Of towards Lima

Cusco is a wonderful city. It´s full of history and surrounded by beautiful mountains. It happens to be at the perfect spot to explore Machu Piccu or the Sacred Valley, close to wonderful rafting and mountain biking and has become one of the major gringo capitals of South America and a center for those trying to learn spanish. So I decided to head to the dirty, loud and dangerous capital of Lima.

It´s not so much that I wanted to go to Lima but I had to get there at some time to catch my flight to Cuba. And I figured I´d go a day early and take at least a little bit of time to see what everyone was complaining about. I was planning on taking a Omnibus and not looking forward to the 22 hour journey. But I tought it would be cool to say I travelled all the way from Buenos Aires to Lima in bus. But the English lass I met rafting the other day planted the idea of taking a plane instead, she told me it wasn´t that expensive.

So I woke up on monday, packed my bags and went to the airport. I hadn´t bought a ticket as of yet but it turned out that wasn´t too much of a problem. Within minutes of getting to the airport I realized that I could get a ticket fo rhte 1 hour flight to Lima for only about US $100. Not too shabby, the flight left in two hours and I was ready to go.

As I passed through security they stopped me and questioned me about the metalic container in my carry on bag. It had been a while since I flew anywhere so I forgot about how this always happened. But I took out my flask and showed it to them. They asked me if it was full of rum. ¨No vodka¨ I replied.

The nice lady running the x-ray machine asked me if it was strong. She had a glass of Sprite sitting next to her and I told her she should try some, it goes really well with Sprite I assured her. She unscrewed the cap and smelled it, then poured a bit into her glass. I also made the other guard pour a bit into his bottle. They both seemed pretty content with their newly spiked bevarages.

The Peruvian security officer then asked me what the script on the flask meant. I told them it was a riddle. I recieved that flask in what seems like another life time. ¨May the dreams that drive you be the passions that guide you¨ it reads.

I never really knew what that meant or what I was supposed to take away from it. But it always struck me as a cool thing to have written on a flask. Every once in a while I stop and look at it and think about what I should be thinking about when I look at it. And once in a while, usually after I have emptied the flask, it feels like I might kinda have a feeling about what it is supposed to mean.

The two security officers wished me safe travel and I passed through the gate towards the boarding area. And I beamed as I thought about those passions and where they were taking me and reflected on those dreams of mine.