Peru
The fortresses of faith line the Lima avenues, standing to attention Lest the older gods would make a comeback from the Andean peaks The plunderers built cathedrals to seek indulgence for their crimes Monuments of pious vanity, standing beacons of the old Eldorado Now the attraction for tourist crowds and a perch for the urban […]
Cool cars and cool ice creams just one character away The Italian touch came to Lima with its love for ice-creams A bakery sits like a shady cave in the sun-burnt streets Quiet days in the Americas a between the Andes and the Pacific Photo Hugh Ardoin The Americas Gallery Hits: 9
The D’Onofrio cyclists peddle the ice cream on Lima Streets Futuristic trikes in bright yellow livery to enhance temptation A strong brand signature started by Italian immigrants Now grown to nationwide size it provides work for the poor A minimum equipment and a minimum salary Away from the posh ice cream parlors Photo Hugh Ardoin […]
In the streets around the cathedral where the urubu roost The bright midday sun crushes the passerby regardless of their age The walls are Red and white like the Peruvian flag A reminder of the bloodshed of the post-Colombian history The conquistadors are gone and the gringo rule took their seat But the Inca people […]
Murals on a yellow warehouse As the morning sun chases the Pacific fogs Bright colors fill the streets of Lima A talented artist offered portraits to the wall And to the passerby with open eyes Photo Hugh Ardoin The Americas Gallery Hits: 22
Peru has never been totally colonized The Inca spirit is everywhere It flows down from the highest peaks Bringing the music and the memories “La Reconquista” is here you can feel it The masks and the spirits quietly wait in a window Ready to send the Pizzaro’s ghosts back to Panama Photo Hugh Ardoin The […]
Flying higher than the aces of the thirties Henri Guillaumet, Jean Mermoz and Antoine de Saint Exupéry And the other few who dared the South Atlantic and the highest peaks The stars and the sands of the Aeropostale and the Trans Andean flights Comfortably sitting in a plush armchair, sipping at a rare scotch In […]
Beaming its “fanal discret” message, the sinking sun warns us from beyond, as far as the Galapagos archipelago, of some impending doom A kind of Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, message relayed even farther away by the sombre granite heads of Easter Island The travellers from space have long been waiting for the message that would finally wake them […]
San Lorenzo Island sits on the sea spiked with military antennas Like some dimetrodon escaped from the Permian through a time warp or from Galapagos Some vain attempt to a privileged communication with some distant star above Nazca is just some steps away and our contrived dreams of an interstellar saviour keep our minds out […]
Dog walks dog in the golden evening Lima Streets The golden hour as seen from the Conquistador’s greedy eyes Quiet streets as big dog protects small friend while they take a stroll Hugh Ardoin The Americas Gallery Hits: 36