After such a brilliant weekend in Paris last week and knowing I'd miss the rehearsal of not one but two bands on Sunday afternoon, I just had to hear some live Andean music to make up for not being there! So Thursday evening whilst at Los Andes Restaurant in Bristol for a meal and dance to benefit Nicaragua as part of Central America Week I decided there was nothing for it but I would have to pay a visit to London. Consequently Colin went into Bath on Friday morning and purchased my train tickets as well as a one day travel card for use on the underground.
I caught the early train at 7.47 from Bath which was on time and arrived on time at 9.30. It was fun on the train to find Lorraine and Alfie and their son Dalfino in the same carriage and have a chat and catch up on news since we last saw each other. Lorraine and I used to share an office at work.
On arrival in London, there was a delay on the circle line and a vast crowd on the platform awaiting the train but luckily when it arrived I was able to get on and two stops down the line and a ten minute brisk walk and I arrived at Portabello Road market well before 10 am. I was delighted to find my newest Peruvian friends - Victor, Edgar and Santiago - there with their equipment having a chat prior to setting it up. I joined them and had a chat too until it was time for them to set up the equipment ready to play, so I took that opportunity to do a quick half hour tour of the market itself. I just adore going there - there's something about London markets that really appeals to me ... although on this occasion the biggest attraction of all was the Peruvian band - Tarpuy - when I knew the weather wasn't good enough for them to travel to Bath as provisionally arranged, I felt pretty sure I'd find them at Portabello Market instead.
When I went back half an hour later the band were playing and I enjoyed their music off and on for the next five and a half hours. In between playing I was able to chat to them - Victor and I talked mostly about Peruvian cookery as he is very interested in cooking too and sometimes does cook-ins for his friends and promised he'd invite me to the next one! He also said I could visit his Mum while I'm in Peru if I wish - as she loves foreign visitors - she lives in the Andes above Lima, so I hope I can amend my itinerary to include a visit there as well.
The band - Tarpuy - were originally in France and indeed some members of the band are still based in Paris. Santiago hasn't been in England long so his knowledge of English is limited but I was able to have a lovely chat with him in French once Victor told me he was fluent in French. After a while I noticed an internet lounge across the road, in an upstairs room of a pub, so decided to pop in there for a while. It was great, being able to take a large glass of wine upstairs to enjoy whilst at the computer, and when the band started up again I could hear them as the windows were open, the sun was shining; it was great as I didn't need to rush back! When I did eventually go back they said they'd be playing until 5 pm and would then be going to Sol Andino and would I like to go with them. Would I! Unfortunately it was too late for me as I was booked to return on the 6.45 train back, having pre-arranged plans for the evening back in Bath, so had to decline - unfortunately! I knew there wouldn't be time as they had to take their equipment home first.
I stayed listening until the last possible moment - 4.45 - before saying my goodbyes and I made my way on two underground journeys to Elephant and Castle. When I came up from the underground station there I just couldn't remember how to get to the restaurant even though it was only January when I was there - having been taken by Aquiles, Carlos and Claire. I hadn't paid much attention to how to get where we were going and was faced with a labyrinth of subways to get across roads. All I could remember was that it was near an overhead railway bridge and the restaurant was in a complex in a big yard.
I finally ended up in one yard - the wrong one - and then took a short cut to get out the other side and what an awful experience that was - I was in a deserted series of arches and would have been a prime candidate for a mugging if anyone was about - it was the kind of place derelicts sleep in at night - and I felt very nervous and was releived to get out the other side without a problem as it was deserted at that that time of day - I bet at night it's a different story!
Eventually I found the entrance to the right yard and even in there had to think twice to find the entrance, which was a series of shops on the ground floor, very busy, full of people (last time on a Sunday all those shops were closed) but I remembered the restaurant was upstairs so was glad to finally arrive and although very busy in there there were still tables free. It is the sort of place one would never in a million years find by accident and I could read the thoughts in their faces "how in the world did she ever find her way here!" as I was the only non-latin face in the whole place. People smiled and were friendly even though they didn't speak and I didn't feel too out of place!
I loved the whole atmosphere of the place, it was like a different world. Someone came in with a baby and people took turns holding that baby, even some of the men-folk, whilst she had her meal with a friend. It was worth going as the food was sensational. The lady at the counter explained what every dish was and I chose one which was so good I decided to order something else as well even though I couldn't finish it. I even managed to buy a pack of Papa Seca there which costs so much to send airmail from USA - back outside afterwards I found my way to the underground a bit easier than coming and made it back to Paddington for my train with 5 minutes to spare. The train arrived back on time where I met Colin and we went to La Flamenca for tapas and had a really enjoyable evening. I was pretty exhausted though and slept very well that night.
I'll definitely be seeing Victor, Edgar and Santiago again next week - hopefully at my house, as I've invited them down and they will come as long as the weather is okay. If they come they will arrive on Friday and will spend a couple of nights at my house and I will know Thursday night so will have time to get busy cooking if they are coming, or get Colin to purchase my train ticket for London if not. If they don't come I'll be off up to London again and spend the day with them in the market but this time going to Sol Andino with them in the evening and getting a later train back around 11 or 11.30 pm. I've asked Colin and he doesn't mind and in fact is going to try and organise that boy's night out with his son and his son's friend for the same night, knowing I'll be otherwise occupied with the band, either in London with them or having the Peruvian meal in my house if they come down. If they come down I'm going to invite Benjamin and Oswaldo and Oswaldo's girlfriend to join us. Either way it's another weekend to look forward to and hopefully if they come down I can get another article started for both that AIMA page and Jacco's Andean Music referral home page.
Saturday, March 31, 2001
Sunday, March 25, 2001
Andean and Cuban Fun in London.
This was another weekend I'd been looking forward to, having seen the programme of acts featuring in the I Love Cuba Cabaret Fiesta at Camden Centre in London on 24 February. I booked and paid for my train tickets and was due to leave on the train from Bath at 8.27 on Saturday morning. Johnny and Sandra Rodriguez had purchased three tickets for us and I was staying at their house overnight.
Friday after work was busy with one thing or another, plus I had to get the shopping done as I wouldn't be home at the weekend and I had just got through the door and started to put the shopping away Friday evening when the phone went and it was Johnny. During the course of conversation he asked me what I had planned for that evening and when I said that Colin and I were going to the Bear and Swan at Chew Magna he said "Can we join you?" At this I was delighted because it meant they weren't far away! As it happened they had gone to Weston Super Mare that day because the weekend weather forecast down here was the best in the country and the band had decided to play in Bristol on Saturday. For a moment or two my brain went into a tailspin imagining them down here and me up in London but once I ascertained there was room in the car for me as well I knew there was no way I'd be on that train leaving Bath in the morning!!!
I gave them directions how to find their way from Weston Super Mare to Timsbury and said to make their way over immediately and that I would cook something for us prior to us all going out. I threw a curry together really fast and tidied up (a continual process in my house with sons as untidy as mine) and by the time it was ready and they hadn't arrived I phoned to see where they were and they had got lost, ended up in Bristol, consulted a map and were on their way from Bristol. So I told them how to get to Chelwood roundabout and said I would meet them there. I was just approaching the roundabout when they phoned to say they were at Chelwood House, so I caught up with them a few minutes later. We were all overjoyed to see each other again and they followed my car back to the house where we shared the meal along with some San Miguels I'd included in the shopping. Colin arrived but didn't stay for the meal because he was feeling very tired and once he saw I was occupied for the evening asked if I'd mind him not staying and that he would see me Sunday evening when he picked me up at Bath station.
After the meal, we phoned Benjamin to see if he would meet us at the same pub as last time and he was delighted at the prospect of us all meeting up for a drink together once more. I asked him to bring his guitar and charango and persuaded the band to take their flutes and panpipes with them which they did. We arrived at the pub at 10.30 and it was quite busy so they didn't start playing until about 11.15 - although a few minutes after arriving the landlord came over beaming with delight, asked if they'd brought the panpipes as well this time and was thrilled when we said yes. We had a lovely evening there and they played music until 1.30. I took several photos, chatted with them in Spanish, and even managed two games of pool as the table was alongside us. Another great evening which Benjamin enjoyed as much as I did. We took him to his home afterwards and then back at my house I opened some wine and we were chatting and listening to music until around 4 am.
