Taxis in Colombia vs. Peru
SUMMARY: I discuss the risks and rules of taking taxis in Colombia and Peru. Sections include Peruvian Rules, Peruvian Horror Stories, Colombian Rules, Colombian Stories (no horror), and Conclusion.
American taxis are generally safe. The worst thing to happen is getting “taken for a ride.” Taxis in Latin America can be dangerous. The worst thing that happened while I was in Peru was a tourist getting robbed, raped, and murdered.
There are rules to taking taxis down here. I’m going to explain them, then contrast the Colombian rules with the Peruvian rules. Then I’ll explain why, ironically, I prefer the Peruvian rules. … Read more
Alcohol and Sensitivity in Latin America
A Facebook friend currently in Buenos Aires recently updated with:
Movie “Hangover” is titled / advertised in Argentina: “Que Paso Ayer?” which literally means, “What happened yesterday?” Subtle difference.
I commented on his update:
The word for ‘hangover’ is different in almost every Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico: estar crudo
Peru: tener resaca / estar resaquiado
Colombia: tener guayabo / estar enguayabado
And those are just the regional variations that I’ve learned. Spanish is like that for a lot of words. Pain in the ass if you ask me.
And then some dude commented this:
Or it simply could be that they found the word “hangover” offensive as a title and changed it so that it still reflected the theme of the movie.
I’m not going to argue with some dude I don’t know on a friend’s Facebook update. But that comment indicated that there are some completely uninformed people about Latin culture out there. I thought of all the things I would say to him in explaining exactly how wrong he is. And I realized that these might be interesting stories for the blog. I hope so. … Read more
My Favorite Bar in AQP
While La Tradición is up there, I don’t go there enough to justify calling it my favorite bar in Arequipa. And while I go to Deja Vu a lot, I don’t like it. El Balde would be my favorite bar in AQP. It’s on San Francisco near Forum, Deja Vu, etc. The music is funky, anything from Led Zepellin to The Gorillaz can be spinning. The art deco is killer. They make huge cocktails served in buckets – 1 litre or 3 litres! The Torito is Red Bull and pisco (which is disgusting), so I get one litre of Red Bull and cheap gin for S/. 18 (about $5 USD). That’s a whole can of Red Bull and a lot of gin!
The Final Word on Bricheras
SUMMARY: After one year in Peru, I discuss my final impression of what it means to be a brichera. I categorize them as Type 1’s or Type 2’s. Sections include My First Brichera!, Type 1,and Type 2.
Well, I’ve written extensively on the phenomenon known as bricheras in Peru. You can freshen up by reading these posts: Amigos and Bricheras and The Brichera Scowl and the Second Date. I’m now leaving Peru, so I thought I ought to share what I’ve learned. Plus, I scored a one-night stand with my first bona fide brichera during my last week in Arequipa… Read more
Sauna in Peru
SUMMARY: I describe a day at a sauna in Peru. A sauna is a bathhouse / brothel.
I got really drunk Friday night and woke up horribly hung over. My penis was so hard it hurt. I loaded up some internet porn and relieved myself. I spent a few hours editing the previous post, Pooping and Machu Picchu. When I was done, I needed porn again. I made the rounds through black, asian, latina and realized I didn’t want to masturbate to internet porn. I needed sex. … Read more
Camaná Round Two
SUMMARY: I spent another weekend in Camaná. Not much to tell compared to the last time. I’ll keep it short.
Damien and I arrived around 6pm Saturday and there was a huge concert that weekend, so there were no rooms anywhere. We dropped our bags in the lobby of our old friends’ hotel and went out with no plan.
I got really drunk and ran into Rosa, my ex-girlfriend. I told her I missed her. I told her I still think about her. I tried to kiss her. She kept saying that I wasn’t her boyfriend anymore. But she smiled while she said it. I don’t remember saying goodbye. … Read more
