Lima, Peru
9/8/08 - 9/9/08
Sitting at Gate 110 at LAX Airport in Los Angeles waiting for my flight to Peru. Tracii, Jeremy and Chad flew out this morning at 8 AM. I got a lucky break and scored a direct flight later in the afternoon. I am mentally preparing for this 8 hour flight. It was getting close to flight time and I called Big Al and asked "Where You At?" He said, "I'm on the plane". Turns out I was at the wrong gate and needed to head over to Gate 108 for final boarding. The ticket agent at the gate was speaking over the mic, "Final boarding call for Martin" as I was running to the desk waving my boarding pass and I said "Casey". I have no idea why I was at the wrong gate but I was glad I didn't lose my seat.
I managed to get everything for this trip stuffed into one backpack. I didn't want to be checking a bag everyday and just paired down to what I absolutely needed. Got two pairs of pants, 3 vests, board shorts, a few undershirts, socks and underroos. That's it, that's all. Just wanted to keep it simple so I can get in as much time as possible to explore these cities. The most exciting part of this adventure is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I have been so busy the past few weeks that I have not gotten to invest any time checking in online and learning about these destinations. I like it this way. I'm just gonna wake up early and go to bed late and try to cram in as much South American experience as possible. Kinda like my overstuffed backpack.
On the plane I noticed that Big Al and I really stand out from the other passengers. We are the only two blonde headed, pale skinned dudes on the entire plane. Everyone else is darker complected and speaking what sounds like Spanish or Portuguese.
I realize that the best way to keep us airline passengers happy is to feed us or give us something to do every 30 minutes. First a drink, then a warm cloth to wash your hands, then lunch, then a movie, then coffee service, then some Six Flags style turbulence where the plane drops from underneath you and your stomach is in your throat. I can't stand turbulence! It's when I realize I have absolutely no control of the plane, and I have a hard time accepting that.
We landed in Lima, Peru after the long flight and then spent about an hour getting through immigration and customs. Turns out we are getting charged a "Tax" to bring some of our music gear into the country. We didn't question it, we just paid the piper. The tour promoter, Pablo, was at the airport to greet us when we arrived. I am determined to remember names on this trip so I said to myself "Pablo The Promoter". I think I can remember that! There were some fans with posters and they were jamming LA Guns songs. We took a few pictures and then Pablo told us that he had plans for us this evening and escorted us to a party that he had set-up near downtown Lima. We drove down the Pacific Coast with just enough moonlight to see the crashing waves. It's the beginning of spring here and everyone is in that change of mood where they are shedding their winter blues and diving into the spring of change. After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the party. There was a security guard that directed us up to the house. The place was really beautiful. Palm trees and a well-manicured garden sprawled across the front lot. We headed to this modern style living room with large couches arranged in a big square around a glass table in the center. There was all sorts of booze, a selection of South American wines, cigars and Peruvian cigarettes. A woman came out of the kitchen off the living room and asked what I would like to eat. I said "What do you got?" She said, "Carne Asada?" and I said, "That sounds great." I took a short tour of the place and was most impressed with the amazing artwork on nearly every wall. We ended the tour in the backyard area that was lit with Tiki torches around the pool and guesthouse. Pablo The Promoter was familiar with the Rockstar: INXS show and requested that I play "Trees" at the show. I told him that if he wanted to hear "Trees" then we would play it. We hung out and drank some Chilean red with Chad and discussed the upcoming tour. Pablo told us that the tour was going to be great, and we would have the time of our lives. He told us that he wished we were in Peru longer because everyone needs to go to Machu Pichu once in their lives. I'm putting that on my list of things I gotta do. We eventually headed back into the party and it was really hoppin'. I'm amazed there are this many people up in the middle of the night on a Monday. This town never sleeps. Out of nowhere my meal arrived, and I had completely forgotten about it. I had some sort of potato cheesy thing, Spanish rice and Carne Asada. I really was starving after the big travel day and the food was divine.
I finished my meal and then wandered thru some conversations. All of the conversations were in half Spanish and half English. I spoke my Spanglish and it was cool that some actual communication was happening with such limited fluent language. Everyone was excited to see the show tomorrow night, well actually TONIGHT! It was a wonderful introduction to this amazing adventure and time for us to head out and check into our hotel.
