I just got back with my “family” from a day in Chorillos, a beach town south of Lima. My host mom is back from work for a few days, so we decided to take full advantage of the “Dia Feriado.” The day was quite hectic, but a lot of fun. We left after breakfast and took a series of public transportation to Chorillos to celebrate the Festival of San Pedro and San Pablo, which is a festival in honor of “los Pescadores”, or fishermen. There were thousands of people filling the streets of Chorillos- I don’t know if I’ve ever been somewhere so crowded for so long, but the atmosphere was a lot of fun. There were people selling every type of food you can imagine- Ceviche, grilled carne with yucca, fried fish, all kinds of sweets, nuts, and pastries, juices, fruits, etc. They also had a giant parade of local marching bands, military personnel, and others with solid walls of people watching as they walked alongside the water. The beach town was an appropriate setting for this holiday, and there were lots of small fishing boats that came in especially for the holiday.

We walked around afterwards through the crowds and celebrations; I think my host family was much more concerned about losing me than their 8 year old. I think I stuck out more here than anywhere else I’ve been. I don’t think I saw one other blonde person (or white person, for that matter) all day, which was kind of neat because it seemed like a more authentic festival without a ton of “gringos” like myself running around.