A Day to Wander

I awoke to sunshine and honking vehicles this morning. And then it hit me: I have absolutely NOTHING to do. This was just as much a thrilling idea as it was terrifying, being in an unfamiliar city and all. I got dressed (not too hard to decide what to wear given my bag is still MIA), brushed my teeth (successfully resisted the temptation to stick the toothbrush in the running water), and did some yoga (namaste, peru).

I wandered around Miraflores for much of the day. I stumbled upon both produce and art markets. This was very intriguing until I started getting annoyed with the very persistent people yelling at me and wanting me to buy things from them. I am such a pro at saying "no, gracias"!
I found my way to Parque Kennedy - infamous for the cats that live there. I saw all of 3 cats...lamesauce. I sat on a step in the large amphitheater there so I could journal, enjoy the sun, and people watch. In reality, people just stared at me. On 3 different occasions, someone came up to me to ask if they could take a picture with me...which kind of made me start realizing how much I really do stick out here. Yes, I am way larger, taller, and whiter than everyone in this city...why thank you for bringing it to my attention. A passerby asked if I was French...well, at least they gathered that I was white?

My friend Jon mentioned he had some success practicing his Spanish with some locals in this park not too long ago. I need a new strategy because the only person to approach me was deaf. She was making her rounds in the park to solicit people for money in order to pay for her health care expenses so she could hear again.
Once my stomach started the hunger grumbles, I set out to find some food. I settled for some falafel which was absolutely delicious. I managed to order my entire meal with hand gestures because my spanish "had too thick of a mexican accent" for the server to understand. The family at the table next to me could not stop looking at me like I was friggin' art exhibition. I smiled back, but I don't think their intentions had anything to do with making me feel welcome. Whatever. I managed to order food without meat in it so I was as content as could be.


Exhausted from a full day of staying alert and communication breakdowns, I went back to my hostel. I took an unpleasantly cold shower and dried off with a super cheap shirt that I bought at a market today. I didn't feel like waiting for my bag (with my towel in it) to show up...if it ever does.

In other news, I think I found my new favorite drink. It's called Inka Kola and it tastes exactly like a pina colada flavored dumdum...my favorite!

I'm finding a lot of humor in my current situation, actually. It seems I'm realizing all of the things I take for granted by the minute. I find it funny to be reading a bunch of emails/messages from friends and family about having an adventure of a lifetime and envy for my travels when in reality I'm eating chocolate in my bed, writing a blog post about how white I am.