This proved another fantastic weekend and more than lived up to hopes and expectations. When I arrived at my second job at ten past four on Friday, I was told to do what I could as they were closing early at 4.30 - a nice surprise for me to only have to work for 20 minutes instead of two hours as I would still be paid the same!
I'd been looking forward all day to going to Las Iguanas with Colin. He picked me up at 7.30 pm and brought a package he'd picked up from Bath post office for me - which I was delighted to see contained another 6 CDs from my Yuguslavian friend, one of which promply went into the CD player and we enjoyed the music on our way to Bath. We arrived at the restaurant a bit early so went into the downstairs bar first and had some delicious cocktails until our waitress called us up to the restaurant when our table was ready - which I was pleased to see was a window table overlooking the outside courtyard, which being a fine evening was full of diners also.
I was able to enjoy a whole bottle of my favourite Argentinian Rose Syrah wine with the meal - Colin preferring beers - at Las Iguanas they serve his favourite - Czechoslovakian Budvar. Whilst deciding what to have Colin ordered bread and olives - I had the bread and he had the olives! And they were so delicious we ordered a second lot. The food was brilliant as usual and my starter was so big I didn't think I could manage the main course but I did! It was my favourite that I always have - Brazilian Lime Chicken (I recently bought a Brazilian cookery book and was most disappointed to find that that recipe wasn't in there!!!). We then lingered over the wine and beer for about an hour before ordering desserts. With the lovely Latin music and festive air (several parties in progress) it was a great evening which I hope to repeat on Thursday as I'll be away all weekend again.
Saturday morning I was up early getting ready. The sun was up already at 5.30 and a really hot day forecast so I decided to wear a nice wrap-around skirt and suntop (to try out the new strapless and backless bustiere that Colin had bought me for my holiday) which of course meant wearing smart shoes (a decision I was to heartily regret later)! I managed to get my weekend needs including a nightshirt and change of clothes into a bag no bigger than my handbag so was travelling light - just those two bags and a third special CD carrying bag containing personal CD player and 10 CDs.
Colin arrived at 7.30 and we took Adam to work first and then bought my snacks for the journey and had time for a coffee and Danish (in my case two Pecan!) before walking up to the platform where Colin waited with me until the train arrived. The train was on time and it was a really pleasant journey to London, listening to my favourite Andean music all the way. I arrived on time at 10 am and went to get my weekend travel pass for the underground which usually entails a long wait in a queue but luckily I spotted new machines where one could get them by using a credit card and no queue, so used my card and bought the ticket from there, thus saving at least a 20 minute wait. Two stops down the line I got off at Notting Hill Gate and walked to Portabello Market and found Claire and Aquiles in the same spot where Tarpuy have played in recent weeks.
It was fantastic to see them again, especially Aquiles who I hadn't seen since he went to Peru in January and it wasn't long before the teasing rapport began (we'd both forgotten what fun we have teasing each other until we were together again and carried on where we'd left off!) Claire loves listening to us score points off each other - mostly about each other's weight and we all had such a good laugh.
I listened to them play one set and then set off around the market - looking out for Victor, Edgar and Santiago in the process but couldn't see them anywhere. I received a phone call from Victor after a while though to say they had got up late so would be playing in Covent Garden instead. They asked if Claire and Aquiles were there and I said yes. I also said I might not be able to see them on this occasion but would try. (I didn't tell them that Claire and Aquiles had got up at 5 am to get to the pitch first and slept in situ until the market opened - in order to bag the best pitch for playing). I bought rather a lot of things, several carrier bags worth but didn't have to worry about lugging them around as the band looked after the bags for me once I rejoined them.
It was very hot and I could feel the sun burning my back and neck and was glad I'd put on loads of Factor 30 sun lotion before leaving home that morning - which prevented me from actually getting burned even though it felt as though I was. My feet were already feeling a bit sore so I was glad to sit for a while and listen to them play. At this point their friend Ricardo arrived - nicknamed Rico because he comes from Puerto Rico. When Aquiles introduced us to each other he introduced Rico as his best friend in London and me as his best friend in Bath. I felt secretly chuffed about that as he has several other friends in Bath besides me. Rico was great fun, full of smiles and laughter and teasing ways as well. He disappeared for five minutes and came back with four ice cold bottled beers which made our faces light up.
