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Donde esta Tony Pabon?
At 9:00 pm Michelle and I arrived at JFK for our flight to Lima, Peru. The red eye flight was the perfect idea so that we wouldn't waste all day Thursday traveling. After completing the rounds of phone calls, excited, and already accomplished ( I finally beat the impossible round in Angry birds), we boarded! Luckily, we were able to snatch seats together, so that I could help Michelle survive her severe hatred for flying. Several times, I had to reassure her that the rattling was normal and that the screeching noise was only the wheels folding up. Finally, the Xanax kicked in and well my job was essentially done! Sure enough, we arrived safely!
Here in Lima, we are staying with Michelle's friend Tony. I guess for Michelle the perk about living in Manhatten is the ability to meet people from all over the world and lucky for me it means a free place to stay in Peru for a night or two! And with the initials TP I know Tony and I will hit it off real well! (Right Kap?)
Tony gave Michelle specific directions to call from a pay phone
the minute we arrived, along with only exchanging forty dollars at the airport. After easily passing through immigration, Michelle and I literally waited 45 minutes for our bags before tackling the wretched pay phone! I don't even remember the last time using a pay phone. And well, naturally we would have problems; we would have saved some aggravation and time if we only realized the first one was broken. So on to the next one (through the doors of Customs and into the pool of swarming Taxi drivers!) After Shoo-ing off a few drivers, Orlando finally won us over with his Peruvian charm. Shoving an address in front of his face, he assured us he would securely deliver us to our location! But...before we set off another attempt to call Tony was the only way to get Michelle to shut up. Of course no success...and we were off to surprise Tony!
Passing through the doors to the cab, the pollution slapped us in the face. Hazy grey covered the city and the smells of Bankok and Guatemala City were looming! (Ugh! I thought I'd gotten rid of those smells.) The smell was a cross between burnt oil and burnt
popcorn. Yummy! We jumped into Orlando's beat up black sedan with tires that've seen better days. However, it was equipped with trendy tinted windows and smooth leather seats. Quickly we learned that driving between the lines is not necessary and a three lane highway quickly doubles! Michelle panicked and well I was trying not to get car sick. And for the first time, I was not shocked by foreign transportation. I just needed to get out of that car.
The cab rolled up to Tony's apartment complex around 8:00 A.M and well Michelle's biggest fear of why it was essential to get in touch with him came true. He lived in an apartment complex. What apartment number do we buzz? I took the liberty to sneak into the gate after a family leaving. Not worried, I trekked up the stairs hollering "Tony!" A man heard me and sent me to the fourth floor, where I then proceeded to knock on every door. Unfortunately, there was no Tony, rather two disturbed neighbors hanging out of their windows really hoping I would leave. So how did we finally find Tony you wonder? Pay phone of course! We just needed help from the
store owner on the corner.
With very little sleep being had on the plane a necessary siesta was in order before touring the city. In the afternoon we took off for Lima Center taking in the architecture of many bright yellow buildings. The conversation quickly turned to food, when we all realized we hadn't really had much that day. Suddenly, I was blinded when I spotted my favorite Latin snack...chiffles! I really couldn't contain myself and I indulged in a pre dinner munch. A quick cab ride to the Pacific coast got us to Barranco where we dined at Songoro Cosonga after a local's recommendation. He said, "the black lady in the kitchen cooks up some mean cuisines." I don't know how politically correct that statement was but it turned out to be some awesome "Comida Peruana" Stuffed to the bone, we decided to walk off dinner along the coast all the way to Miraflores to enjoy the sunset. Next stop...the casino for Cuba Libres and one sola slot machines. Being very calculated, I turned out to be the only winner that evening! It was fun hitting the "combrar" button and watching all of my solas spit from the
machine. I literally won 3 American dollars, but it was just fun repeating the word "solas" all night long. We continued to hop around Lima and stopped at a new place where Tony insisted that Michelle and I try a Peruvian drink. Very content with my rum and coke, I was very hesitant to give the Pisco Sour a try considering egg whites was an ingredient. A sea green drink with what appeared to be beer foam appeared in front of me. Not sure, what to think at the moment, I took a sip. It was TERRIBLE! Lastly, we finished the evening with salsa dancing to live music!
Today on the agenda "power" gliding (aka paragliding) along the coast! Tomorrow off to Arequipa! Hopefully, we have better luck with the Internet.
Stay tuned...
Christina
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