I miss the quiet. Didn't realize how much til today. We decided to head to the beach for our first family vacation since getting here to Peru six months ago. Just an overnight trip but so needed. At a little place called Colan Lodge our friends here the Gayles told us about. Great for kids. No TVs. Internet only in areas outside the rooms. On the beach. A little cooler this time of year but reminds us of the California coast in some places. And pretty much empty this time of year.
Quiet was one of the things I liked about our house on Alta in Fresno. After living on noisy Kerckhoff for years, the Alta neighborhood seemed so quiet. Except for the occasional airport noise, you could fall asleep in complete silence more often than not. Especially after we installed new windows. I miss that quiet. The lots were big so neighbors were at a distance. Even if someone's dog barked through the night it was not that bad.
Piura is different. Houses are built close together and with concrete. Any noise echoes through the drafty windows, and on the weekend, the clubs nearby share their pounding music into the late night. Fireworks seem popular here, and erupt at strange times, midnight actually recently. The neighbors dog barks are hard to distinguish from our own. The young guy living next door shares every detail of his late night business calls with us. The constant whistle of the night watchman on our street signals all is well, but yet is a constant sound added to the list. Traffic on the street echoes through the house, and the neighborhood police drive by chirping their sirens a few times to assure us they are earning their pay. Quiet is hard to find.
But today it is present. Noises include only the constant breaking of the waves here, broken only by the voices of my own children on the beach. From where I sit you can see the edge of Paita, a port city nearby that I am sure is full of noise this morning. But today I am enjoying the silence. And since the hotel just gave us a late checkout time, I will get to enjoy it a little more.
Take care, and may you find some quiet in your day.
Lowell
