A Family Affair (A Weekend in Vegas)

My brother and I are sitting on the top floor of Margaritaville. It's Saturday night, right when the clubs up and down The Strip start to open up and let the hedonism in. We can see Pure right across from us. The Strip is alive.

We down cup after cup of semi-watered down brew called Land Shark. Around us, clusters of people chatter in raised voices to rise above some Jimmy Buffet wannabe blaring through the loudspeakers.

Everyone's in high spirits. A randy bunch of dudes and semi-hot chicks at the table across from us are especially high. Or drunk. Most likely drunk. They drink from the weirdest looking alcohol-containing contraption I've ever seen, probably built for the sole purpose of producing embarrassing pictures that'll show up on the Internet. Two of the chicks are seated on one guy whom my brother dubs Stifler. He had me going. I really thought that was him. Another girl is seated on another dude's lap. They make out for five minutes straight. The waitress as she gives us the bill notices the two of us staring at the couple is disbelief. "Apparently, they just met," She snorts.

Ahhh, Vegas.

I go to Las Vegas twice a year; Once in the Spring to partake in the glory of March Madness, and once in the fall to immerse myself in football, college and pro. This time however, the brother was graduating UNLV, so Mom and I made the drive through the unforgiving Mojave Desert. Here's a tip, unless you absolutely need to, don't go in August. Unless you plan on spending your time buck naked, which I'm absolutely positive some people do. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But ANYWAY, this trip was a family affair, so no wild and crazy partying this time around. However, Vegas with Mom is not as dull as you might think. While thinking of things to check out in LV, I jokingly suggested Thunder From Down Under. "What is that, a play?" She asks me. If only.

I admit, the options of things to do in Las Vegas with your mother are slim. But when you're talking about MY mom, there are three; Gamble, eat and gamble. Fortunately, I enjoy all three, so I didn't have a problem finding things to do.

However we did find some time out of our busy schedule to check out the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. If you're not into gambling, or if you have kids in tow, I would definitely recommend checking out the Reef. They have a lot more than sharks, they have stingrays, jellyfish, barracudas, and so much more. The kids will go nuts.



This is the Lionfish. Why it's called the Lionfish...I'm not sure. I guess I'm not too good in aquariums either.

And that's the extent of what my family and I did in Vegas. I could tell you about the slot machines that robbed me senseless with their cute cartoon characters and Star Wars motifs, or the travails of playing craps with surly old men, but that's not that interesting. Not compared to walking down the Miracle Mile Shops and having mom attempt to pronounce the name of this boutique:



"Fa-CUCK!!"

Yes, mom.

Ahhh, Vegas.

Hotter Than Hades

The forecast for Vegas this weekend:

• Thursday: Sunny. Highs 104 to 108F and lows in the low 80s.
• Friday: Mainly sunny. Highs 105 to 109F and lows in the low 80s.

Good grief.

I just have to change my plans. Instead of doing a tour of off-strip Vegas, I just might tour all the Resort Swimming Pools.

By the way, there are European-style swimming pools on the Strip now.

Now there's a thought.

Prayers For Peru

"Thank God we were there a month ago."

That was my first thought when I heard the news that a monstrous earthquake hit Peru, just miles away from Lima. The place that I came to love so dearly, now in a state of distress. I admit, I felt relief.

In the case of most worldly disasters, I would think, "Oh, that's a shame.", then move on with my daily life. However here and now, I feel strained within.

Having walked the streets of Lima and Cusco, laughed with their residents, and having felt like a guest being lavishly cared for by his hosts, my heart goes out to those affected by the quake.

My prayers and thoughts are with you, Peru. May you stand on your feet once again.

Vegas Ideas?

I'm hittin' up Vegas in a week and half, and I need help.

If you know any cool things to do in Vegas, preferably things off-Strip, drop me a line.

Or, I'll just do what I usually do when I'm up there...

Thanks.

The Quest For Cuy

On the evening of our last full day in Peru, I was getting antsy.

Besides hiking to Machu Picchu, one of my goals for this trip was to try cuy. I only had a few hours left.