I then left them to it in the lounge and said I'd wake them around 7 am. Unfortunately I forgot to tell Johnny that one of the armchairs reclined completely horizontal and when I came down in the morning I realised he had slept on the floor - luckily I had given him a double quilt so he'd wrapped himself up in it. (Last time they came down he had my son's bed who'd gone to stay with his cousin) so of course the other two bagged the two settees and he had nowhere to sleep. I felt very guilty that I'd forgotten to tell him!
We had breakfast and were soon on our way to Bristol where they would be playing for the day. We unloaded the equipment in the usual spot, left Carlos and Julio to set it up and went to park the car. I had three sweatshirts and a jacket on but still felt very cold walking back from the car and their spot was in the shade and I was wondering how I'd survive a long day in such cold. Luckily there was a 4th poncho in the car so Johnny gave me the keys and I went back to get it and with that on as well I felt warm enough. I listened to them playing all day long apart from a couple of hours early on while they were still setting the equipment up when I disappeared to walk to Stokes Croft to the nearest internet cafe.
Near us a young girl was distributing leaflets and she was really enjoying Kausary's music and when the band took a break she came over and made our acquaintance - she was Stephanie from Luxembourg and we were all chatting together and when she told us that she was going to South America for the first time in the autumn on a back packing holiday covering all the Andean countries I was really interested - and so was she when I told her about my forthcoming trip so we exchanged addresses so that we can let each other know how we get on. She came over to chat several times throughout the day and we will definitely be keeping in touch well before either of us go on our trips!
Later in the day, by the time the equipment was packed up and stowed in the car, we were all really hungry so went to my favourite Thai take-away for a meal and then we had to get to London as quickly as possible and didn't even get on the motorway until around 7 pm, with the Cuba Cabaret due to begin at 8.30. It was a very fast drive down the motorway, listening to my favourite andean music all the way, and we were working out the best way to get to Camden Centre to benefit everyone. Johnny had already spoken to his wife on the phone (who had the three tickets) and Sandra decided to make her way over to Camden Centre and would await me on the door with my ticket so I could get in, and that she would leave Johnny's ticket at the house because it was necessary to unload all the equipment first. I asked Johnny if he could stop at a Services near London so that I could change - which he did and it took me only five minutes to get all the warm gear off and into a party dress and high-heeled shoes for the evening and all three of them were surprised that I could get ready so quickly! Johnny said he would drop me at Hammersmith where I could get a direct underground train to Kings Cross, while he took all the equipment home and unloaded it and would get to us as soon as he could. That was an easy journey for me as a train was on the platform just as I got there and it took about half an hour to get to Kings Cross and I arrived at Camden Centre at 9.40 where Sandra awaited me.
It was great to see her again and we went in and she assured me I had only missed the comedy part of the cabaret and the musical half was due to start after the interval, so we had time to get half a dozen bottles of Cuban beer and find floor space to sit as all seats were long since taken. We were lucky to find floor space near the door with a good view of the stage. The commentator started talking before bringing on the first musical act and we were hoping he would chat for ages to give Johnny time to get there. A cheque for £10,000 was presented to the Cuban Ambassador who gave a little speech, and the first act was a famous Cuban violinist (I think his name is Omar Puente) and John Williams came onto the stage after that and said he would begin with a Paraguayan song - the last one written byAugustin Barrios before his death - and would follow it with a Peruvian cueca - and Sandra and I were hoping like mad that Johnny would get there in time for it and sure enough just as he was starting to play the cueca he walked through the door and with him were Carlos and Julio!!! They hadn't bought advance tickets and it was touch and go whether there were any left and luckily there was. We were really pleased that they came along too, especially me as I knew I now had dancing partners for the salsa later on.
The remainder of the musical cabaret was absolutely fantastic. No one knew in advance which musicians John Williams would include in his show and he brought on some wonderful ones. The first guest I think was someone called David Eldridge who did two solo guitar pieces and then two more in duet with John Williams. Then a third guest whose name I have forgotten, again two solos and two more songs with all three playing. Then the Cuban violinist joined them and when he announced his fourth and final guest I was overjoyed with amazement and delight because it was Mauricio Venegas of Quimantu - one of my favourite singers and an excellent musician who I actually met in May 2000. That last part was the best of all and when they all played the song dedicated to Che Guevara with Mauricio's beautiful voice singing, it was a very emotional climax to a wonderful cabaret performance and incredible to be part of such an appreciative audience.
Afterwards we went to the bar to get more drinks as there was another interval, to remove all the seats from the dance floor as the big salsa band were on next - Merengada - who were providing the music for dancing. By the time we got back with the drinks the band were just about to play and instantly the floor was crowded with dancers and I barely had time to take a sip of beer when Julio had me out on the dance floor and from then on it was so hectic I don't know where I got the energy from to keep up! I was able to put six weeks of salsa classes into practice which with a partner who could lead made such a difference and I managed to dance really fast salsa without any problem, enjoying myself immensely in the process! For the first time I danced merengue as well - really fast and again I somehow managed to get the hang of it with such a good dance partner and we kept dancing until we were both shattered with exhaustion. I had about two minutes rest and a few gulps of beer and then Carlos got me up on the dance-floor and he was an even faster dancer than Julio. It was such fun and I'll never know where I got the energy from but between those two partners I hardly stopped for breath all night until the band finished at 1.30 and was so tired I fell asleep in the car on the way to the house.
Although it was almost 2.30 am when we got to the house, Julio's wife Flor (Johnny's Mum) had waited up for us and I immediately felt so at home in their house; it was incredible how easily they made me feel just like one of the family. As it was so late we all went to sleep fairly soon, with Flor showing me to the room they'd allocated for me to sleep in (their daughter who was at university) and I slept really well after such a fun-filled energetic Saturday.
Next day I met the rest of the family at breakfast - Julio's other two children, a daughter aged 10 and the youngest - a boy - aged seven, and Johnny's son aged six who remembered me from the Peruvian restaurant a few weeks earlier and felt enough at ease with me to come onto my lap for a while whilst we had breakfast. Two of Flor's Peruvian friends came on a visit and the kitchen was packed with all of us and we had a nice breakfast and I was able to keep up in the Spanish conversation and really enjoyed having this chance to practice spoken Spanish before going to Peru and delighted to be understood as I know my pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired at times! They kept me included in the conversation continuously and I really enjoyed being with such a warm and friendly group of people.
After breakfast we all went into Johnny's studio and I looked through photo albums of their family home in Peru while Julio played videos of Johnny's previous band who reached stardom in Italy ten years ago, with their first song No. 1 in the Italian hit parade for six months and the second song reaching No. 2. They were on a tour which lasted about nine months, travelling by limo with body guards all the way, travelling all through Europe, even as far as Yugoslavia, and this was captured in video clips throughout and it was great for me to see all this. We also watched another video with live performances of some of my favourite Bolivian bands (what with two videos watched at Benjamin's house the previous sunday - Rumillajta's televised performance on 11 August 1990 and Inti Illimani live at the Colston Hall in Bristol in 1984 - I've been really lucky with what I've seen on a TV screen lately!)
Johnny comes from Trujillo in Northern Peru and it was great to see lots of photos of the family home - the farm where he grew up. Both his parents were teachers in Peru before coming to live in England five years ago - and on the photos I could see the track leading into the mountains where he would take the animals to graze, like a shepherd, as a boy, the wonderful view into the high mountains from the house, the orchards where they grow their fruit - all of which was of tremendous interest to me. Other members of the family live not far away on the coast (where the men fish in reed boats with long pointed fronts, said to be the precursors of surfers long before surf boards were invented). He showed me some photos of the disaster when El Ni–o struck with the waters several feet deep where the street used to be - Johnny went to help and carried children on his shoulders through deep water to safety. On photos I saw his uncle's house completely destroyed and the family on a piece of high ground where they had hurried with what few possessions they could carry with them to safety when El Ni–o struck.
