DOMA is Dead!

I probably don't need to say any more than the title! It's amazing that this decision has instantly removed a layer of inequality that I frankly thought would be with us for a very long time. 

A decision like this doesn't help the homesickness I often feel for DC. It would have been fantastic to hit the streets which were undoubtably alive last night. I surely could have found many friends to celebrate. Instead I was stuck in Dallas. I wasn't going to let it get me down so I went in search of activity. I found a rally in the gayborhood where I met a group of lesbians. We had a few beers after listening to some speakers. It was, frankly, too hot to be outside. Despite the fact I didn't rally long, it was comforting to know it was there. 

Cedar Springs was full of happy faces and friendly people. I've never encountered such camaraderie in Dallas. It felt nice and I made a few new friends. Now it is time to go home to Columbus. With the 4th of July holiday and a vacation day on the 5th, I won't be back to hot hot Dallas for a few weeks. 

Back to the grind...

I wish this flight was taking me back to South America. I really need to find a remote position so I can live wherever my heart desires! We had a busy weekend with friends from WV in town and all of the Gay Pride festivities. It is amazing how this event has grown in the eight years we've been gone. One local news outlet estimated the crowd at 300,000! It sure felt like it! I went to bed early on Friday but did give a full day on Saturday starting with a champaign breakfast at 8 AM, volunteering at the festival, watching the parade, and then we went out, albeit briefly, on Saturday night. We took a Pride break to see the Crew lose 2-1 to the Fire. Sunday was a lazy sofa day so no Bat-n-rouge for us. I attribute the exhaustion to the post Peru cough and recovery time rather than old age. Hopefully next year we'll catch more events.

Today I'm back on the road to Dallas. The good part of work travel is finding out your schedule is going to make it difficult to maintain the standard biweekly trips. It looks like I might, fingers crossed, be able to go every third week throughout the Summer months. Since the schedule can change at the drop of a hat, I'm not holding my breath. A boy can dream!

At present we're delayed 35 minutes. Thankfully there is no connection so whenever it gets there works for me. I will sleep on this flight! 

Vacation Day 3 - Lima City Tour and a Discoteca!

The excitement of vacation and the early bed time once again drove me awake early in the morning. I went downstairs coincidentally at the same time Puff & Candy arrived. After confirming nothing life threatening was going on, they were able to reschedule the last leg of their trip. I was very happy to see them! Most everyone else arrived over night and the last two were scheduled to come in later. More about that later!

Our guide, Paula, showed up on time at 9 AM with a big luxury bus. We had all finished the delicious buffet breakfast and were ready to conquer the day. It was great to see MZ & the Canadian for the first time. Their hotel was a short walk away and they joined mid breakfast. We had a full city tour of modern and colonial Lima. The city was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1991. We visited the Cathedral, Main Square, San Francisco Convent and its Catacombs, and the residential areas of San Isidro and Miraflores. The convent library was probably my favorite thing to see. It is as if time stood still hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, that site prohibited pictures. They were permitted outside where throngs of touring school girls approached tourists for photos. If you weren't Peruvian, you were a celebrity. Mo and the Canadian succumbed to the pressure and became rock star celebrities. It was hilarious to see the girls nervously pose and run off giggling to see what they looked like with twelve foot high foreigners. They must have been from remote areas because tourists were plentiful in the city.

After the tour we went in search of ATMs and some small purchases then agreed to meet in Parque Kennedy, aka John F Kennedy Park. It is centrally located in Miraflores and flanked by dozens of shops, restaurants, and tourist things. The park itself has a children's area, a few areas where vendors and food carts set up at night. Most importantly, it along with all the parks in Miraflores, has free public wifi. A few folks were afraid to connect to an unsecured network but it provided an access point to many of us throughout the trip. A quick log in to coordinate via WhatsApp and check Facebook was often handled in the park or any of the cafes and restaurants, all of which offer free wifi. 

With such a good experience the night before, the group meandered down Pizza Alley again. This time we tried another place and it was a terrible experience. Unlike the requisite free Pisco Sour, this place supplied free starters of some fruity wine concoction. It wasn't good but we drank it! They served us a pitcher due to the group size and due to the messed up orders gave us more pitchers and free beer. Nearly all of us ordered off the pre-set two course menu. It offered a decent lunch portion for an inexpensive price but felt a little tourist trappy. The fact there were only four or five choices made it surprising that they messed it up so badly. Some people were done with their second course ten to twenty minutes before the other's first course came out accurately. I was looking forward to some real Peruvian food and a better dining experience. I really don't think it is worth eating on Pizza Alley despite the fact it is a great place for people watching. 

