I haven’t done jack shit today. I went out earlier to the supermarket and then to the internet cafe. Other than that today has been quite uneventful. I need to start clamping down on my expenses in order to survive out her for four more weeks. I am clueless on what is going on right now as far as my travel plans go. I still have not heard from Veronica or Eloise yet so I’m not sure what to think. It would be upsetting to me if they just ditch me, but I suppose there is nothing I can do about it if that is the case. I have actually felt quite lonely today. Not quite homesick yet just a little lonely as I do enjoy being around others. It is time to move on in my journey and meet some new people if things don’t pan out with the girls. I guess I should start planning where to go next.
As you can probably tell, I had a gut feeling that the plans to travel with Eloise and Veronica weren’t going to happen and as I stated earlier was getting worried financially. I still had a long time to go as well. Staying in the hotel was just not a wise option money wise and I could save at least half the money I spent by staying in a hostel instead. Thankfully one of the nights that Grant and I had gone out he had shown me a really sociable hostel that would have some fun late night parties. Unless you stayed there however, they were prompt to have you leave, but it gave me a taste of what I desired. I had decided this would be my last night in the hotel and tomorrow I was going to check in to the hostel.
I ended up going out with Veronica last night. That was after I had settled down. We came back to the hotel around 3:00 a.m.and chatted for a bit before I crashed out. I woke up kinda late today. I got up around 1:00 p.m. I haven’t heard or seen a thing from the girls today. They probably went into either Lima or Miraflores again to do some shopping. Maybe I’ll hear from them later. If we really plan to travel together we need to make a plan on as to where to go next. We need to get our laundry tomorrow before we head out. I guess I can only sit and wait to see what happens.
I’m still conflicted on whether I was getting the shake from Eloise and Veronica and whether they really ever did intend to travel with me or if they were just trying to be nice. As I read through the entries I feel like in hindsight they were but I wonder if perhaps I was just too pressuring on things. That will turn anyone away. Reading through these entries I was clearly intending on traveling with them but also it seems like they were trying to ditch me in a nice way or at least it felt like that. I do recall Eloise being pretty sick and it could be as plain and simple as that. Veronica was worried about her friend and they needed to be sure she was well before they left. That’s totally understandable and I truly wish I could recollect all those events from that time. As I mentioned, I’m not going to embellish anything, everything I put down is the reality. It’s very possible that my very obvious insecurities could be the sole reason they decided they didn’t want to. I can understand that. I also recollect confessing to Veronica that I had a crush on Eloise, I’m sure it didn’t stay confidential. Come to think of it perhaps Eloise really wasn’t as sick as I was thinking she was and it was just a cover for them to get rid of me. That probably makes the most sense as shortly thereafter I really only saw and hung out with Veronica.
Before I jump into this day’s entry I wanted to fill in some details that I realize I have unintentionally omitted. The name of the plaza that I had gone to in Miraflores was Larcomar. I was actually able to edit a picture I had taken while there and it is posted below. The reason I edited it was because it was a picture of Eloise. As I have mentioned earlier, there is no one from this trip that I have had constant and continued contact with. Therefore, I didn’t want to go posting up pictures without anyone’s permission. I will be reaching out to some I am friends with on facebook to see if it’s okay for me to put up pictures of us together. I hope they don’t mind but if they do I will completely respect their wishes. I did want to post this picture however just to give you a visual of what I had seen. You can see the time stamp in the left corner. All the pictures I had taken with my camera I had it set so they would be time stamped. This was how I knew I didn’t take the picture of the catacombs but Mark and Christine were nice enough to let me have a copy of some of their photos at that time. I also want to let you know that while Lima is a big city it was actually pretty navigable. The small suburb I had stayed at was 5 minutes from Miraflores when taking a cab and it was the same to get to center Lima as well. The longest cab ride I had taken when I was there was 20 minutes and that was going to the airport to pick up my backpack when it had finally arrived. Other than that it was easy to get around by foot as well. Barranco had a very bohemian and cozy feel to it and Miraflores was the gathering place for tourists as it had shopping and what seemed to be the happening place to be for nightlife. It was also in a great location as you can tell from the photo below it wasn’t the worst view you will see. One more thing I wanted to add in quickly, Grant had left earlier in the night on my last entry because he had found out that Veronica was gay. I knew it seemed sort of abrupt how he wanted to just leave us behind. At the time I was unaware but the way things had started working out I was sort of chatting up Eloise most of the time and Grant was getting cozy with Veronica or so he thought. In end he wasn’t going to waste his time… it was a veteran’s move and if I were still in the game, one I would employ now as well. I did have a lot of fun with those girls that night and I had gone to their room with them in hopes of something sexual but I was never Don Juan Demarco and always feared rejection. I also always respected “No” with that being said as I had grown older I also realized that sometimes no was yes…. I may get some shit for that last comment and I don’t mean it in the way that I in any means ever pushed myself on someone without their consent but just in terms of how some girls play the game. They do it in the thrill of being pursued I think. Veronica had let me know she was gay as well later in the night or I should say early in the morning which was how I discovered the reason for Grant leaving earlier than us. Perhaps that’s the reason why there was so much emotion and weirdness to follow.
