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10 - THE BARB, Juno 1977
Gypsy Feet
A Unique Travel Experience
I’ve never really
been into feet in a big
way. I mean, feet have
never been exactly my
thing. But like any
other “normal,” red-
blooded American I do
have a healthy
curiosity, so when feet
began popping up here
and there, my interest
began to awaken. What
in the hell were all
these feet about? Not
just any feet, mind you
- no, always the same
foot. A right foot, in
fact in silhouette.
Someone must have
been mighty proud of
that foot to be
spreading it around so.
I had to know more.
Where was the first
time I saw it? I think it
was a scrap of paper-
lying on one of the
fabled, well-trod
boardwalks of Fire
Island after a rain
storm, early in the
summer of ’71. As that
summer progressed, my
curiosity was satisfied.
Coming back on the
train from the island, I
learned that those feet
were GYPSY FEET and
they were something not
anatomical, but rather
an idea, a concept,
struggling to become a
way of life. As luck
would have it. just
before we were pulling
into Jamaica, I saw an
utterly divine beirffc
reading a folder that
prominently displayed
that alluring foot
design. 1 seized the
double opportunity of
widening my horizons.
Casually, I slipped into
the seat next to him
and began talking about
how frequently I had
seen that foot and had
been unable to learn
anything else. Looking
deep into his eyes, I
remarked “I burn to
know more.” His ex
pression told me he
understood fully. He slid
the folder into my hand
and said, “this is all I
have to give you - for
now, at least. “My
heart pounded and dare
I say it throbbed to the
rhythm of the train as I
read the folder for the
rest of the way into
Penn Station. I must
admit my eyes did
wander over in his
direction now and then,
but I was fascinated by
what I read never
theless. GYPSY FEET
was something really
new. It certainly
sounded that way as I
savored their ec
statically upbeat blurb.
intrigued,
so it seemed,
least seen
that went
P<
bevond the tired old
I was
Someone,
had at
ossibilities
eyond
joyjell bag and come up
with an idea that could
help meet the biggest
area of need in the gay
world; the travel angle.
As the train pulled into*
Penn Station, I had
finished reading and
was left with a feeling
that I was on to
something that
promised to be a lot of
fun. Before leaving, l
turned to ask my
travelling companion
whether I coula keep
the folder. “By all
means,” he said, taking
it back for a moment to
write his phone number
on it. After that.
everything seemed to
work just fine. The
phone number was a
real one (I didn’t waste
much time before I
checked that ou ), and
it certainly tuned out
to be a dime veil in
vested.
Shortly after the first
call. I got in touch with
GYPSY FEET and got
the scoop f om the
Head Gypsy. The folder
stressed trav 1, travel,
travel, because as
everybody knows, every
respectable Gypsy loves
to travel. V *U, so do I.
But travelli >g had often
turned out to be a
bummer f<>r me. Like
most of us, I had
secretly wished we had
our own airline.
Something like Air
Lavende , you know.
God. I’ve been on trips
that turned out to be a
big fat yawn - the kind
where you arrive
someplace and never
find out how to connect
and hang loose. Then
there were trips that
were billed as big gay
adventures that turned
out to be too too
nightmares. I was
beginning to get cynical
just about the time I
discovered GYPSY
FEET.
The Head Gypsy put
me straight, so to
speak. I learned that
travel was the accent of
the club because that’s
where the members’
heads are at. But I
shouldn’t think of
GYPSY FEET as a
travel- agency. It’s a
social club first and
last, and it exists to get
compatible, leisure-
oriented gay people who
are together, together
with each other. And by
getting together and
going places at the
same time, it’s possible
to travel to all kinds of
places at rates that are
s mply not available
commercially. GYPSY
FEET arranges for
trips to places where
the members want to
go, and at times when
they can get free - like
long weekends and
such. GYPSY FEET
offers its members over
500 trips a year. Are
you ready 500.
