I woke up at 8 feeling hammered. I rolled out of bed for breakfast. I think I scared the other guests, I looked so bad. Went back to bed until noon. Finally got up and got a banana smoothie. Sat in San Blas square where an indian woman selling textiles sat down next to me and started chatting. She is from Chinchero and knew all about the fair. She pulled out a mini-loom she was carrying and showed me how she uses it. I bought a small pouch used to gather coca leaves for my collection.
Around 1:30 I returned to the scene of the crime. The square is even more packed and I am lucky to find a place to sit for lunch. Just after I sat down a group of men wearing masks and dressed like cowboys comes dancing in carrying bottles of beer. As they dance they start shaking up the beer, spraying it everywhere. Luckily I am under a large umbrella. Another group of women and girls, in old fashioned dresses with petticoats and wearing pretty girl masks,comes in next. Then the procession leaves. There are 3 statues of San Cristobal on large alters. Each statue is elaborately dressed in beautifully embroidered robes. San Cristobal is the patron saint of the Andean indians so today`s procession is a really big deal. Each alter takes 20+ men to carry and they leave to the music of a marching brass band. My plate of food arrives and it is enough for 2 people. The people across the table from me have also ordered a massive amount of food. A woman standing near me is holding the head of a guinea pig, picking small bits of meat from it.
I eat and eat, yet barely make a dent. Finally I throw in the towel and my beer arrives. By the time I finish my beer I am in the shade and its kind of cold out of the sun. So I walked down the hill aways into the sun to warm up. Then I went back to the hotel to get my coat.
Returning to the church I am just in time for the return of the procession. They have been carrying the alters for over 3 hours and the hill back to the church is long and steep.The men carrying the alters look beat. It is obviously an act of religious devotion. One by one they set them down, then carry them back into the church until next year. I run into Juan Pablo. He offers to buy me a beer. I said later. He said no, now. So we split a couple of beers while he tells me about the church and the procession. The church sits on the site of an Incan temple and behind it is an Incan wall at least 20 ft high. Suddenly he moves me back and a huge string of fireworks explodes close by. It is deafening and I turn my back and cover my ears. He suggests we go for a walk around the crowd. The plaza is not that big but by the time I make it most of the way around he has disappeared. Almost immediately I run into some more of their friends I met last nite. They are with about a dozen friends all around mid 20`s. We make our introductions and pick up where we left off last nite. They have a particular way of social drinking here. Everyone shares the same 4 oz beer glass. One person pours himself a drink and passes the bottle to the person next to him. Then that person pours himself a drink and passes the bottle. This continues until the bottle is empty and the next one is opened. I bought the third one. Soon we are joined by more people. At one point I looked down and there must be a dozen 1 liter bottles on the ground waiting to be drunk. Everyone is really nice and friendly, and this time there are several cute girls. A band starts playing and they are pretty good latin music. They try to show me their style of dancing but I am hopelessly white. I went to piss and everyone is lined up on the side of the road pissing into the gutter. It is running like a river. Finally around 1 the band finishes and the crowd thins out. But wait! There`s more! Off to one side a disco band is set up in one of the stalls. After party! Some of my friends are still hanging in there and we are joined by some more people who have been busy with the procession all day and are fresher. Another 1/2 hour and I am toast. I stumble back to the hotel and crash hard.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Quemada de Castillas
I left the hotel Sat nite around 8:30 with no real plan. I heard a brass band at the nearby church and went over to investigate. When I got there the party was in full swing. The plaza was lined with food stalls and places selling beer. I saw some 30-40 ft tall structures made of bamboo. Oh boy! I have seen these in Mexico. They are large elaborate static fireworks displays. There are at least 1/2 dozen of them. I asked a woman working on one when they were going to burn them. 10PM she said. Perfect! So I found a vacant table next to where the band was playing and got a beer. A 1.1 liter bottle is under $3. I drank 2 of these while waiting. Sure enough, right around 10 they started. The first one had lots of pinwheels and sparks flying everywhere. Luckily I saved my last joint for tonite. After the first one I met a group of guys standing behind me.We