the holidays

Traveling abroad is always enlightening but even more so when you visit a country during holidays. It doesn't even have to be a holiday that's exclusive to that place (though dancing in the sambadrome in Brazil would definitely top the list of being in the right place at the right time.) For instance, Christmas and New Year's are celebrated in many places but they do things a little differently in Peru.

All cities and towns in Peru have a Plaza de Armas, and for Christmas all the main plazas are decked out with Christmas trees and nativity scenes. The Plaza de Armas in Trujillo was especially bright...

the Cathedral in Trujillo advertises one of its most definitive holidays

Trujillo's nativity scene is set atop the central fountain

Peru has some very interesting Christmas trees. Christmas trees sponsored by a company or organization are not unheard of, it's just that in the States there's not too much ostentatious advertising. And as you'll see, some those corporations and organizations have a very different idea of what goes on a Christmas tree...

these cartoon kids are very popular in Peru...
this was probably the most "normal" árbol de Navidad in the square.

Coca-Cola makes an appearance, not with a Christmas tree
but with a foreign snowy landscape

My personal favorite...

the Suave tree.
Recognize the dog?
In the United States he's the dog on Scott toilet paper.

I had to take a picture of this classy-looking tree covered in dolls...

... because it's sponsored by one of Peru's largest insurance companies, InVita. Feels like home!

Ooh, a Smurf tree! Must be sponsored by a toy company or something...

Nope, the Smurf tree is a product of higher education!

Another Smurf tree!

This temporary fountain was very popular for pictures... I waited a long time to snap a photo when no one was on it.

New Year's is huge in Peru... for dinner on New Year's Eve, everyone gathered in my second family's restaurant in Trujillo to share chancho a cilindrón (smoked pork,) potato salad, and hot chocolate. Everyone  was eating, talking, laughing, toasting, and having a damn good time, even the kids, who had taken a nap earlier so they could stay up past midnight.

No party is complete without a baby dancing on the table!

One of my favorite bits from New Year's was setting off fireworks with the kids. I explained to my uncle (I guess he's my uncle) that in California, it's illegal for people to set off their own fireworks in the street. He promptly lit a 100-light stick and put it in my hand.

AWESOME!

Michelle, Danielita, and I had so much fun shooting the lights into the air and bouncing them off trees... these toys don't set anything on fire, though it's still a bad idea to aim them at people or animals. I got a little ash on my arm but it didn't bother me... not after my sunburn at the beach from a prior day!

At 12:45 AM the kids went to bed and the ladies started getting ready... there was a lot of waiting. But finally we were off, 7 of us crammed into one little car. To our disappointment, most clubs were charging a cover ranging from 40 soles to over 100 soles. Any other day, these clubs are free. Aren't things supposed to be cheaper in Peru?

We ended up driving back to Huanchaco Beach - the site of my comedic sunburn - and partied with the people in the street. All the clubs along the beach were open-air so you didn't really have to be inside to hear the music.

locura!

why doesn't the policía look as happy as me?
He's not sunburnt!

Beer in hand and friends around, we danced for an hour or so. Then the breeze kicked in and half of us got cold. We weaved our way back to the city and found ourselves at D'Pacha, which was either not charging a cover at all or simply not charging one after 3AM. More dancing, talking, a little drinking, and lots of laughing at my "dancing."

We left at 6AM, which I hear is a wimpy time to retire for a party as big as New Year's. I hear some people didn't get home until 8AM!

daylight breaking over our last stop

That is how you do the holidays. If you don't have Smurfs on your Christmas tree and don't stay out until breakfast, you're not doing it right!