Mi primera ves en Peru

Where to begin with Lima Peru....... Like any country or state you visit you have your nice and not so nice areas. The majority of Peru is poverty stricken. Many areas have dirt roads and incomplete houses. The walls are covered in graffiti and many areas are just very run down. On the other side of the spectrum you have your beautiful neighborhoods that have scenic views of the pacific ocean. I was lucky enough to be staying in Miraflores which is one of the very nice areas of Lima.

I went to Lima for a business project that I am working on. I dont want to say just yet what that is, but I needed to come down to learn about the industry and to check out some of the materials needed. The first 3 days I can say I was extremely busy and even thou I don’t think I made the progress I wanted to make I still managed to get an experience and learn something from this experience. I just needed to learn in a less expensive way!

Some interesting fact about lima is that it never rains. I was here for 4 days and they are in the overcast season. I barely saw the sun out since it was nothing but clouds but believe it or not they tell me it never rains. There are always clounds but no rain. They get more rain in the desserts then they do in Lima. When I arrived I thought I would have nothing but sun and maybe have some time to build on a tan but NADA!!!!

Also if your planning a trip to lima I hope you have nerves of steel. THEY DRIVE LIKE LOCOS!!!!!!!!! I dont think of myself to be a nervous wreck but OMG I felt like I was going to die every time I got in a car. I was on a highway on a way to a party for a couple who were celebrating there 12 year anniversary and we must have gone aginst traffic 3 TIMES!!! EVEN A TRAFFIC OFFICER TOLD US TO GO AGAINST THE TRAFFIC TO GET ON THE MAIN ROAD!!! There aren’t many stops signs or traffic lights and people just drive any way they feel like. NO FUN

On a positive note I really enjoyed the coastal park in Miraflores. I also liked that they had a mall built into the cliffs that overlooked the Pacific ocean. I also got to go to a 12 year anniversary party for a gay couple and there friends. There must have been like 8 couples there that were together for 10 plus years. The food was delicious and dont get me started on the fruits and vegetables so rich and tasty. The people in lima were just as sweet!

Anyways its time for me to get some rest, Sorry I didnt take many pictures but my focus was on other things and I didnt really get the chance to be a tourist.

Jonathan Vargas

Marching in Numbers

Its a shame that I live in a country where I cannot marry the person I love. That I can be evicted from my home or lose my job because of my sexual orientation. Its a shame that thousands are harassed and discriminated and aren't protected under the law.

Having said that, my friends and I thought it would only be fair that we stand behind the movement and provide support for the Equality March. On October 11, 2009 we marched with 200,000 other members and supports of the LGBT community. Letting everyone know in Capital of hill that we are no longer going to wait around for them to take there time with our issues. That we are only asking for the rights that everyone else has in this country.

"A free and equal people do not tolerate prioritization of their rights. They do not accept compromises. They do not accept delays. And when we see leaders and those who represent us saying 'you must wait again,' we say No! No! No longer will we wait!" Cleve Jones

I think what we did by marching was amazing but if you were to ask me what we should do to really get there attention I would tell the LGBT community to stop paying there TAXES!!! I am more then sure that Washington would read the message loud and clear and they would changes the law in minutes!!! but thats just my opinion and don't necessary know if that would work.

Keep on Fighting

Jonathan Vargas

Memoirs of an American Samurai

Yahoo.... I finally made it over to Tokyo Japan and so far the experience has been amazing! I find the people, the country, the streets just to be so intriguing and fun.

Let me start off with the things I love

I love the Japanese toilets!!! I can not believe that we dont have these all over the US or anywhere else in the world for that matter. After letting go of your dark nuggets you can have this little squirter shoot water on your bum. I felt alot cleaner then when I just use toilet paper. You can adjust the pressure too! I ended up going to the Toto showroom which is the creator of most of the worlds advance toilets.

Tokyo has 25 million people living in this city that is more then all of Australia. Shinkjuku Station alone has 3 million people passing through it each day! And the best part is that its SPOTLESS!

Building here are so unique and so interesting. My favorite building so far is the cocoon building and I found out that its actually holds 3 universities. The only thing that I am not crazy about are all the advertising they have on some of the building’s. I am very impressed by the creativity of it all.

I love Japanese women style. Its not just there clothing but the way they style there hair, make-up, and accessories. Its just off the hook!!! Very feminine and unique.

So far I have walked all around Shinjuku, I have gone to like 6 shrines both Shinto and Buddha Shrines. I have gone to the Fire museum which was really interesting. I walked around the different shops and tried some of the different food. I got to smell smells I have never smelled before. I met a fellow American who has lived in Tokyo for 11 years. He took me around the bars and did a little bar hopping where I met other Americans. I have also gone to the Shinjuku gardens.

