Peru Q&A
Forest: How’s the weather?
Me (in Cuzco, Peru): Quite nice. We’re at altitdude, so it’s chilly at night. Feels like March in Seattle, actually. Everywhere else we’ve been (at sea level) it’s about 80 degrees all the time. it’s hot during the day here, though.
Forest: What was Lake Titicaca like?
Me: nice. no boobs or poop.
Forest: How are you connecting right now? You have someplace to install an IM client?
Me: in every internet cafe (in Cuzco, there’s four on each block) has Windows 98 (at least) and MSN messenger installed. I just install putty wherever I go and SSH home to check email and stuff.
Me: connectivity is NOT a problem in any city > 50k people in South America.
Forest: Did you ever get to the sandboarding?
Me: no sandboarding yet… probably won’t have time
Forest: Yah, it sounds like you guys are keeping busy.
Forest: I’ve been thinking it would be nice to bring the idea of “siesta” into north american culture…
Me: I feel the same!
Forest: What’s your best bargain so far?
Me: hmmm… best bargain?
Me: that’s a good question.
Forest: Haggling, I mean.
Me: We’re staying in a five-star hotel for US$9 a night right now… (talked him down probably 20%)
Forest: Oh yah? That’s pretty good right there.
Me: heh, yup
Me: food is dang cheap.
Me: We just ate a gourmet 3 course meal for about US$2 each.
Me: complete with coca tea
Me: I guess I’ll test positive for cocaine when I return home.
Forest: Yes, when you pee in the cup at work.
Me: heh. And they thought it was COFFEE!
(Editor’s note: We started haggling a ton since Northern Chile. Whenever prices aren’t posted, let the haggling begin! Even when prices are posted, we can still haggle a little)
Forest: How’s Eva as a traveling companion?
Me: Hmm. What’s good about Eva? Her stamina, strength, courage, knowledge, openness to try anything, light heart, kind spirit, her humor, and her cuteness!!
Forest: I wonder how that trade agreement will end up affecting the Chilean culture.
Me: yeah, they were talking about that a lot down here…
Me: they’re excited actually,
Forest: I don’t want just one monoculture, the world over, though…
Forest: The Canadians have their “mosaic” which is pretty cool. I think it’s more beautiful than a melting pot.
Me: give it more opportunities like Puerto Rico. but yeah, I agree on the melting pot dealie.
Forest: Melting pots end up all brownish and formless.
Me: you just described the drinking water here.
Forest: And squoogy.
Forest: Yum!
Forest: Do you use a filter or something? Or what do you drink instead?
Me: buy bottled, everywhere.
Me: it’s about $0.30 a liter
Forest: Oh, cheap.
Forest: Isn’t the air kind of polluted everywhere you go?
Me: just by cars/buses circling like bees
Me: I’m breathing so much CO I don’t know who I am anymore! Who am I?
Forest: You’re Julio Iglesias, a famous singer.
Forest: You’re on an incognito tour for an American game show.
Me: dude, sweet!
Forest: You can work on the slang later.
=======
Sliwa: hows the surf there? it was great in costa rica from my towel on the beach.
Me: heh, it was okay
Me: we went out in Iquique, Chile
Me: warm water, decent waves
Me: but the only board in town was a 6′5″ shorty with a duct-taped split in the middle and a broken nose. Ugh.
Me: kitesurfing looked fun, but we couldn’t find anyone to pay to teach us, suprisingly.
Sliwa: a lot of drug use down there?
Me: a little bit of people smoking marijuana on the streets, etc.