Brother, Can You Spare a Sol?

After 10 years of stateside sequestration, your friendly neighborhood LSL finally managed to keep enough money out of the shoe fund to take a well earned vacation. In the spirit of "paying it forward," and not make the trip all 'bout me, I decided to join a charitable (but secular) mission. Three plane rides, one rocky cliffside bus trip and a flat tire later, my mission team arrived in a remote village in the Andean mountains of Peru. After four days and five nights of elevated camping, we were ready to luxuriate in finer digs. We spent our last day in a converted monastery cum five star hotel and appreciating the culture of Cusco, Peru. Then I saw it- the most gorgeous knitted cardigan coat made of baby alpaca and silk, the likes of which I had never seen- in the hotel lobby. Well, I determined to find its twin in the less expensive and more bargain friendly street shops. Alas, an entire day of hunting only turned up far from close matches. I resigned myself to paying full retail (ugh!) and trekked back to the hotel. Love...the knit was as soft as a baby's you know what. Actually, the price tag did not send me into shock- oops, that was for the belt, not the cardigan. How many soles (2.90 to the US dollar) did the sales lady say?!!! I hung my head down and said no, could not justify it. As I put my money away, I made one last counter offer, using cash as my bargaining levy. She agreed and I hurriedly stole off with my find and 3 US dollars to my name. Silly, I did not bring much cash as this was supposed to be a working vacation, not an overseas shopping trip. I suddenly realized- how was I to pay for the cab and airport fees to go home? I borrowed $20 from our group leader, but found out in Lima that the fee was $31, no credit cards accepted. My ATM was in my wallet- at home. For the longest 15 minutes, I thought I was to going to have to make a home of Peru for the sake of a cardigan and cursed my vanity once more. An airport worker saw my distress and pointed to a bank. After paying $16 in fees for an $11 cash advance, I paid my way to the gate just in time to board, snug in my baby alpaca ransom. So, if anyone ever doubted my love and devotion to all things fashionably wearable, I present this cautionary tale as irrefutable evidence.