Around 3 pm they packed up the equipment, loaded it onto two trolleys and we all made our way to the underground where we parted company with Rico after he had helped manoevre the two trolleys down two sets of escalators. We left him after having made arrangements to meet at the Peruvian restaurant the following day. A couple of train journeys later we arrived at Bethnal Green - Claire's flat - where I was glad to kick my shoes off and we relaxed for a couple of hours and Aquiles played songs from several CDs he'd brought from Peru to see if I liked them - some were okay but they were mostly fusion whereas I prefer the more traditional andean music without added techno or reggae - I did like one Saya fusion though. Also I agreed to buy from Claire a CD of two andean violinists accompanied by harp which I liked very much after hearing a couple of tracks but which she didn't like after having bought and listened to it.
At this point Aquiles gave me my present that he'd brought for me from Peru - two lovely sweaters - one multi-coloured with a funnel neck and the other a dark blue mohair type sweater with a Peruvian design in white on the front. I was delighted with both and told him so. He'd brought four sweaters from Peru, one of which he had already given to Claire and she had been working on him for one of the others. When I tried the three on, I was trying to decide between two when he said I could have them both and the other one was the one that Claire had wanted so he gave that to her as well and she was really pleased too, and you could tell he felt really good seeing our delight in his gifts.
We went out again at 7.30 as we were meeting a friend of Aquiles in Leicester Square at 8 pm - Aquiles went on ahead as I forgot my underground ticket and we had to go back for it. We were going down the escalator between stations when someone came down behind us, tapped me on the shoulder and it was Marcelo - the Ecuadorian friend of Johnny's who I'd met last time and he seemed really pleased to see us again and was really chatty and friendly. He was talking into a microphone, giving his impressions of London, describing what he was doing and I spoke into it briefly in Spanish as well. He was sending the tapes to his family in Ecuador so that they could get an idea of what life is like in London - an excellent idea I thought, better than writing. He had his bombo drum with him and was off to join friends. He stayed with us until we got to Leicester Square and then we parted company and he gave us both a big Latin style hug before hurrying off and Claire and I found Aquiles about ten minutes later - with his friend - also called Ricardo but this time a Peruvian.
We stayed together all evening. We had originally planned to go to the cinema at Canary Wharf but when they offered me the choice of going to the cinema or staying in Leicester Square I chose the latter as I just love it there - bands playing everywhere and all sorts of street entertainment - there was even a whole troupe of African dancers. You don't need to spend vast sums of money to be beautifully entertained in London. We went to an off licence and bought loads of beers and followed everyone else's example, drinking them in the street.
We decided to see if we could find the band Marcelo was playing with but when we walked as far as Piccadilly Circus without finding him we gave up and found somewhere to sit for a while as by now my feet were really killing me, partly I suppose because they were a bit swollen from the heat of the day. We walked back to Leicester Square and bought a couple more beers each and walked around Soho a little, just enjoying the atmosphere of London which is unique and I love it. Although crowded everywhere, everyone in such a good mood. Whether that changes later I don't know but up until midnight the streets of London - especially that part of London - is a great place to be. Around 11.30 both Claire and I were so tired that we parted company with Aquiles and Ricardo and made our way back to her flat via the underground and decided to sleep straightaway as we were both so exhausted. Claire shares a house with two others, each with their own room but sharing lounge, kitchen and bathroom. I slept on a mattress on the floor of her room and very comfortable it was too - I slept really well.
As Claire lives so close to my ex husband - only 15 minutes walk away - I said I might walk round there in the morning if I woke up early enough so she gave me an A-Z in case I got lost and a set of house keys to get in again if she was still asleep. However, next morning I awoke with the start of a sore throat and my feet were still sore from the previous day, so I turned over and went back to sleep instead!
