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my favorite bathroom

In December Oscar and I went to an amazing little place for our honeymoon in Yelapa, Mexico. After using the bathroom for a week I am convinced that I need an outdoor bathroom! Both the toilet and shower came with an ocean view. The sink was made of a beautiful rock. And the best part was that I could get water everywhere and didn’t have to wipe it up : ) The sun dried every splash within a few minutes. And the mirror above the sink was positioned for a reflected ocean view as well. Too perfect.

verana yelapa, mexico stone stairs

verana yelapa, mexico bathroom sink and shower

verana yelapa, mexico bathroomView from the john


growing lima

Lima is a city of 8.5 million people and growing. High rises are replacing historic single-family homes one by one, rapidly changing the skyline. In the more affluent neighborhoods its inhabitants convert the arid desert into a lush looking place by planting grass that needs precious water to grow. While these lucky Limeños have water to keep their yards green, close to 1 million people in the city don’t have running water. And it gets worse. A German journalist has predicted that Lima will be the first major city to run out of water. Let’s find some solutions, Lima.

lima peru green grass

lima peru construction


MEX

On our way to Yelapa, Mexico in December.

mexico city airport


our lady of guadalupe in puerto vallarta

On our way home from our honeymoon in December we came across a procession for Our Lady of Guadalupe in the streets of Puerto Vallarta — the perfect way to spend our last hour in PV.

our lady of guadalupe celebration in puerto vallarta, mexico

our lady of guadalupe celebration in puerto vallarta, mexico

our lady of guadalupe celebration in puerto vallarta, mexico


stories of inclusion in peru

I have disappeared from the blogosphere for the last two months as Oscar and I have been busy working on several videos about social inclusion for Lima’s Bienal de Fotografía. Fifteen photographers from El Comercio worked stories from all three regions of the country: the coast, the mountains and the jungle. We shot and edited the stories in and near Lima while the photographers that shot in the mountains and jungle returned with content for us to edit. The photographs and video will be on display at the Casa Rímac (Jr. Junín 323) in Lima’s historic center for the next few months. Here’s a summary (that sounds much more poetic in Spanish, forgive the rough translation!) from the exhibit’s introduction by Marco Avilés:

El Comercio has united three generations of photographers to tell stories about communities and individuals that fight for their right to inclusion. The 15 photo essays show the complexity of exclusion in Peru and introduce us to those fighting to leave it behind, in some cases with the support of institutions and in others through their own valiant means. There are stories of personal growth, love and examples of solidarity. The collection is a diverse offering that reflects the talent and dedication of the photographers. There are no heroes or victims within these stories, only ordinary people working to create better lives for themselves.


entrepreneurs say peru’s future is bright

Four entrepreneurs from a list of Peru’s “Great Places to Work 2011″ see great opportunities in Peru for 2012. (So do I!) Oscar and I photographed them for Somos magazine last month.

Abraham Zavala and Juan StoesselJuan Stoessel from Casa Andina | Abraham Zavala from Corporación Radial del Perú

Javier Calvo Perez Badiola and Jaime GarciaJaime García from IBM | Javier Calvo Perez Badiola from J&V Resguardo


carnal

A few photos from a mouth-watering steakhouse in Miraflores called Carnal. In a country known for its chicken much more than its beef, restaurants like this are welcomed!

carnal restaurant in lima, peru steak

carnal restaurant in lima, peru steak

carnal restaurant in lima, peru steak


mafia stiletto – take two

Ale Molina co-directs a group called Mafia Stiletto in Lima. In addition to teaching Sexy Stiletto classes, the group of professional dancers perform around the metro area. After photographing the class I met the group for a photo shoot at one of the gyms they rehearse in. Talk about different lighting than the first shoot! Same topic, a little more make up, mostly the same girls, a different location, one flash and the product is so very different. I thought it would be interesting to share both shoots. There is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

mafia stiletto lima peru

mafia stiletto lima peru

mafia stiletto lima peru

mafia stiletto lima peru


mafia stiletto – take one

I recently photographed a group of Lima ladies who form the Mafia Stiletto. Not only do they dance, they get jiggy with it wearing heels higher than I can walk in. I went to check out one of the classes they teach, called Sexy Stiletto, for Somos a few weeks ago and made these images. (The story published last Saturday in the magazine.) Ale Molina – who is more of a hip hop dancer than a stiletto strutter – teaches the class to dozens of women every Tuesday and Thursday nights in La Molina. Some of the beginners arrive with shorter heels and cowboy boots but within a few weeks they graduate to a higher and thinner heel. Molina says it’s about more than dancing, it’s also about gaining confidence in being a woman.

mafia stiletto, lima, peru

mafia stiletto, lima, peru

mafia stiletto, lima, peru

mafia stiletto, lima, peru


salto del fraile

Fernando Jesús Canchari Vasquez has been jumping off the same cliff in Chorrillos for 26 years. It’s how he makes his living. Several times a day, when the water is high enough, he dons a brown or white monk’s robe and plunges into the sea below. Over the years others have come out to copycat the jump in similar robes, but Canchari says he has the best form. In his 40s, his feet stay together until the second his body hits the water.

salto del fraile chorrillos lima peru