Cuy (pronounced kwee) is what the Peruvians call a guinea pig. It's a delicacy in these parts. They throw an annual Cuy Festival here, and unfortunately we had just missed it.

Normally, the thought of eating a rodent would absolutely sicken me. Also, my brother once had a pet guinea pig. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. And now I wanted to eat one. Because I firmly believe that if you're in a foreign land, you do as the natives do. If you're in France, you eat the crepes. If you're in Holland, you eat the pannenkoken. And if you're in Peru, you eat the cuy.

Let's back it up a little bit. On our first day in Cusco, we had lunch at a restaurant (who's name escapes me) and lo and behold, cuy was on the menu. I thought it was way too soon for cuy. I hadn't even hiked yet! So I passed. My friend Allan, who also made it a goal to try the cuy, did not pass up the opportunity.

And this is what he ate:



You can have cuy many ways; grilled, deep-fried, raw. OK, maybe not raw. Allan ordered it roasted. They had to cut it in smaller chunks for him. It was a little much. But Allan seemed to like it.




So it was with a little trepidation that I, along with my friends who REALLY wanted to see me try this thing, walked into La Tranquera restaurant in Miraflores, a swanky, tourist-friendly section of Lima.



La Tranquera is not your typical Peruvian restaurant. It's actually an Argentine-themed steakhouse. Meaning they do meat right. Including cuy. So I bucked up and ordered an entire guinea pig.

And this is what I ate:



No seriously, this is guinea pig. Sure, it looks like it's a decent cut of meat. That's because it is! The chefs are that good. La Tranquera, folks. Check it out when you're in Lima.

So how was it? Good, I guess. It was definitely unlike any meat I've had. It kind of tastes like pork. But not really. It's hard to describe. You really have to eat one to see (and taste) for yourself.

This is what I looked like as I was finishing my cuy:



It was a big guinea pig.

Everyone else in our group, except for my best bud Allan, just couldn't imagine eating cuy. I didn't know what the big deal was. Why would I travel to some country just so I can eat food that I'm familiar with? With that said, I would never ever eat cuy in the U.S.

Because that's just weird.

Here are some more pics taken from our last day in Peru. To reassure all of you, we did eat very well on the trip. But that's another entry...

Museum Issues

I have a confession to make.

As much as I love museums, I cannot fully enjoy them. There's too much wandering, standing around and reading tiny print. It's not that comfortable, my back always hurts and I never retain any of the info that I was supposed to pick up.

So when we went to the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Lima, Peru's capital city, I decided that I was going to try a different tactic; I would take my little journal to jot down some notes, and I would take my camera and snap a few photos.

The results were mixed.



For example, back in the day, tribes would intentionally deform the shapes of their skulls to stand out more. However, I have absolutely no idea which tribe did this. So I kinda learned something, but not really.



And take this exhibit. Just freaky. Although I don't remember if this is how he died or if they positioned him this way. Or, if he is a she. He (or she) is still kinda freaky.



Now this is taken from the part of the museum devoted to fertility-related artifacts. I spent a great deal of time in this section. I've always been fascinated by ancient cultures' views of procreation. And as you can see, those tribes native to Peru were very...open to such matters. And this was one of the tamer artifacts.

Unfortunately this is pretty much the extent to which I learned about ancient Peru. I'll probably have to go back and spend the whole day at the museum. OR I can go to Wikipedia.

But where's the fun in that?

Here are some more photos of the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Lima, along with various other pics from that day.

Shout Out

Before I forget, I wanted to give a big shout out to Peru Treks.

I thought the people at Peru Treks did an outstanding job in taking a bunch of Gringos such as ourselves and enabling us to experience the Sacred Inca Trail with minimal hang-ups. Also, our guides, Juve and Whilder, were excellent; warm, friendly, knowledgeable...the best.



*Juve, me, Whilder*

I would recommend Peru Treks to anyone interested in doing the hike to Machu Picchu. Make sure to book your tour way in advance.

Cheers.