started talking as the rest of the displays were lit. One had little airplanes on it and rotated like a carnival ride. Several had horizontal pinwheels on top that took off like flying saucers in a blaze of sparks, falling back to earth into the crowd. At the end were a bunch of aireal fireworks. They don`t shoot them very high, so burning embers sometimes hit the ground. My new friends, Edwin, Bertol and Juan Pablo, invite me for a beer. Bertol keeps warning me to watch out for criminals. He says they give his town a bad impression. I say no, its all the men pissing in the street that give a bad impression. We continue drinking, moving from stall to stall as they shut down and kick us out. They keep telling me not to worry, they are good guys. I assured them it was OK, that they were obviously not bad guys. Edwin is very curious about the US and English only, anti immigrant policies. I tell him those people are all racist facists. I had planned to go back to Chinchero tomorrow but they tell me I should stay in town for the big procession Sunday afternoon. I finally had to piss. There were 2 portapotties there but were mainly there for decoration. Everyone is pissing on the wall or in the gutter. By the end of the nite there are puddles everywhere, altho it hasn`t rained in weeks. We keep drinking until 1:30, when I notice we are the last drunks there. Edwin has already slipped away. I notice the cops are starting to give us the hairy eyeball and we call it a nite. I didn`t feel that fucked up until I left. There was a long stairway down to my street and when I got there I noticed I was hammered. I made it down OK and was out like a lite as soon as I got in bed
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Feria de Chinchero pt 2
Back to Chinchero. Today at the stage they are having the Miss Chinchero contest. About 15 teenage girls in regional dress are taking turns walking up to the judge and showering him with flower petals. They have all made their own outfits. Only a couple are what we would consider cute. I go eat lunch, this time a bowl of soup. The meat in it is tripe so I pick it out. There is a display area of local produce. There must be over 100 types of potatoes. Some are purple, pink, red and yellow and have fantastical shapes like they are from outer space. Also several types of dried beans. Back to the beauty contest they are asking them questions in Quechua. Nothing to see here. I wander over to where some men are building the cage for the guinea pig races. How cute. Eventually its time for the cock fights. They are a joke. Out of 5 only 2 are real cockfights. The other ones the cocks just strut around looking at each other for a few minutes, then go at it half heartedly. While this is happening the cuy race takes place but is too packed to see anything. One guy has 2 guinea pigs dressed up un typical clothing, one male and one female. Its way too cute. Around 4 I`ve seem enough and don`t want to freeze my ass off again. A cab takes me to the main road where I soon get a collectivo(shared car) back to town for $2. He drops me off in an area I haven`t been to before. Its the commercial, non tourist part of town and its hopping on Sat evening. Its nice to get out of the tourist zone and see how the real people live
Feria de Chinchero
I took the bus to Chinchero for their yearly fair. The fairgrounds are set up on a large plain next to a lake. Its at least 50 acres. Inside is a stage, demonstration areas, a livestock area, some carnaval games and large inflateable slides, a food court, and a primitive bull ring. There is a competition of regional dances going on all day at the stage. I check out a couple and then go eat. The food court is all run by little Andean women from various villages. All the food is prepared in large pots over an open fire. I get a delicious dish of fried trout. They sit me at a small table where a local woman is eating. I soon notice that the women are looking at me and laughing. I think they are saying something like "Who`s your new boyfriend" in Quechua to the woman sharing my table.
I went back to the dance competition and spent several hours there. Each group got 8 minutes. Some of the dances were hilarious. Many involved young couples dancing, then lieing on top of one another pretending to beat the crap out of each other, then switching positions, then rolling around on the ground. Others had men picking up women over their shoulder, then running together, bumping the women`s butts together. The funniest one had the villagers setting up a garden. A guy in a chicken suit comes out and starts stomping on the veggies. They tackle him and tie his legs together, but he keeps at it, knocking people over and running amok. They beat him up some more and the crowd loves it. I am in hog heaven. Finally they switch to social groups. The local cuy cultivation society comes out. Most are women with half dressed in drag, as various types of guys. No one seems that bugged about it.