Johnny and Sandra are going home to Peru at the end of March for almost a month and Johnny is going to arrange for me to include Trujillo and the nearby coast on my intinerary whilst in Peru this summer. I can fly to Trujillo for about 50 dollars where I will be met at the airport and will go and spend a few days in his family home which will be another different and fantastic part of my quest to see what life is like in Peru and from there I will be able to visit the coast and see those fishermen as well - the beaches look fantastic. This first visit now includes time spent in both South and North Peru, as well as in Lima and Cusco - all within families - even the week when I'm in Bolivia for the Fiesta de Gran Poder a very good Bolivian friend is arranging for me to stay with some of his famous musician friends whilst I'm in La Paz.
Johnny also let me hear two of the songs from his forthcoming new CD which were wonderful. He also gave me two C90 cassettes on which he had copied four of his favourite andean music cassettes and asked me to choose more for him to record for me! All this time, Flor popped in and out to join in the conversation, but quietly in the background was cooking a meal and halfway through the afternoon called us all to the table where we all enjoyed a really delicious meal with wine, and one of the friends who was at the breakfast table stayed to lunch as well and it was excellent. The food was wonderful and they explained how to make it and wrote down its name so that I could check to see if it's in my cookery book and would provide the recipe if not. (I've already checked and it is!)
At 5 'o clock I had to go as it was a long way to Paddington and my train was leaving at 6.30. They told me to come back to stay again really soon and Johnny drove me to Elephant and Castle where I could take a direct underground train to Paddington which only took about 15 minutes once I was in the tube. I got to Paddington in plenty of time to catch my train, which was delayed leaving Paddington due to technical problems. I was just glad we didn't have to change to another train as I had my reserved seat by the window and the train was so packed there were people standing and I may not have got a seat in a hurried exodus to another train! I arrived back at Bath at 9 pm and a whole crowd of people with their assorted baggage were waiting to get off ... and the door wouldn't open! We all had to do a mad dash down the length of the carriage to get to the next door - hoping the train wouldn't pull out again before we got there!!!!
It had been another fantastic weekend in London and will be followed by a day out there shortly to meet Claire for Portabello market and lunch at a Colombian restaurant near London Bridge, who I didn't manage to see on this occasion after all due to the day in Bristol and late arrival in London on Saturday. I will also hopefully have a day in London on 9 April so that I can go with her to the airport to meet the plane as Aquiles comes back from Peru that day. Having gone to London to say goodbye in January, it will be nice to be there to welcome him back in April! Photos taken at the weekend will be added within the next few days once they have been developed.
My next andean-related weekend takes place in Paris in three weeks time and will feature in another story at the end of March. Also before going on holiday to Peru at the end of March, Johnny has promised to bring the band down again for another weekend with me, hopefully with enough notice for Benjamin to join us for the Peruvian meal I will cook (in advance) for us all before going out on the Saturday night. I'm going to pore through my Peruvian cookery book and produce something really special for their next visit, including Cerviche for starters - a popular Peruvian favourite of raw fish which 'cooks' itself in lemon juice and seasonings. Also coming shortly will be a selection of Peruvian recipes - believe me, for anyone who likes tasty and/or spicy food, it is well worth the effort of obtaining the spices! The ones you need to get started are rocoto paste and aji amarillo paste - other spices are all available here. I get mine from Spiceworlds in the USA - the address is www.spiceworlds.com- at Spiceworlds you will receive an excellent personal service from Chef Enrique!
Friday after work was busy with one thing or another, plus I had to get the shopping done as I wouldn't be home at the weekend and I had just got through the door and started to put the shopping away Friday evening when the phone went and it was Johnny. During the course of conversation he asked me what I had planned for that evening and when I said that Colin and I were going to the Bear and Swan at Chew Magna he said "Can we join you?" At this I was delighted because it meant they weren't far away! As it happened they had gone to Weston Super Mare that day because the weekend weather forecast down here was the best in the country and the band had decided to play in Bristol on Saturday. For a moment or two my brain went into a tailspin imagining them down here and me up in London but once I ascertained there was room in the car for me as well I knew there was no way I'd be on that train leaving Bath in the morning!!!
I gave them directions how to find their way from Weston Super Mare to Timsbury and said to make their way over immediately and that I would cook something for us prior to us all going out. I threw a curry together really fast and tidied up (a continual process in my house with sons as untidy as mine) and by the time it was ready and they hadn't arrived I phoned to see where they were and they had got lost, ended up in Bristol, consulted a map and were on their way from Bristol. So I told them how to get to Chelwood roundabout and said I would meet them there. I was just approaching the roundabout when they phoned to say they were at Chelwood House, so I caught up with them a few minutes later. We were all overjoyed to see each other again and they followed my car back to the house where we shared the meal along with some San Miguels I'd included in the shopping. Colin arrived but didn't stay for the meal because he was feeling very tired and once he saw I was occupied for the evening asked if I'd mind him not staying and that he would see me Sunday evening when he picked me up at Bath station.
After the meal, we phoned Benjamin to see if he would meet us at the same pub as last time and he was delighted at the prospect of us all meeting up for a drink together once more. I asked him to bring his guitar and charango and persuaded the band to take their flutes and panpipes with them which they did. We arrived at the pub at 10.30 and it was quite busy so they didn't start playing until about 11.15 - although a few minutes after arriving the landlord came over beaming with delight, asked if they'd brought the panpipes as well this time and was thrilled when we said yes. We had a lovely evening there and they played music until 1.30. I took several photos, chatted with them in Spanish, and even managed two games of pool as the table was alongside us. Another great evening which Benjamin enjoyed as much as I did. We took him to his home afterwards and then back at my house I opened some wine and we were chatting and listening to music until around 4 am.
I then left them to it in the lounge and said I'd wake them around 7 am. Unfortunately I forgot to tell Johnny that one of the armchairs reclined completely horizontal and when I came down in the morning I realised he had slept on the floor - luckily I had given him a double quilt so he'd wrapped himself up in it. (Last time they came down he had my son's bed who'd gone to stay with his cousin) so of course the other two bagged the two settees and he had nowhere to sleep. I felt very guilty that I'd forgotten to tell him!
We had breakfast and were soon on our way to Bristol where they would be playing for the day. We unloaded the equipment in the usual spot, left Carlos and Julio to set it up and went to park the car. I had three sweatshirts and a jacket on but still felt very cold walking back from the car and their spot was in the shade and I was wondering how I'd survive a long day in such cold. Luckily there was a 4th poncho in the car so Johnny gave me the keys and I went back to get it and with that on as well I felt warm enough. I listened to them playing all day long apart from a couple of hours early on while they were still setting the equipment up when I disappeared to walk to Stokes Croft to the nearest internet cafe.
Near us a young girl was distributing leaflets and she was really enjoying Kausary's music and when the band took a break she came over and made our acquaintance - she was Stephanie from Luxembourg and we were all chatting together and when she told us that she was going to South America for the first time in the autumn on a back packing holiday covering all the Andean countries I was really interested - and so was she when I told her about my forthcoming trip so we exchanged addresses so that we can let each other know how we get on. She came over to chat several times throughout the day and we will definitely be keeping in touch well before either of us go on our trips!
Later in the day, by the time the equipment was packed up and stowed in the car, we were all really hungry so went to my favourite Thai take-away for a meal and then we had to get to London as quickly as possible and didn't even get on the motorway until around 7 pm, with the Cuba Cabaret due to begin at 8.30. It was a very fast drive down the motorway, listening to my favourite andean music all the way, and we were working out the best way to get to Camden Centre to benefit everyone. Johnny had already spoken to his wife on the phone (who had the three tickets) and Sandra decided to make her way over to Camden Centre and would await me on the door with my ticket so I could get in, and that she would leave Johnny's ticket at the house because it was necessary to unload all the equipment first. I asked Johnny if he could stop at a Services near London so that I could change - which he did and it took me only five minutes to get all the warm gear off and into a party dress and high-heeled shoes for the evening and all three of them were surprised that I could get ready so quickly! Johnny said he would drop me at Hammersmith where I could get a direct underground train to Kings Cross, while he took all the equipment home and unloaded it and would get to us as soon as he could. That was an easy journey for me as a train was on the platform just as I got there and it took about half an hour to get to Kings Cross and I arrived at Camden Centre at 9.40 where Sandra awaited me.
