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.
