Party Crashing in Ayacucho

Ayacucho is the place to be during La Semana Santa. Luckily, we were able to stay with a relative because the place fills up about a month in advance. And bus tickets are around twice the normal price (we paid $70 each). So far, it's been a very interesting week...

A few hours before the bus was scheduled to leave, we went back to my aunt's place in Lima to finish packing and get our stuff. However, when we arrived, nobody was home and we didn't have a key. The doorman called my aunt, and she said we could get in through the terrazo, which is the back patio area. So Brian gamely starts to climb over the fence, but we didn't know that the tiles on either side were purely decorative, hence not fastened securely. The tiles fell, Brian fell, I fell, and all the neighbors poked their heads out the window to see what the racket was. It turns out my aunt had wanted us to wait for doorman to bring a ladder for us to climb over...oops! Brian's new knockoff sunglasses broke and he got scratched up a bit, but otherwise everything was ok. We are going to have to pay for the tiles, though.

We arrived in Ayacucho after a long and very winding bus ride and hopped into a colectivo for Huanta, about an hour away. There, we were warmly met by my cousin's aunt and treated to some great Peruvian hospitality.

During the week, there were many somber processions with elaborate statues of holy figures. This was very interesting and nice to see, but when Saturday arrived, I saw why everyone wants to be here for this week. In the morning, there was a running of the bulls (which Brian and I missed), and then everyone gets rip-roaring drunk for the whole day until the Easter mass at 4 A.M. It looked like a version of Spring Break, except that here people keep their shirts on. Well, the ladies at least. The locals jokingly call this La Semana Tranca - everyone is so drunk that it's like they're on tranquilizers.

We were walking around, having already had a few beers, when we wanted to find a place to drink some more and sit down in the shade. We saw a likely hole in the wall and walked in. Just when it dawned on us that this was a private party, two men in cowboy hats slapped us on the back and offered us a beer. We ended up spending a few hours there, drinking copious amounts of beer and meeting everyone at the party. Peruvians are great people.

Back in Huanta, there was another party at my aunt's house, some sort of police get-together. This is the first time I've been around that many drunk policemen! At around 9 they all stumbled home and we cleaned up. When we went to check on the grill an hour later, we found a straggler sleeping soundly in the grass. Overall, I'd say that this week has been a success, and I'm a little sad to be leaving.

Jorge and I act like children

Yesterday Jorge and I decided to do some last minute sightseeing around Lima before I leave on my next grand tour. We found ourselves by the zoo, so we spent a good couple of hours there. The highlights were the bear (definitely a bachelor bear) scratching himself and waving to visitors, and the parrots.

The blue parrot and I had a connection: he came down so I could take a picture, and he even wolf-whistled at me once.

 

In the middle of the zoo, we found a mirror maze. We decided to go in, just for fun. I thought it would be a piece of cake since it's for children, but man was I wrong. And no, I was not ever at any moment afraid of the dark interior... ok, maybe just a teeny tiny bit.  Anyway, we definitely did not make it out within the 6 minute limit.

Later that night, we went to a nice cafe in Barranco for dinner and saw that they had games, and we just had to play Jenga. We had so much fun acting like small children and cheating outrageously. It's so nice to find people who like to play board games and card games! And it's also really nice to spend an entire day doing kid things.

 

World Cup Mania

On Friday, Peru played Chile (here in Peru) in the World Cup qualifiers. Traditionally, it's a big rivalry, which traditionally Chile has always won. I went to a hostel to watch with a friend and his buddies. Excitement was high, but expectations were low.

 

During the game, Peru had possession most of the time and there were many moments of breathless anticipation... and then huge sighs of disappointment as they kept missing their shots. Finally, in the 87th minute, they scored. Everyone jumped up and hugged, much beer was spilled, and I was so psyched that I managed to ram my elbow/funny bone onto the nearby tiki torch, which thankfully was unlit.  My arm is fine now, but I did have my doubts. Outside, everything was a chaos of honking horns and waving flags. Strangers would walk up to each other and shout, "¡Que vive Perú carajo!" ("Long live Peru, dammit!") Overall, it was a very happy night for Peru.

What a day!

Yesterday was definitely the most eventful day I've had in Peru so far. I witnessed a robbery, got pooped on twice, got tricked by a sneaky Peruvian, and blew a surprise, all in one day. It all began when I was walking to meet a friend at her NGO job to chitchat for a bit. As I was walking along the beautiful green park, watching the dogs lolling in the grass, listening to the birdsong, feeling very peaceful and in tune with nature, I felt a drop of rain on my arm. ...Except that there wasn't a cloud in sight. I looked down at my arm to see a nice fat fresh circle of bird poop. So much for in tune with nature.

After leaving my friend, I was on my way to meet another friend, Jorge,  who has been showing me around the city and not letting me pay for a thing. Waiting at the station, I saw a man selling jerseys, and since there is a Peru - Chile game today, I thought it would be nice to get him one. I asked the man very specifically for a player from La U, not Alianza. Those are two clubs with a famous rivalry, and Jorge is a diehard U fan. The vendor very kindly pointed out two players from La U and suggested a famous one, Farfan. So I bought that one and, very happy with my surprise, waiting for a good moment to surprise my friend.

Fast forward an hour or two, and the subject of the game comes up while we're sitting in a cafe. Excited, I pull out the jersey and show him. His face lights up when he sees the jersey, but when I show him the back, his smile freezes in place. Uh oh. Turns out, Farfan plays for Alianza. I can just see that vendor laughing to himself for pulling one over on the gringa. To top it all off, on the way back from the cafe, yet another pigeon poops on my bag and my foot: extra points for getting a two-for-one.

After the cafe, we went to the Parque de Las Aguas to see the water show and fountains there. At the entrance, I saw two men running at top speed. For a split second, I thought they were fooling around, until I saw the iPhone clutched in the first guy's hand and the look on the second guy's face. They hurdled the entrance, both getting entangled in the chain before regaining their footing, and sped off down the block. I still don't know if they got the guy, but since there were five cop cars in the vicinity, I sure hope they did.

After all the events of the day, I was relaxing in Jorge's house with some of his friends, drinking a few beers. While Jorge went into the kitchen, I was chatting with his friend Carlos, who's getting married soon. I turned to him and said, "So tomorrow's your bachelor party, huh?" He looked at me with a blank face and replied, "Oh really? I didn't know." Then Jorge came running out, saying, "It was going to be a surprise!" Whoops.

Begin at the beginning

I finally decided to bite the bullet and start my very own blog. Yes, I know the world doesn't need another blog. That's evidenced by the fact that I had to try about seven names before I found one that was free. By the way, it means "life is short, so eat dessert first." Well, basically that. But I decided that my friends and family and some random strangers who stumble on this page should know what I'm up to.

So, without further ado, here is My Blog. Expect infrequent updates, occasional vulgarity, stunning photos, reflections (complaints) about life in South America, funny anecdotes, and profound insights about life in general.