Photo taken the Larcomar sans Eloise that’s why it looks a little odd in the middle
Well, went out with Eloise and Veronica again tonight. It has been a weird day as each of us has had our moments of drama. I really didn’t think I would have one buy eventually did. I had a couple bottles of wine with Veronica and I don’t know just had a hair come across my ass. It wasn’t directed towards them but more within myself.I just need to relax or something. The biggest truth is that I have a crush on Eloise and I just don’t think it’s going to happen and in turn it makes me sad to be honest. That‘s really all I can write for now.
Reading that last entry firsthand is interesting. Remind you I had two bottles of wine so the handwriting was much sloppier than my usual. The drama I speak of I can’t entirely remember other than that Eloise had seemed to be getting sick. She had gotten bitten by a bug and it seemed to be getting the better of her. I think they also may have been a bit stressed about traveling with me in hindsight. At the time I felt like they really enjoyed being around me but perhaps it was only in my head. After you read the next few entries you can make your own judgment…
Well, still in Lima (Barranco) and made no progress today as I had tied one on last night with Grant and two Irish girls we had met. Veronica and Eloise are their names. It was a long night that went into the early dawn.Grant actually went back to the hotel around 3:00 A.M. and I took a cab into Miraflores with the girls. We had a great time and went back to the hotel at around 6:00 A.M. They were staying in the same hotel and I ended up crashing with the two of them. No sexual contact but it was still nice laying in a full bed. I like weird stuff like that. When we finally got up and about we went into Miraflores again to check out the area some more and to get a bite to eat. We went and ate at a Burger King in a huge touristy plaza. It was like an outdoor mall in a way. It was very open spaced and only the stores were the places that had a roof. It was a beautiful location right near the ocean. We played some arcade games and went to see Zodiac at the movie theater. It was a good film. I now have also decided that I will be traveling a bit with the girls as they seemed to grow akin to me. Everything changes when you go on a journey. Most of my life I have strayed form set plans as anything can occur. I had some idea for planning on this trip and it has seem to have taken a course of its own. I’m not sure if I am going to travel until I have to go home with the girls or if I will branch off to do other things. I will just have to see I guess. I do prefer to travel in a pack though as it does make things more safe. I guess only time will tell. Thus far this trip has been great and I have never felt so free. I have already changed, as I already anticipate some other journey, maybe back to South America. It depends on how much I get done while I’m here on this trip. Well, it’s getting late and I should get some sleep now. Until next time…
As I read back on that entry I laugh at the absurdity of eating at a Burger King as opposed to something more cultural. I have evolved so much since then. I never went too far outside the box back then. If it was familiar that’s what I went for. I’m much more willing to try something new now. Another thing I notice from that entry is how I conveniently failed to even mention how I played a song after we had eaten dinner. There had been a man playing some songs. I had mentioned that I played and Grant wanted to hear me. He had no qualms going up and asking the guy if it were okay for me to play a song. He was very willing and offered me the guitar and the stool. While I can’t honestly recall how it came out (I’m thinking I bombed) I remember I played “In Your Eyes” it was a mix of Jeffrey Gaines cover and the original. Guitar parts were from the cover and I attempted to sing it like Peter Gabriel (Yeah right, dude). Perhaps it was on purpose I didn’t document it in the journal because I didn’t want to remember the performance. Either way, I can say I played a song in Peru. I’ve always struggled with self-esteem so I must have felt it wasn’t worth noting, yet the experience is still there. The memory is odd in how I can recollect that I did it but not the success of it. I’m sure alcohol was a large contributor to that. Knowing how I was back when I was 25 I’m certain it was a poor performance. I most likely screwed up during it and restarted it at least once. That seemed to be how it went for me back then. I’m thankful for how much I have matured. I no longer stop when I screw up when playing with my band. Granted, I didn’t have a band back then as it was just myself but it still was a horrendous habit to have. It’s amazing to see how horribly some of the entries are written also. They are pretty close to their originals but I have done light editing, mainly just removing the repetitive use of some of the same words. It seemed that I would repeat myself a lot and there ain’t nobody got time for that. Speaking of time, I’ll close for now by letting you know that there are some more hard lessons to come to yours truly.