It was great to see her again and we went in and she assured me I had only missed the comedy part of the cabaret and the musical half was due to start after the interval, so we had time to get half a dozen bottles of Cuban beer and find floor space to sit as all seats were long since taken. We were lucky to find floor space near the door with a good view of the stage. The commentator started talking before bringing on the first musical act and we were hoping he would chat for ages to give Johnny time to get there. A cheque for £10,000 was presented to the Cuban Ambassador who gave a little speech, and the first act was a famous Cuban violinist (I think his name is Omar Puente) and John Williams came onto the stage after that and said he would begin with a Paraguayan song - the last one written byAugustin Barrios before his death - and would follow it with a Peruvian cueca - and Sandra and I were hoping like mad that Johnny would get there in time for it and sure enough just as he was starting to play the cueca he walked through the door and with him were Carlos and Julio!!! They hadn't bought advance tickets and it was touch and go whether there were any left and luckily there was. We were really pleased that they came along too, especially me as I knew I now had dancing partners for the salsa later on.
The remainder of the musical cabaret was absolutely fantastic. No one knew in advance which musicians John Williams would include in his show and he brought on some wonderful ones. The first guest I think was someone called David Eldridge who did two solo guitar pieces and then two more in duet with John Williams. Then a third guest whose name I have forgotten, again two solos and two more songs with all three playing. Then the Cuban violinist joined them and when he announced his fourth and final guest I was overjoyed with amazement and delight because it was Mauricio Venegas of Quimantu - one of my favourite singers and an excellent musician who I actually met in May 2000. That last part was the best of all and when they all played the song dedicated to Che Guevara with Mauricio's beautiful voice singing, it was a very emotional climax to a wonderful cabaret performance and incredible to be part of such an appreciative audience.
Afterwards we went to the bar to get more drinks as there was another interval, to remove all the seats from the dance floor as the big salsa band were on next - Merengada - who were providing the music for dancing. By the time we got back with the drinks the band were just about to play and instantly the floor was crowded with dancers and I barely had time to take a sip of beer when Julio had me out on the dance floor and from then on it was so hectic I don't know where I got the energy from to keep up! I was able to put six weeks of salsa classes into practice which with a partner who could lead made such a difference and I managed to dance really fast salsa without any problem, enjoying myself immensely in the process! For the first time I danced merengue as well - really fast and again I somehow managed to get the hang of it with such a good dance partner and we kept dancing until we were both shattered with exhaustion. I had about two minutes rest and a few gulps of beer and then Carlos got me up on the dance-floor and he was an even faster dancer than Julio. It was such fun and I'll never know where I got the energy from but between those two partners I hardly stopped for breath all night until the band finished at 1.30 and was so tired I fell asleep in the car on the way to the house.
Although it was almost 2.30 am when we got to the house, Julio's wife Flor (Johnny's Mum) had waited up for us and I immediately felt so at home in their house; it was incredible how easily they made me feel just like one of the family. As it was so late we all went to sleep fairly soon, with Flor showing me to the room they'd allocated for me to sleep in (their daughter who was at university) and I slept really well after such a fun-filled energetic Saturday.
Next day I met the rest of the family at breakfast - Julio's other two children, a daughter aged 10 and the youngest - a boy - aged seven, and Johnny's son aged six who remembered me from the Peruvian restaurant a few weeks earlier and felt enough at ease with me to come onto my lap for a while whilst we had breakfast. Two of Flor's Peruvian friends came on a visit and the kitchen was packed with all of us and we had a nice breakfast and I was able to keep up in the Spanish conversation and really enjoyed having this chance to practice spoken Spanish before going to Peru and delighted to be understood as I know my pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired at times! They kept me included in the conversation continuously and I really enjoyed being with such a warm and friendly group of people.
After breakfast we all went into Johnny's studio and I looked through photo albums of their family home in Peru while Julio played videos of Johnny's previous band who reached stardom in Italy ten years ago, with their first song No. 1 in the Italian hit parade for six months and the second song reaching No. 2. They were on a tour which lasted about nine months, travelling by limo with body guards all the way, travelling all through Europe, even as far as Yugoslavia, and this was captured in video clips throughout and it was great for me to see all this. We also watched another video with live performances of some of my favourite Bolivian bands (what with two videos watched at Benjamin's house the previous sunday - Rumillajta's televised performance on 11 August 1990 and Inti Illimani live at the Colston Hall in Bristol in 1984 - I've been really lucky with what I've seen on a TV screen lately!)
Johnny comes from Trujillo in Northern Peru and it was great to see lots of photos of the family home - the farm where he grew up. Both his parents were teachers in Peru before coming to live in England five years ago - and on the photos I could see the track leading into the mountains where he would take the animals to graze, like a shepherd, as a boy, the wonderful view into the high mountains from the house, the orchards where they grow their fruit - all of which was of tremendous interest to me. Other members of the family live not far away on the coast (where the men fish in reed boats with long pointed fronts, said to be the precursors of surfers long before surf boards were invented). He showed me some photos of the disaster when El Ni–o struck with the waters several feet deep where the street used to be - Johnny went to help and carried children on his shoulders through deep water to safety. On photos I saw his uncle's house completely destroyed and the family on a piece of high ground where they had hurried with what few possessions they could carry with them to safety when El Ni–o struck.
Johnny and Sandra are going home to Peru at the end of March for almost a month and Johnny is going to arrange for me to include Trujillo and the nearby coast on my intinerary whilst in Peru this summer. I can fly to Trujillo for about 50 dollars where I will be met at the airport and will go and spend a few days in his family home which will be another different and fantastic part of my quest to see what life is like in Peru and from there I will be able to visit the coast and see those fishermen as well - the beaches look fantastic. This first visit now includes time spent in both South and North Peru, as well as in Lima and Cusco - all within families - even the week when I'm in Bolivia for the Fiesta de Gran Poder a very good Bolivian friend is arranging for me to stay with some of his famous musician friends whilst I'm in La Paz.
Johnny also let me hear two of the songs from his forthcoming new CD which were wonderful. He also gave me two C90 cassettes on which he had copied four of his favourite andean music cassettes and asked me to choose more for him to record for me! All this time, Flor popped in and out to join in the conversation, but quietly in the background was cooking a meal and halfway through the afternoon called us all to the table where we all enjoyed a really delicious meal with wine, and one of the friends who was at the breakfast table stayed to lunch as well and it was excellent. The food was wonderful and they explained how to make it and wrote down its name so that I could check to see if it's in my cookery book and would provide the recipe if not. (I've already checked and it is!)
At 5 'o clock I had to go as it was a long way to Paddington and my train was leaving at 6.30. They told me to come back to stay again really soon and Johnny drove me to Elephant and Castle where I could take a direct underground train to Paddington which only took about 15 minutes once I was in the tube. I got to Paddington in plenty of time to catch my train, which was delayed leaving Paddington due to technical problems. I was just glad we didn't have to change to another train as I had my reserved seat by the window and the train was so packed there were people standing and I may not have got a seat in a hurried exodus to another train! I arrived back at Bath at 9 pm and a whole crowd of people with their assorted baggage were waiting to get off ... and the door wouldn't open! We all had to do a mad dash down the length of the carriage to get to the next door - hoping the train wouldn't pull out again before we got there!!!!
It had been another fantastic weekend in London and will be followed by a day out there shortly to meet Claire for Portabello market and lunch at a Colombian restaurant near London Bridge, who I didn't manage to see on this occasion after all due to the day in Bristol and late arrival in London on Saturday. I will also hopefully have a day in London on 9 April so that I can go with her to the airport to meet the plane as Aquiles comes back from Peru that day. Having gone to London to say goodbye in January, it will be nice to be there to welcome him back in April! Photos taken at the weekend will be added within the next few days once they have been developed.