I was getting con
vinced - convinced
enough to send the
Head Gypsy my
membership application
and fee. Just a week or
two later, I got an in
vitation to one of the
periodic Gypsy Feet
Parties. This party was
held at the sensational
CLUB BATHS and it
was fantastic. The party
was unreal - really a
trip. The minute I
arrived, 1 knew I hadn’t
made a mistake. The
place was packed with
numbers galore. And
among them was -
guess who? That’s right,
there he stood holding a
glass of Peper Heidsiek
and munching a canape.
(All gratis) Smiling I
approached and said,
“So you’re a Gypsy
too” “That’s right, ” he
said, “so why don’t we
pack our tents and steal
away together.” And,
oh, did we.
The rest is history,
since 1971 I’ve been
trippin all over the
world at unbelievable
prices. This past
November I took a 7
day package to PERU,
for $299+ tax and
service. The price in
cluded airfare, hotel,
transfers, breakfast
daily and baggage
handling.
LET ME TELL YOU
ABOUT MY SPEC
TACULAR EX
PERIENCE IN THE
LAND OF THE INCAS
WITH MY BAND OF
GYPSIES
After a seven and
one-half hour flight
from New York, out
TIA jet came in low
over the Pacific as we
approached Lima.
Below were Peru’s
superb world cham
pionship surfing
beaches, and from our
jet we could see “sets”
of the big breakers
curling toward shore.
After going through
Customs we were
welcomed to Peru by
our GF tour escort. He
advised us our bus was
waiting and reported
our group had reser
vations for a gala
arrival dinner at Lima’s
Tambo de Oro
restaurant - an
elegantly restored
colonial home in the
heart of Lima. The
drive downtown took
half an hour to the first
class Hotel Savoy.
At nine we walked a
few short blocks to the
elegant Tambo de Oro
for what turned out to
be the trip’s most
superb dinner. We
began the evening with
potent pisco sours at the
Tambo’s long polished
wooden bar. Later we
mover to our candlelit
tables in the main
dining salon for a feast
of Vichyssoise,
Watercress and Celery,
Squab a L’Estragon,
Crepes Suchard and
coffee. Price was under
$18 including tip. The
evening had been an
event.
Next morning we
explored Lima on the
city tour. Highlights
were the great colonial
plazas where many of
the city’s stylish old
buildings still survive.
We did all our
photography at the
classic Plaza de Armas
and then drove to the
main shopping area.
Shopping was so
popular it was hard to
get our group back to
sightseeing. On the
drive to Lima’s suburbs
our bus seemed filled
with many goodies,
Alpaca rugs, silver
souveniets and
ceramics. Not to
mention all the hot
nembers on our trip.
One of Lima’s suburbs
in Miraflores, the action
spot for gay bars and
cruising. We would
return here many
evenings. Never to be
disappointed!
Upon our return to
Lima, we were taken to
lunch (not included in
base price.) Lunch was
a contrast to our
previous dinner. We ate
in a small, very native
restaurant named
Raimondi’s. Main dish
was the savory
Peruvian national dish -
Antichos - small cubes
of marinated beef
hearts skewered and
broiled over charcoal.
Price for a complete
meal plus a couple of
beers was under $5.00.
A group of us decided
to take in a bullfight
that afternoon and our
sixth row center seat in
the sum cost of $6.00. It
was well worth the view
of those matadors in
their skin tight drag. It
was truly an exciting
experience only sur
passed by the
stimulating evening of
fantasies that followed.
Since we were to leave
very early the next
morning I decided not
th hit the bars but to
cruise the bar in our
hotel. Surprise, since
our Gypsy Feet group
consisted of 86 people,
the hotel bar turned gay
for the duration of the
trip. I was delightfully
surprised to see many
humpy numbers I’d
admired from the Pines
(Fire Island) Beauties
I’d resisted approaching
on the Island for fear of
being rejected. Low and
behold they turned out
to be approachable in
this far from the Island
scene.
For us the great
experience in Peru was
still to come. The next
morning our group took
the one hour jet hop
over the Andes to
Cuzco. (Thinking of the
book Survive) all the
way. Cuzco, the ancient
capital of the Inca
Empire is 11,444 feet in
the Andes, which takes
a bit of getting use to.