Okay, it´s been two weeks since my last post and there´s alot to write about but most of it will have to wait as there´s so much more to do then time to write. Lo siento. Seems the best place to start is still in Lima.
I finally got my debit card. I had to switch hostels because I never reserved enough days and it filled up Thursday and through the weekend. But I was staying nearby so I walked over everyday and then on Saturday it was there and I was free to move on. Only, I no longer wanted to move on, and I didn´t. I spent almost another week in Lima and now after five days in Cusco I´m running into the same dilemma.
To stay or go is a question I´m finding comes up often in the backpackers world. The benefits of moving on are you will undoubtedly see more. Travelers are limited by two things: time and money. You can´t do this forever (though you can work in hostels or volunteer and extend your trip significantly), so if you want to see as much as possible you have to keep moving. I met one American who in ten months of traveling had been to 32 countries. I also made friends with a backpacker who in three months had stayed primarily in Columbia in Bogota and Medillan. In the end it comes down to personal choice and preference. Do you want to see the world or experience a different culture? Not that you can´t do both. If a city strikes you then it´s not difficult to push back plans and stay. Maybe take a Spanish lesson (or whatever language for whatever country you´re in. Just, I'm in South America.) or dance classes. Something to immerse yourself more into the culture (my advice is at least try with the language because locals appreciate the attempt). If you find yourself restless up and leave and see all you can. Backpacking is a lifestyle of freedom. But what I´m finding through countless evenings of backpacking conversations with experienced travelers is most have a clear preference: stay or go. And I´m finding my preference is to stay.
So I stayed in Lima longer and am so happy I did. If you´re looking for the tourist bars you have to go to Pizza Street near Kennedy Park in Mirraflores. You´ll meet fellow backpackers and English speaking locals (beautiful English speaking locals). Decide if you´ll be enticed by the offers of free drinks or the more crass promoters who offer you pussy in loud unabashed English. Personally, I recommend starting at the end in the pub, relax with a beer or two, maybe make some new friends, and then hop from bar to dance hall and experience it all. Just be sure to make it out before three so you can eat, because right up the street is the best sandwich shop I´ve ever been to. Simple (bread, meat, cheese, sauce), cheap, delicious, and just what a late nighter needs after a late night.
What I really recommend, however, is make friends with a local. I was lucky enough to befriend a backpacker, Pri, who introduced me to his freind Dante, a Peruvian from Lima he´d met in Columbia. The usual with Dante was to go out into the city during the day and then meet up with his local friends at night. Site seeing, salsa dancing, gorgeous bars with multiple levels, and I even went to a baby shower. Yeah, a baby shower. Peruvians love to be hospitable and Dante wanted to hang out with us everyday for as long as possible. He never minded driving, translating, or answering all of our questions, and he made my stay in Lima. And as far as I can tell, all he wants in return is similar treatment if and when he comes to California. I am happy to oblige.
Now, as I said, Dante was always bringing us out with his friends from Lima, and anyone who knows me knows two things about me 1) I love to meet people and 2) I´m a talker, and the latter is where my greatest frustration lies. My Spanish can get me through the day, ask and answer questions about work, food, travelling, etc... but after that I´ve exhausted what I know and my audience moves on. This does not sit well with me. And there is only one obvious answer: lessons. For between 6 to 9 dollars an hour I can take individual Spanish lessons for either 10, 20, or 30 hours a week. I´ve decided to do this early in my travels so as to reap the most benefit. Also I have a small crush on a Columbian dancer/waitress I met in Cusco whose English is as good as my Spanish. Everyday we meet for a few hours to practice each other´s native language (mother language in Spanish translation). The rule we attempt is I can only speak in Spanish and she in English. We always break it, but we try not to. My pocket dictionary has become my best friend.
Well friends, thanks for following but I´ve been rude hogging the computer and it´s time for lunch and to plan out my next few days... Puno then back to Cusco? Site seeing the 16 Inca ruins? Macchu Picchu, finally? or maybe I start those lessons and stay in Cusco for a few weeks to a month? No se. But I´ll find time to write more and update you on Sandboarding in Huacacina, the 17 hour bus ride through the Andes, dance clubs in Cusco, hikes up the mountains and the ruins of Sexywoman (that´s honestly how it sounds), the necessity of sunscreen, and Peruvians love of classic rock and grunge (live bands in dive bars, and one of the singers did Eddie Vedder justice. Very impressive.).
Ciao.
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