I have a few spare moments right now so I thought I would write some more. I haven’t written this much in such a long time and to me it almost feels like being reborn. It’s been so long since I have been able to just take the time and do it without having a million things running through my already scattered mind. I actually want to write about a cat I have noticed. It’s a black and white cat and I believe it is living inside the roof of a building below me. I noticed it yesterday when I was looking out the window and when I looked down at the building below I saw a pair of eyes just staring at me. I took a picture of it tonight. I haven’t seen it go anywhere else so I wonder when it goes off into the street. I was observing it tonight and it was just chilling out on top of the building by its lair. I suppose it found a nice perch. I need to be fearless now and catch a bus in Lima so I can get to Cuzco. Just keep all my meaningful stuff on me and if someone takes shit from my backpack just consider it a loss. I hope that doesn’t happen though. I know when I leave I will miss this quaint little area. I have enjoyed my stay here that’s for sure but I must move onward. Take yet another step of progression just as I took when I first arrived here. Meet new people and experience new places. The open road lays ahead.
Well, unfortunately the pic I took of the cat is one of the photos I had taken that I think will be lost forever. It sucks because that’s one thing that I could have displayed to you but it just remains as a photo in my memory now. If somehow I come across it, I shall update this post with a picture of it. I don’t find that likely and feel that maybe it’s more meant to be like the moment that Gordie had in the movie Stand By Me when he sees the deer and never mentioned it until he wrote about it when he was an adult. I do remember being quite intrigued by the cat. It must have been the reason that drove me to write about it. It’s a bizarre thing because unlike dogs I’m not keen on cats, yet somehow this one managed to make an impact for a full entry in my journal. It’s not one of the more interesting entries I had made but things were just getting started…
I had posted a blog awhile back titled Lost Photos. It was about how I couldn’t recall where any of my pictures from South America were. Well, that still remains true, however, I have been able to gain access to my Myspace account which did have some photos from my trip on it. If you follow my blog, you know that lately I have been posting my journal entries from a trip I had taken to South America back in 2007. Accompanying these entries, I have been adding in my memories and afterthoughts in regards to each entry to help assist with filling in some details I hadn’t written in the journal itself. It’s an adventure that I have enjoyed retelling as well as something that is truly personal. Most of all I hope it paints a genuine picture of the events that happened over that period of time in my life. The idea of throwing in my insights now, is an effort to spice up the story with better details, not to fill with embellishment. I hope that goal has so far been accomplished. This is the main reason for this post as in my next journal entries I plan to start including some photos that relate to the entry. I just updated one of my previous ones with a photo taken from that day. I hope this adventure entertains you as much as it has entertained me to display it. Onward.
