here with her more than 2 months in advance. It'd been really hard for me to do that. I still remember her calling me
through the internet to plan it all out and make it work. I was sitting at the kitchen table of my new Irish family, Stumbles, I assume, somewhere in Connecticut. But she convinced me despite my worries. I was worried that my spur of the moment nature would try to lead me in an opposing direction before our departure as the winds can shit quickly and unpredictably. Once I'd bought the plane ticket though, I was committed. And that's how I got to Cuzco.
The food is amazing. Out of everywhere I have been, it is absolutely my favourite. All we did our first day was sit on the balconies of restaurants eating alpaca, ceviche, and an assortment of things I've never really even heard of. Drinks the whole way through as well, pico sours, coco sours, lemonade with rum, wine, and beer. The shit was cheap. And this is vacation so why not splurge with my friends a little? It was good.
The locals like my dreads a lot. Comments of Bob Marley and ragea and flurries of Spanish I could only understand through context flew at
me as we'd walk down the street. I always think that's funny. And, as well, offers of marijuana and, we are in South America mind you, cocaine. Most people I ignore, but some are fun loving and it's good to at least to try to practice my more than shitty spanish.
Flip is looking for some good hearty home food. So we go on the search . Ignoring the assault of locals trying to get us to by this or that or go here or there we wander a bit right? We go into one place, but it's dead so we peaced. Then around the corner Flip finds a little gyro shop and decides it's the one for him. He and Stumbles cross the street, he goes in to grab one and Stumbles lights up a cigarette outside, but I'm stopped by a guy who is speaking spanish on my level. And by that I mean
"Hola, como estas?"
"Muy bien, y tu?"
"Bien! Bien! Cual es tu nombre?"
"Me llamo es Harrison"
"Harrison, tu necesitas marijuana? Cocaine?"
Well I'm just a curious fella and I'd just been asking prices from all the offers just to see ye know?
"Cuantas cuestas?"
"Tu quieres cocain o marijuana?"
"Cocain, cuantas cuestas?"
"Para tu, special price, 100 sol, you can try for free."
At this point I was like I should get back over to the others, so I walked across the street, the guy coming with me of course. My gears were turnin a little bit. That inexplicable draw to the unknown, burrowing it's way out of the oh so shallow grave where it lies in my soul.
"For free I can try?"
"Si! Yes, let's go to a bar. Vamos al bar, pero wait here un momento."
Stumbles can see what's happening and I tell her if he ain't back by the time Flip's got his gyro we're gonna leave. I'd always been curious, but I'd never thought about actively persuing Charile. Out of pure curiosity I wanted to see what kind of guy he is. So I guess the universe sent Charlie to pursue me, because the guy was back as Flip walked out gyro in hand. He led us upstairs into the bar next door, and we all sat down for a beer or whatever. I didn't know how this was going to go down but he reaches across the table to give me a buisness card. Underneath that buisness card was something else.
"Go to el baño y try"
Charlies a pretty cool guy. I met him in a bathroom in Cuzco, Peru completely by chance. We had a good moment together and I don't doubt we're friends now, but I don't think he's the sort of guy I could be best friends with.
.
