I wanted to get laid today. I had planned on getting laid today. I had high hopes of getting laid today. Hell, I even took a shower and shaved.
No sexo hoy (no sex today).
I was able to sleep all the way until 10:00 am. Either the noise is less on Sundays, or I was just really tired. Either way, I needed it.
I left the house at 11:30, and headed to the area where they sell tourist crap. The stuff is nice (as tourist crap goes), it's fairly inexpensive, and every fifth booth or so has a pretty girl working, just waiting to be flirted with.
It was easy to kill an hour window shopping and flirting. I've said it before, but it is still true: The minute I get off of the plane, I get 10 years younger, 30 pounds lighter and my hair grows. If I lived here, it would be like shooting ducks in a barrel with these young, cute girls. Anyway, I got out of there before I could cause myself any trouble, and I headed to El Bolivariano for lunch.
El Bolivariano
Pasaje Santa Rosa 291, Pueblo Libre
(corner 5 Av. Sucre)
261-9565
http://www.elbolivariano.com/
Puebo Libre is an 8-10 Sol ride from Miraflores. It seems to be a middle class neighborhood, and El Bolivariano is just a really nice neighborhood restaurant.
This is a typical Peruvian restaurant, serving typical Peruvian (Criollo) food. I was the only foreigner in there. The deal on Sunday in many restaurants is the buffet brunch, and this restaurant serves off the menu in the front, and has the buffet in the big, covered courtyard in the back. The place was full of families (and me). The selection was outstanding: six different ceviches, a bunch of different salads, mussels, scallops, and about a dozen hot dishes, ranging from rice & seafood, to beef, chicken, some fried stuff, and of course, an entire pig. You could also get anticuchos (beef hearts on a stick) on demand. They were disappointed that I didn't want any. There were dessert choices, too: a few different versions of rice pudding, some small pastries, and the always exciting Live Donut Vat Fryer.
Also included in the price was a welcome drink of Pisco Sour, and all you wanted of Chica Morada (a purple corn drink that tastes a lot better than it sounds). The whole thing was 39 Soles (under $13), and I waddled away fatter and happier than when I arrived.
I did a little more stocking up at the supermarket, and then went back to the apartment to clean up, shave and shower. I left to start my big Sunday night at 7:00. My first stop was the Marriott, where I lost $15, and then over to Casino Miraflores where I won $37.
On one hand, I never really need to eat again, I wolfed down so much food at Brunch. On the other hand, it was dinner time. Another new place on my list was Don Rosalino.
Don Rosalino
Ave. Aviacion 2667, San Borja
476-7732
Mon-Fri: 12:30-11:30; Saturday: 12:30-12:30; Sunday 12:30-10:00
www.donrosalino.com
Well, I guess that it was just my day to eat in plain old regular 'neighborhoods'. San Borja is a 10 Sol cab ride away from Miraflores (in a different direction than Pueblo Libre, I think). Avenue Aviacion is a big commercial street, and there are two fairly well-known Banos Turcos not far from the restaurant: King Spa and Gold Spa, as well as a massage parlor, Yin Yang Spa.
This is a large, really nice looking Italian-ish restaurant. It was pretty slow on Sunday night, but with their prices and quality, I can see where they can get busy.
I started with a personal size pizza. It smelled great and the toppings were flavorful. I wasn't a big fan of the crust, but go figure, I finished it anyway.
Then they rolled out the main courses: Gnocchi stuffed with three different kinds of mushrooms (instead of potato) and a dish of Lomo con 5 pimientas. What that really was is two very tender filets of beef with an au poivre sauce. It came with vegetables and instead of the pasta, I chose the risotto.
It was all absolutely fabulous. I passed on dessert, and felt that I got away cheap when the total tab came to just under 90 Soles (about $28). Please don't get me wrong; there are tons of places to eat (and eat well) for $2-$4 in Lima. I just look at it as I am on vacation, and if I can have $50 or more dinners for less than $30, I go for it whenever I can.
So now it's around 11:00, and I am well-fed and rarin' to go. I walk dinner off a little on Av. Aviacion, and finally flag a taxi and ask him to take me to Club 69.
Club 69 is arguably one of the top high-end clubs in the city. The girls are supposedly all beautiful, and extremely well-skilled at their jobs. It isn't cheap there - by the time you're in a taxi home with your girl, you've either spent or committed to spend close to $200 for a two-hour date. A few of the guys at PeruTops had recommended a certain girl, and I figured that they all couldn't be wrong, so I had my heart set on this one specific chica. I know that's not the best position to put yourself in, especially in a pricey joint (and I should know better), but that's where I was and what I was thinking.
We get to the club on an industrial street not far from Miraflores, and it is totally shut down. You have to get past the big metal garage door to get in the grounds, and the door is down. The driver gets out and rings the bell to no avail. We finally agree that they're probably closed Sundays.
The driver quickly realized that he lost a big commission for bringing a live one to the club, so he started suggesting the other commission-paying places. I would have none of that. If I couldn't get fleeced by the girl I wanted in the club I wanted, I wasn't going to play.
I had him take me back to the casinos in Miraflores, where I proceeded to lose about $50 over the next hour and a half or so.
It was now just after 1:00 am. I could have gone to Tequila Rock and found a likely victim, but I was still in a foul mood from missing out at Club 69 and from losing at blackjack, so I just walked home and was back in the apartment at around 1:30.
Damnit, I showered for nothing!