Went to that british pub last night with Grant. It was a good taste of back home. There was a guy playing acoustic by himself and he was pretty good. He started off by playing “Stuck in a moment” by U2. He sounded a lot like Bono actually. He also played a song by the Cure. I don’t know the title, Friday I’m in love maybe? I don’t know. He also played “No Rain” by Blind Melon. He was really good and I’m glad I went there. After that, Grant wanted to go back to the hotel so we parted ways for the night as I went out for a walk. I had a kid try to sell me some coke and he followed me to the street where my hotel was. It was was uncomfortable and I knew if I got caught I would be writing the rest of this journal from a Peruvian prison. Well, to make a long story short, just as I was heading to back to the hotel a police SUV came around the corner. He stopped me briefly, then decided to search the other kid. It was nerve racking even though I had nothing on me. I won’t even give any of those type the light of day anymore. Went to the airport and got my backpack. That’s a good load off my mind. I need to get out and take some pictures now as well as plan where to go next.
Man, I still remember how the lump in my throat felt seeing that SUV cruise around the corner. I had a weird gut instinct, like something was off. It almost felt like a sting but thankfully I didn’t fall for the bait. It was also very intimidating, the officer that stepped out was in camouflage and had a beret and looked to me as if he were in the army as opposed to law enforcement. When he stepped out, he held his hand up and yelled to me in spanish what I could only interpret as stop from his body language. I stopped and held my hands up and said ” No comprende” and pointed to the hotel saying “I’m just trying to go to my hotel.” He then waved his hand for me to go and then walked towards the kid and started to frisk him. He seemed a bit nervous and said to the officer ” No, that’s mi amigo, mi amigo!” while pointing to me. I replied with “No! not mi amigo, not mi amigo!” while I briskly walked away and into the safety of the hotel. I’m glad I remember these things, it’s really disappointing to me that I didn’t put all those details in at the time. This is why these afterthoughts are a good addition to this whole experience. The other thing I somehow fail to mention throughout the remainder of the journal was the fact that the very next day I crossed paths with that same asshole. He again tried to get me to buy coke and continued to call me amigo. He spoke broken english but enough so we could communicate. I simply told him I wasn’t going to because of the policia. He said “Oh policia, no problem, no problem.” I basically told him no and to leave me the fuck alone. One thing I realized during my trip is that there are many pushy people there and to avoid the hassle you simply have to be curt or just not make any eye contact. So I may have given a mild spoiler as in tomorrow’s entry there is no mention of how I bumped into that same kid the next day. I don’t know why I don’t mention it despite it being a memory that has always stuck in my mind. It’s pretty memorable when you are scared shitless thinking you could be part of a sting. I’m glad I listened to my gut instincts and declined the many pushes from the kid. He followed me all the way back to my hotel and I was very close to saying yes, but again, the gut instinct made me stand firm to no. I have no doubt had I said yes, I probably would’ve been in deep shit. There is potential for bribery there to get away with it but that’s not a guarantee. One of the best decisions I made on my trip was simply saying no that night because I have a firm belief that the kid may have been in cahoots with the police. My other thought is if he really even had any on him. He either bribed the cop if he had some on him or the cop just didn’t search him well enough. He did seem pretty nervous when the cop was starting to frisk him so I’m not really clear on what that whole situation was about. It felt to me like they were in bed with each other though so that’s the theory I will stick to. Another thought I reflect on is how the pub I had gone to had given me a taste of home. The reason being is there was a british pub back home that was one of my favorite bars named the Coat of Arms. It’s sad to say that pub is no longer around but I had many great times at that bar especially back at the time when all these events took place. That was the correlation of how it made me think of home. It gave me some comfort and familiarity going to that bar. It was something that helped to make myself feel at home in a place far from it.