Chad and I woke up and headed over to the bazaar market a block from the hotel. We grabbed some local coffee. There is a Starbucks on every other corner here just like the US but Chad and I are determined to try unique things from each country we visit. We had our local caffeine and it was terrible. But we drank it and were happy to choke down the local mud. When in Rome! We found a stand with hand painted pictures of saints. All of the colors were really rich and vibrant. Chad immediately saw something that he wanted. I asked the store clerk "Cuánto cuesta?" The lady said a number but I couldn't figure out what the number translated to. So, I took out a pen and asked her to write it on a piece of paper. She wrote "55". I scribble bartered a slash across her "55" and wrote "40?" and she shook her head no. She took the notepad and wrote "50!" I grabbed the notepad one last time and wrote "2 picturas para $90!" She looked me in the eye, smiled and said "Si." A deal has been made, two paintings for $90. I looked around at the beautiful framed paintings and quickly saw one I liked. It was an angel whispering into a Saint's ear. I have not seen it before but I liked the colors and thought it would be nice to get some stuff up on my bare walls at home. I grabbed it off the wall and handed it to the woman. She dusted off the paintings and wrapped them for travel. She asked my name when she was writing up a receipt and I said "Martin". She said that the painting I had selected was of Saint Martin. She assumed I knew that and that was the reason for my selection. She noticed from my surprised reaction that I didn't know, and she laughed at the coincidence of it
Our transportation arrived to take us to lunch at La Carreta with a group of people the promoter wanted us to meet. We started of with some red wine from Argentina and it seems like every meal down here starts with a glass of some really great wine. There were no appetizers and after going thru handshakes and hugs with the large group, the feast arrived. The meal consisted of firewood heated metal platters of meat. Meat Meat and more Meat. We had two different types of steak, chicken, different preparations of pork, blood sausage and spicy sausage. I also tried a few things I have never had before. Pablo pointed to a particular piece of meat and asked if I had tried that yet. I said "no, not yet". Everyone was staring and said "Try it, we'll tell you what it is later". So I sliced off a decent piece and ate it. It had a potent taste and a rubbery texture that I was chewing on for a minute but to no avail. It was like chewing gum and I couldn't get it down. I grabbed my napkin and politely spat the BBQ bubble gum out. It was cow stomach! They all laughed and asked if I was ready to try the spicy chicken hearts. I passed and took a big gulp of wine to cleanse my palate of the aftertaste. After the carnivorous main course we were treated to Pisco Sour (honey, egg whites and Pisco Liquor which is the Peruvian Tequila), assorted desserts and ordered coffee but ended up taking off before it was served. We had to get "Yellow Fever" shots and then head over to soundcheck.
Driving here in Lima is absolutely brutal. Every street is construction and there are literally 7 cars scrunched across a four lane road. I felt like a Skiddle on the production line. The cars end up nearly nudging each other to find their space. A really aggressive car kept punching in on our right. This car was so close to us. Aggressively lunging forward and then quickly braking forcing their car to shimmy along like a wave trapped in a waterbed. I finally looked over at the neighboring driver that was so close I could nearly wrap my arm around their shoulder. I was stunned that this aggro driver was an elderly old lady with huge dark sunglasses. She never looked over, she punched it and nudged the front end of her car ahead of us and grabbed the pole position. I was impressed with her skills!
We arrived at sound check and it was one of the longest we have done. The sound crew here is very precise and taking every measure to get the sound perfected. There is already a fun vibe in the air. There is a huge video screen behind the stage and two projection screens off to the sides. There are approximately 30 disco balls hanging at different heights from the ceiling and spot lighting the dance floor. Yep, this is Peru and there is a dance floor. I wanna see people "Dance" to metal. This is going to be interesting to say the least. What a great place to start the adventure.
Marty Casey
Sitting at Gate 110 at LAX Airport in Los Angeles waiting for my flight to Peru. Tracii, Jeremy and Chad flew out this morning at 8 AM. I got a lucky break and scored a direct flight later in the afternoon. I am mentally preparing for this 8 hour flight. It was getting close to flight time and I called Big Al and asked "Where You At?" He said, "I'm on the plane". Turns out I was at the wrong gate and needed to head over to Gate 108 for final boarding. The ticket agent at the gate was speaking over the mic, "Final boarding call for Martin" as I was running to the desk waving my boarding pass and I said "Casey". I have no idea why I was at the wrong gate but I was glad I didn't lose my seat.
I managed to get everything for this trip stuffed into one backpack. I didn't want to be checking a bag everyday and just paired down to what I absolutely needed. Got two pairs of pants, 3 vests, board shorts, a few undershirts, socks and underroos. That's it, that's all. Just wanted to keep it simple so I can get in as much time as possible to explore these cities. The most exciting part of this adventure is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I have been so busy the past few weeks that I have not gotten to invest any time checking in online and learning about these destinations. I like it this way. I'm just gonna wake up early and go to bed late and try to cram in as much South American experience as possible. Kinda like my overstuffed backpack.
On the plane I noticed that Big Al and I really stand out from the other passengers. We are the only two blonde headed, pale skinned dudes on the entire plane. Everyone else is darker complected and speaking what sounds like Spanish or Portuguese.
