I wasn't going to blog until after my spring break this week, but my mom is being sassy and wants more posts. Here ya go Sue.
Last weekend I took a four hour bus to Huacachina in Ica with a huge group of international students. Huacachina is an oasis in the middle of the desert surrounded by hostels and restaurants. Upon arrival we were immediately put into groups and herded into dune buggies. I wish I could accurately describe how crazy the tour through the desert was. I felt like I was on a roller coaster.
An extra sandy roller coaster.
I'm still scraping sand off my body.
The buggies took us out to the biggest dunes where we proceeded to sand board down giant hills on our stomachs. Let's just say none of us have skin left on our feet or elbows after sledding down a sandy drop at 60 mph. After watching the sunset over the desert and syphoning gas from another buggy, we headed back to the oasis only to jump into an already sandy pool. The rest of the night was devoted to eating as much peruvian BBQ and dancing as possible. Luckily, I was so tired by the end of the night, I didn't even mind I had to sleep on a wicker mattress with Hot Wheels sheets. The next day we decided to tour a little museum in downtown Ica. It was super lame at first. I mean, pottery is pretty cool, but after about five rooms of it my patience starts to wear thin. BUT THEN we hit the mummy room. Because the coast of Peru is so dry, everything is preserved, even people. I was both horrified and morbidly intrigued, mostly because the Incas prized giant foreheads so all of the skulls were completely disfigured. All looked like cone heads because the Incas would wear head braces from birth to elongate they're skulls. Also all of the heads had hair.
It was creepy.
And great.
Then we took a four hour bus ride back where we watched a movie called RIDE OR DIE. It was dubbed in Spanish. Too fantastic.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for semana santa (Easter break) and I'm going north to a city called Piura for more beaching and visiting witch doctors.
Oh. Also sometimes I go to school.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Drag Queens, Crusty Hostels, Desnudos, and Green Cerveza
It has been a whole 2 weeks since I shared my adventures, and they've started piling up. In fact I'm a little overwhelmed with how much I have to regale, so bear with me while I try to retell these stories in a semi-organized manner. I find numbering helps.
1. Drag Queens and Twisted Ankles
2. Another Sketchy Beach Trip?
3. First Days of School
4. St. Patrick's Day
5. Miscellaneous
1. A few days after my return from camping, a few gringo (American) friends and I decided to go dancing, because, well, everyone here dances. It may be the reason I never come home. Knowing nothing about any of the discotheques in Lima, we randomly chose one near our house in Miraflores. Nightlife in Lima is crazy different from that in Madison. You don't leave your house until 11 or 12 at night and you dance until at least 3, 4, 5 in the morning. So far I'm failing at this new lifestyle as it clashes with my ideal sleep time. Anyways, we step into the discotheque and realize it is a different kind of club than what we were expecting. There were drag queens EVERYWHERE. I didn't mind, in fact I kind of loved it because it meant everyone knew how to dance. After hours of endless dancing my roommate Carly and I decided it was bedtime. While trying to find the exit, the lights went out and I missed a step, tripped over the queen of all drag queens, and twisted my ankle. Ooopsie. Luckily, I recovered just in time to explore more of Lima before school started.
2. After many more days of dancing, school orientation, and a trip to Parque de Agua (a park in downtown Lima devoted to giant fountains) a small group of Madison girls and select Peruvians decided on one last beach hoorah before school officially started. We taxied about a hour out of Miraflores to a beach called Punta Hermosa. This beach was much more tourist-y than the beach in Asia, but we still managed to find the cheapest (10 soles each = $3), crustiest, hostel in town. There was no running water, only 3 beds for 7 people, and ants everywhere. Needless to say we loved it. We played on the beach all day where the waves are huge and the sand is black. For dinner we ate ceviche at a little dive on the ocean front and danced all night at an outdoor discotheque. By 4 a.m. I was so tired from dancing I didn't even mind I had to sleep in between 2 people on an extra sandy bed. The next day there was more beach romping, until a giant wave took my suit and me all the way into shore. Due to some tumbling and sand, I now have a pretty juicy wound on my knee. I am done with beaches for a while.