My next andean-related weekend takes place in Paris in three weeks time and will feature in another story at the end of March. Also before going on holiday to Peru at the end of March, Johnny has promised to bring the band down again for another weekend with me, hopefully with enough notice for Benjamin to join us for the Peruvian meal I will cook (in advance) for us all before going out on the Saturday night. I'm going to pore through my Peruvian cookery book and produce something really special for their next visit, including Cerviche for starters - a popular Peruvian favourite of raw fish which 'cooks' itself in lemon juice and seasonings. Also coming shortly will be a selection of Peruvian recipes - believe me, for anyone who likes tasty and/or spicy food, it is well worth the effort of obtaining the spices! The ones you need to get started are rocoto paste and aji amarillo paste - other spices are all available here. I get mine from Spiceworlds in the USA - the address is www.spiceworlds.com- at Spiceworlds you will receive an excellent personal service from Chef Enrique!
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
Monday, March 19, 2001
Thursday, March 15, 2001
Paris in March.
You cannot imagine what a fantastic, wonderful, incredible weekend I've just spent in Paris with Leo and his family. Considering I had only been corresponding with him just a few weeks the weekend was really special, not just meeting him but his wonderful family as well - now whenever I think of any one of the four of them - it is with the utmost affection.
I set out from Bath by bus at 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon and although a four hour journey to London by bus wouldn't normally appeal to me at all, the time went nicely as I listened to my favourite Andean music all the way! As well as the padded case of 48 CDs I was taking for Leo, I also had a further 20 in a second padded case to listen to on the journey. At London I had three hours to wait until the departure for Paris and was pleased to discover a Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant as soon as I went outside the station. I knew I need look no further for a place to pass the time. It was very crowded in there with people enjoying tapas and drinks at the bar but the waiter who approached looked after me brilliantly. He stowed my large bag in a safe place, found me a place to sit, and I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and some delicious tapas until it was time to go and check in at Eurolines for the next part of the journey.
Lots of people were taking the trip to Paris and when buses finally arrived, it was pretty chaotic with luggage being stowed etc. I accidentally stowed my luggage in the wrong coach (not realising that there was more than one coach departing for Paris at 9.30 and when the coach driver realised he stamped his foot and went mad (I couldn't help but giggle and he went even more crazy!). Especially as mine was one of the first that went in and he had to move a few to get it back out! Two coaches had arrived at once, one for Paris and one for Amsterdam. Mine had gone in the Paris coach but unbeknown to me there was a second coach going to Paris that had not yet arrived and my boarding pass stated I was to go on that one! A few other passengers tried to stow their luggage on it too, but after the fiasco with mine the driver was being more observant! The second coach finally arrived and quickly filled up and we were about 40 minutes late leaving. It was about ten past ten when our coach pulled out of the station.
We arrived at the channel crossing point just in time to miss the train and had to wait just over an hour for the next one. It was the first time I had crossed the channel this way and it seemed quite bizarre, the bus entering the train. With nothing to see outside the windows of the bus but the inside of the train carriage it was a while before I realised we were actually moving. Only the vibrations gave a clue that we were on our way through the tunnel. Shortly after disembarking the other side the driver pulled into a Service area and people were able to enjoy a snack and stretch their legs. After this the next stop was Paris, scheduled for 6.30 Saturday morning.
In actual fact we were around 40 minutes late arriving in Paris. I tried ringing Leo on his mobile, but although I thought I had arranged my phone for use in France I was unable to get through. When the bus pulled into the station I couldn't see him anywhere so when I got off the bus I went straight to the back to collect my luggage and then heard someone calling me. I thought he had sent a friend to collect me and in the car when I asked his name I realised my mistake. (He had previously sent a photo of his group, Los Quirquinchos, and the one I thought was him wasn't him at all!). It was only when I asked his name and his eyebrows raised in surprise and he said "C'est moi - Leo!" that I realised my mistake! We certainly had a good laugh about that and told everyone about it since! By a similar token when he saw (and immediately recognised) me he thought how serious I looked! He knows different now as I'm hardly ever serious!
Back at the house I met his beautiful daughter Charlotte (aged 13) who was just leaving for school classes so I didn't see much of her then and a few minutes later his wife Cristele got up and his son Camille (aged 10) - both of whom gave me a wonderful welcome - and we had breakfast together. All four of them made me feel incredibly welcome and at home there and the whole weekend with them was magic. Shortly afterwards Cristele took Camille to his school as the whole school were running that morning and it was arranged we would go and watch the last part of the race. Before this, we listened to lots of Andean music and I made a start on looking through Leo's wonderful collection.
Sure enough a bit later we went to catch the end of the race and I was able to take two photos of Camille running towards us with his classmates - the first of many that I would be taking during the course of the weekend! Back at the house we listened to more music, chatted, and I started writing a list of Leo's CDs that I don't already have. At 12.15 Leo took me to Malakoff metro station which is where I had arranged to meet Pierrette, as we'd planned to have lunch together. He dropped me off there at exactly 12.30 and said for me to phone when I was ready to come back and he would come and collect me again.
I had a lovely lunch and some nice Provencal rose wine with Pierrette in a typically french restaurant in Porte d'Orleans which was nice and which she treated me to. I was with her about two hours and it was great to catch up on news and incredible to be seeing each other so unexpectedly! It was raining quite heavily with thunder as well, so although we'd planned to walk back to Malakoff and her car I instead phoned Leo and in no time at all he was back to collect us and gave her a lift back to her car as well.
Back at the house we enjoyed listening to each other's Andean music and I continued my lists from his collection. I helped Cristele prepare some food ready for the evening and his children chatted to me in English and were delighted to be able to practise what they'd been learning at school. We all went out together in the evening to visit in my favourite part of Paris. We went to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful Catholic church on the top of a hill and tourists were allowed to go in and feel the beauty of the service in progress, the nuns beautiful singing, thousands of candles burning and the inside of the church is fantastic - all mosaic and gold and incredible paintings and statues, and just looking up inside the dome is incredible. Afterwards we went to La Place du Tertre - my favourite part of the whole of Paris where the artists congregate and paint. Unfortunately my camera chose this moment to give up the ghost and wouldn't work. We had several attempts at taking photos there, but the flash wouldn't work and when we did get the shutter to close we just got close-ups of the pavement! We looked in the giftshops and saw the incredible views all over Paris from that steep hillside.
We then drove to a part of Paris that I'd not visited before - the Alexandrra III Bridge - you would not believe how beautiful it is - the wonderful statues and buildings in nearby Place de la Concorde et Place des Invalides - and even a statue of Simon Bolivar as well. The Seine was the highest they'd ever seen it - no boats could go under the bridge it was so high. After visiting there we drove home. While we'd been away the food was slowly cooking and we enjoyed a lovely meal together with wine and it was quite late by the time we all went to sleep.
Next day I was up quite early and so was Leo - recording more CDs while I wrote out loads of postcards - and the others got up shortly afterwards and it was another magic day. I felt so at home there and loved every moment of being with them. While Christele was getting lunch on the table I was on the floor surrounded by LPs writing out lists of what I wanted from Leo's vinyl collection - and there was lots of LPs by my favourite bands that I previously hadn't known about and I got really excited about as I added them to my list! some by my most favourite bands such as Inti Illimani, Los Calchakis, Illapu,Quilapayun, as well as others by Andean bands previously unknown to me.
Before that, Christele had taken me to the nearby market which was brilliant. I bought things to take home, eg saucisson for Colin, cheese from the Pyrennees, big bags of sweets for the children, pate made locally etc. I could have spent hours there - I love markets such as those which sell the local produce. I even stocked up on my spices there. After lunch we all piled into the car and drove the 40 km to Pierre's house where Los Quirquinchos meet every sunday for their rehearsals. A beautiful house in the country yet so close to Paris is a rarity to find.
Pierre is the one I thought was Leo in the photo and he was really amused when Leo told him the story! Both Pierre and his brother could speak English and were very welcoming and friendly. The other two were very nice as well and it was a real honour for me to be present while they rehearsed. I kept taking photos and they didn't mind and in fact used up a whole film of 36 shots in the camera Leo had lent me when mine gave up the ghost.