After dinner, several of us ventured to Metro for the first time. This is a big and popular grocery store, conveniently located a few blocks from the hotel. We stocked up on water, booze, and snack foods. I always try to see what different things are available in other cities. I didn't buy much at this stop because we do have quite a bit of moving scheduled as we go from hotel to hotel. I was excited to try the ever-present Inka Cola, but was thankful we only purchased a small bottle. The stuff tastes like a mixture of Mountain Dew, Cream Soda, and old school bubble gum. I found it quite disgusting but then I rarely drink any sodas so most are usually too sweet for me anyway. 

We freshened up for the evening and re-grouped at Cafe La Maquina where we had several drinks and relaxed. The place has a great vibe, decent 2x1 happy hour specials, and was located close to the hotel. Surprisingly, they seem to offer the specials at all times of the day despite the happy hour times printed on the table tents. While Lima is apparently tolerant, they aren't blatantly advertising many gay friendly places. A Gaycities review indicated Tarata Caffe was a place frequented by the gays in the evenings and after hours. We arrived to find it completely deserted but did meet the nicest bartender. He wanted us to take tables in proper cafe style but we wanted to stand around and casually chat. By the time all was said and done, there were ~48 drinks on our tab and we realized it was likely time for dinner. 

We selected Las Tejas because someone previously checked out the menu. We were about the only people there, due to the late hour, which turned out to be a good thing. We'd all been into the sauce and were quite loud. Timmy wins the award for most inappropriate dinner stories but everyone was quite animated. I had some sort of pasta and everyone raved about their food. The place felt much less touristy and some folks we met out front mentioned they had been there multiple times during their stay. We, of course, invited them to hang out with us the following day, but didn't hear from them again. 

Post dinner, Timmy wanted to rest while others planned to get ready. By the time all was said and done, only Ginger and I went out. Everyone else crashed. He and I went to the Discoteca Vale Todo. It is the only gay place that our tour company recommended as the others are not apparently safe for tourists? It took a minute to figure out how to get in, what to pay, where to go, etc., but once we got in, it was a great time. Peruvian men are apparently quite enamored with 30-40 year old Americans. Several dudes 

*Note: Post backdated to align with actual vacation day

Vacation Day 2 - Intro to Lima

Day one was filled with travel issues but we safely arrived in Lima within a few hours of the original expectation. To make the long story short, we sat on the tarmac twice for a cumulative 4+ hours in Charlotte. The tram was shut down in Miami so we literally had to wait for our luggage from US Air and run from one end to the other for check in at American and then run thirty some gates to meet Puff, Candy, and the WV Peeps. I thought about calling them Mountain Momma & Papa but it just doesn't sound right. They weren't sure if we were going to make it since boarding began before we arrived. Candy, unfortunately, had a pain issue accompanied by a likely panic attack and decided to abort and make sure she was ok. I surely hope they are able to get another flight because I was really looking forward to spending time with them. I do miss my DC peeps.

Joell met us at the airport. I've never used a full service travel agency for travel abroad. While the personal greeting was comforting, I don't know for sure that the exhilaration of the unknown doesn't make for a better trip. I am happy that I don't have to worry about all the others, especially those arriving individually and/or with less travel experience. We arrived at the Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores where Tasty T was waiting outside in sweat pants. She fashioned a homemade welcome sign and had a bottle of champaign waiting. We lounged in the lobby and toasted what must be a great trip. Despite the exhaustion of lengthy travel, it was time for breakfast so M, A, Timmy, and I took a walk around Miraflores and settled on Haiti, as recommended by the hotel, for our first breakfast on the street. Tasty T went for a rest and I'm fairly certain she had been up all night kicking off vacation with a bang! 

The consensus after breakfast was to return to the hotel for a nap. It was necessary but the excitement of our first day in Peru made it difficult for quality sleep. The shower, however, was absolutely mandatory. We were refreshed and ready to hit the streets. I pulled some starter Soles out of the hotel ATM. The $7 fee plus whatever Chase will charge reminded me to find a B of A or Scotia Bank where there is no surcharge. Some of the others decided to exchange US$ at Casino Palacio Royale, the first Casino we passed. We heard they don't charge any conversation fees and they surprisingly offered a competitive conversion rate. We were also willing to throw a few small bills at the slots for free beers. Nobody won anything, even on the Fairy or Cat themed machines, but we did come out ahead with the free beers and wads of local currency to begin our adventures.  