I realize that the best way to keep us airline passengers happy is to feed us or give us something to do every 30 minutes. First a drink, then a warm cloth to wash your hands, then lunch, then a movie, then coffee service, then some Six Flags style turbulence where the plane drops from underneath you and your stomach is in your throat. I can't stand turbulence! It's when I realize I have absolutely no control of the plane, and I have a hard time accepting that.
We landed in Lima, Peru after the long flight and then spent about an hour getting through immigration and customs. Turns out we are getting charged a "Tax" to bring some of our music gear into the country. We didn't question it, we just paid the piper. The tour promoter, Pablo, was at the airport to greet us when we arrived. I am determined to remember names on this trip so I said to myself "Pablo The Promoter". I think I can remember that! There were some fans with posters and they were jamming LA Guns songs. We took a few pictures and then Pablo told us that he had plans for us this evening and escorted us to a party that he had set-up near downtown Lima. We drove down the Pacific Coast with just enough moonlight to see the crashing waves. It's the beginning of spring here and everyone is in that change of mood where they are shedding their winter blues and diving into the spring of change. After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the party. There was a security guard that directed us up to the house. The place was really beautiful. Palm trees and a well-manicured garden sprawled across the front lot. We headed to this modern style living room with large couches arranged in a big square around a glass table in the center. There was all sorts of booze, a selection of South American wines, cigars and Peruvian cigarettes. A woman came out of the kitchen off the living room and asked what I would like to eat. I said "What do you got?" She said, "Carne Asada?" and I said, "That sounds great." I took a short tour of the place and was most impressed with the amazing artwork on nearly every wall. We ended the tour in the backyard area that was lit with Tiki torches around the pool and guesthouse. Pablo The Promoter was familiar with the Rockstar: INXS show and requested that I play "Trees" at the show. I told him that if he wanted to hear "Trees" then we would play it. We hung out and drank some Chilean red with Chad and discussed the upcoming tour. Pablo told us that the tour was going to be great, and we would have the time of our lives. He told us that he wished we were in Peru longer because everyone needs to go to Machu Pichu once in their lives. I'm putting that on my list of things I gotta do. We eventually headed back into the party and it was really hoppin'. I'm amazed there are this many people up in the middle of the night on a Monday. This town never sleeps. Out of nowhere my meal arrived, and I had completely forgotten about it. I had some sort of potato cheesy thing, Spanish rice and Carne Asada. I really was starving after the big travel day and the food was divine.
I finished my meal and then wandered thru some conversations. All of the conversations were in half Spanish and half English. I spoke my Spanglish and it was cool that some actual communication was happening with such limited fluent language. Everyone was excited to see the show tomorrow night, well actually TONIGHT! It was a wonderful introduction to this amazing adventure and time for us to head out and check into our hotel.
Chad and I woke up and headed over to the bazaar market a block from the hotel. We grabbed some local coffee. There is a Starbucks on every other corner here just like the US but Chad and I are determined to try unique things from each country we visit. We had our local caffeine and it was terrible. But we drank it and were happy to choke down the local mud. When in Rome! We found a stand with hand painted pictures of saints. All of the colors were really rich and vibrant. Chad immediately saw something that he wanted. I asked the store clerk "Cuánto cuesta?" The lady said a number but I couldn't figure out what the number translated to. So, I took out a pen and asked her to write it on a piece of paper. She wrote "55". I scribble bartered a slash across her "55" and wrote "40?" and she shook her head no. She took the notepad and wrote "50!" I grabbed the notepad one last time and wrote "2 picturas para $90!" She looked me in the eye, smiled and said "Si." A deal has been made, two paintings for $90. I looked around at the beautiful framed paintings and quickly saw one I liked. It was an angel whispering into a Saint's ear. I have not seen it before but I liked the colors and thought it would be nice to get some stuff up on my bare walls at home. I grabbed it off the wall and handed it to the woman. She dusted off the paintings and wrapped them for travel. She asked my name when she was writing up a receipt and I said "Martin". She said that the painting I had selected was of Saint Martin. She assumed I knew that and that was the reason for my selection. She noticed from my surprised reaction that I didn't know, and she laughed at the coincidence of it
Our transportation arrived to take us to lunch at La Carreta with a group of people the promoter wanted us to meet. We started of with some red wine from Argentina and it seems like every meal down here starts with a glass of some really great wine. There were no appetizers and after going thru handshakes and hugs with the large group, the feast arrived. The meal consisted of firewood heated metal platters of meat. Meat Meat and more Meat. We had two different types of steak, chicken, different preparations of pork, blood sausage and spicy sausage. I also tried a few things I have never had before. Pablo pointed to a particular piece of meat and asked if I had tried that yet. I said "no, not yet". Everyone was staring and said "Try it, we'll tell you what it is later". So I sliced off a decent piece and ate it. It had a potent taste and a rubbery texture that I was chewing on for a minute but to no avail. It was like chewing gum and I couldn't get it down. I grabbed my napkin and politely spat the BBQ bubble gum out. It was cow stomach! They all laughed and asked if I was ready to try the spicy chicken hearts. I passed and took a big gulp of wine to cleanse my palate of the aftertaste. After the carnivorous main course we were treated to Pisco Sour (honey, egg whites and Pisco Liquor which is the Peruvian Tequila), assorted desserts and ordered coffee but ended up taking off before it was served. We had to get "Yellow Fever" shots and then head over to soundcheck.
