,
I am surprised at the carnivorous attacks on a fellow traveling marine biologist.
Marine biologist? What? Are you saying Lynn or Liuba is a marine biologist? I am pretty sure they do not have that background.
I think you are way to hard on Lynn . She went with all enthusiasm to help out with the goings on in Peru.
I will certainly give credit to Lynn Johnston for making this a choice for her vacation. There certainly are many more selfish ways to spend your vacation dollar. As for her motivation, you will have to point me to the text in the travelogue where Lynn Johnston says this is her reason to go. Actually, if you can find any text that says why she went, that would be good.
To many of her long-time fans, it appears she takes these medical mission trips to foreign countries to exorcize a few demons involving her ex-husband. He used to drag her along on trips like this all the time, where he would spend his time doing dental work, leaving Lynn frustrated because she did not have the skills to do anything. As a proof of this in the travelogues to follow, she takes a number of shots at dentists and dentistry, which is all the more surprising considering there don’t appear to be any dentists on her mission.
Not every body is a fine writer, & frankly I think I would rather mentor a child into a maturity than travel with you overly critical experts.
Are you saying that mentoring a child into a maturity is an unpleasant experience, but you would rather do that than travel with critical experts? Or are you saying that you love mentoring a child, and prefer doing that to traveling with critical experts, which you also love doing?
We are all different flavors of people.Perhaps when you point at Lynn, you neglect the 3 fingers pointing back at yourself.
Perhaps, but it is impolite to point. I don’t do a lot of pointing with Lynn Johnston. I view my writing mainly as someone adding the missing details to what she says. Nevertheless, I decided to take another look at what I wrote in this Blog entry to see how nasty I was towards her that set you off to defend her. Surprisingly, there is really not much there which is critical of Lynn. The worst part I wrote was where I said she is not good at writing social commentary, which is true. Sorry if that upsets you, but later entries of her travelogue in Peru only confirmed this opinion. A lot of the material in these travelogues is devoted to casting judgment on Peru, its government, its medical care, and its people.
Hang tight Lynn you will be home soon.
According to her entries, she took this trip in November, so she is already back.
merry christmas from AK T & Bob
Merry Christmas to you too, AK T & Bob. However, if you are writing to my Blog to say Merry Christmas to Lynn Johnston, I should let you know Lynn doesn’t read my Blog. I am sure she appreciates the sentiment anyway, or she would if she celebrated Christmas.
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