Gran Corso de Wong

Today we woke up knowing it was la día del pollo a la brasa - and went on an adventure to go find some to celebrate.  El pollo a la brasa, which was translated by Wikipedia as "Peruvian Chicken" - so not all that helpful, to me seems like rotisserie chicken with more flavor (although I don't really like rotisserie chicken so that might be quite biased).  Its made roasted over charcoal (I added the picture because it is pretty neat to watch the first time) and is normal served with french fries and salad.

Pollo a la Brasa

Pollo a la brasa is a very typical food here in Perú and I had eaten it a couple times before - only for lunch so far though.  Peruvians seem to eat big, late lunches and smaller, late dinners.  It took a little adjusting but as of right now I would say my eating habits are pretty Peruvian.

Anyways, when Camille, my other roommate Patricia (she is from Portugal) and I walked out of the house, we could tell something was going on around Miraflores where we lived.  There were arena stands lining all of Parque Kennedy and Parque 28 de Julio and barriers set up on the edge of the side walk.  It looked like either a race or a parade.

Then I remembered that my research professor, Pilar, had told me there were a lot of parades (or military processions - my spanish is improving but not fast enough) around the time of the Peruvian independence day.  This parade was sponsored by Wong - a mid-range grocery store which was conveniently located 2 blocks away from my house.

So after walking to Pardos Chicken to get the pollo a la brasa (for some reason it annoyed me that it was Pardos Chicken and not Pardos Pollo) we decided to walk to a market that had been set up selling alpaca fabrics at a discounted price.  This was a cool market because it was selling quality items for SO much cheaper then they would be sold for in the US.

The most prized material there was the items made out of baby alpaca - it is super soft!  Alpacas are very similar to llamas but alpacas are raised more as an investment on their fibers and therefore much 'fluffier'.  Llamas are more attractive in my opinion and are probably what you think of when you think of either a llama or an alpaca.  There are vendors here in Perú that sell everything as baby alpaca but that is not always the case.  There can be fakes (no alpaca), a mix, old alpaca and baby alpaca.  There is also what Patricia called 'royal' alpaca but I think this is rare and ridiculously expensive.  I bought a gift (thats all I will say so I don't spoil the surprise) but may go back to get something for myself.

Dancers in the Parade

Marching Band in the Parade

To get to the market we ran into the parade - the Gran Corso de Wong.  It was actually a lot of fun seeing a Peruvian version of a parade because it had similar elements to an American parade but additions that were very Peruvian.  There were marching bands, floats with cartoon characters, cars with fake celebrities, and then traditional peruvian dancers.

It was unexpected but really nice to run into this parade because it marked the beginning of the independence day celebrations or Las Fiestas Patrias.  We are traveling during the actual celebration next weekend to Huaraz (which I am so excited about) so it was nice to get a taste of what the actual celebration would be like.  All I can say is Peruvians are proud to be Peruvian.  So many people came out to watch the parade and cheer everyone on.  For the past entire month people have been wearing a lapel pin representing the colors of Perú as sort of a month long celebration.

Dancer in the Parade

Patricia and I later went back out to the Inca Market (a street in Miraflores with TONS of little shops organized in markets) which I am really surprised I have never been to seeing as I love shopping to begin to hunt for some souvenirs, and as we were coming back we even saw a 10 minute fireworks display to mark the end of the day.  The Gran Corso de Wong was a little inconvenient for us navigating around Miraflores today, but made today randomly cultural and fun just by walking out our front doors.

Travel Details

Shops:

Pardos Chicken/Pollo a la Brasa/Ave. Benavides, Miraflores/20 S +/
Alpaca Clothes Market/Ave. 28 de Julio, Miraflores/Discounted Prices on Tumi Brand/Note: this location posted only until August 4, 2014 - ask around for something similar/
Inca Market/Souvenirs/Ave. Petit Thouras/Bargain!