Finally around dark its over and a band starts and I get a beer. Ther`s no ice in sight and my beer is warm. Its freezing and the beer is warming me up. I drink about half and go check out the band. One of the girls is wearing a miniskirt in this cold. They breed them tough up here! They suck so I get a cab home. Its $20 because the guy is local and does`t really want to go to Cuzco. I happily pay because I,m freezing my ass off even in a flannel shirt, long john top and leather jacket. Arriving back in Cuzco it feels like the tropics.
For dinner I went to an Amazonian restaurant. They don`t have a menu, only 2 entrees that the waitress tells you about.One is a fish cooked in banana leaves. Its tasty but kind of fatty. Afterward I have a long discussion with the owner, a young Peruvian woman, about music. She loves the blues, knows about Bessie Smith, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters etc. Cool to see how American culture travels
The bartender at Km 0 said tonite was going to be a good band. I hung out until they started. They were really good but by then I hit the wall. The cold air must have taken me out of it and I was in bed by midnite.
I went back to the dance competition and spent several hours there. Each group got 8 minutes. Some of the dances were hilarious. Many involved young couples dancing, then lieing on top of one another pretending to beat the crap out of each other, then switching positions, then rolling around on the ground. Others had men picking up women over their shoulder, then running together, bumping the women`s butts together. The funniest one had the villagers setting up a garden. A guy in a chicken suit comes out and starts stomping on the veggies. They tackle him and tie his legs together, but he keeps at it, knocking people over and running amok. They beat him up some more and the crowd loves it. I am in hog heaven. Finally they switch to social groups. The local cuy cultivation society comes out. Most are women with half dressed in drag, as various types of guys. No one seems that bugged about it.
Finally around dark its over and a band starts and I get a beer. Ther`s no ice in sight and my beer is warm. Its freezing and the beer is warming me up. I drink about half and go check out the band. One of the girls is wearing a miniskirt in this cold. They breed them tough up here! They suck so I get a cab home. Its $20 because the guy is local and does`t really want to go to Cuzco. I happily pay because I,m freezing my ass off even in a flannel shirt, long john top and leather jacket. Arriving back in Cuzco it feels like the tropics.
For dinner I went to an Amazonian restaurant. They don`t have a menu, only 2 entrees that the waitress tells you about.One is a fish cooked in banana leaves. Its tasty but kind of fatty. Afterward I have a long discussion with the owner, a young Peruvian woman, about music. She loves the blues, knows about Bessie Smith, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters etc. Cool to see how American culture travels
The bartender at Km 0 said tonite was going to be a good band. I hung out until they started. They were really good but by then I hit the wall. The cold air must have taken me out of it and I was in bed by midnite.
Thursday
I went down to buy my plane ticket to Arequipa only to find the direct flight was sold out and the flights thru Lima were expensive. I foolishly bought an overnite bus ticket. Didn`t do much of anything all day. That nite I went to London Town bar and saw a really rocking cover band that did mostly 70`s and 80`s metal. They played Deep Purple Smoke on the Water and made me want to play my old album as soon as I get home.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Pachamama Raymi
Instead of going down the hill when I left the hotel I decided to check out the nearby church. It looked like something might be going on there. As I approached it I saw that the road was completely blocked by a line of riot police. A demonstration was moving up the hill towards the church. Peruvian police have one main method of crowd control: live ammunition. I didn´t stick around. When I got to the main drag I saw a poster advertising an event taking place in 30 minutes. I grabbed a cab and went to the top of town where Pachamama Raymi was about to take place. August 1 is Quechua New Year and this is a ceremony to celebrate it. Pachamama is Quechua for mother earth, revered thoughout S America.In a large field a 50 foot square is roped off. Inside is a blanket filled with fruit, bread, soda, beer ,wine and various other types of food. Near the middle is a large hole about 5 ft in diameter. The dirt from the hole is decorated in flower petals and yellow confetti. At one edge is a stack of firewood ready to burn. People continuosly enter the square to add to the offering. Eventually they clear the square and the ceremony begins. The MC is a middle aged professorial type who looks a lot like All Shaft No Head. He is assisted by a woman in traditional dress and 5 or 6 men. One of the men blows a large conch shell and the ceremony begins. The MC gives a long address extolling the virtues of mother earth. One of the men in traditional garb walks around the square sprinkling everyone with what seems to be rose water.The helpers move around the crowd passing out coca leaves, which everyone starts chewing. Another lights the fire. After more incantations the MC walks around with a bundle of flowers shaking it at everyone. One of the helpers gets a small fire going in a clay pot and starts to move around the circle as people place coca leaves on the burning pot. Soon the air is heavy with the scent of burning coca leaves. The woman puts a bundle of coca leaves on the fire. It smells like fresh pine needles burning. The MC goes around the square with a bundle of flowers again, this time with a bottle of wine,sprinkling everyone as he passes. Next he goes around the crowd throwing yellow confetti all over everyone. All Shaft would love this shit!
