One more bitchy comment on Althaus, then I'll shut up: yes, it's true, it doesn't rain in Lima, but that is NOT a good thing. What it means is that everything (buildings, sidewalks, busses, human hair) quickly becomes coated in a dingy layer of atomized diesel exhaust and dust, which never washes off but rather builds up into an impregnable armor of drab. Okay, it's not strictly true that it doesn't rain. There are days in which you wake up to find the streets wet and the cars hissing as they go by on them. But this water comes from a fine mist known as the garúa which cannot be properly qualified as rain. Garúa does not have a cleansing effect.
As a demonstration I include a picture of this incredible house around the 43rd block of Arequipa, about which I will have more to say later. Notice the yellow "Vendo" sign. I don't know how long it's been there, but I think it's safe to say that the yellow no longer pops. Notice the incredible plaster or concrete work of the facade. All horizontal surfaces are stained a dark gray.
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