3. Oh boy, now we've reached school. I'm enrolled at La Católica (PUCP) which is about a 20 minute taxi ride or a 40-60 minute combi (glorified vans that are passed off as buses) ride from my house. The school is completely walled in and probably about half the size of Madison. Campus is gorgeous. It's always warm and never rains so I spend most of my days sitting outside with friends watching the deer that just roam the grounds. All of the buildings are really modern and food here is incredibly cheap. I never pay more that 50 cents for lunch which usually consists of bread, rice, and potatoes (they love their carbs here). Everyone is always late. Students waltz into class 15-20 minutes past the bell and professors won't show up for half an hour past start time. It's a very laid back culture.
We had this whole first week to attend whatever classes we wanted to see if we a) could understand the professor and b) actually wanted to take the class. I decided to take modern peruvian literature, modern peruvian history, peruvian sociology, and an art class. The first 3 classes were easy enough to pick, but art was another story. I talked to 4 different art professors in the hopes they could guide me in the right direction since I've never taken an art class in college. One suggested Dibujo Natural. I thought, oh hey, why not? I showed up for the first class with out any materials and upon seeing everyone else was prepared, I begged the girl sitting next to me to show me where to find paper and charcoal. After purchasing supplies, I rushed back to the room only to find myself face to face with a naked potbellied old man. It was one of thoooose art classes. Thank you language barrier. Three hours of sketching later, I decided to take the class. I mean, when else am I going to get to take a nude drawing class?
4. Last Wednesday was St. Patrick's day so my friends and I decided to trek out to the one and only Irish pub in Miraflores. It was packed. The pub seemed a little confused about what an Irish bar should look like. There were Mexican flags on the walls and MTV on the TVs. We befriended a Peruvian 40-something named Enrique who informed us he was at least half, if not all Irish. We drank green beer and rocked out to a Cranberries cover band (think angst-y 90s girl band). Overall, a successful St. Patty's day.
5. Two major obstacles I've had to overcome have been bartering and Combis. Unless prices are clearly labeled (like at a grocery store, fancy mall, or classy restaurant) you are expected to barter. Since I am clearly gringo/extra white everyone tries to overcharge me. Luckily, I'm quickly becoming latina and can talk the taxi drivers down to a reasonable price. It's like a game here. I tell the driver I want to go to school, he suggests some outrageous price like 25 soles and I say "ayyyy amigo, demasiado. Tengo ocho" which means woah guy, way too much. I have eight. Usually we settle on 10 soles which is about 3 dollars that gets split between 4 girls. One time (quite possibly the proudest moment of my trip) the taxi driver asked if I always get the price down to 10. When I said "Claro" which roughly translates to "Duh" he said good for you gringa. Why thanks taxi man.
The other tricky thing around here are the Combis. Like I said earlier, Combis are oversized vans or small buses with a man hanging out of them calling out destinations. These buses don't have designated stops, they just stop wherever you tell them to. They are hot, smelly, and cramped. Riding in one of them feels like you're in a video game (think mario kart). All of the Combis are privately owned and are worried about what will happen next year when the Metro comes to Lima. Personally, I hope these little death traps get to stay on the road.
Side Note: I forgot to mention the time I was dancing in a discotheque and a Peruvian girl asks me if I was latina. I asked her if it was the blonde hair or the pasty white skin that gave it away, but she said it was because I danced like a latina. Second proudest moment of the trip. When I told her I was not actually latina, she asked if my parents were latinos. If anyone has seen my dad dance, they should know that...yes, my parents are clearly latinos. Especially, Dad.
I've probably forgotten crucial stories, so I'll try to stay on top of this blogging thing as to not get so overwhelmed with peruvian adventures.