If you’ve been following along you may have noticed that the title is the same day as the entry before. There were several occasions while writing this journal when I wrote two entries in the day. When I could, I would write an entry in the morning and an entry in the night. I wanted to document as much as I could so that THIS could happen. So that I’d have a real life story to tell. Without further ado, we start again…
Todays Advice: Don’t try to pet stray dogs. Yeah, it should be obvious I suppose but I just love dogs and wanted to give it some affection. I was in Lima with Mark and Christine, a very nice Bulgarian couple I had met at the hostel. They helped me and a girl named Kyun (pronounced Quinn) get a hotel room at which they were staying at as well. I spent the day with Christine and Mark and we went into downtown Lima. We checked out a few museums while we were there. One was pretty interesting, as it was a tour of a church and the catacombs that ran underneath it. It was kinda creepy to see a bunch of bones piled into boxes in a pit. Another museum was inside a bank and showed all types of gold from the Inca’s. It was neat it was neat seeing some of the stuff they used to wear. The last tour we took was all in spanish so I didn’t understand much of it at all. It was about the Holy Inquisition. It was boring until the tour displayed a room showing some of the methods of torture they used. Yeah, I’m whacked but all who know me aren’t surprised I found that part interesting. Anyways, I detoured a bit about the story of the stray dog. He or she was just laying out in front of an exhibit and it seemed pretty docile. It didn’t seem alarmed by people or anything. I just wantedto be nice and give it some attention so I walked over to it. It had the color scheme of a doberman but it wasn’t. It looked at me and I went slowly toward it’s head to pet it. As I reached slowly, it snapped at me. I pulled back in time but then it bit at my leg and grabbed hold of my pants. It didn’t bite me thankfully but I was alarmed and couldn’t even speak. Christine yelled at it and it ran off. Lesson was learned unfortunately. I still hope that maybe one will take a liking to me. Oh, and good news. My backpack has arrived at the airport. A load of stress is now off my back to be replaced with some meaningful weight now. Ironically, Grant has ended up staying at the same hotel. He said he would knock on my door later and we may go out and have a couple drinks and play some darts. I found a pamphlet for a british pub so we’re gonna try to check it out. I know that even though I don’t know him too much, he’ll be missed we part ways. He has definitely been a good part of my travel experience. I haven’t done much but I learn quick on the life of a traveler. You meet people and you leave people. That’s the way it goes. Traveling is something I love and embrace but I know it will be hard saying good bye to some of the people I meet.
Picture of the catacombs I had seen. Photo courtesy of Mark or Christine. Pictures weren’t supposed to be taken but they snuck a photo anyway.
As I reflect on this entry, I think of Mark and Christine. In all honesty, they were simply great people I met but looking back they were really tools I used. That is not to be read in a derogatory way but the literal way. I consider them as tools because they could speak and understand spanish. They had greatly assisted me with the communication barrier and as I mentioned, with being able to help me book a room. Other than those things and the fact I had written of them in my journal there’s not a whole lot I can recollect about them. Guardian angels rarely make flamboyant entrances though. I met a few on that trip. The people that I met while there that helped me the most I don’t remember a whole lot about other than they saved my hide in one way or another. I’m forever grateful for them though and for those who were praying for me. I’m not a particularly religious person but there was something looking out for me, of that I’ve been convinced.
“Well, he’s goin’ down in history though, eh?” That was a quote from Grant yesterday. The discussion was about a guy operating a crane for a beer commercial who had accidentally broke a chip off of one of the ruins at Macchu Picchu. I had said “I bet his ass got fired!” and that was Grant’s response. I got a damn good laugh out of it cuz it’s true. Still no word on my luggage and I’m getting quite antsy. I need to get things lined up so I can experience more than just Peru. I want to see Macchu Picchu myself but Cuzco is booming right now as the sun festival of Inti Raymi nears. I don’t want to risk the travel there without my backpack in case I need to set up my tent for a couple nights. I will feel much more at ease once I get my backpack. It’s really starting to piss me off. The lack of caring by the airlines and the stupid fat lady who sent me to the wrong line to wait in for 20 minutes, thus causing my late check-in and the reason for my lost luggage. All I care about really, is it being found. I almost don’t care if they send it back home at this point. I just need to know when I can head out and experience some more territory. I hope my dad got my birthday message yesterday. It’s weird… I don’t have a huge sense of missing people yet, maybe its because it is early in my trip and I’m eager to see more. I have to leave the Backpacker’s Inn tonight as they are expecting a large group to come in. The lady who runs the hostel is very nice and is allowing me to check in to see if my backpack arrives tomorrow or the day after. Well, my hand is cramping so I am going to write sometime later.
