sweet peruvian air

the light was green at customs in lima, so i didn´t have to try to explain how all 200 condoms i brought, or all the medical supplies i brought, are really honestly truly just for me alone (i brought a bunch of stuff for the village i´m going to). whew! i´m sitting in the little bar/lounge upstairs in the lima airport drinking fresh orange/píneapple juice (i asked if they used water or ice and they said no, so i should be safe from the bugs so far). on the flight from LA to here i sat next to an incredibly friendly peruvian man who moved away from his family in peru (wife and children) almost 20 years ago in order to make more money working at a ralph´s supermarket near LAX. before he left peru he was an archeologist and had a home near the ocean where he would fish and take pleasant walks. he´s coming down now for the week off he gets from ralph´s to visit his family that he rarely sees. we shared some nice moments together as we were both moved seats from the back of the plane to the front... he jokingly complaining about ¨discrimination!¨
i love all peruvians (they´re very short)! even the taxi driver who started following me closely/harrassing me as soon as i got off the plane hoping i´d hire him to drive me around lima until my flight leaves for cusco (at 5am - it´s 1:55am now). oh, oh... the tingling is coming back in my feet and my fingers- from the diamox i´m taking to help prevent the impending altitude sickness that i´m trying to avoid while i arrive in cusco at 12000 feet in a couple hours. at least i requested a seat on the left side of the plane so i can see the snowy andes out the window! they´re playing ¨(i can´t get no) satisfaction¨ on the radio right now... and this airport is jumping with mcdonald´s, dunkin´donuts, etc. etc. (ugh...america, oy!), but oh man i´m gettin´satisfaction - i got the green light and now i´m in peru!