Latin countries love their futbol and a crazy double decker fan bus was our first indication that something big was happening this weekend. Peru was scheduled to play Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier later this evening. I'll get to the outcome in a moment. We shot a few pictures and joined in the cheering. This was also when I noticed that every other person on the street was sporting a Peru jersey. We found a little place, Chef Cafe, across from Paraque Kennedy, and enjoyed some beer and wine while the hustle of the world went on around us. We originally that it was a cute little independent place but walked by one or two others with the same name/theme as we meandered to the famous Larcomar Mall. This was our first real look at the Pacific Ocean and became photo stop number one. At Joell's recommendation we snagged a taxi to the Parque de la Reserva for the light show. T was fairly certain the show didn't run on Saturday or Sunday and we didn't want to miss it. We put our negotiation skills to work and got there for S./25 from a very posh taxi stand at the mall. This seemed really high but at least they let us squeeze five people into a little Corolla or whatever it was. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled due to the futbol match which was literally right next door at National Stadium. Funny that I then remembered the chat with a Peruvian American on the plane that said, "Whatever you do, don't go near the stadium on Friday because it will be very crowded, difficult to get in/out of the center, and potentially dangerous for tourists, especially if they lose." Oops!

Despite the cancelled show, the park was beautiful and it was enjoyable to walk around the various fountains. The main entrance was closed so we had to exit a back gate onto a questionable side street. Thankfully there was traffic, but every taxi that passed was filled with people en route to the match. We made our way to a larger street, parallel to the freeway. Along the way, T picked up a red and white Peru jersey of bought me a scarf for the equivalent of $5-6. It isn't the highest quality but I love it and we'll now blend in a little better. A few other team Peru items were also purchased. We found a taxi on the main drag. It was not from one of Joell's recommended companies for our safety but it was available and we've never been known to follow the rules. I climbed into a cage in the front passenger seat with my knees to my chin. The four others piled into the back of this broke down and beat up wagon. T thought about climbing in the way back until she saw a big CNG tank. While CNG is apparently common in Peru, we didn't expect to see a somewhat secured tank in the open. At least there was a fire extinguisher in case something went wrong. The harrowing ride back to Miraflores showed us why the cab was so beat up. Truthfully though, it seems everyone drives this way and this ride was only S./8 which shows our negotiation skill improved greatly. It may or may not have something to do with our likely unlicensed and uninsured driver! We didn't die. 

T arrived the night before we did and made friends on Pizza Alley. This is a tourist trap pedestrian street that runs perpendicular to Parque Kennedy. It is flanked by pizza restaurants with menus that all seem to be about the same. The street was packed with TV camera crews and animated fans as the match with Ecuador was about to begin. No seats were available anywhere but fortunately one restaurant held our table. We enjoyed our complimentary Pisco Sours and had a decent meal. The real treat was cheering Peru on to a 1-0 victory. These folks sure love their soccer and it was contagious! I tried to capture the spirit but the videos don't begin to tell the whole story. Afterwards, we walked through dense crowds of cheering fans and by this time, even the diagonal street was closed to vehicles. From our 17th floor room with the windows closed, we were lulled to sleep by the sounds of chants for Peru and the continual blowing of car horns and fan horns. Truthfully, we were downright exhausted and probably fell asleep before our head hit the pillows. 

*Note: Post backdated to align with vacation date

Vacation Day 1 - Finally!

It's been a fantastically busy week with birthday celebrations, David Sedaris' book signing at the Book Loft, and piling lots of work into a few days for vacation prep. We are officially en route to Peru for the birthday trip. The Columbus Crew came out our gate on return from the unfortunate 3-0 loss in Philadelphia. I'll take a Federico Higuain citing as good luck any day.

Speaking of birthday celebrations, did I mention the Carrera 4 that showed up in my garage? The BF wins bonus points this year! I did prime the pump with a Corvette a few years back for his 40th, but I certainly didn't ask for or expect this caliber of gift. However, I do not know how I ever lived without one of these. It is a glorious driving experience and her name is Patsy! Just like Patsy Stone, she is lots of trouble, excessive, and everything else that doesn't make any sense.

We're now delayed in CLT as we wait for Air Force One to whisk Obama back to DC. We seem to have a pattern developing with presidential flight delays. Remember Bush and the emergency landing in Merida? That was an adventure!

If we get to Miami in time, we might try to make our own adventures on the long layover with a visit to some friends at the Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale. We might just sit in the Admiral's Club and enjoy some beverages. We'll see.