We all had drinks and snacks halfway through the rehearsal as well. It was brilliant and I enjoyed myself immensely. Back at the house we had something to eat and I enjoyed my last couple of hours with them before kissing them all goodbye and Leo took me to the station to get my bus. All in all it was an absolutely magic weekend never to be forgotten. I just look forward now to their return visit which won't be until the autumn unfortunately as they are moving to a bigger appartment soon as well as going to Costa Rica on holiday for a month. When I left Leo gave me four large packs of Costa Rican coffee - enough to last me for months which I thought was incredibly kind of him. I didn't want to take so much but they all insisted - it's the genuine coffee which his Mother sends over for him and really delicious as I discovered throughout the weekend.
At the station Leo saw me safely onto the bus and I felt quite sad to be leaving, I'd enjoyed myself with them so much. The bus left on time and as with the outward trip I was able to sleep off and on most of the journey home. We stopped once on route to the channel crossing point, and on arrival there found we'd missed a train again with the next departure at 4 am. It was 6.30 am when we arrived at Victoria station, although I soon realised it was actually 5.30 am and I had until 7.45 to wait until the bus to Bath was due to depart. Luckily one was able to enjoy coffee and cakes from a nearby stall to help while away the time (as well as continue to enjoy the music) and we were soon on our way to Bath. I managed to sleep most of that journey as well so felt okay, not a bit tired from two long journeys in one weekend. I eagerly await the next time I make that trip, which hopefully might be in May as one of my favourite Andean bands - Illapu - start a European tour in May and both Leo and I have our fingers crossed that Paris will be one of the venues. If it is (and hopefully before I go to Peru) I will be returning to Paris and going to their concert with Leo and Cristele. By a similar token it's possible that a top band from Bolivia might be coming to the UK later this year and if they do, Leo and Cristele will come over and we'll all go to that concert together as well. Tours by the top Andean bands are such rare treats that none of them are to be missed!
I set out from Bath by bus at 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon and although a four hour journey to London by bus wouldn't normally appeal to me at all, the time went nicely as I listened to my favourite Andean music all the way! As well as the padded case of 48 CDs I was taking for Leo, I also had a further 20 in a second padded case to listen to on the journey. At London I had three hours to wait until the departure for Paris and was pleased to discover a Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant as soon as I went outside the station. I knew I need look no further for a place to pass the time. It was very crowded in there with people enjoying tapas and drinks at the bar but the waiter who approached looked after me brilliantly. He stowed my large bag in a safe place, found me a place to sit, and I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and some delicious tapas until it was time to go and check in at Eurolines for the next part of the journey.
Lots of people were taking the trip to Paris and when buses finally arrived, it was pretty chaotic with luggage being stowed etc. I accidentally stowed my luggage in the wrong coach (not realising that there was more than one coach departing for Paris at 9.30 and when the coach driver realised he stamped his foot and went mad (I couldn't help but giggle and he went even more crazy!). Especially as mine was one of the first that went in and he had to move a few to get it back out! Two coaches had arrived at once, one for Paris and one for Amsterdam. Mine had gone in the Paris coach but unbeknown to me there was a second coach going to Paris that had not yet arrived and my boarding pass stated I was to go on that one! A few other passengers tried to stow their luggage on it too, but after the fiasco with mine the driver was being more observant! The second coach finally arrived and quickly filled up and we were about 40 minutes late leaving. It was about ten past ten when our coach pulled out of the station.
We arrived at the channel crossing point just in time to miss the train and had to wait just over an hour for the next one. It was the first time I had crossed the channel this way and it seemed quite bizarre, the bus entering the train. With nothing to see outside the windows of the bus but the inside of the train carriage it was a while before I realised we were actually moving. Only the vibrations gave a clue that we were on our way through the tunnel. Shortly after disembarking the other side the driver pulled into a Service area and people were able to enjoy a snack and stretch their legs. After this the next stop was Paris, scheduled for 6.30 Saturday morning.
In actual fact we were around 40 minutes late arriving in Paris. I tried ringing Leo on his mobile, but although I thought I had arranged my phone for use in France I was unable to get through. When the bus pulled into the station I couldn't see him anywhere so when I got off the bus I went straight to the back to collect my luggage and then heard someone calling me. I thought he had sent a friend to collect me and in the car when I asked his name I realised my mistake. (He had previously sent a photo of his group, Los Quirquinchos, and the one I thought was him wasn't him at all!). It was only when I asked his name and his eyebrows raised in surprise and he said "C'est moi - Leo!" that I realised my mistake! We certainly had a good laugh about that and told everyone about it since! By a similar token when he saw (and immediately recognised) me he thought how serious I looked! He knows different now as I'm hardly ever serious!
Back at the house I met his beautiful daughter Charlotte (aged 13) who was just leaving for school classes so I didn't see much of her then and a few minutes later his wife Cristele got up and his son Camille (aged 10) - both of whom gave me a wonderful welcome - and we had breakfast together. All four of them made me feel incredibly welcome and at home there and the whole weekend with them was magic. Shortly afterwards Cristele took Camille to his school as the whole school were running that morning and it was arranged we would go and watch the last part of the race. Before this, we listened to lots of Andean music and I made a start on looking through Leo's wonderful collection.
Sure enough a bit later we went to catch the end of the race and I was able to take two photos of Camille running towards us with his classmates - the first of many that I would be taking during the course of the weekend! Back at the house we listened to more music, chatted, and I started writing a list of Leo's CDs that I don't already have. At 12.15 Leo took me to Malakoff metro station which is where I had arranged to meet Pierrette, as we'd planned to have lunch together. He dropped me off there at exactly 12.30 and said for me to phone when I was ready to come back and he would come and collect me again.
I had a lovely lunch and some nice Provencal rose wine with Pierrette in a typically french restaurant in Porte d'Orleans which was nice and which she treated me to. I was with her about two hours and it was great to catch up on news and incredible to be seeing each other so unexpectedly! It was raining quite heavily with thunder as well, so although we'd planned to walk back to Malakoff and her car I instead phoned Leo and in no time at all he was back to collect us and gave her a lift back to her car as well.
Back at the house we enjoyed listening to each other's Andean music and I continued my lists from his collection. I helped Cristele prepare some food ready for the evening and his children chatted to me in English and were delighted to be able to practise what they'd been learning at school. We all went out together in the evening to visit in my favourite part of Paris. We went to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful Catholic church on the top of a hill and tourists were allowed to go in and feel the beauty of the service in progress, the nuns beautiful singing, thousands of candles burning and the inside of the church is fantastic - all mosaic and gold and incredible paintings and statues, and just looking up inside the dome is incredible. Afterwards we went to La Place du Tertre - my favourite part of the whole of Paris where the artists congregate and paint. Unfortunately my camera chose this moment to give up the ghost and wouldn't work. We had several attempts at taking photos there, but the flash wouldn't work and when we did get the shutter to close we just got close-ups of the pavement! We looked in the giftshops and saw the incredible views all over Paris from that steep hillside.
We then drove to a part of Paris that I'd not visited before - the Alexandrra III Bridge - you would not believe how beautiful it is - the wonderful statues and buildings in nearby Place de la Concorde et Place des Invalides - and even a statue of Simon Bolivar as well. The Seine was the highest they'd ever seen it - no boats could go under the bridge it was so high. After visiting there we drove home. While we'd been away the food was slowly cooking and we enjoyed a lovely meal together with wine and it was quite late by the time we all went to sleep.
Next day I was up quite early and so was Leo - recording more CDs while I wrote out loads of postcards - and the others got up shortly afterwards and it was another magic day. I felt so at home there and loved every moment of being with them. While Christele was getting lunch on the table I was on the floor surrounded by LPs writing out lists of what I wanted from Leo's vinyl collection - and there was lots of LPs by my favourite bands that I previously hadn't known about and I got really excited about as I added them to my list! some by my most favourite bands such as Inti Illimani, Los Calchakis, Illapu,Quilapayun, as well as others by Andean bands previously unknown to me.