P.S. I ordered some mystery food at school the other day. My Peruvian friend Chino wouldn't tell me what it was until I'd eaten some of it. Turns out it was stomach. Chino thought it was hilarious. Ha ha feed the clueless gringa cow stomach. Real mature Peruvians.
1. Drag Queens and Twisted Ankles
2. Another Sketchy Beach Trip?
3. First Days of School
4. St. Patrick's Day
5. Miscellaneous
1. A few days after my return from camping, a few gringo (American) friends and I decided to go dancing, because, well, everyone here dances. It may be the reason I never come home. Knowing nothing about any of the discotheques in Lima, we randomly chose one near our house in Miraflores. Nightlife in Lima is crazy different from that in Madison. You don't leave your house until 11 or 12 at night and you dance until at least 3, 4, 5 in the morning. So far I'm failing at this new lifestyle as it clashes with my ideal sleep time. Anyways, we step into the discotheque and realize it is a different kind of club than what we were expecting. There were drag queens EVERYWHERE. I didn't mind, in fact I kind of loved it because it meant everyone knew how to dance. After hours of endless dancing my roommate Carly and I decided it was bedtime. While trying to find the exit, the lights went out and I missed a step, tripped over the queen of all drag queens, and twisted my ankle. Ooopsie. Luckily, I recovered just in time to explore more of Lima before school started.
2. After many more days of dancing, school orientation, and a trip to Parque de Agua (a park in downtown Lima devoted to giant fountains) a small group of Madison girls and select Peruvians decided on one last beach hoorah before school officially started. We taxied about a hour out of Miraflores to a beach called Punta Hermosa. This beach was much more tourist-y than the beach in Asia, but we still managed to find the cheapest (10 soles each = $3), crustiest, hostel in town. There was no running water, only 3 beds for 7 people, and ants everywhere. Needless to say we loved it. We played on the beach all day where the waves are huge and the sand is black. For dinner we ate ceviche at a little dive on the ocean front and danced all night at an outdoor discotheque. By 4 a.m. I was so tired from dancing I didn't even mind I had to sleep in between 2 people on an extra sandy bed. The next day there was more beach romping, until a giant wave took my suit and me all the way into shore. Due to some tumbling and sand, I now have a pretty juicy wound on my knee. I am done with beaches for a while.
3. Oh boy, now we've reached school. I'm enrolled at La Católica (PUCP) which is about a 20 minute taxi ride or a 40-60 minute combi (glorified vans that are passed off as buses) ride from my house. The school is completely walled in and probably about half the size of Madison. Campus is gorgeous. It's always warm and never rains so I spend most of my days sitting outside with friends watching the deer that just roam the grounds. All of the buildings are really modern and food here is incredibly cheap. I never pay more that 50 cents for lunch which usually consists of bread, rice, and potatoes (they love their carbs here). Everyone is always late. Students waltz into class 15-20 minutes past the bell and professors won't show up for half an hour past start time. It's a very laid back culture.
We had this whole first week to attend whatever classes we wanted to see if we a) could understand the professor and b) actually wanted to take the class. I decided to take modern peruvian literature, modern peruvian history, peruvian sociology, and an art class. The first 3 classes were easy enough to pick, but art was another story. I talked to 4 different art professors in the hopes they could guide me in the right direction since I've never taken an art class in college. One suggested Dibujo Natural. I thought, oh hey, why not? I showed up for the first class with out any materials and upon seeing everyone else was prepared, I begged the girl sitting next to me to show me where to find paper and charcoal. After purchasing supplies, I rushed back to the room only to find myself face to face with a naked potbellied old man. It was one of thoooose art classes. Thank you language barrier. Three hours of sketching later, I decided to take the class. I mean, when else am I going to get to take a nude drawing class?
