The 2008 Pospisil family portrait

Monday, November 24th, 2008

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While in Lima, we thought it might be nice to get a family portrait taken. From left to right, my beautiful wife Rocio, my one-year-old daughter Hannah, my three-year-old daughter Grace, and of course, me (that balding, but still very youthful looking guy on the right).

We had the photographs taken at a small studio in San Isidro, and were surprised at the studio’s brisk business- they were booked solid.

A set of six photos (and one bonus duplicate) cost us $US100, which is expensive for a typical Peruvian, but cheap by Australian standards (Pixie Photo will charge you AUS$200 for a single photo, if you don’t go with the AUS$400 package).

Shock news: The “real” Hi-5 discovered in Lima Peru

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

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Many people think the kids’ music show Hi-5 is an Australian invention. But as Rocio, Grace and I recently found out, the real Hi-5 is actually located in Lima, Peru.

Today the three of us (Hannah stayed at home with grandma and grandpa) went to Mila Florence to see a Hi-5 show, where local Peruvian actors played the actors from the US version of Hi-5.

Of course, in true Peruvian fashion, the actors turned up late, so the show didn’t start until half an hour after its advertised time.

But then again, the tickets for the show cost 15 soles each (about AUS$7.50) , and the popcorn was 1 sole (about AUS 50 cents), so we were pretty relaxed about the whole thing (you learn to be relaxed in Peru or you go mad).

We sat in the first couple of rows from the front, and there were only a hand full of people in the theatre.

The show itself was really good. The young actors playing the Hi-5 actors put on a really good show – actually sang some songs, and really got into their parts. The light show was also very good.

At various stages the actors came down and asked the kids questions, and there was a good level of interaction.

When the show first started Grace didn’t know what was going on, and seemed quite stunned. But as the it progressed, she started singing and clapping, and really enjoyed it. And at one stage, even though she was desperate to go to the toilet, she hung on so that she wouldn’t miss out on anything.

On the way to the taxi (when we happened to bump into George W Bush) she kept on begging us to go back to see Hi-5. We had to explain that the Hi-5 singers were all already asleep.

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PS We found that there’s another Hi-5 show with different actors playing at different theatre – not sure how that works exactly.

The Pospisils’ brush with President George W Bush in Lima Peru

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

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Rocio, Grace and I were strolling down a street Mila Florence (Lima, Peru) on our way home to Rocio’s parents’ place after a Hi-5 show, when we noticed a particularly flustered policeman screaming and waving at traffic at an intersection urging it to “avanza”.

We knew something was amiss so we stopped and didn’t cross the road. As the policeman got the last of the traffic through the intersection, we saw that a motorcade was coming through.

With APEC in town, the city is full of presidents, prime ministers (hi Kevin) and diplomats.

When we saw the two motorcycles sporting US flags we knew it was likely that it was President George W Bush.

As his black limousine passed by, President Bush waved by at the people who had stopped to watch the motorcade.

While I’m not particularly a fan of George W, it is quite exciting to randomly bump into the President of the USA when you’re not expecting it.

Oh, and this is not the first time that the Pospisils have crossed paths with a world lead. Back in Sydney, we live in the same suburb as Australia’s former prime minister, John Howard*, who George Bush once described as “bald, ugly, one hell of a guy”.

John Howard often does an early morning walk down the street we live in, so it’s not uncommon for us to see him from our balcony, or to cross paths with him on the street.

It’s well and good bumping into these old have-been conservatives, but I think it’s time for the Pospisil’s to start bumping into the new breed of much cooler world leaders!

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*Random coincidence – I take my car to get serviced at the service station in Dulwich Hill that was once owned by John Howard’s father (obviously that is not the reason why I take my care there!)