Ouch.

Yesterday morning I was feeling a bit hungover so I decided to take a walk down to the beach at 11am to sit in the cool breeze under the partly sunny sky and sip cold water. I left the hostel and walked the 4 minutes to the Puente de Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs) to walk down restaurant way through the swamp of people advertising the tasty Peruvian dishes offered at the restaurant in which they're promoting. I was eating a banana so I replied 'no gracias, tengo mi desayuno.' As I walked down the steep cobble stone walkway towards the ocean I stopped in front of a young man with a blanket spread out on the ground which hosted nearly 50 different handmade artisan crafts! I curiously looked at the jewelry and bracelets and inquired about the origin of some of the stones. Eventually I sat down next to Augustine- the Argentinian 24 year old with dreadlocks down to the middle of his back who travels around South America selling his work. Augustine knows about 7 phrases in English mostly related to selling his precious stones crafted into necklaces using wire to create a handmade pendant so we obviously spoke entirely in Spanish. within an hour I was chatting it up using Peruvian slang with 4 of Augustine's other hippie friends with trinkets and jewelry just as beautiful and made with their brilliant hands. Six hours later the sun was setting, I never made it to the sand, and I had spent the afternoon learning new words in Spanish which I frustratingly had to explain using charades, sounds and lots of patience! I bought 4 pieces of gorgeous, one-of-a-kind necklaces. I definitely think Augustine gave me a little price break but I still spent 120 Soles (about $44) for such precious stones that I absolutely fell in love with I had to jump on the opportunity to purchase something with such a fantastic story that I'll remember for the rest of my life. You can't put a price on memories, life experience and new friends. The other day I had purchased a necklace for my sister at a market and when I showed a fellow American, Will from Chicago, he kindly asked me to assist him in buying jewelry for his twin sister and mom. Duh! Not only can I shop but I can bargain! About an hour before sunset (5pm) I saw Will and Ashley- a male backpacker from England, coming down the cobblestone. What a perfect opportunity for Augustine to get more business! I am always open to supporting a local business, especially one of a friend. Will bought 3 necklaces; one for himself and 2 with precious stones which I think the ladies in his life will love! As the sun set in the west over the South Pacific, I watched the full moon rise higher and higher in the sky and Augustine put a dreadlock in my hair. Yes mom, a dreadlock! It's a small, non-messy looking  bundle of hair underneath my mop of a head and I think it's quite tasteful and I love it! It even has a metal flower wrapped around the bottom that Augustine crafted! I walked back to the hostel to meet Rob to go get some soup and a coffee for dinner. That doesn't sound like a nutritious dinner but this soup quite hearty and delicious. At dinner I noticed that the skin on my back where I was exposed from my racerback tank top was feeling warm. I turned around and asked Rob to check it out and I was sunburned! Like so incredibly sunburned. Ouch. It turns out when I sat with Augustine on the steps by the beach, my back was under the sun which was blocked by clouds. I didn't think twice and now I'm paying for it. Luckily it hurts a lot less than it should considering what I look like but I have 2 blonde Austrians staying in my room who travel with aloe and offered to let me have some.

Let me preface my night last night with the fact that I am going to a concert tonight. I am seeing Damien Marley, one of Bob's many sons. Last night after work I went to OM with the crew from the hostel, a higher end nightclub with a great DJ and expensive drinks. While I was dancing the night away with my friends and a beer in my hand, Liam from the hostel (a half Jamaican, half Irish cutie with the longest eyelashes I have seen in a while) approached me to tell me that Damien Marley was at the club! He was sitting in VIP with some of his friends. This all made sense because I saw 2 large Rasta men with long dreadlocks on the dance floor just 30 minutes prior. I walked over to VIP and proceeded to head in to go chat it up with the famous musician until my entrance was denied by the large Peruvian bouncer who I wasn't going to argue with. I returned to my group of friends informing one of them, Danny Soto, who happens to be a local musician in Lima, telling him about Damien Marley's presence. Well Danny knows the owner of the nightclub who told the bouncer to let Danny in to VIP who got a picture with Damien! I'm thinking with Danny's connections, theres a medium possibility that I could get very close to Damien tonight when I travel with Danny and his posse to the concert. This afternoon I am going back to the beach to take a look at a tapestry made by one of the artisans's friends from the jungle. Were meeting at 3pm. Gonna be a great day with lots of sun screen!