4. Last Wednesday was St. Patrick's day so my friends and I decided to trek out to the one and only Irish pub in Miraflores. It was packed. The pub seemed a little confused about what an Irish bar should look like. There were Mexican flags on the walls and MTV on the TVs. We befriended a Peruvian 40-something named Enrique who informed us he was at least half, if not all Irish. We drank green beer and rocked out to a Cranberries cover band (think angst-y 90s girl band). Overall, a successful St. Patty's day.
5. Two major obstacles I've had to overcome have been bartering and Combis. Unless prices are clearly labeled (like at a grocery store, fancy mall, or classy restaurant) you are expected to barter. Since I am clearly gringo/extra white everyone tries to overcharge me. Luckily, I'm quickly becoming latina and can talk the taxi drivers down to a reasonable price. It's like a game here. I tell the driver I want to go to school, he suggests some outrageous price like 25 soles and I say "ayyyy amigo, demasiado. Tengo ocho" which means woah guy, way too much. I have eight. Usually we settle on 10 soles which is about 3 dollars that gets split between 4 girls. One time (quite possibly the proudest moment of my trip) the taxi driver asked if I always get the price down to 10. When I said "Claro" which roughly translates to "Duh" he said good for you gringa. Why thanks taxi man.
The other tricky thing around here are the Combis. Like I said earlier, Combis are oversized vans or small buses with a man hanging out of them calling out destinations. These buses don't have designated stops, they just stop wherever you tell them to. They are hot, smelly, and cramped. Riding in one of them feels like you're in a video game (think mario kart). All of the Combis are privately owned and are worried about what will happen next year when the Metro comes to Lima. Personally, I hope these little death traps get to stay on the road.
Side Note: I forgot to mention the time I was dancing in a discotheque and a Peruvian girl asks me if I was latina. I asked her if it was the blonde hair or the pasty white skin that gave it away, but she said it was because I danced like a latina. Second proudest moment of the trip. When I told her I was not actually latina, she asked if my parents were latinos. If anyone has seen my dad dance, they should know that...yes, my parents are clearly latinos. Especially, Dad.
I've probably forgotten crucial stories, so I'll try to stay on top of this blogging thing as to not get so overwhelmed with peruvian adventures.
P.S. I ordered some mystery food at school the other day. My Peruvian friend Chino wouldn't tell me what it was until I'd eaten some of it. Turns out it was stomach. Chino thought it was hilarious. Ha ha feed the clueless gringa cow stomach. Real mature Peruvians.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
¡Vamos a Acampar!
It's taken a week, but I finally found a beach! And like everything I do here, it turned into an adventure. Here it goes.
Part 1: Taxi-Taxi- Taxi-Bus-Taxi
Joey called me Thursday morning in a semi-panic saying I had about 2 seconds to decide whether or not I wanted to go camping with her and Raighne that day because her host mom had to buy the tickets asap. Since my brain wasn't fully functioning yet, I said "uhhh, okay?" At that point the plan was to take a 7 hour bus ride north to Trujillo so we could camp on the beach. About an hour later the plan changed to taking a 4 hour bus ride north to Huarmey to camp. I scrambled to the grocery store and made about 10 laps around the aisles trying to find "camping food." I then took a 10 minute taxi ride to Magdalena del Mar where Joey and Raighne live. By the time we got a taxi to the bus station it was 3:30. We had to be in downtown Lima at 4, during rush hour, um not happening. Traffic in Lima is basically a giant game of chicken. Cars are smashed together in every direction, stoplights are totally optional, and you can't even go 2 seconds without hearing a horn. We got to the bus station 10 minutes late and missed the bus. Devastated, we went back to Magdalena and formed plan C. This time we took a taxi to a different bus station and got a bus headed to Asia, an hour south of us. Note that by this time it's dark and we're still planning on finding a camping spot and setting up a tent. On the bus we watched a movie that was the most violent love story between the Norwegians and the Japanese. It was called Dragon Bridges? Unclear. After about 2 hours the bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere where we somehow flagged down a taxi to take us to the beach. 4 taxis and a bus later WE MADE IT!
