Alright, alright, I am guilty of a little procrastination on my obligatory reports back to you but things have been a little action packed lately. First we had the arrival of KC buddy Brian Meagher, who was down in Peru visiting his lovely girlfriend Lucia. I was able to meet up with those two and take in another day of glorious Peruvian sun at the beach near Lima. It was Brian´s M. virgin dip into the mighty Pacific and the landmark was rang in typical celebratory style with ceviche and beers on the beach. Later that night Petro and I met back up with the pair for drinks out after another heist at the casino. The routine remains the same: We put around $15 in the video poker and play for 3 hours while enjoying free dinner, drinks, and dessert and in turn cashing out at even or in Petro´s case everytime-up on the house. There has been serious talk of quitting our jobs (well, travelling) and staying in Lima as professional pretend gamblers. Our success at not losing money is going against everyting my sponsor at Gamblers Anonymous has told me. The big turning point in our casino fortune was figuring out the missing variable from our first experience--big tips. A few $0.75 tips throughout the casino experience has allowed our unrestricted access to the free fares and even got the loud old man roughed up outside because he was bothering our concentration.
Thinking our high life could not get much better, spirits were soaring--and were raised yet again with the arrival of the producer's of the golden boy: Andy and Janey Q. Sweet as ever, Janey lived up to her rep by arriving in Lima with the boy´s favorite cookies from McClains Bakery (this generosity would soon cease as the new trip trend of Andy and Jane is showering Petro with daily gifts--I have to keep reminded them he is not an orphan).
The trip has been a whirlwind so far. We spent the night in Lima, to wake up early to fly to Cusco. As the jumping off point for various expeditions to Inca ruins, Cusco is rife with 50-somethings fulfilling fantasies of Indiana Jones-esque adventures with their safari vests, brimmed hats, and enormous cameras. Under the careful eye of Petro and myself we have protected Andy and Jane from succumbing to such cliches and we have been trying hard at some anti-tourism activities such as playing rousing games of Lo Siento (our Peruvian version of the board game Sorry), drinking wine, and trying to soak in the joys of relaxed travel. After two days in Cusco we took the train to the town of Aguas Calientes, located just below Machu Picchu. From there we spent the night and woke up early to head up to the ruins. There was talk of writing a collective poem about our experience at Machu Picchu but Andy insisted on putting profanity in several parts of it, so the project was abandoned. The good news is that the pictures of the day speak for themselves. Not having much faith in hype, we were all pleasantly surprised to find that the ruins lived up to the honor as a member of the 7 Wonders of the World (8 once the committee officially recognizes the Lake of the Ozarks).
The trip back to Cusco was slightly marred with a train ride that was annoyingly plagued with a "fashion show" in which the train attendants strutted the aisles in different clothes in the hopes that some of the Indiana Jones wannabes would buy them (like good anti-tourists we fake asleep). After our train ride, a colectivo bus we were taking broke down in the countryside. Lucky for us the driver had a ball of twine and two paperclips because he was able to fix the bus and produce us safely back in Cusco. We are now back in Lima waiting for a plane that is taking us to the glorious beaches of the north. Will update soon with stories of the stay up there.
In other news, there has been some serious brainstorming lately between Petro and myself about possible themes and destinations for a future trip. The current consensus is an 80´s themed road trip across the States. We are looking for the following donations: A Camaro or Trans-Am with t-tops, a retro boombox, and a box set of Journey tapes. We will supply the jean shorts and tank tops. Let me know if you can make this dream a reality.
Once again, there has been some pervish talk in the comments section calling for more attention paid to sexual topics. Trying to appease all, I shot some footage of some gratuitous action.
Thinking our high life could not get much better, spirits were soaring--and were raised yet again with the arrival of the producer's of the golden boy: Andy and Janey Q. Sweet as ever, Janey lived up to her rep by arriving in Lima with the boy´s favorite cookies from McClains Bakery (this generosity would soon cease as the new trip trend of Andy and Jane is showering Petro with daily gifts--I have to keep reminded them he is not an orphan).
The trip has been a whirlwind so far. We spent the night in Lima, to wake up early to fly to Cusco. As the jumping off point for various expeditions to Inca ruins, Cusco is rife with 50-somethings fulfilling fantasies of Indiana Jones-esque adventures with their safari vests, brimmed hats, and enormous cameras. Under the careful eye of Petro and myself we have protected Andy and Jane from succumbing to such cliches and we have been trying hard at some anti-tourism activities such as playing rousing games of Lo Siento (our Peruvian version of the board game Sorry), drinking wine, and trying to soak in the joys of relaxed travel. After two days in Cusco we took the train to the town of Aguas Calientes, located just below Machu Picchu. From there we spent the night and woke up early to head up to the ruins. There was talk of writing a collective poem about our experience at Machu Picchu but Andy insisted on putting profanity in several parts of it, so the project was abandoned. The good news is that the pictures of the day speak for themselves. Not having much faith in hype, we were all pleasantly surprised to find that the ruins lived up to the honor as a member of the 7 Wonders of the World (8 once the committee officially recognizes the Lake of the Ozarks).
The trip back to Cusco was slightly marred with a train ride that was annoyingly plagued with a "fashion show" in which the train attendants strutted the aisles in different clothes in the hopes that some of the Indiana Jones wannabes would buy them (like good anti-tourists we fake asleep). After our train ride, a colectivo bus we were taking broke down in the countryside. Lucky for us the driver had a ball of twine and two paperclips because he was able to fix the bus and produce us safely back in Cusco. We are now back in Lima waiting for a plane that is taking us to the glorious beaches of the north. Will update soon with stories of the stay up there.
In other news, there has been some serious brainstorming lately between Petro and myself about possible themes and destinations for a future trip. The current consensus is an 80´s themed road trip across the States. We are looking for the following donations: A Camaro or Trans-Am with t-tops, a retro boombox, and a box set of Journey tapes. We will supply the jean shorts and tank tops. Let me know if you can make this dream a reality.
Once again, there has been some pervish talk in the comments section calling for more attention paid to sexual topics. Trying to appease all, I shot some footage of some gratuitous action.
Scary, I know.
Q
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6 comments:
PJ, get after that goat!! Go on boy, get you some!
Sounds horrible. When do we leave?
with all the gambling you're doing, a trip to vegas needs to be in the future!
Tell Jane that her book club is meeting tonight. We need to come to Peru! Hope all are safe and Jane and Andy are relaxing after seeing you are not being attacked by South Americans.
We especially love the animals you've become close to.
Book Club Girls
I have no idea how but my friend ana saw your blog...she sent it to me...and well i have a couple of pictures of you and pedro in St. Patricks in lima at the irish pub. if you want them email me so i can send them....
cheers
Luciana (luciana_pagano@hotmail.com)
I talked with Ronan and should be able to supply you with most of the items needed for your 80's road trip. Although, he keeps insisting that you take some furry handcuffs and feather boas along with you too. I'll keep you posted.
In the mean time, here is a site that has helped me through some tough times....I think you should visit:
http://www.1800betsoff.org/
-Mike
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