A large crowd has gathered and is starting to get restless.The MC wraps up this segment by blessing the hole and pouring some chibcha into it. There is a small gate in the roped off area and it is open to admit about a dozen prople. They go for the blanket and take a few things to the hole. Everyone gets on their knees and places their offering into the hole. Its not really an offering. They consider it more a payment to Pachamama. They leave and another group is admitted. Things get a little hectic as some people by the rope jump the gun to enter the square. Order is partially restored and groups of people are admitted about a dozen at a time to throw stuff into the hole and throw coca leaves on the fire. There are at least 200 people waiting and this takes a while. The attendands keep it moving while exhorting people not to throw plastic or trash into the hole. Don´t want to defile Pachamama! Finally everyone has had their chance and the MC wraps it up by making a final ritual offering of the remains of a bucket of chicha. One final incantation is made and the attendants start to push dirt into the hole. Soon they are joined by dozens of people, all on their knees shoving dirt into the hole. Everyone is in a joyous mood, hugging one another and saying Feliz Ano. All in all its a very spiritual ceremony, way more authentic than anything the burners have devised.
I walk up to the large white statue of Christ with his arms streched out that overlooks the town. All the harriettes love Jesus cause he´s hung like this! From here I can see the way down. I descend down to town for lunch.
I went to a Sichuan restaurant and got one of the few Chinese items on the menu:pork in garlic sauce. it wass not that great, kind of salty but a change from all the Peruvian food I have been eating. There is another ceremony at 5 in one of the squares and I have some time to kill. I head to the Irish pub on the Plaza de Armas and drink a couple of beers while watching the Olympics. Leaving at 5 I run into a religious procession around the Plaza de Armas. Over a dozen men are carrying a large statue of the Virgin on a large altar.
They are followed by a few dozen people and a band. A block away the Pachamama Raymi ceremony is starting. Its a sterilized version with very few offerings, no hole and a chiminea -like clay pot instead of a fire. Coca leave are passed out to the crowd. A politico adresses the crowd over a PA system. Its much hokeyer than the previous ceremony and everyone lines up to put their coca leaves into the fire. Its getting cold so I head back to the hotel.
For dinner I went back to the pizza place. A large group enters right before me and goes upstairs. I sat down and soon placed my order. The brat for the previous nite comes up to me and says"Hasta la vista, baby" Soon a young couple comes in. They are friends of the owner and the brat goes over to pester them. The pizza is delicious, but there is no sauce. I went to a live music bar for a beer and hit the wall just as the band was starting. They are garage band level and start with Hendrix´ Foxy Lady. I split and crash hard as soon as get to my room. Its 11PM
A large crowd has gathered and is starting to get restless.The MC wraps up this segment by blessing the hole and pouring some chibcha into it. There is a small gate in the roped off area and it is open to admit about a dozen prople. They go for the blanket and take a few things to the hole. Everyone gets on their knees and places their offering into the hole. Its not really an offering. They consider it more a payment to Pachamama. They leave and another group is admitted. Things get a little hectic as some people by the rope jump the gun to enter the square. Order is partially restored and groups of people are admitted about a dozen at a time to throw stuff into the hole and throw coca leaves on the fire. There are at least 200 people waiting and this takes a while. The attendands keep it moving while exhorting people not to throw plastic or trash into the hole. Don´t want to defile Pachamama! Finally everyone has had their chance and the MC wraps it up by making a final ritual offering of the remains of a bucket of chicha. One final incantation is made and the attendants start to push dirt into the hole. Soon they are joined by dozens of people, all on their knees shoving dirt into the hole. Everyone is in a joyous mood, hugging one another and saying Feliz Ano. All in all its a very spiritual ceremony, way more authentic than anything the burners have devised.
