Peru: The Chick Magnet

       Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world. An Inca village was once built on the very top of a very tall, very steep mountain. It was so steep, one would have to be a skilled mountain climber to reach the top. This location provided them a measure of protection from their enemies. The Incas were the most skilled rock builders of all time. I saw one large rock, in one of their structures, that had 27 different angles cut into it. All the adjoining rocks fit so perfectly to it, that one could not stick a toothpick into the joints. Those Inca ruins were lost to the world for many centuries, until discovered, cleaned up, and made into one of the great destinations of the world. That was a breathtaking trip.

      The Inca empire, one of the largest and most powerful civilizations ever, was brought down by 187 Spaniards. How this came about involves a number of factors. The Indians looked upon the Spanish, in their metal suits and hats, riding great animals, as Gods. Many of the Indians were disabled by various diseases the Spanish brought with them, which spread like wildfire because they had absolutely no resistance to them. The Inca empire was totally ruled from the top, with orders passed down by sub leaders.

      187 Spaniards marched to a camp containing 40,000 Indian warriors. The Inca King went out to the Spaniards, in a gesture of welcoming these Gods. The Spanish captured him, and cut his head off right in front of the Indians. The Indians were like a snake with its head cut off. Nobody was there, once the king was dead, to issue orders. The Spanish easily took over, and quickly brought down the entire civilization.

Cusco is a mixture of Spanish and Indians, but there appeared to me to be very little mixing of the bloods over the centuries, because the Spanish one sees there look just like the Spanish one would see in Madrid. They are very beautiful people. I did see one tall, slim, very beautiful Spanish woman with a very short, heavy, unattractive Indian husband. The children varied. Some looked like her, some like him. It appeared to me that was the exception rather than the rule.

      We flew home. I arrived 10 pounds lighter. Like I said before, I was changed, and that has been permanent. But there was something else going on with me, that puzzled me. If you have read my writing, I am sure you have picked up on the fact that I have been the insecure, shy, retiring type around most women, except Barbara. And she has brought a change in that aspect of me, to a certain extent. But I arrived home with different feelings. Something unexplainable.

      We were headed out for a short vacation with Barbara's sister's family, upon my arrival home. As we toured around, I began to put my finger on it. I was feeling like I was a true chick magnet! I felt like every pretty woman we were around had eyes only for me. I even felt sorry for the young, muscular, handsome men they were with, because I knew their women were thinking only of me. This was a total and complete 180 degree change in my thinking. Barbara was so lucky to have me, and I was sure all the other women around were green with envy.

By the time we got home, that feeling was beginning to fade. I looked up my chemist friend, and asked, “How far is the juice of the Coca plant from being Cocaine?” He looked at me, puzzled, then said, “It's right there.”

      All I could figure out was, I was getting a super concentrated dose of Coca juice by substituting it for chewing tobacco, nothing like the much watered down Coca tea. I never felt like I could fly, but who wants to fly when you can be a full blown chick magnet!