Lima Launch

I left LA during the first hours of the New Year, cramming the last bits of travel gear into an already filled-to-the-brim travelling bag. It was still dark when I arrived at LAX, joining line upon line of travellers to process passports, tickets and bags. Pretty much everyone slept (as well as one might) on the trip to Miami. In Miami I scoped out a great Cuban restaurant, gorged on fried plantain, yucca, and chicken and then got myself and carry on bags searched over again for the second flight into Lima.

Relative to arriving in Delhi last year, Lima was a breeze. Whatever chaos there was barely blipped my radar screen. I changed some dollars into soles and then a cab driver asked me if I´d like a lift into town. We chatted about everything under the sun--politics, poverty, teen pregnancy, AIDS, and climate change. Through what seemed like an extraordinary number of backstreets (Lima has very few freeways), we arrived in Miraflores, a district that houses lots of hotels and is right along the beach. The hotel I thought I had booked through the Internet did not have any rooms left and so my driver found me something else. It was fine. The staff were friendly and I found what I needed: a bed to get horizontal in.

The next morning I set out on a personal walking tour down over to the coast. I wandered through a modern city with marked contrasts between those with access to resources and those who dream of more. One of my favorite spots was a romantic lovers spot where there was a statue of a smitten couple embracing. Amidst the surrounding gardens countless couples followed suit. Clearly Lima, unlike India, has no restrictions on public displays of affection! Next I found a Museum of Gold, an outpost of the primary museum. Nonetheless it was fun. I took pictures of gold nose-pieces, headdresses, and explored the gold casting process. On top of the pre-programmed audio tour, a guide came over and threw in comments. Enventually our conversation moved from Inca gold into his desires to move the LA and earn a lot more money!

After a seaside lunch I caught a cab over to the anthropology museum. There I took in the grand story of Peru and it´s many indigenous peoples. The European conquests...and the emergence of new cultures and new ways. As I wandered into the gift shop there were a couple of spiffed up Inca artisans who were demonstrating weaving and doing whatever they could to stimulate sales...

Afterwards I wandered a bit more, taking in whatever appeared to me. I´d heard there was a night tour that seemed like a safe way to take in the nightlife of this purportedly dangerous city. I caught another cab back to Miraflores where the tour was supposed to start. Upon arrival I was told the tour had just sold out. Meanwhile I´d begun to chat with my driver David, who happened to be born on the same day I was (Jan. 15), but many years before... Nonetheless it seemed like a fun coincidence and he offered to stop being a cab driver for the rest of the night and instead offer me a personal tour of Lima.

We went to the central plaza which was still decked out with Christmas decorations. It was filled with energy and light. Then we found a "peoples tour" (30 cents each) in a micro-bus up to a mountain that overlooks the city. The bus took at least an hour filling up each and every seat before it would proceed. The guide rambled on in Spanish while the tourists (all South American) carried on their private conversations... The view on top was fantastic. Serene black hills encased in a gold-studded city. Eventually we returned to the cab and then made our way to a delicious dinner. There were just a couple of hours until I had to be deposited at the airport for my early morning flight to Cusco.

We slept a little as he spun "what if" fantasies...of the life he might have if I would take him home with me. He´d work hard, study hard and make something of himself...and we´d raise a family filled with Peruvian children. Interesting. And certainly a big change for both of us. Same time I could largely sense that we had nothing much in common other than shared birthdates! Being somewhat an astrology afficianado (his screen name includes the word "capricornio"), he may have been a bit more convinced than I.