To celebrate the last weekend in Peru, Renee and I went out in Miraflores. We started the night with a glass of Gato, a Chilean boxed wine, chased with Mankekes, Peruvian snack cake delites. Delish. Classy. This was followed by a papa rellena (mashed potatoes stuffed with beef and whatever else and deep fried) and soup that tasted like the ocean. Meh. We went to a really touristy street and found a bar that had a liter of beer for 10 soles (about $4). Sat down there and were almost immediately joined by some Peruvian dudes who wanted to flirt. They zoned in and talked to us separately. Renee´s guy looked like a chipmunk hobbit. Peruvian guys are always trying to get us to kiss them. What a pain. But they were nice and were starting an NGO, so we chatted. They bought us caiparhinas and got us to go to a discotheque, where we danced way too close and then ditched them for each other and danced way too close. Then we escaped and walked like show ponies back to the hostel, high stepping it so we wouldn´t trip. We haven´t been drinking much, and were really hungover the next day. Took a taxi to Lima and felt seasick like I was on a boat to the Ballestas Islands and smelling guano. The ride was only 15 minutes long, but it felt like an eternity and I clutched my yellow plastic grocery back like it was the only thing keeping me alive. When we got to our hostel in Lima central, we collapsed on the beds. But we were starving, and had to go eat something. Somehow, the worst restaurant in the area pulled us in . We ended up with greasy, tough chicken, rice, and lukewarm sweet potatoes. I also got the house soup, which was chicken and really tasty. It took the edge off the nausea until I dipped my spoon really deep and came out with...a chicken foot. No, really. A whole foot was in my bowl. I almost spewed. After that shock, I took shallow spoonfulls of broth. Occasionally I had to hold back a gag when a broken off chicken toe showed up in my spoon.
Goddammnit, Peru. How I have loved and hated you. How often you have mystified, inspired, and disgusted me.
This is my last day here. Today was devoted to eating the best Peruvian things: churros (long donuts with sugar on the outside and caramelly goo on the inside), big sweet popcorn, mazamora (goo dessert made from the purple corn served with arroz con leche), lomo saltado (stir fried beef, tomatoes, onion, ginger, and french fries), etc etc etc. It´s going to be shocking and sad in some ways to return to normal life. But I think that this trip has reopened my eyes to the possibilities and excitement that life holds.
