Hello beautiful people I love!
Ana and I survived the slick sidewalks of grey Lima (aka got a great tour of the city with our couchsurfing hosts) and are now sweating in Tarapoto, in the northern part of Peru. Even though we've moved closer to the rainforest, the mosquitos aren't too bad. Although I think I just got a bite on my throat. Damn it. Hopefully I won't collapse into Dengue fever.
Tarapoto is a really interesting city. Actually, it's hard for me to accept that it's a city because it's so directly based on the building blocks of small latin american towns like I saw 5 years ago in Honduras that I keep assuming I'm out in el campo. I think the core simliarity is that the spaces here are less hermetically sealed and defined. People have their homes that they keep free of animals and insects, but they aren't trying to be sterilized capsules. It's hard to distinguish sometimes what's inside and what's outside, you can peer through doorways and see trees, and the hallway to our room transitions from the front door to the backyard seamlessly. Although it departs from the european model, Tarapoto has the bustle of a city. There are tons of people here, in colorful squat adobe buildings or flying by on motorcycles and in carts pulled by said motos. It creates a fun pace on the streets, and I love seeing girls behind the handlebars.
For the two weeks that we're here in Tarapoto, we're boarding with a couple whose son is away studying in Lima. Their names are Martin and Sylvia and they are incredibly sweet. We share meals with them and Sylvia's mother Lydia and it's wonderful to chat with them over lentils, rice, and avocados. I feel strangely like I've gone home to something. El español, the smells of laundry, the roosters... My time is running out at the internet cafe, but I send love to all of you and will write more soon, especially about our budding research on traditional medicine use here.
Besos!
No comments:
Post a Comment