Funny video by fellow expats

[NYEXPAT]

This was produced by the local expat forum and then went viral!
The Peruvian Dream - El sueño peruano - YouTube

 

[MichaelB]

They left out the part about the gringo viejo verdes and the charapitas...

 

[FIREd]

If I had found paradise, I wouldn't advertise it.

 

[REWahoo]

If I had found paradise, I wouldn't advertise it.

Someone will pave it and put up a parking lot...

 

[MichaelB]

Someone will pave it and put up a parking lot...

Joni Mitchell!

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi - YouTube

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

NYEXPAT, I follow your notes on life in Peru.

MichaelB, I know it has been a few years since you left, but would you consider a sharing a few notes/observations on Venezuela? Merida and Isla Maragarita have come up in earlier threads. Is it possible that things will get quieter with Chavez not as active as he used to be? Is VZ a practical place to consider or would one have to be crackers to go there?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Out of curiosity, Googled living in Peru. Found a website for LivinginPeruTV's channel, which has a number of little vignettes of life in Peru including visits to restaurants and a zany visit of a bus full of Peruvian characters who introduced Peruvian culture to the small town of Peru, Nebraska:LivinginPeruTV's Channel - YouTube

Also found something to do in Peru: drill water wells and install simple water purification units out in the country:
Living Water Peru - YouTube
EDGE OUTREACH | Your global water partner
Clean Water for 25 de Mayo District; Chimbote, Peru - YouTube

Peru, home of the ricotto pepper.

Oh, yeah. This looked interesting, too:
http://www.beyondvolunteering.com/peru/index.php

 

[NYEXPAT]

Peru, home of the ricotto pepper.

That's the "ROCOTTO" pepper and it is served stuffed (Rocotto Relleno" with ground beef/onions/cheese/olives/raisins/egg and sauce over a bed of potatoes (to take away the intense heat) or in a cream sauce over sliced boiled potatoes. I believe (?) it is the 4th hottest pepper in the world and is usually soaked for two days to make it edible.

 

[W2R]

That's the "ROCOTTO" pepper and it is served stuffed (Rocotto Relleno" with ground beef/onions/cheese/olives/raisins/egg and sauce over a bed of potatoes (to take away the intense heat) or in a cream sauce over sliced boiled potatoes. I believe (?) it is the 4th hottest pepper in the world and is usually soaked for two days to make it edible.

Interesting! I'm sure many love them, since hot peppers are so popular. Personally I will take care to avoid them. Even jalapenos seem too hot to me. My ex used to grow a variety of very hot peppers in our yard in Texas. He loved them.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Also found something to do in Peru: drill water wells and install simple water purification units out in the country:
Living Water Peru - YouTube

In February, I was invited by a (Arab royal family member) to attend a business meeting in Arequipa ( 2nd largest city) with a proposal to build a waste to energy facility. Currently 80% of untreated sewage and industrial waste is dumped into the river that flows through the center of the city (Chicago river).

It would require a $1 billion dollar investment in return for a 25 year concession and would have also included a landfill converting methane to electric.

At the same time my wifes family was negotiating to sell (Pima cotton) producing property up in Piura for $20 million to the Mubarak family.

Then came "The Arab Spring"!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

That's the "ROCOTTO" pepper and it is served stuffed (Rocotto Relleno" with ground beef/onions/cheese/olives/raisins/egg and sauce over a bed of potatoes (to take away the intense heat) or in a cream sauce over sliced boiled potatoes. I believe (?) it is the 4th hottest pepper in the world and is usually soaked for two days to make it edible.

That's the one! It is also called manzana (sp?) pepper in Mexico. It is a beautiful, plump yellow with black seeds (the only pepper with them). Said to be hard to grow. Thanks for the recipes!

It is indeed HOT. Too hot for me straight, but it is delicious. About once a year I can find it in my local tienda and I try another way to prepare them. I was recommended to serve them sliced very fine with sliced onion in lime juice and sprinkle a little salt on them.

Soaked for two days...in what? Lime juice and salt? Plain water?

 

[MichaelB]

MichaelB, I know it has been a few years since you left, but would you consider a sharing a few notes/observations on Venezuela? Merida and Isla Maragarita have come up in earlier threads. Is it possible that things will get quieter with Chavez not as active as he used to be? Is VZ a practical place to consider or would one have to be crackers to go there?

Hi Gypsy Ed

Lots of good memories from Venezuela, and hopefully, more in the future. Now, however, is not a good time, and there is no positive change is in sight. In Venezuela there is a saying: No hay mal que dure cien años ni cuerpo que lo resista. Roughly, Even the longest night comes to an end.

Many attempts have been made to transform Isla de Margarita into a tourist destination but they have been largely unsuccessful. It is a tax-free haven for Venezuelans and popular for shopping. Outside the shopping district it is largely undeveloped and has severe, chronic water shortage. More recently, much of the country has been suffering from power shortage as well, heavily affecting that area. Both of these are due to disinvestment in utilities so any improvement will first require substantial investment.

Not sure if you are referring to Merida, Venezuela or Mexico. I’ll defer Mexico discussions to those here in the know. Merida Venezuela is a wonderful place with few foreign tourists and residents but a strong international heritage. Part of the Andes and nice cool climate. My MIL was from that region, DW has family nearby and we visited frequently over the years. It is culturally similar to West Virginia or Kentucky in a good way – small town mountain folk who are practical and down to earth.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Thank you, Michael.

I should have been more specific: Merida, VZ. I have heard good things about it from many people. The most negative thing I have heard so far is that one has to go through the rest of VZ to get there.

Isla de Margarita has been hyped over the years, yet I have heard negative reports that have been glossed over by others.

Ed