Driving here in Lima is absolutely brutal. Every street is construction and there are literally 7 cars scrunched across a four lane road. I felt like a Skiddle on the production line. The cars end up nearly nudging each other to find their space. A really aggressive car kept punching in on our right. This car was so close to us. Aggressively lunging forward and then quickly braking forcing their car to shimmy along like a wave trapped in a waterbed. I finally looked over at the neighboring driver that was so close I could nearly wrap my arm around their shoulder. I was stunned that this aggro driver was an elderly old lady with huge dark sunglasses. She never looked over, she punched it and nudged the front end of her car ahead of us and grabbed the pole position. I was impressed with her skills!
We arrived at sound check and it was one of the longest we have done. The sound crew here is very precise and taking every measure to get the sound perfected. There is already a fun vibe in the air. There is a huge video screen behind the stage and two projection screens off to the sides. There are approximately 30 disco balls hanging at different heights from the ceiling and spot lighting the dance floor. Yep, this is Peru and there is a dance floor. I wanna see people "Dance" to metal. This is going to be interesting to say the least. What a great place to start the adventure.
Marty Casey
posted by Marty Casey at 7:22 AM
12 Comments:
it sounds wonderful my luv!! Have a blast and be safe!! :) Luv you Most!!! :)
Cow stomach? Dear god! Well sounds like you are having a great "adventure" keep blogging we enjoy it..be safe and keep your hands in the car..lol ttys
I LOVED it!!!!! Specially the whole Saint Martin painting episode. Synchronicity at its best (in the Junguian sense of the term)... yes, I'm a nerd... can't help it .
THANK YOU Marty for sharing your South American experiences.
It is my favorite blog entry so far.
The whole Disco Dance Floor layout made me lmao....
"I wanna see people "Dance" to metal" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
have a great time and keep on blogging :)
cheers from PR,
Yanira
Make sure you take Big Al exploring!! get his lazy ass up. Just kidding, have fun.
EB
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us. You make us feel we're right there with you. I like your writing style!
I am a Texan hispanic and I do love cow's stomach!
I love the power of St Martin! He is one of my favorite saints! I'm a Catholic and I believe in saints!
Odilia,magicswann
Awesome show last nite mate, btw he never meant disco floor, but disco balls. Anyway love to see some real rock n roll in Peru for once. Hope you guys come back soon. Peace
I have your 30 sec tape greetins for my next TV Show called "Backstage" (remember our pronuntiation? hehe) that I filmed yesterday night. Where I can send you that stuff?
You're an expectacular singer, frontman and a very good writer, dude!
In the other hand, our friends Paolo and Jhovan are great hosts.
Hope you can comeback soon.
Oh Marty please tell me that the elderly lady with the large sun glasses turned up to dance to metal underneath the 30 disco balls.
Love your blogs!
Lissa x
Hey Marty :)
I tracked down some saints for you...came across two St Martins of many listed, who may be the one in your painting. Both had rather interesting stories. The former was born in Lima, Peru & the latter had something to do with an Angel appearing to him to advise him not to dwell in misery on his errors. It could be either one, check it out :)
St Martin De Porres, Feast day: November 3.
St Martin De Porres info
St Martin of Tours, Feast day: November 11
St Martin of Tours info
Hey if you can, take pics of your paintings & adventures & post them here on your site & myspace. Have a great time in South America :)
GOD BLESS!
xxMirna :)
Sounds like you are having a grand time on this tour! Machu Picchu should be wonderful when you can go at a more relaxed pace. It is one of my future destinations too...
Greetings from Oslo, Norway!
Norskanne
I really enjoy reading your blogs. It's a vicarious adventure and so much fun!
It reminds me of a conversation I had with someone about a comedian who has a schtick where he talks about how elderly people should be the speediest on the road-they have the least amount of time left-right? And how crazy would it be to say-grandma's in the hospital 'cause she rolled her vette? There go those AARP discounts.
Fantastic! I wish you all the best.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home