I walk up to the large white statue of Christ with his arms streched out that overlooks the town. All the harriettes love Jesus cause he´s hung like this! From here I can see the way down. I descend down to town for lunch.
I went to a Sichuan restaurant and got one of the few Chinese items on the menu:pork in garlic sauce. it wass not that great, kind of salty but a change from all the Peruvian food I have been eating. There is another ceremony at 5 in one of the squares and I have some time to kill. I head to the Irish pub on the Plaza de Armas and drink a couple of beers while watching the Olympics. Leaving at 5 I run into a religious procession around the Plaza de Armas. Over a dozen men are carrying a large statue of the Virgin on a large altar.
They are followed by a few dozen people and a band. A block away the Pachamama Raymi ceremony is starting. Its a sterilized version with very few offerings, no hole and a chiminea -like clay pot instead of a fire. Coca leave are passed out to the crowd. A politico adresses the crowd over a PA system. Its much hokeyer than the previous ceremony and everyone lines up to put their coca leaves into the fire. Its getting cold so I head back to the hotel.
For dinner I went back to the pizza place. A large group enters right before me and goes upstairs. I sat down and soon placed my order. The brat for the previous nite comes up to me and says"Hasta la vista, baby" Soon a young couple comes in. They are friends of the owner and the brat goes over to pester them. The pizza is delicious, but there is no sauce. I went to a live music bar for a beer and hit the wall just as the band was starting. They are garage band level and start with Hendrix´ Foxy Lady. I split and crash hard as soon as get to my room. Its 11PM
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Chinchero
Tuesday I decided to take a hike around Chinchero. It´s a small town known for its weaving. It sits on a high plateau at 12,000 ft. Its an agricultural area of rolling plains. I got a cab to the bus and was soon en route. It took just as long to climb out of Cusco as the ride thru the countryside to Chinchero.
The town has few tourist services but there are a few rudimentary restaurants. The first one I went to seemed deserted so I went down the street. There is no menu, you get what they have that day. Shortly after sitting down I am brought a bowl of quinoa soup. I haven´t even spoken to anyone. They know you are there to eat. They offer 2 choices. I order one and soon a plate appears with a mysterious cut of meat,some rice and creamed potatos. The meat is like rubber. I eat a little and some rice and split.
I went to the town hall to see if I could get some information about the upcoming festival that week end. All I could find out was that the bull fight was on Sunday.
I then set off on my hike. I had passed thru this area going and coming from Ollantaytambo and had scouted out a possible route from the road. People familiar with the area said there should be no problem hiking from Chinchero to the nearby town of Maras, from where I could catch a combi or bus back to Cusco. Should take around 3 hours.The hike started with a long straight death march down a rocky country road past the local sewage treatment area, a couple of open ponds of sewage. Finally the road made a slight curve. I stopped to take a leak and some photos. Continuing on I passed a woman collecting cow pies barehanded. There is little firewood in this area. Climbing a low ridge to a small village I realise I have left my camera on the side of the road. I hurry back about a half mile to find it still lying there. Luckily this is a fairly deserted area. I follow the road around some hills and down along a small ravine.There are some farm houses but very few people around.This area looks a lot like northern California, with rolling golden hills covered by patches of Eucalyptus trees .The sun is out and its very mild, despite the high altitude. Descending further the view opens out to a beautiful pastoral area dotted with farms. A large lake appears and that is one of my landmarks. My road curves away in the opposite direction but I can see another road below going the right way. I ask a woman working by the side of the road if that is the way to Maras. She replies yes and sends me down the hill on a short cut thru her farm. I am soon hiking along this road enjoying an awesome view of the nearby snow capped peaks. Another mile or so brings me to a small town. Entering this town it seems like the set of a spaghetti western. A deserted dusty street flanked by dust covered houses. Not a person in sight. The dogs don´t even bother to get up to bark. A deserted truck is parked in front of a padlocked store. Further up the road I see the only sign of life, a young boy playing in the dirt. I stopped and gave him the toy car I received at the birthday party. Soon I come to a crossroads. One of the roads is paved. I follow it for a mile or so and come to the main highway. I have been hiking for 2 1/2 hours so I call it a day and wait for a combi. Within 10 minutes a late model van with only a couple of passengers stops. I am soon dozing as we return to Cusco. The ride back costs all of $2.