We got up at 9 am and after showers and breakfast on the outside patio we decided to go to Brick Lane market (as we couldn't get any answer ringing Aquiles on his mobile, we realised they must have had a lot to drink the night before and were sleeping it off). I wanted to look for a cream or white petticoat to wear under the skirt I wanted to wear that day, as I'd forgotten to bring one and the blue one worn the day before could be seen through it. I enjoyed the couple of hours we spent in the market which was already crowded with people, dressed in their best clothes as it was a day of celebration of the Bangladeshi new year and we both wished we could stay longer. I didn't find any petticoats but improvised by buying a sari length (six metres) of ivory thin material, deciding to wrap it around me under the skirt to serve as a petticoat instead. Aquiles phoned while we were at the market and we agreed a time to meet at Elephant and Castle (Sol Andino) - which we both exceeded by over an hour!
Back at the house I wrapped the long length of material around me - which seemed to take forever as there was so much of it - then tied the two ends together into a secure knot and put on the skirt. It looked really good as both skirt and petticoat were ankle length. The only trouble was when I went to walk I could only take small steps as I'd wrapped it around me like a mummy and hadn't allowed for walking!
We were short of time and had to go as Aquiles wanted us to reserve six Ceviches for us at the restaurant as he was worried they'd run out, so I didn't have time to unwrap it and start again. We went to the nearly mainline station and waited for the train but after a 20 minute wait a train went through in the opposite direction and the driver shouted across that there would be no more trains that day! So we walked to the underground and travelled that way instead. Claire had lent me a large bag to put all my shopping in and I'd bought a bag in the market to put the present I'd bought the previous evening at a shop in Leicester Square for Aquiles youngest brother in Peru - a pair of Nike trainers which also had wheels that could be tucked into the base of the shoes or locked down to turn them into roller skates. Aquiles said his brother would be absolutely delighted with such a lovely present so I'll look forward to seeing his face when he unwraps them when I eventually get to Cusco.
All these bags, plus the original three were a nuisance to have to carry plus my feet were still swollen from the day before plus I had several blisters as well - so I was feeling decidedly uncomfortable and longed to reach the restaurant just to be able to kick the shoes off and sit for a few hours. Claire couldn't help me carry them as she was heavily laden herself with Violin and other equipment needed as she would be joining the band to play for a while later that afternoon. Normally there isn't a band of musicians at Sol Andino but Sunday 13 May is Peruvian Mother's Day which is always a big celebration in Peru.
Luckily despite all delays we reached the restaurant a few minutes ahead of Aquiles and pre-ordered our Ceviches (a Peruvian special dish of raw fish and other seafood "cooked" in lime juice with spices, red onion etc and is a really delicious dish. We enjoyed these along with Peruvian Cristal beers and I was really enjoying the music provided by three musicians - two guitar players and a panpipe/flute player - one of the guitarists being David - an English guy - who I know well as he sometimes plays with Dante's band - Amaru III - and he came over for a chat in the first interval. He recently went to Peru for the first time and stayed there eleven weeks and had the time of his life and is saving up to go again. Later in the afternoon he fetched his holiday photos from the car which we all saw and which were very interesting. He took some incredible shots of the Andes mountains and Macchu Picchu and Sacsawayman.
We shifted tables around as there were so many of us - Rico and his Italian girlfriend Ariana, Ricardo, another Peruvian guy, Claire, Aquiles and me and Ricardo's three nieces. We spent a wonderful few hours together, drinking beers for about three hours before ordering another meal. I especially enjoyed the music and danced as well as my feet were okay as long as I didn't have shoes on. Some Peruvian guy asked me to dance and after that Ricardo had me up dancing several times and was teaching me a typical Peruvian dance. I loved being able to dance to andean music as chances to do so don't come along that often - the closest is ordinary Latin music or salsa music which isn't anywhere near as good.
Around 6 pm we ordered another meal and of the ten choices on offer (all of which were explained in great detail to me before I decided) I chose a spicy chicken dish which arrived accompanied with rice, salad and fried yucca and was really delicious. Other choices included Duck with coriander rice, stuffed crab or seafood rice all of which looked wonderful and it was a difficult decision!