Before that, Christele had taken me to the nearby market which was brilliant. I bought things to take home, eg saucisson for Colin, cheese from the Pyrennees, big bags of sweets for the children, pate made locally etc. I could have spent hours there - I love markets such as those which sell the local produce. I even stocked up on my spices there. After lunch we all piled into the car and drove the 40 km to Pierre's house where Los Quirquinchos meet every sunday for their rehearsals. A beautiful house in the country yet so close to Paris is a rarity to find.
Pierre is the one I thought was Leo in the photo and he was really amused when Leo told him the story! Both Pierre and his brother could speak English and were very welcoming and friendly. The other two were very nice as well and it was a real honour for me to be present while they rehearsed. I kept taking photos and they didn't mind and in fact used up a whole film of 36 shots in the camera Leo had lent me when mine gave up the ghost.
We all had drinks and snacks halfway through the rehearsal as well. It was brilliant and I enjoyed myself immensely. Back at the house we had something to eat and I enjoyed my last couple of hours with them before kissing them all goodbye and Leo took me to the station to get my bus. All in all it was an absolutely magic weekend never to be forgotten. I just look forward now to their return visit which won't be until the autumn unfortunately as they are moving to a bigger appartment soon as well as going to Costa Rica on holiday for a month. When I left Leo gave me four large packs of Costa Rican coffee - enough to last me for months which I thought was incredibly kind of him. I didn't want to take so much but they all insisted - it's the genuine coffee which his Mother sends over for him and really delicious as I discovered throughout the weekend.
At the station Leo saw me safely onto the bus and I felt quite sad to be leaving, I'd enjoyed myself with them so much. The bus left on time and as with the outward trip I was able to sleep off and on most of the journey home. We stopped once on route to the channel crossing point, and on arrival there found we'd missed a train again with the next departure at 4 am. It was 6.30 am when we arrived at Victoria station, although I soon realised it was actually 5.30 am and I had until 7.45 to wait until the bus to Bath was due to depart. Luckily one was able to enjoy coffee and cakes from a nearby stall to help while away the time (as well as continue to enjoy the music) and we were soon on our way to Bath. I managed to sleep most of that journey as well so felt okay, not a bit tired from two long journeys in one weekend. I eagerly await the next time I make that trip, which hopefully might be in May as one of my favourite Andean bands - Illapu - start a European tour in May and both Leo and I have our fingers crossed that Paris will be one of the venues. If it is (and hopefully before I go to Peru) I will be returning to Paris and going to their concert with Leo and Cristele. By a similar token it's possible that a top band from Bolivia might be coming to the UK later this year and if they do, Leo and Cristele will come over and we'll all go to that concert together as well. Tours by the top Andean bands are such rare treats that none of them are to be missed!
Saturday, March 10, 2001
London.
Since writing the above story I went to London again on 10th March and had a really enjoyable day out there. Colin and I took the 8.27 from Bath arriving London at 10.15 where first of all we went to the market at Portabello. I was very happy to find immediately on arrival there a brilliant Peruvian band - Tarpuy -who I'd not actually met before but had heard their music as I have their 'Best of Tarpuy' CD. I was happy to see there were two different ones available for sale and bought them even before listening to one song. I asked if they would be playing for a while and they said yes, as long as it didn't rain.
Colin and I did a small tour of some of the market stalls and I bought another nice velvet blouse but he'd had enough after a short while and was happy to go back and listen to Tarpuy a bit more. We'd passed another andean band - Santiago - but they were taking a break as we went by so we didn't hear them on this occasion. It started raining before we got back to the band so when we got there they were huddled under an enormous umbrella with their equipment, which was a bit disappointing as I'd planned to take a picture of them as well as listen a bit more to their music.
However we had a nice chat with them instead which made up for it and it soon became apparent that they were good friends of Dante, Carlos, Johnny etc and even friends in Bath (Oswaldo and Benjamin). All members of Tarpuy were from Cusco and they knew Dante from school days. When I mentioned I lived at Bath they said they'd be going there next weekend to visit their friend Oswaldo as well as play in both Bath and Wells and would let me know for sure by telephone so that I could see them too. When I mentioned my forthcoming holiday to Peru and the fact I was learning Spanish in readiness they all immediately switched into Spanish and I was able to keep up okay. I just love it whenever I get the chance to practise it. Colin told them I've started writing articles on andean bands for AIMA and they were interested so maybe they will be the subject of my next article - that's something we can discuss next week when they are in Bath.
At midday we had to go - Colin to go to Twickenham to see the rugby game between Bath and Harlequins and me to meet Claire at London Bridge. We got on the same underground train but he got off first to get a connection to Earls Court and then Richmond. We arranged to meet up again at 6.45 at Elephant and Castle, the intention being to dine at Sol Andino, the Peruvian restaurant there.
It was nice to see Claire again and we went straightaway to a nearby Colombian restaurant for our lunch which was very nice. The food was very different to the Peruvian or Mexican dishes I'm used to - I tried Ceviche for the first time which in this case was a spicy version made with prawns, followed by a seafood stew which was again quite spicy and was served up with rice, saute potatoes, corn fritters, salad and fried plantains. Normally I like dessert as well but there was so much in the main course that I couldn't even finish that! For once I opted for soft drinks rather than alcohol because of the wonderful fruit juices on offer. I had two large passionfruit juices and Claire opted for kiwi juice.
Afterwards, feeling more than a little full, we set off for Waterloo, having decided we'd see if we could find any andean bands playing anywhere. At Waterloo I had a quick peek at Eurostar's station to familiarise myself with its whereabouts and try to find leaflets with prices on weekend or longer excursions to Paris but leaflets available only went up to 22 March. We then wandered into the Royal Festival Hall to see what events were planned in forthcoming weeks, and listened for a while to a free classical recital and I had a look for andean CDs at Faringdons who have a little shop in the foyer. I noticed a good latin band are on at the Royal Festival Hall on 5 April as part of a Latin Fiesta, so all being well I may revisit London that day for that if Colin is willing to accompany me.
From there we walked across the bridge to get to an underground station on the other side. In the process we saw the London Eye which reminded me I haven't been on it yet - maybe next time!! We then went to Covent Garden - a place I always love to visit as there is always so much going on there - musicians galore and other interesting street entertainment, although on this occasion no andean music. Claire said we could look at Leicester Square and we walked as it wasn't far. Again lots of music and other acts and it's a good thing that Claire is more observant than me because she said "Oh look, there's an andean band getting their equipment ready over there - do you see anyone you recognise?" And when I looked I was delighted to recognise Julio and then Carlos and their Ecuadorian friend Marcelo. I was so thrilled to see them when I wasn't expecting to, especially when Johnny arrived a few minutes later. Claire and I stayed with them all the rest of the afternoon. They played several times, taking turns with other musicians, and in between we chatted with them. Normally they don't play in London preferring to go outside the city on Saturdays but that day they'd been to Cambridge and it rained, then somewhere else where it also rained and finally decided Leicester Square was the best chance of making up some lost time and they hadn't long arrived when we came upon them.
At 6.30 I had to go - reluctantly - in order to meet up with Colin again at Elephant and Castle. Although I had my mobile phone with me, he hasn't got one so there was no way of getting in touch with him to suggest a change of plan. Which meant going to Elephant and Castle to meet him and then try to persuade him. We went to Charing Cross station so that I'd have a direct ride to him, and Claire then went in a different direction as she was going to see her brother perform in a concert near Waterloo at 7.30. It had been a lovely day spent together which we both hope to repeat soon. I was about 10 minutes late arriving at Elephant and Castle which although not much, Colin had arrived half an hour early and was very hungry and not keen to defer eating but agreed to come back with me to Leicester Square and listen to the band a while before eating somewhere else. There are so many different nationality restaurants in and around Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Soho so we knew that wouldn't be a problem.
