Frog tonics and snake remedies in Lima, Peru.

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Down in the Victoria natural market section of Lima, Peru you will find old school type natural remedies. From cures to cancer to an upset stomach.

This is not really the best area to be pulling out your camera and especially looking like a foreigner. So my footage is short and hastily made.

You can buy really nice sweet potatoes roasted over charcoal and usually that is my first purchase in this area. Then you have your typical natural plant section and around the middle section you get into the frogs and snakes.

It's not unusual to find Amigos carrying heavy sacks of live Boa Constrictors to sale in this area. Kittens in trashcans are not unusual either, but people put the kittens in the trashcans to keep them safe and the kittens can also scrounge for food easier. So don't panic and dig one out and get the fleas!

The frogs are not eaten alive. A person pulls a nice one out of the tank and holds it by the feet and smacks the frog's head on a counter top in a fluid motion "Slap." Quickly the frog is gutted and dropped in some boiling water and then placed in a blender with a liquid tonic for your particular ailment. Near one area you will find a really big specimen frog. The frog must be about 3 feet long!

The snake meat is sold for different ailments and you can purchase the skin I guess for clothing.

Another fascinating thing to observe is the sell of honey. The combs of honey are left to drain in a bucket and then the honey is scooped out into plastic containers. Many bees drown in the honey and they are not strained before being put in your plastic containers. So you have several bees suspended or floating in the containers of honey.

So there you have it! Unconventional Travel reporting from the heart of Lima, Peru. The real Lima tourists never get to see.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Lima
• Peru
• South America
• snakes
• frogs
• tonics