During the afternoon Dante popped in briefly with his wife and two sons but he wasn't staying as they'd already eaten somewhere else and were en route to a friend's house. It was nice to chat to him for five minutes though, a lovely surprise to even see him at all! The panpipe player of the band came over for a chat in the afternoon as well, telling me that he used to play in Bath several years ago. He was the founder member of Antara - another band I know and whose music I love as well. Even at the restaurant Aquiles and I couldn't stop teasing each other, with his friend Ricardo joining in as well. He told all his friends there that whenever I'm with them we can't stop teasing each other. It's part of the fun whenever I'm with Claire and Aquiles and the reason why we all got on so well together when I was with them at Edinburgh festival last summer.
About quarter to seven Claire had to go as she was meeting a friend coming from Manchester and staying overnight with her before an early flight from Heathrow the following morning. So I decided to go then as well as I didn't fancy going through all those subways alone later, laden as I was with so many bags and my feet in such poorly condition - it took all of five minutes to get my shoes back on before we could leave the restaurant at all! Claire and I parted company at the underground station as we were going in different directions - her on the Northern Line and me on the Bakerloo line for a train that would take me direct to Paddington. I thanked her for an excellent weekend and she said I could come anytime.
Back at Paddington I was glad to find a seat available within view of the train announcements as I had about 40 minutes to wait for the next train. Meanwhile that day Colin and his son had gone to the rugby final at nearby Twickenham and there were a few men wearing the shirts of both teams - Bath and Leicester - also awaiting the Bath train and making a few of us laugh as four of them were obviously friends, 3 wearing Bath shirts and one wearing a Leicester shirt, gloating to his friends that his team had won. When the platform number of our train appeared on the announcement board, the Leicester supporter carried my big bag and one of the Bath supporters carried two others and saw me onto a seat on the train and stowed my luggage overhead, which I thought was really kind.
I was in a seat sharing a table with three mean and decided to put my headphones and music on straightaway as this was the part of the weekend I was dreading the most, hoping I could get away with having to show my ticket to the ticket inspector by pretending to be asleep! (When Aquiles had persuaded me on the phone the previous saturday to change my ticket from a day return to a weekend return I had tried to change it by phone and was told I had to pay an additional £26.80 on top of what I'd already paid, which I couldn't afford, so I had decided to take a chance on it as inspectors don't always come around checking).
When the train inspector made the usual announcement as the train left the station he sounded really officious so I was dreading it more than ever. Even from beneath my music I could hear him getting closer and closer checking the tickets and I thought I had got away with it when he reached our table as he laughed when he saw my discarded shoes and blamed it on the heat - but no - next minute he tapped me on the shoulder and asked for my ticket! As I got my ticket out of my bag I said "I might have to pay a small supplement as I should have used this ticket yesterday" and I was really delighted and relieved when he said it was okay and I didn't have to. I really was lucky as he could easily have enforced an extra payment which could have been even more than £26.80 on the day of travel itself.
After that I was able to enjoy the rest of the train journey home even though it was beset with one delay after another - 10 minutes late leaving Paddington due to its late arrival there - then nearly at Didcot the fault detecting equipment detected a problem and the driver had to get out and perform a test on the track before we could proceed - due to rail crashes in recent months the attention to safety is paramount these days - and after that the train went really slowly so that at the time I should have reached Bath we only arrived at Swindon. I tried to phone Colin to alert him to the delay but he'd left his phone off the hook and all I got was a constant busy signal. Just outside Swindon station the train stopped again, the driver explaining he thought he had hit something and had to get out and investigate. Once he got going though the train picked up speed and whizzed onward to Bath arriving there about 45 minutes late.
I couldn't get my shoes back on so walked off barefoot. Downstairs in the car park area Colin was amazed when I hobbled out, shoeless and laden with so many bags. Luckily he didn't mind that I was later than the time I'd said. We both had lots to tell each other about our respective weekends. Back home I was glad to get to bed and rest my poor feet. I knew I'd be in no state to go to work next day as my sore throat was a lot worse as well.
Two days later my feet are back to normal but my throat as sore as ever plus streaming cold as well. I'm going back to work tomorrow though. The next brilliant weekend to look forward to is coming up in a couple of days as I'm off to Cambridge on Friday morning, returning to Bath at midnight on Sunday.
