Peruvian Adventure

i apologize for not writing earlier. for awhile, when we were ¨stuck¨´so to speak in cuzco, there wasn´t much to write about. however, we did discover many great friends and wonderful hang out spots there. our favorite restaurant was hands down, los perros. all the walls were painted rich yellows and reds and cloth covered lanterns hung from the roof in bright indian fabrics. you sat in deep blue couches draped with andean textiles and at night, each table received a wrought iron candlestick and slim white candle to light your area. they played light jazzy music and the art on the walls were mixed media conglomerations of photos and splashy colors. the food was incredible. my favorite was their tomato soup which was thick and tangy and served in a large ceramic vase like bowl with buttery toast on the side. we ate there several times. we also spent a lot of time at a club called mythology, which was also a collection of comfortable couches, low tables, and candles. you were served roasted corn upon sitting down, giving you time to marvel at the sculptured pillars of devilish characters with morphed mythic bodies. they played a great mix of american dance music and salsa. we also visited a place called norton rat´s, off the plaza de armas that had a wood burning stove, darts, a pool table, and a very fun spanish bartender. it was a very american bar, but it had a relaxed atmosphere and we loved hearing about the bartender´s travel adventures while drinking our favorite beer, cusquena negra, or malta. we finally figured the best way out of cuzco was a flight to lima, rather than a full day of bus riding. so we woke early after staying out quite late to catch our plane from the cuzco airport. firstly, our plane was delayed for one hour, at which time they busted out the inca kola, cookies, and coffee to keep us happy. then, we borded the plane, sleepy and bedragled. we snoozed through the first half hour and i woke to hear the flight attendant explaining that although it was not dangerous, the technical problems that had delayed us were still affecting the plane. so, halfway to lima, we turned around. back in cuzco, many people were convinced they had landed in lima. it was a rough landing that had us jolting back to earth after a rapid descent. we then sat around waiting for news only to learn that the flight had been cancelled. in the bathroom, i learned that our pilot had been flying without any sensors, and had been navigating everything by sight. we then waited in a three hour line to get our new flight arranged and to receive a voucher for a hotel and our meals. we were put up in a very nice hotel, complete with towels, hot water, soap, shampoos, a heater, and a tv. we showered, rested, and headed into cuzco again. i left a note on my friend tom´s door and cass and i agreed to meet at mama africa´s for a movie. in cuzco, many of the clubs offer free movies if you also buy a drink. the movies are clearly pirated as they are often interrupted by someone´s shadow or include a very obvious laugh track. however, they are free! at mama africa´s you sit in couches facing a pull down screen and the tables in front of you are candlelit. we watched batman begins while drinking a beer. tom found me and promised to return after dinner. after the movie, we went over to norton rat´s and were able to chat and drink a few of our favorite beers. then, it was back to mama africa´s to meet some of tom´s friends, and then to pizza and goodbye. we left the next morning for lima, arrived, and took a very long taxi ride to the bus station. the taxi ride took us through the wealthiest sections of lima. it was amazing to see the vendors that weave between the cars selling books. the homes all had external walls with intercoms and all of the private cars around us were quite nice. when we arrived at the bus station, we found we had three hours before the bus would leave, so we headed by taxi to jockey plaza, a mall in downtown lima. it was incredible. everyone there was impeccably dressed and the plethora of storys overwhelmed us after peeing in holes in the ground and eating in smoky kitchens. we bought fleece blankets, the best investments of our trip, for the bus ride and we discovered a chilli´s. i never thought i´d be the sort of traveler who sought out remnants of home, however, it was an oasis of familiar and we were happy to wolf down the chips and salsa we had been craving for some time. it could have been in el cajon. then, it was back to the bus station for an eight hour bus ride that took us to trujillo to see nicole. when we got to the hostel, it was so full, we had to wait an hour for our room to be cleaned. during that time, i slept in the owner´s closet bedroom, i was so wiped out. the next day, we set off to see nicole. her friends told us she had gone to get her nails done, so we spent the next hour jumping in and out of salons trying to find her. finally, we came across her and it was a fantastic reunion. we sat with her as she got her pedicure, went for a quick snack, and came back as she was finishing her manicure. she works so hard down here, six days a week, and her study has expanded to include five clinics. we went out for dinner to a place called chelsea´s where we had delicious fettucini with mushrooms and white wine. it was the nicest restaurant we´d been to on this trip. the waiters wore suits and greeted us like celebrities at the door. the restaurant had crisp linen tablecloths and a sparse colonial decor, warmed by candles. our wine arrived chilled in a bucket, and nicole was even able to taste it before commiting. afterwards, we went to a club-bar called tributo. it was interesting as all of the patrons were light skinned peruvians. the walls were decorated with posters from american pop culture, madonna in the nude, marilyn monroe´s chanel number five add, the rolling stones, bob marley, etc. later in the night, a band played covers expertly. afterwards, we went to two other clubs, but were too exhausted to enjoy them fully. this morning, nicole marched in a parade for the patrias days, along with the staff of her clinic. we, of course, took pictures like proud parents, and then it was off to a carnival hosted by her friend leah´s school for students with special needs. it was incredible, we arrived and were greeted by many hugs and kisses. we strolled around, taking in the many food stalls, the brass band, and a booth of raffle items. we finally settled under a fancy white shade tent around a flounced runway bedecked with lines of flowers. the school is something of a vocational center, teaching the students baking, shoe making, jewelry making, and furniture construction. each student carried a representative piece down the runway and it was so incredible to see these beautiful kids carrying a shoe, or a pastry, or a coat rack down the runway and grinning and waving. there was a lot of love around that place. then, we were dragged onto the dance floor, where i apparently inspired a fight between two students over who would dance with me. i felt horrible, but it all turned out all right. the kids loved having their picture taken and were delighted to be dancing and hanging all over us. also, so many of the kids had these picturesque baby chicks that were so soft and cute. it was a great day. we plan to head north to mancora, a gorgeous beach from what we´ve heard, and then to ecuador, the equator and then i´ll be back to fly to lima from trujillo, or take the bus, or whatever seems easiest-cheapest. love to you all, and t, you lazy bum, i tried to be more concise. hope disneyland was a great adventure, familia. xooxox

 Print This Post

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 24th, 2005 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.