I Woke up at 9:30, but only because I set the alarm. Three hours sleep Wednesday night plus last night's activities got me pretty tired. But I have a lot to do today, I think.
First off, I edited the photos from yesterday, and then went downstairs to breakfast (included in the room rate – this is pretty standard throughout Peru). It was a nice spread. Not the absolute greatest, but is was fresh and clean. In addition to the buffet, there was an omelet menu. The menu had prices, but the waiter said it was all included. I wound up getting some fruit and juice from the buffet, plus an order of huevos ranchers. It was all good.
As I headed back to my room, I passed a maid, a cleaning guy, and the restaurant hostess. They were all real polite & friendly. It's a shame I am going to leave tomorrow morning. I would have moved out today, but I had already set up my meet with Ariana, and I didn't want to confuse the issue.
I wound up working until noon, but I took a few minutes to make up a to-do list. I had to shop for hotels, pick up some pills, get lunch, etc.
I ran my errands and stayed out until 4:00 or so. Here are the highlights:
The Leon de Oro Hotel did not rock my boat. It was a little too basic for me, even though the rooms had AC and wireless internet.
The El Doral on Av. Pardo was nice. They refused to budge from the posted $65/night rate, even though I've read reports that they've quoted people $50. For $50, it's a good deal.
Some places on the street have their bootleg DVDs priced down to 2 for 5 Soles, and CDs full of MP3s are 2 Soles each and 3 for 5. This is slightly lower than I've seen previously.
La Red Restaurant has doubled its size and replaced the plastic chairs and tables with real ones. Unfortunately, the kitchen is the same size and they didn't double the staff. People were getting angry all around me, and the staff was overwhelmed and agreeing with them. Something has to give. The food, however, remains fabulous. It was 51 well-spent Soles.
As always, it pays to shop for your prescription medications (even without a prescription). Three drug stores all within 1000 feet of each other had wildly varying prices on some basic stuff that I always pick up here.
The Sol is now at 2.65 to the dollar. When I first visited Lima, it was 3.5/1. That's a 20% loss in buying power. No individual item hurts that much, but it adds up in the long run.
I wound up booking a room at the La Paz Apart Hotel ([Solo usuarios registrados pueden ver
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After that, I laid around and pre-packed for tomorrow. Walked down to La Hacienda casino and played Blackjack for an hour and a half, winning 60 Soles. Then I went back to the hotel to get what passes for pretty for my date. Ariana is due at 9:00 pm.
As I said yesterday, I met Ariana through her website ([Solo usuarios registrados pueden ver
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And one other thing, she's prompt. She was on-time and early for our last two dates. I'm sitting in the lobby reading a book when she walks into the hotel right at 9:00 pm. She sees me, comes running over and gives me a hug and a kiss. If I didn't know better, I'd think that she was marking the days on my calendar until I returned. We went into the hotel bar for a drink and caught up with each other. I had made reservations at Scena for dinner, so we left at 9:45 for the short taxi ride.
Scena
Francisco de Paula Camino 280, Miraflores
445-9688 – 241-8184 (reservations recommended) [Solo usuarios registrados pueden ver
este link]
Scena is part Vaudeville, part circus, and part dinner, and it's all good – especially the Vaudeville, circus and dinner parts. The menu is a magazine (photo above). Out of the blue, and right in the middle of the restaurant, a high-wire act can break out. Or a piece of performance art dance. Or just about anything. Add the spectacle to the really diverse and excellent menu (we both had a three shot glass combo of clams, scallops, and shrimps in three different sauces for our appetizers, Ariana had grilled shrimps and I had a grilled seafood combo), and I had a girl on my hands that was having a night much more exciting than her usual. I can't lie; I was having a great time, too. Take all of the above and add a pretty young girl that was happy to be out with me, and you've got a winning combo.
It wasn't all that cheap. All of the food I mentioned, plus coffee and one dessert, plus a drink, the cover charge and tip came to 193 Soles ($73). It was cheap by comparison to US prices for what we got, but a really high end meal by Lima standards. We both had a great time, and it was well worth it.
We got back to hotel at 12:30. We must have spent an hour just goofing around and making out in the hotel room (it was the weekend, so she could sleep over – she lives at home with her parents). We finally got naked, and the sex was incredible. She screwed my brains out; I screwed her brains out. I had a blast, and I'm pretty sure that she enjoyed herself, too (you can't fake moisture). It was just great. We fell asleep at 3:10 – I noticed the time because I got up to turn off the music.
At one point during dinner, Ariana asked me if I had "any other girlfriends like her" in Lima. This shows a clear understanding that – although we seem to get along great – this is a business relationship. The message I got was that I could spend whatever time with her that I pleased without having to worry about getting into a jealous/stalker situation. What a girl!
I told her that I would be returning next month with a friend on his first trip to Peru. She said that she would find a friend for him when we come back (I can just hear the conversation: ARIANA: Hey, I've got this old American guy that treats me nicely, then I screw him silly. He gives me money. By the way, he's got a friend. Want to go?) In a nutshell: I like this girl.
All in all, this was the day that I was looking to have for the last six months. I needed it.
__________________ [Solo usuarios registrados pueden ver
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