Grant had that quick witted humor that I’ve always liked and related to. Perhaps that was why he was so memorable to me from my trip. I can recall my carefree feelings in the beginning which caused me to not really miss anyone at first. My head was in a totally open space at that time anyways. Truth be told I guess it was what John Mayer calls a “Quarter life crisis” in his song Why Georgia. It was the reason I was going on such a completely random and relatively unprepared journey. It’s like you may have heard, “everything looks good on paper.” I believe I first heard those words from my dad along with ” No good deed goes unpunished” both which seem to be often more true than false. I had “planned” what I was doing about a month or two in advance before going. I had the whole thing pretty much mapped out of where I wanted to go and the places I wanted to see. Mind you no reservations were made whatsoever, which was why I was worried about going to Cuzco during the sun festival as I did do a lot of reading up on South America before I went. I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to book a room anywhere, therefore creating the possible need for my tent. I also went on this trip with, let’s just say, not a whole lot of money…. To be honest, I had a going away party where a lot of my friends and family came to see me off and there was a donation jar, that was honestly a majority of the money I had to bring with me along with my last paycheck. In retrospect, I guess I may have been one of the first GoFundMe assholes except without the use of the internet. Thanks to all that donated! If it wasn’t for friends and family I would’ve been in much more dire straits than I already was to begin with financially. The lost luggage was just a precursor to what was to be a roller coaster ride. As Hunter S. Thompson put it “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” The ticket had been bought all that was left was the ride.
It felt great to take a shower yesterday. I walked around the town and found a shop that had everything I needed to feel fresh and clean. I’m hoping my backpack arrives today so my trip won’t be delayed much longer. I’ve met a few people at this hostel I’m staying at. There’s Zach who is from Kansas. A white, skinny guy about my height (5’10”) with short, brown hair, and blue eyes behind his thin black rimmed glasses. He is in the same room as me and is here in Peru for a research team at his university. He has 3 weeks to kill I guess so is going to be traveling a bit before he goes to work. I don’t blame him, make the most of the situation. Also in my room is a guy who is from Ireland. Near Galway is what he told me, if my memory serves me right.Well, anyway he puts my 5 week trip to shame. He’s traveling all over the place for 6 1/2 month! Good news though, he told me Buenos Aires was the best city he’s stayed at yet. That gives me some hope. Last but not least, if anything he’s most notable to me. Grant, a guy who is probably 6’2″ and lean. He is from New Zealand and is trying to get his bike fixed to continue his motorcycle trip up to Central America and into Mexico. He’s a pretty cool laid back guy. I’ll see if he wants to walk around for a bit today. He seems to have a good grasp on the area. He’s been stuck here for awhile already. Well it’s time I start the day.
The South America saga continues. The above was my 2nd entry of my journal when I was in Peru. It’s funny how I left out so many details in some things as I read upon these again. I remember the name of the hostel I stayed at still. It was called the Backpackers Inn. I think I do mention the name of it in a later entry but it’s interesting I didn’t bring it up to begin with. I love reading these and adding in my insights after the fact. It puts a much better spin on things I believe. I hope you agree. My words are true when I mention Grant was most notable. I still think of him even though I never really knew him. He was a bit of a security blanket for me I suppose and I felt comfortable around him. He was my kind of people. The sad thing is I’ll most likely never see him again unless there’s another side and we reconnect there. I don’t want to spoil things too soon but there are several people that I met during my trip I still think of. Even though we may never cross paths again they are forever in my life’s fabric. They helped to weave together my experience in a strange land where everyone was a stranger. Yet they were family to me for the brief moments we knew each other. They probably had a bigger impact on me than I did on them. I’ve not communicated with any of them since, even though some I am friends with on Facebook. The wire works both ways, I’ve never reached out to them either. Everyone lives in a different country so a long lasting real friendship isn’t likely anyways is it?? Honestly, these days it probably could be if we tried. That’s not really the important thing. The important thing is we did have some moments shared together on journeys we will never forget. I do wonder if they ever out of the blue think of the long haired, American they traveled a bit with. Many of the people I met had been traveling for a while and I believe it’s the life of someone that does extensive traveling. You’ll have many shared memories with strangers some that will always stick and others sometimes muddled. This is something I have learned from some of my other travels over more recent years. It’s possible I shared a memory with a stranger and I don’t think of them but they think of me. It’s the moments that matter, they affect each person in different ways. It’s the beauty of life.
Basket of Thoughts 