I signed in and that was it. Just 3 or 4 days later i received a CS request. A couple of greek girls wanted to spare some days in Lima and then travel around Peru. I accepted. They came, they shared their greek music and even taught me a bit of the greek language - which I, of course, already forgot. After that we became good friends and nowadays we still keep in touch.
That was the first act. Here comes the second: It was June, I was walking by the streets, and I saw this huge advertisement on the wall offering two way tickets from Lima to Brasilia, for only 200 bucks. I tried to persue some friends to go, but they could not to so I was about to quit. Then, just like in the movies, I heard the sound of this music in my ears: "Brazil, la la la la la laaaa..." and that was the ending theme of Terry Gilliam´s Brazil, one of my favorites's. And i also remembered that I dreamt about Brazil when i saw this movie in the first years of college. So I bought the tickets.
Tickets in hands, I started looking for places to stay, just for a couple of nights (I said to myself) and then I found Pree Leonel's profile. She, at first glance, seemed a very nice person, but I really chosed her because she also liked photography and video making, things that i love to, since i work on that... and that was it, i sent her a request.
Sooner than later she answered me, accepting the request. I liked that. After that I stopped looking for other places to stay. Days later Pree sent me another mail, telling me that she was a bit concerned on receiving me, since I had no CS references.
She was fearing I could actually be a murder or something like that. I confessed her that I was precisely planning that for my trip, a murdering, and that my greek guests where actually somewhere dead in the Amazon river. We laughed, shared facebook profiles.
One day before taking the plane, she sent me a huge mail (something that became very usual in later times) saying me what to take to Brazilia and many other tips and indications. I liked the fact that she cared.
Days before I had bought a nice Retablo ayacuchano as a present to her, cause I thought she would might like something like that (and she did).
It was already 9am at Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek Airport, in Brasilia. I arrived like an hour earlier, and Pree wasn't there. So i got a bit confused. I did have her mobile number so I walked towards the money interchange offices to have money to call, but suddendly I decided to turn my head and then I saw a girl walking very quickly, like if she was late. I realized she was Pree. I followed her and when I reached her, I asked if she was the same Pree Leonel I was talking to all those past weeks through internet. She said yes and we huged. The hug lasted more than we are used in Lima and Peru in general, and that was one of the many little cultural differences I noticed.
She took me to her place. I left my stuff on there. She showed me some of her travel videos. Then we hanged around on the city. She showed me many places I used to look only by pics. We went to eat at Xique-Xique (or something like this), and that was my 1st brasilian food ever.
That same night we went to Spicy Bar where I met Lotti, Alex, Jacque, Sergio, Phill and Daphne, all good friends of Pree. I still see most of them nowadays, and they`re just spectacular folks I like to hang around with. "Os caras brasileros". I am "o cara peruano" for them. I just remember the bliss that day. Knowing other culture from its core is something hard to achieve, so I was inmensily grateful because of Pree.
The third act was given the next night, but that may be another post. For now I just can say that selling my car to go to Brasil (yeah, I did not mention this) was the best bussiness I had ever done. And Pree is a witness: driving in Lima can make you mad, so nowadays im a happy and healthy pedestrian.
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Photo by Victor Kitamoto, 11-08-10.
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