Some Random musings while here in Peru:
1. Every taxi and tuk-tuk is plastered with stickers of all your favourite extreme sports brands: Oakley, Fox racing, DC shoes, Quiksilver, Ripcurl. It is besides the fact that the only brand that i have actually seen on sale here has been DC Shoes. What is with the the automobile representation? For sure there are barely any skateboarders here, no snowboarding and certainly no BMX or Dirtbiking… so what is the deal?
My hypothesis is that Peruvians have seen on TV and the internet, pictures of North American cars with people repping their favourite extreme sports brands, so they think its either
A: What cool, rich people do or
B: good luck charms.
either way its really interesting to see these brands everywhere down here when not a single person buys their products or is engaged in the sports these brands represent. You could say that the Peruvians are the worlds biggest posers. Even bigger than all the kids in grade 8 who stood around with skateboards at lunch hour but didn´t ride them once, you knew because the bottom of their deck was still in pristine condition.
2. Batman Lives. For some reason even more popular than all the extreme sports brands is the one and only Batman Logo. Tuk Tuks have their review window shaped as the bat logo. the sticker is all over cars. This one is even more ambiguous as to the reason: Is it just the recent success of “the dark knight” that has contributed to the rise in batman repping in Peru? or perhaps people here have seen over the years North America´s fascination with the caped crusader and they figure we view him as some sort of Peoples hero? Perhaps a symbol of the power of the rich, white man.
If that is the case then i am honored that the Peruvian people would think the symbol for North American culture is a mentally unstable aristocrat that dresses up as a flying rodent to do battle against satanic clowns. Somehow that just gives me the warm fuzzies.
3. Inka Cola. Its more popular than coka cola. it tastes like liquid double-bubble. It looks like piss. I love it.
4. The proper way to greet a women is to kiss her on the cheek. And you great everyone you meet; every home you enter you shake ever mans hand and kiss everyone on the cheek. Even at church. thats a lot of shaking and kissing.
This custom is a double edged sword:
On one hand you get to rub your face against, and kiss all the cute girls. Total Bonus! On the other hand you have to do the same for the 70 year old witch that has a massive mole on the side of her face that looks like it sports its own circulatory system. I am still undecided on whether this custom should be adopted in Canada or not. Its great for the socially ackward amongst us. Suddenly we can get closer to a girl than we ever have in their entire life! yes!
and done.
listening to Daedelus, air france.