Part 2: "Tell us all the swear words you know"
Joey set up the tent by herself. I documented. And who knows what Raighne was doing. Within 5 minutes everything and everyone was covered in sand. To celebrate the successful set-up of our new house, we busted out a loaf of bread, some weird red pepper sauce in a packet, mini bananas, and the Boris. Boris was a fine $4 vodka that after one sip each, it was decided he should go back in the tent. Post-feast we romped around in the water, discovered a giant beached jellyfish, and were given ice cream by the only other people camping on the beach. Three Peruvian girls (all around 18 years-old) beckoned us over and were nice enough to offer tequila and limes. Since it was already midnight we passed, but they managed to finish the bottle by themselves. After making small talk, 2 of the girls (one had fallen asleep at the table) asked us our signs and upon learning Raighne was a Virgo let Joey and I know he was a liar and obsessed with money. Good to know. Thanks. They also wanted to know all the bad words we knew in Spanish. Thanks to Kelly, I am the proud owner of a book called Dirty Spanish that provides me with all the naughty words anyone would ever need. Needless to say I impressed the girls with my extensive knowledge. They asked us if we knew Hannah Montana and if we live Finally around 2 we wandered back to our tent for quite possibly the worst night of sleep. None of us had pillows or blankets so we were literally just sleeping on the beach. Ugh.
Part 3: Good Morning Ocean!
Okay, so although the sleeping part was awful, the waking up to sun and ocean was fantastic. We lounged, we swam, we got even sandier. For lunch we wandered over to a tiny restaurant futher down the beach where we had a feast of fried rice and ceviche. Ceviche is fresh fish that's been cured in a lime/cilantro brine. It was the best meal so far. Also it was only $4.50 which made me love it more. After lunch we decided we were all beached out and couldn't make it another night on the sand so we set off in search of a taxi. An hour later we found some naughty/adorable children who helped us flag down a taxi that took us to the bus stop in, once again, the middle of nowhere. The bus brought us back to Lima where I took a taxi back to my house in Miraflores. I was gone maybe 24 hours, but I can't tell you how happy I was to be back home where Maria cooks me the BEST dinners.
Also my entire body is a really great shade of red. Thanks peruvian sunshine, looks like we're going to have one of those love-hate relationships.
Tonight I'll be going to my first discotheque with kids from my program. When Peruvians go out, they go to the clubs around midnight and stay until 5 or 6 in the morning. That's actually my favorite time to sleep, soooooo I'm not entirely sure how tonight is going to go. Wish me luck?
Part 1: Taxi-Taxi- Taxi-Bus-Taxi
Joey called me Thursday morning in a semi-panic saying I had about 2 seconds to decide whether or not I wanted to go camping with her and Raighne that day because her host mom had to buy the tickets asap. Since my brain wasn't fully functioning yet, I said "uhhh, okay?" At that point the plan was to take a 7 hour bus ride north to Trujillo so we could camp on the beach. About an hour later the plan changed to taking a 4 hour bus ride north to Huarmey to camp. I scrambled to the grocery store and made about 10 laps around the aisles trying to find "camping food." I then took a 10 minute taxi ride to Magdalena del Mar where Joey and Raighne live. By the time we got a taxi to the bus station it was 3:30. We had to be in downtown Lima at 4, during rush hour, um not happening. Traffic in Lima is basically a giant game of chicken. Cars are smashed together in every direction, stoplights are totally optional, and you can't even go 2 seconds without hearing a horn. We got to the bus station 10 minutes late and missed the bus. Devastated, we went back to Magdalena and formed plan C. This time we took a taxi to a different bus station and got a bus headed to Asia, an hour south of us. Note that by this time it's dark and we're still planning on finding a camping spot and setting up a tent. On the bus we watched a movie that was the most violent love story between the Norwegians and the Japanese. It was called Dragon Bridges? Unclear. After about 2 hours the bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere where we somehow flagged down a taxi to take us to the beach. 4 taxis and a bus later WE MADE IT!
