As of 5pm this evening I will no longer be a jobless traveler! You're reading the blog of the newest bartender at The Point Hostel in Barranco, Lima (http://www.thepointhostels.com)!
I left Luz y Hugo's house at 10am, taking a scenic 35 minute ride to The Point which is located about 300 meters from the South Pacific Ocean. I am living my dream, bunking with people from all over the world, and making new friends left and right. The hostel manager is Israeli, the bar manager is Irish, the cook is Dutch, and the travelers are EVERYTHING. After I settled into my new home, I went for a walk hoping to find some authentic lomo saltodo (google it). Mission accomplished! I wandered along the ocean which sits at the bottom of an enormous cliff and wandered into a restaurant that had a long line- a clue that everything is delicious! For 7 soles I got a bowl of Peruvian wonton soup and a huge plate of lomo saltado, only eating about 1/3 of it! Afterwards I haggled with a street cart woman buying 4 peaches for about $1. It's amazing how far removed from everything we are in the united states. We expect our produce to be big and clean when in reality, it's often small and slightly dirty- straight from the earth. Before I left the states, I had peaches the size of a softball- aka peaches on steroids. They were mealy and mostly tasteless. My peaches are half the size of a tennis ball and the most delicious peaches I have had in my entire life. period. Turns out size doesn't matter...when it comes to fruit. I saw produce of shapes, sizes and patterns never before seen with my green-blue eyes but don't quite have the knowledge of the Spanish language to ask what everything is. With my passion of food and cooking I'll probably end up buying 1 of everything, cutting it open, and tasting it all!
My room has 4 sets of bunk beds and I share a bathroom with up to 25 people at time. Luckily, because everyone has a different schedule for sightseeing and traveling, bathroom sharing doesn't really become and issue. With working at The Point, I get free room and half of board, endless friends with recommendations on hot spots to visit, bars with the best drinks, and advice for the freshest ceviche. Life is GOOD.