That nite I took it easy. A meal of saltado of alpaca and a couple of beers at Km 0 and I´m ready for bed
The town has few tourist services but there are a few rudimentary restaurants. The first one I went to seemed deserted so I went down the street. There is no menu, you get what they have that day. Shortly after sitting down I am brought a bowl of quinoa soup. I haven´t even spoken to anyone. They know you are there to eat. They offer 2 choices. I order one and soon a plate appears with a mysterious cut of meat,some rice and creamed potatos. The meat is like rubber. I eat a little and some rice and split.
I went to the town hall to see if I could get some information about the upcoming festival that week end. All I could find out was that the bull fight was on Sunday.
I then set off on my hike. I had passed thru this area going and coming from Ollantaytambo and had scouted out a possible route from the road. People familiar with the area said there should be no problem hiking from Chinchero to the nearby town of Maras, from where I could catch a combi or bus back to Cusco. Should take around 3 hours.The hike started with a long straight death march down a rocky country road past the local sewage treatment area, a couple of open ponds of sewage. Finally the road made a slight curve. I stopped to take a leak and some photos. Continuing on I passed a woman collecting cow pies barehanded. There is little firewood in this area. Climbing a low ridge to a small village I realise I have left my camera on the side of the road. I hurry back about a half mile to find it still lying there. Luckily this is a fairly deserted area. I follow the road around some hills and down along a small ravine.There are some farm houses but very few people around.This area looks a lot like northern California, with rolling golden hills covered by patches of Eucalyptus trees .The sun is out and its very mild, despite the high altitude. Descending further the view opens out to a beautiful pastoral area dotted with farms. A large lake appears and that is one of my landmarks. My road curves away in the opposite direction but I can see another road below going the right way. I ask a woman working by the side of the road if that is the way to Maras. She replies yes and sends me down the hill on a short cut thru her farm. I am soon hiking along this road enjoying an awesome view of the nearby snow capped peaks. Another mile or so brings me to a small town. Entering this town it seems like the set of a spaghetti western. A deserted dusty street flanked by dust covered houses. Not a person in sight. The dogs don´t even bother to get up to bark. A deserted truck is parked in front of a padlocked store. Further up the road I see the only sign of life, a young boy playing in the dirt. I stopped and gave him the toy car I received at the birthday party. Soon I come to a crossroads. One of the roads is paved. I follow it for a mile or so and come to the main highway. I have been hiking for 2 1/2 hours so I call it a day and wait for a combi. Within 10 minutes a late model van with only a couple of passengers stops. I am soon dozing as we return to Cusco. The ride back costs all of $2.
That nite I took it easy. A meal of saltado of alpaca and a couple of beers at Km 0 and I´m ready for bed
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Shopping
I went to buy my Machu Picchu tickets. I missed the street twice. They should have said look for the building with the long line outside. I waited in line for a while and finally got to the ticket window. I got my 2 dates I wanted and was told now wait in the other line to pay. Just like Mexico. Next stop Peru Rail to make sure I can get there on those days. Good thing too. My first pick for return time was booked but the next later one wasn´t. Then the the artesan market for souveniers. I have a whole laundry list to buy. Most of the stalls have all the same shit but I am able to complete most of my shopping. Heading back to the hotel I stopped at a chicharoneria. In Mexico chicharones are fried pork skins. Here it´s fried pork. I got an order and they brought out 2 large chunks of meat. I cut into the first one and it was pork ribs. Yum! They were crispy on the outside but moist and tender on the inside. Returned to the hotel to down load my shit and headed back out for more shopping. I went to one of the main markets and walked around checking out all the different produce. I came across a booth selling caldo de raña: frog stew. There is also a tub of live frogs and some skinned ones. I go to take a photo and the woman waves me off.I bought a cute straw women´s sun hat. Walking around the market district I saw some suckling pigs. That woman also waved me off. I wandered into a courtyard and saw several cages full of guinea pigs. I didn´t even bother to try a photo. On the way back I found a shop selling religious items and got a nice St Miguel statue for Gwen.
