In which I become a Peruvian Bartender

I just had a surreal experience. I'm back in Lima, staying at the same hostel that I stayed at on the very first day of my trip (that is surreal enough)... and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon sitting in a Starbucks, drinking a chai latte, listening to classic (North) American Christmas tunes, gazing at a decorated tree indoors (fake) and the non-decorated palm trees outdoors (very real) as well as the blazing sun, Peruvians chattering in Espanol, and reading a magazine in Spanish. What a juxtaposition. It's hard to imagine that back home in Seattle people have been playing in the snow all week.

Especially because MY week started in 100 degree heat, in Nasca, home of the famous Nasca lines. For those of you who are not my dad: the Nasca lines are these GIGANTIC drawings made on the floor of the desert by the people of the Nasca culture for god knows what reason, in god knows what way. There are many speculations: special calendars, used for religious purposes, star charts, maps of underground water, etc. but no one really knows why they are there. Some of the lines are perfectly straight, stretching on into infinity. Others are huge geometric shapes; perfect squares hundreds of feet long by hundreds of feet wide, trapezoids, rectangles. The most striking are actual drawings. A monkey, a hummingbird, some weird alien looking forms, a spider. The trick is (and this is also why no one knows how they were made) they are impossible to see except from in the air. SO, I took a plane. Which was slightly terrifying. It was a tiny aircraft, only 5 people including the pilot, and we all got to wear those little headphone thingys so we could listen to him talk. The experience was similar to being on a half hour rollercoaster, which I have to admit I loved a little bit. Others were not so happy-- there were several people running to the bathroom once we landed. Seeing the lines from high up was really incredible, though. I still think there is probably no way they could have been made except by aliens.

From Nasca I headed to Huacachina, which is the epitome of a 'cartoon' oasis. Just outside the city of Ica, it is surrounded by towering sand dunes, and is a perfect blue oval fringed in palm trees, as well as restaurants and hostels with balconies and hammocks overlooking the water. As I was checking into my hostel, one of the guys working there hurried to the front desk and looked at me, then said 'Do you know how to make a mojito?' Um... yes? I hesitantly replied in the affirmative, not really knowing what was going on, and the dragged me through the kitchen into the bar area. Apparently someone had ordered a mojito, and instead of telling them that they didn't know how to make it, they hoped a solution would come quickly. I suppose I was that solution (though I do have to wonder what they would have done if I hadn't shown up...) So I made a sorry excuse for a mojito, using lime, sparkling water, crappy rum, sugar, and creme de menthe. I kept telling them that you couldn't make a mojito without fresh mint, but they were determined. After I finished they all tasted it, and proclaimed it good, then offered me a job. Apparently they were short on staff and needed another bartender. I was slightly tempted to say yes, and stay in Huacachina for a few months laying in hammocks and mixing drinks, but it is just a testament to how much I love you all that I declined.

On my way back to Lima yesterday I stopped to do a boat tour of the Paracas islands, which are known for their wildlife. There I saw REAL PENGUINS!!! as well as a million sea lions (so cute), pelicans, and other seabirds. Then I was informed that the only 'tourist' bus going back to Lima wasn't leaving until 4:30. Which wasn't ideal, since it was only about 10am, and I didn't really want to spend the day in Paracas (and get to Lima late, late at night). So I used my resources (aka, really bad Spanish and lots of courage) and asked around, finally finding a friendly cab driver who drove me to the pan-American highway, waited for 15 minutes, and stood in the middle of the road to flag down the passing local bus. It was a bit cramped for a 6 hour ride, but at least I had a seat (to share with my pack) and ladies coming on at every stop (read: approx every 20 minutes, as we stopped in EVERY SINGLE LITTLE TOWN) selling ice cream. So my Thanksgiving consisted of lots of ice cream, and a few peanuts. Could be worse.

So, I'm stuck in Lima for the next two days, until I fly out on Monday to Buenos Aires (yayyyyy!!!) Today I went for my first run in two months (as it is not considered freakish to run in Lima, and there is a really nice path along the beach) and it did not go as badly as I had feared. Which is probably the highlight of my trip thus far (kidding. But I was pretty thrilled to find that I hadn't completely gotten out of shape). And I got my laundry done. All of those little things that get pushed aside until completely necessary. It's nice to have some time to stretch out, relax, and have a slightly normal life. Of course, it's good that it's not for too long, otherwise I might not be able to stand it :)