Part 2: "Tell us all the swear words you know"
Joey set up the tent by herself. I documented. And who knows what Raighne was doing. Within 5 minutes everything and everyone was covered in sand. To celebrate the successful set-up of our new house, we busted out a loaf of bread, some weird red pepper sauce in a packet, mini bananas, and the Boris. Boris was a fine $4 vodka that after one sip each, it was decided he should go back in the tent. Post-feast we romped around in the water, discovered a giant beached jellyfish, and were given ice cream by the only other people camping on the beach. Three Peruvian girls (all around 18 years-old) beckoned us over and were nice enough to offer tequila and limes. Since it was already midnight we passed, but they managed to finish the bottle by themselves. After making small talk, 2 of the girls (one had fallen asleep at the table) asked us our signs and upon learning Raighne was a Virgo let Joey and I know he was a liar and obsessed with money. Good to know. Thanks. They also wanted to know all the bad words we knew in Spanish. Thanks to Kelly, I am the proud owner of a book called Dirty Spanish that provides me with all the naughty words anyone would ever need. Needless to say I impressed the girls with my extensive knowledge. They asked us if we knew Hannah Montana and if we live Finally around 2 we wandered back to our tent for quite possibly the worst night of sleep. None of us had pillows or blankets so we were literally just sleeping on the beach. Ugh.
Part 3: Good Morning Ocean!
Okay, so although the sleeping part was awful, the waking up to sun and ocean was fantastic. We lounged, we swam, we got even sandier. For lunch we wandered over to a tiny restaurant futher down the beach where we had a feast of fried rice and ceviche. Ceviche is fresh fish that's been cured in a lime/cilantro brine. It was the best meal so far. Also it was only $4.50 which made me love it more. After lunch we decided we were all beached out and couldn't make it another night on the sand so we set off in search of a taxi. An hour later we found some naughty/adorable children who helped us flag down a taxi that took us to the bus stop in, once again, the middle of nowhere. The bus brought us back to Lima where I took a taxi back to my house in Miraflores. I was gone maybe 24 hours, but I can't tell you how happy I was to be back home where Maria cooks me the BEST dinners.
Also my entire body is a really great shade of red. Thanks peruvian sunshine, looks like we're going to have one of those love-hate relationships.
Tonight I'll be going to my first discotheque with kids from my program. When Peruvians go out, they go to the clubs around midnight and stay until 5 or 6 in the morning. That's actually my favorite time to sleep, soooooo I'm not entirely sure how tonight is going to go. Wish me luck?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hola Gringos.
Well, I made it to Lima (after only 3 hours of sleep and at 6 a.m. which is far too early to function). I have no idea how I made it through customs or how I found my taxi. I was probably still sleeping. On the way to my house I was given a full tour of the city by my taxi driver who pointed out all the best restaurants and promised he'd let me take him out to eat sometime. At the house I met the cook Maria and her two sons David and Gabriel. Gabriel is 5 years-old and gets to sit at his own table during dinner and color. Jealous! The food here is fantastic. Everything is fresh and there is always a new tropical fruit waiting for me when I wake up. The downside is I can't drink the water unless it's boiled. Brushing my teeth has become a challenge, since I usually forget about this until my mouth is full of toothpaste. Oops. Back to day one. For breakfast I had papaya and instant Peruvian coffee. I don't really understand how instant coffee works so I put three scoops into my mug. Three scoops was two and a half too many. Lesson learned. I did a little exploring with three people from my program who are staying in a hostel for a few blocks away: Joey, Raighne, and Chad. We walked around downtown Miraflores, which is extra fancy, in search of phones. We didn't find any that we liked so we gave up and napped the rest of the afternoon.