So when I arrived back again with Colin as well the band were surprised to see me again and told us that while I'd been gone Dante had phoned to tell them about a Bolivian party at Wimbledon to which they hoped to go and wondered if we'd like to go with them. I was all for it but unfortunately Colin wasn't keen as he knew it would mean a late departure from London and he wanted to get back at a reasonable hour. Johnny even offered to put us both up overnight but he preferred to go back rather than stay out overnight, so although I was disappointed I reconciled myself, remembering that just seeing them at all that day when I wasn't expecting to was already a bonus. So we stayed to listen for about half hour and then had to go anyway if we were going to have time to eat before catching our 10.30 train back. As we left Carlos said the following week he was throwing a party for his wife's birthday and invited us and said he'd phone with the details. If that is next Saturday unfortunately we won't be able to go as we've already booked and paid for an event organised by the Spanish Circle in Bath of a Spanish meal and flamenco dancing at the new Spanish restaurant in Bath.
After saying good-bye to the band we set off for Soho as one of my favourite restaurants - a Malayan/Singaporean one - is situated not far from Piccadilly Circus. Unfortunately when we got there the restaurant was full with people waiting for tables so we had to give up on that idea and went into a nearly Indian restaurant instead as there was no time left to look for anything else if we were to eat and then travel to Paddington by 10.30. As it was we had a rush on to get there in time and boarded the train only 10 minutes before it left. I listened to my two new CDs all the way home and really enjoyed them.
It was another fantastic day out in London which I will be repeating on Saturday 31 Mars. On that occasion Colin and I will be together all day so will be able to spend more time at the market with the musicians and we will go to the Peruvian restaurant for lunch, as well as nearby shops selling andean food and ingredients so that I can stock up on supplies. I also noticed a big shop called The Rain Forest in Soho which looks worth a visit, plus I've seen a Cuban restaurant advertised that would be worth trying. There is always something new and different to do during a day in London - I love going there and go as often as I can.
Colin and I did a small tour of some of the market stalls and I bought another nice velvet blouse but he'd had enough after a short while and was happy to go back and listen to Tarpuy a bit more. We'd passed another andean band - Santiago - but they were taking a break as we went by so we didn't hear them on this occasion. It started raining before we got back to the band so when we got there they were huddled under an enormous umbrella with their equipment, which was a bit disappointing as I'd planned to take a picture of them as well as listen a bit more to their music.
However we had a nice chat with them instead which made up for it and it soon became apparent that they were good friends of Dante, Carlos, Johnny etc and even friends in Bath (Oswaldo and Benjamin). All members of Tarpuy were from Cusco and they knew Dante from school days. When I mentioned I lived at Bath they said they'd be going there next weekend to visit their friend Oswaldo as well as play in both Bath and Wells and would let me know for sure by telephone so that I could see them too. When I mentioned my forthcoming holiday to Peru and the fact I was learning Spanish in readiness they all immediately switched into Spanish and I was able to keep up okay. I just love it whenever I get the chance to practise it. Colin told them I've started writing articles on andean bands for AIMA and they were interested so maybe they will be the subject of my next article - that's something we can discuss next week when they are in Bath.
At midday we had to go - Colin to go to Twickenham to see the rugby game between Bath and Harlequins and me to meet Claire at London Bridge. We got on the same underground train but he got off first to get a connection to Earls Court and then Richmond. We arranged to meet up again at 6.45 at Elephant and Castle, the intention being to dine at Sol Andino, the Peruvian restaurant there.
It was nice to see Claire again and we went straightaway to a nearby Colombian restaurant for our lunch which was very nice. The food was very different to the Peruvian or Mexican dishes I'm used to - I tried Ceviche for the first time which in this case was a spicy version made with prawns, followed by a seafood stew which was again quite spicy and was served up with rice, saute potatoes, corn fritters, salad and fried plantains. Normally I like dessert as well but there was so much in the main course that I couldn't even finish that! For once I opted for soft drinks rather than alcohol because of the wonderful fruit juices on offer. I had two large passionfruit juices and Claire opted for kiwi juice.
Afterwards, feeling more than a little full, we set off for Waterloo, having decided we'd see if we could find any andean bands playing anywhere. At Waterloo I had a quick peek at Eurostar's station to familiarise myself with its whereabouts and try to find leaflets with prices on weekend or longer excursions to Paris but leaflets available only went up to 22 March. We then wandered into the Royal Festival Hall to see what events were planned in forthcoming weeks, and listened for a while to a free classical recital and I had a look for andean CDs at Faringdons who have a little shop in the foyer. I noticed a good latin band are on at the Royal Festival Hall on 5 April as part of a Latin Fiesta, so all being well I may revisit London that day for that if Colin is willing to accompany me.
From there we walked across the bridge to get to an underground station on the other side. In the process we saw the London Eye which reminded me I haven't been on it yet - maybe next time!! We then went to Covent Garden - a place I always love to visit as there is always so much going on there - musicians galore and other interesting street entertainment, although on this occasion no andean music. Claire said we could look at Leicester Square and we walked as it wasn't far. Again lots of music and other acts and it's a good thing that Claire is more observant than me because she said "Oh look, there's an andean band getting their equipment ready over there - do you see anyone you recognise?" And when I looked I was delighted to recognise Julio and then Carlos and their Ecuadorian friend Marcelo. I was so thrilled to see them when I wasn't expecting to, especially when Johnny arrived a few minutes later. Claire and I stayed with them all the rest of the afternoon. They played several times, taking turns with other musicians, and in between we chatted with them. Normally they don't play in London preferring to go outside the city on Saturdays but that day they'd been to Cambridge and it rained, then somewhere else where it also rained and finally decided Leicester Square was the best chance of making up some lost time and they hadn't long arrived when we came upon them.
At 6.30 I had to go - reluctantly - in order to meet up with Colin again at Elephant and Castle. Although I had my mobile phone with me, he hasn't got one so there was no way of getting in touch with him to suggest a change of plan. Which meant going to Elephant and Castle to meet him and then try to persuade him. We went to Charing Cross station so that I'd have a direct ride to him, and Claire then went in a different direction as she was going to see her brother perform in a concert near Waterloo at 7.30. It had been a lovely day spent together which we both hope to repeat soon. I was about 10 minutes late arriving at Elephant and Castle which although not much, Colin had arrived half an hour early and was very hungry and not keen to defer eating but agreed to come back with me to Leicester Square and listen to the band a while before eating somewhere else. There are so many different nationality restaurants in and around Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Soho so we knew that wouldn't be a problem.
So when I arrived back again with Colin as well the band were surprised to see me again and told us that while I'd been gone Dante had phoned to tell them about a Bolivian party at Wimbledon to which they hoped to go and wondered if we'd like to go with them. I was all for it but unfortunately Colin wasn't keen as he knew it would mean a late departure from London and he wanted to get back at a reasonable hour. Johnny even offered to put us both up overnight but he preferred to go back rather than stay out overnight, so although I was disappointed I reconciled myself, remembering that just seeing them at all that day when I wasn't expecting to was already a bonus. So we stayed to listen for about half hour and then had to go anyway if we were going to have time to eat before catching our 10.30 train back. As we left Carlos said the following week he was throwing a party for his wife's birthday and invited us and said he'd phone with the details. If that is next Saturday unfortunately we won't be able to go as we've already booked and paid for an event organised by the Spanish Circle in Bath of a Spanish meal and flamenco dancing at the new Spanish restaurant in Bath.
After saying good-bye to the band we set off for Soho as one of my favourite restaurants - a Malayan/Singaporean one - is situated not far from Piccadilly Circus. Unfortunately when we got there the restaurant was full with people waiting for tables so we had to give up on that idea and went into a nearly Indian restaurant instead as there was no time left to look for anything else if we were to eat and then travel to Paddington by 10.30. As it was we had a rush on to get there in time and boarded the train only 10 minutes before it left. I listened to my two new CDs all the way home and really enjoyed them.
It was another fantastic day out in London which I will be repeating on Saturday 31 Mars. On that occasion Colin and I will be together all day so will be able to spend more time at the market with the musicians and we will go to the Peruvian restaurant for lunch, as well as nearby shops selling andean food and ingredients so that I can stock up on supplies. I also noticed a big shop called The Rain Forest in Soho which looks worth a visit, plus I've seen a Cuban restaurant advertised that would be worth trying. There is always something new and different to do during a day in London - I love going there and go as often as I can.
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