In the early morning I have gone jogging and I have amazed by how the elderly still manage to wake up and get a quick workout in the near by parks. They seem to keep themselves physically active as often as possible.

The other day I had gone to Kamakuru which is a small town about an hour away from Tokyo. I got to see the Buddha statue of Amida Nyorai. I also went on a hiking tour where i got lost all by myself for about 30 minutes. Very excited but a little scary. I finally found a couple who guided me back on the right path. The town was small and cute with little shops and boutiques.

Food here has been a very hit or miss. I am very particular with food and some of the things here have made me gag while other things haven been surprisingly good. I love the different types of steam breads and desserts. I had a very unique blend of nuts here too which were delicious.

I also went out to party one night. Since it was a long weekend here in Tokyo I got to go to the biggest gay party of all of Asia. The club is called Ageha and the party is called Shangri-la. The space was enormous and the music was insane. I brought my camera but they didnt allow them inside the club so I had to put it in a locker they have outside the club. I met a few Australians and Canadians while I was there and danced for a few hours. They had gogo dancers on boxes painted in a cool design which could only been seen when under a black light. They also had a small area just for food which was a great idea. I left at 5am since I was wiped out and luckly they had shuttle buses back to Shinjuku.

My favorite area of Tokyo has to be Harajuku. The place puts all of Soho New York to shame. The neighborhood is beautiful with all the shops and tall building’s. The main street is filled with all the high-end shops and on the side streets is where you find the boutique shops mixed in with bargain shops. I found myself getting frustrated because I thought there was no way I can see it all and I so wanted too.

On the last night I met up with New, who I met via Theo. New took me to this neat underground theme restaurant. It was a jail theme and would have been really exciting, but we missed the show time and decided to hit a roof top burger joint instead. The Burger place was delicious and the Milk shake was to die for. Then we walked around Shibuya while New filled me in with interesting Tokyo facts. Did you know that Japan has had 30,000 suicides last year alone!!! Thats about 82 a day! I also find out why the Japanese never cross the street during a green light...... You get a ticket!!! Here I thought they were just really patient. I am lucky I wasn't caught.

I have had a wonderful time in Japan and I cant possibly remember it all but here are a few pics

Enjoy

Jonathan Vargas

Good times in Canada

So I finally made it to Canada for the first time. I find it funny that I have been to the other side of the world and yet I never explored what was right next to me. I went to Toronto to be exact and stayed at the Westin Harbor Castle. As you can tell by the name of the Hotel I was by the Harbor.

Toronto was extra busy that week since it was the Toronto International Film Festival and I went to go catch a few good movies and do a little celebrity stocking. Well not much celebrity stocking since I dont care for them that much but def into the movie scene. I did get a glimpse of Matt Damon and George Clooney. George is shorter then I Imagned but then again I really dont care. I was really hoping in seeing Oprah or Megan Fox..... I think Megan is soooo HOT!!!

Besides the Film festival I did a lot of sightseeing by walking around all of Toronto. I stopped by a few of the art museums and went to bloor avenue for some window shopping. Toronto had a little area that was similar to times Square but at a much smaller scale and I found the people to be very friendly and liberal.

On one of my days there I ended up going to Hanlahs Beach which is a 15 min ferry ride from the Harbor into lake Ontario. Its a small group of island bunched together in the lake that makes the beach, park, and a small airport. The beach was clothing Optional and lets just say 80% of the people there were naked. There were people there with there wives and kids, with family members, with there partners and many individuals. I was all by myself and I thought “what the hell” I mean if people really wanted to see me naked they could. I mean my bits are not that hard to find and I felt comfortable because everyone else seemed to just hang out naked and it really want that big of a deal. So I took off my trunks and laid nude like everyone else. I did worry that my bits and pieces were going to get sun burn but I was only planing on being in the sun for about an hour and a half. I put in my ears phones and just baked. I didn't get in the water since I read somewhere that the water wasn’t the cleanliest water around but it didnt stop other people from getting in. After the beach I went for a walk around the park and admired the views and the scenery.

I also went out at night and bumped into my friend chase and his boyfriend at this bar. I hate going out on my own so when I saw them there I was relieved. They introduced me to there friends and we just hung out during a drag show. I also went to “Fly” night club which is the club “Babylon” from the show “Queer As Folk”. Its a lot smaller then I thought but the music was good and I did my happy feet dance. Afterwards I was invited to go to the Sauna..... From what they said the Sauna in Toronto werent like the Saunas that people were used to. They said that they were very clean and had many fine “amenities”. I am pretty sure all these things are true but I declined the offer since I really wasn't in the mood to watch or to participate in sexual behavior. As you guys know I am not afraid to have people watch me do my thing but again I wasnt in the mood and just felt like going to bed since I needed to be up early to do more things. Next time I will consider going.....

Anyways thats all for now..... Stay tuned for more

Jonathan Vargas