Today we decided to find a beach. Let me preface this story with: we never found the beach. The adventure began at their hostel which is only a few blocks from my house. We decided to first go to Chad's student housing so he could drop off his suitcase and then on our return trip we could walk along the coast. Each of us took a good look at Google Maps and memorized the route. I mean, really, why on earth would we write down the directions when the four of us are clearly capable of navigating in a foreign city of 8 million. We left the hostel confident and found Chad's house without any problems. While Chad debated which room to choose, Joey, Raighne, and I chatted with the landlord. My spanish is a little rusty, but here's what I got out of the conversation: cockroaches can survive nuclear war, China has as many multimillionaires as there are people in Peru, Attila the Hun destroyed a library in Alexandria, and the internet is the greatest gift to mankind. Also, the seafood here is delicious. After that stimulating chat we headed toward what we thought was the ocean. Thirty minutes, four ice cream sanwiches, and six olive, ham, and cheese rolls later we found ourselves deciding our direction based on which way the sun was setting.
It sets in the west.
Okay perfect the ocean should be west of us.
But there are mountains west of us.
No, no those are cliffs, remember there were cliffs by the ocean?
No.
Yes, there were cliffs by the ocean! And look, there's a tall building, I bet that's the direction we should go.
Long story short, we ended up roaming the streets of an obviously very poor part of town. Eventually a policeman pulled over and asked us some questions. While Joey answered, a woman walked up to me and told me not to listen to the cop because he was dangerous, the cop told us to leave this area as soon as possible because it was dangerous. Torn, we decided it best to take the taxi the policeman got for us since he had a gun and meant business. The taxi took us back to the safety of our ritzy neighborhood for a whole $3.00. The driver informed us that where we were is the sketchiest part of Barranco and anyone who is white will get mugged. I still haven't figured out what they would have taken from me. My cut-offs? Anyway, it was then agreed we should always ALWAYS have a map and never EVER follow Raighne's directions.
Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the beach.
Today we decided to find a beach. Let me preface this story with: we never found the beach. The adventure began at their hostel which is only a few blocks from my house. We decided to first go to Chad's student housing so he could drop off his suitcase and then on our return trip we could walk along the coast. Each of us took a good look at Google Maps and memorized the route. I mean, really, why on earth would we write down the directions when the four of us are clearly capable of navigating in a foreign city of 8 million. We left the hostel confident and found Chad's house without any problems. While Chad debated which room to choose, Joey, Raighne, and I chatted with the landlord. My spanish is a little rusty, but here's what I got out of the conversation: cockroaches can survive nuclear war, China has as many multimillionaires as there are people in Peru, Attila the Hun destroyed a library in Alexandria, and the internet is the greatest gift to mankind. Also, the seafood here is delicious. After that stimulating chat we headed toward what we thought was the ocean. Thirty minutes, four ice cream sanwiches, and six olive, ham, and cheese rolls later we found ourselves deciding our direction based on which way the sun was setting.
It sets in the west.
Okay perfect the ocean should be west of us.
But there are mountains west of us.
No, no those are cliffs, remember there were cliffs by the ocean?
No.
Yes, there were cliffs by the ocean! And look, there's a tall building, I bet that's the direction we should go.
Long story short, we ended up roaming the streets of an obviously very poor part of town. Eventually a policeman pulled over and asked us some questions. While Joey answered, a woman walked up to me and told me not to listen to the cop because he was dangerous, the cop told us to leave this area as soon as possible because it was dangerous. Torn, we decided it best to take the taxi the policeman got for us since he had a gun and meant business. The taxi took us back to the safety of our ritzy neighborhood for a whole $3.00. The driver informed us that where we were is the sketchiest part of Barranco and anyone who is white will get mugged. I still haven't figured out what they would have taken from me. My cut-offs? Anyway, it was then agreed we should always ALWAYS have a map and never EVER follow Raighne's directions.
Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the beach.
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