There are tons of things I could talk about this week. I could talk about all the animals that Ronnie Milam, Kelly Esposito, Clodagh Mullen, and I just saw in the Amazon jungle... the squirrel monkeys, the parrots, the macaws, or maybe the giant chicken spider that could have eaten our guide Gabriel in one sitting. I could mention the food we have eaten, the ceviche and other South American dishes that are now a delicacy. We even stayed in lodges that served us three course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But no. My trip to Peru was made tonight. Tonight we celebrated my birthday, in probably the most epic birth anniversary of all time.The day started out epic, and got more "epic-er." At half past four in the morning, our field guide Gabriel woke us up for breakfast. At five I was presented with a oval platter, filled with a cornucopia of fruit: mangoes, watermelon, melons, and other delicacies of which I know not the appellation. They sang Happy Birthday (which Marcos and Josef, our new German and Croatian friends, decided to join in the singing... after drinking their beers at the bar. Mind you it's five in the morning), and then we walked 3 miles through the Amazon mud jungle, full of booby traps and spider webs aimed at my face, back to our boat. From there, we departed to Puerto Maldonado, to the city where the journey began. A hop, skip, and a jump over the mountains of Peru and we were back in Lima.
Mind you, I have not gotten to the juicy part yet. We showered (finally), got money out of the ATM, and searched diligently for Kelly's spandex store. This took some buscar-ing, but once it was found, it was worth the wait. We will be returning to the store tomorrow to retrieve even more of this excessively tight material, of course. This essentially has made Kelly's trip. After a quick jaunt to Cafe Beirut, we sat down for my birthday dinner and I once again tasted my new favorite dish, ceviche.
Now. Local peddlers frequently accost you when walking the streets of Lima. Ronnie and I have been asked on approximately six occasions whether or not we would like to purchase "the weed" or perhaps some cocaine. No, gracias, estoy bien. But sometimes they are simply asking for money. Tonight, however, a local band - fondly named Sentimiento Andino - playing the tiny guitar, pan flute, and the drums, was looking for a tip after playing in front of us at Cafe Beirut. It was Ronnie's idea first, and Kelly did the bargaining. My team asked how much it would cost to play music behind me for 15 minutes while I walked around Lima square. How much does it cost (after bargaining and reminding them that it was indeed my cumpleanos) you ask? It costs 20 soles, or about 7 dollars. So por quince minutos, they played the birthday song, and other Peruvian jingles, at my expense. Never in my entire life have I been so embarrassed on my birthday, not since I was a pimply teenager, praying that the song would end and my friends would stop looking at me. And so they played. And so I danced. I crip walked around Lima square, dancing with Ronnie and the girls while they played behind me. People were turning and clapping, laughing at those silly gringos and their ridiculous, mostly comical dancing. We were a spectacle. Videos were filmed in our honor, and even the policemen who were not supposed to crack a grin were smirking at those silly white people. We were the stars of the market place, a free show for those who came out. I cannot put into words my elation and embarrassment combined. It was quite a night.
A fantastic birthday gift. I paid them triple. Thank you Ronnie, Kelly, and Clodagh for the most memorable birthday I have had to date.
Cheers.
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