I have to say that in our 2 pre-Peru Miami days, we made the most of this handy, dandy taxi-like transportation service. We have been all over Miami, to Fort Lauderdale and back, and to the Miami airport with “Uber” and their friendly drivers. I love this.
I’m guessing that “Uber” isn’t a surprise to most of you. You probably know many of the finer points. It takes me awhile sometimes to catch up on new technology!
Jody, my good travel buddy, introduced me to “Uber” on our first day together in Miami. I had never used it. It’s hard to believe with all of the travel I have done! Of course, I had heard about it. But, I never took the time to see how it worked. So, in the morning of the first day, I downloaded the app onto my iphone and went to town…….literally! The person who invented this service is a genius. It couldn’t be simpler….plug in your current address and where you want to go, hit send and someone comes to pick you up in his/her personal car. The app even tells you how much it will be before you agree to the ride. And, maybe the best thing about “Uber” is that you don’t exchange any money with the driver. It’s all done online. And, as an added bonus, you get to tap into the stories of the drivers as well. My favorite part…… I love the stories about the people and why they are “Uber” drivers. Are you surprised?!
This fellow is from Sao Paolo, Brazil.
He came to Miami by himself 2 years ago to find a better life. He did construction for almost 2 years and then found “Uber”. He loves it. It’s almost like having your own small business. When he dropped us off at our hotel, he said,
“You are staying across the street from the first place I stayed when I came here. I walked all of these streets over and over again when I arrived to Miami. I was so happy to be here. I still am!”
OK friends…..I’m hooked on “Uber”!
Our first “Uber” ride was to the local “Verizon” store. Jody’s phone wouldn’t charge and we are both relying on our trusty phones to take pictures to share with all of our friends. So, this visit was a must! It was an easy fix for her phone, which we were happy about!
We also “Ubered” over to see the Wynnwood Walls. I have been to Miami multiple times and have never seen this section of town. It’s a very quirky, artsy section of Miami where the walls of the buildings that line the streets are decorated with the masterpieces of a variety of local graffiti artists. They were pretty impressive. We also found quite a few cute shops selling items that reflected the local talent as well. We did a little bit of “window shopping” before we headed back. There is a lot of talent in the naked city….and, in unexpected places! Take a look……
After we returned from Wynnwood Walls, we decided that we would have a drink. We are on vacation after all. So, on the recommendation of my San Luis Obispo friend, Christine, we made our way down to The Tides Hotel. The bar was closed, but Ricardo, the manager….
…..saw us coming in and offered to “buy us a drink” at the bar. (By the way, we must have met at least 4 men living in Miami whose name is Ricardo. Perhaps it’s a prerequisite for men living in Miami!)
We spent the next hour or 2 talking to Ricardo about travel. Not only was he cute, but he was also well-traveled. Ricardo was from Puerto Rico and recommended that we travel there sometime. But, not to the mainland. He thought that we would be much more interested in a small island off of Puerto Rico where the surrounding water lights up when it moves! Sounds good to me!
Then, we got on to the subject of Peru. He has been to Peru and has seen many of the things that we will visit on our trip. And, he has been to the Nazca Lines, which I will visit on my own at the end of the trip. This is where ancient designs have been etched into the topography. No one knows how they got there or how long they have been there. Ricardo says there is a special energy surrounding the whole area. Very surreal.
On our second day in Florida, we “Ubered” our way over to Fort Lauderdale to check out a street called Los Olas, a fun street with lots of restaurants and fun shops to look at. We had a great time looking in the windows and stepping in the stores to look around….and to escape the heat and humidity….. and made a few purchases along the way. And, of course we had a snack!
This was the only day I had a complaint about the “Uber” driver. We landed a talker. I like to hear about the stories of the drivers. But, this guy became so engaged in his own story that he took out his cell phone and showed us pictures of his house, family, etc…..while he was driving. He was actually using both hands to work the phone and was driving with his knees…..on a busy highway. Not good………He was happy to correct this when we asked him to, but really, the guy should have known that much.
On Thursday, as per schedule, we took our last “Uber” trip to the airport, boarded the plane at the appointed time and made our way to Peru. We have already visited the bar at our lovely hotel to have a drink made of the special “Pisco” cognac that is famous here.
This is not the “Pisco Sour” that is most known….it’s something else…..a frufru drink with passion fruit…but, very yummy! Pisco Sours have raw egg whites in them. We opted to hold off on eating something risky until later on in the trip. Mid-week, we will be eating everything and will have some stories to tell, I’m sure!
Life is good!
Travel With Betsy 
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