I went to dinner at a hole in the wall restaurant with a large wood fired oven. I swore to myself that I would not eat any pizza on this trip, as most countries(US included) have dubious quality pizza at best. But Peru has all the ingredients here plus a tradition of wood fired ovens. The personal size pizza looks perfect but I have already ordered stuffed pepper. It took forever. While I was waiting the owner´s 7 yo son was running around bugging all the customers. He came down the stairs and said" Daddy someone said I have a girlfriend!" I said "Probably 3" and we laughed. He stuck his tongue out at me. He came down and started bugging me. He was puckered up trying to give me a kiss. I said "Kiss your girlfriend" I sent him upstairs to bug the people there. Later he came back and crawled under the table to sit next to me. He said"I think you want to give me an enormous kiss" "I´m not that kind of guy" I replied. Then he was talking about Barbie. "Who is Barbie?" I asked. "Me" He replied."Don´t say that!" I said.
At Amazonia Aquariums we had a gay employee. He said when he was in first grade the kids called him Barbie and he was queer as a 3 dollar bill. The kid crawled in my lap and whispered "Joto". That´s it you´re out of here. Can you say child sexual abuse?
Finally my food arrives and I realize why it took so long. The pepper is filled with peas, carrots and ground beef. Nothing is pre- prepared, meaning they have to boil the veggies,cook the meat, then make the stuffed pepper. It´s delicious. I´m going back tonite for the pizza.
I´m partying in the hood tonite so I go a few doors down from the restaurant to a hip bar called Km 0
A hippie was playing guitar accompanied by a guy playing a wooden box with a hole in it like a guitar. They were really rocking out for 2 guys. They are named after a little known ruin near Ollantaytambo. After the set the guy explains to me where it is and what its for. Its like an overseer´s site that can see 2 differnt agriculural areas at once.
I went to dinner at a hole in the wall restaurant with a large wood fired oven. I swore to myself that I would not eat any pizza on this trip, as most countries(US included) have dubious quality pizza at best. But Peru has all the ingredients here plus a tradition of wood fired ovens. The personal size pizza looks perfect but I have already ordered stuffed pepper. It took forever. While I was waiting the owner´s 7 yo son was running around bugging all the customers. He came down the stairs and said" Daddy someone said I have a girlfriend!" I said "Probably 3" and we laughed. He stuck his tongue out at me. He came down and started bugging me. He was puckered up trying to give me a kiss. I said "Kiss your girlfriend" I sent him upstairs to bug the people there. Later he came back and crawled under the table to sit next to me. He said"I think you want to give me an enormous kiss" "I´m not that kind of guy" I replied. Then he was talking about Barbie. "Who is Barbie?" I asked. "Me" He replied."Don´t say that!" I said.
At Amazonia Aquariums we had a gay employee. He said when he was in first grade the kids called him Barbie and he was queer as a 3 dollar bill. The kid crawled in my lap and whispered "Joto". That´s it you´re out of here. Can you say child sexual abuse?
Finally my food arrives and I realize why it took so long. The pepper is filled with peas, carrots and ground beef. Nothing is pre- prepared, meaning they have to boil the veggies,cook the meat, then make the stuffed pepper. It´s delicious. I´m going back tonite for the pizza.
I´m partying in the hood tonite so I go a few doors down from the restaurant to a hip bar called Km 0
A hippie was playing guitar accompanied by a guy playing a wooden box with a hole in it like a guitar. They were really rocking out for 2 guys. They are named after a little known ruin near Ollantaytambo. After the set the guy explains to me where it is and what its for. Its like an overseer´s site that can see 2 differnt agriculural areas at once.
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