Alright, so David.
David was a street comedian, well placed on the way back to our hostel from yet another......you guessed it.....Plaza De Armas. There was a large group of people gathered around a large open area, and I figured it might be worth seeing, considering it was evident that the area wasnt filled with the spray-painting artists who usually draw these types of crowds......Also, I quickly saw a short Peruvian man dressed in a (cute?) little black dress and stockings......the high heels came later. As quickly as i spotted him, he spotted Ayla´s and my white little faces amongst the crowd. Immediately we were the absolute center of attention. He asked us what country we were from and marveled in the fact we were real live Americanas (Norte). Then promptly made us reveal to half of Puno what our names were.......i half expected to be called by name by the street vendors the next morning, but i suppose they were busy vending, and not watching the other street players.
This spectacle continued for about 15 minutes, and included 6 besos (kisses); three each. One on the left cheek, one on the right.....and a big ol´suprise at the end-one on the lips! My first Peruvian kiss-couldnt have asked for a better back story! Luckily, a couple (also white-er) from France and Paraguay came and unwillingly stole the show from us-David (who has been constangly talking and making everyone buckle over in laughter this entire time), asked the man (the boyfriend) to dance. Here is when his beige strappy heels came into play. Oh! But first-David tried the whole 3 besos thing with the girlfriend...she politely refused the 3rd suprise by a turn of the cheek-David acted completely and utterly offended-she explained that those were only for her fellow traveling companion. David´s solution-BOTH girlfriend AND boyfriend got the full 3! Which, naturally, leads back to the beige strappy heels.......David, prancing around, attempting to garner as many tips from the crowd as possible before actually having to dance with a man (although he didnt seem much to mind the prospect), shook his hip a little too enthusiastically to the side, in an apparent attempt to prove a point, and slipped on his little heels and fell-announcing to the entire crowd (this time), that he was wearing carefully matching beige panties! Needless to say, this was immensely hilarious-especially taking into account that gender roles in Peru consistently stray as far away from any Liberache or Las Vegas spectacle as possible. Deciding that it probably couldnt get much better than that-and remembering we had an early bus to catch to our next home, Cusco,-we took advantage of the relief our fellow blanco travelers had provided us, and slipped away from the crowd, only to hear David yelling after us, Ayla y Ruby, you are leaving me!?! Si, we responded, and bid our farewells with big ol´Texan smiles on our faces-Just for the foreigner-loving Mr. David the ever-amusing Cross-Dresser of Puno.
The next morning, we headed off to Cusco, with front seats in the bus and a very friendly older Brittish gentleman (aren´t they all gentlemen in England?), who proceded to tell us of his adventures around the world-which sounded absolutely out of this world-and then revealed to us that he has a wife who works.....and apparently doesnt mind him putzing off to lands far far away, spending her money. But who knows......we didnt get too far into that. Perhaps he was a Duke of the British Royalty and just needed some sort of cover story......he could have been a Duke. He certainly had the charming people skills of one who attended one of the finest finishing schools....
Well, amigos (a title very commonly and warmly used around these parts-a little gem which i have fallen in love with) , i must sign off. I still need to pack for my trip tomorrow to Tacna, a Peruvian-Chilean boarder town. So, alas, I will have to write about my stay in Cusco after i have already departed this great little, bustling city. But-first a little sneak preview to what i have been doing here: My housemate, Wim Pieter Westerkamp (can you think of a more Dutch name?....and yes, he ALWAYS goes by Wim Pieter, not Wim, not Pieter, Wim Pieter.......but allows for my little 2.5 year old host brother to call him Wim Pieter Pan.....most adorable thing to hear in a Peruvian accent, I am absolutely convinced....but i digress......)....okay, Wim Pieter Pan is a great house mate and we walk to and from school together each day, or take a taxi if its pouring, as it often does in Cusco around this time of year. Along with Wim Pieter Pan, my host mother (more like grandmother), Wilma, is absolutely fabulous, quick-to-laugh and incessantly patient with my learning the pronunciation of the double ¨l¨ Her husband, whose name I will most likely never catch, is also extraordinarly helpful and loveable-especially when he asks what the meaning of a word his old North American boss used to yell constantly: Sonofabitch. You try explaining to a man 3 times your age, in broken (more like shattered) spanish, what exactly, a sonofabitch is........adventures abound.
Until next time,
Muchas besos...........well, maybe we´ll stick with 2...... ;)
R
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