Escape from Monkey Island

Well today was one of the best days here.

I woke up early, ate the last of my soda crackers, with jam, and walked up to the hot springs (3.5km). I got there probably around 945 or so, after a very scenic hike, and paid 5 soles to use the facilities, which is like 1.50US or something like that. Mmmmm, 40 degree mineral water.... and warmer (near scalding at one spot) in the area I migrated to for 10 minutes.... where it first entered via aqueduct into the very moden pool. I ended up forking over some more soles for a towel, powerade and snickers... but it was still obscenely cheap. Why did I have to rent a towel (3 soles?) -- because I forgot mine in Arequipa with my big bag that I left at the hostel (intentionally). I also forgot my bathing suit... so I was sporting some nice navy boxer shorts. This wasn´t really a problem since the hot springs are segregated -- the tourists get pool 5 all to themselves, and when I arrived, I was the only tourist. So it was just me in my boxers, enjoying the water too much to care, and the attendant. About 7 tourists arrived throghout the hour I stayed but whatever.

I hiked back and headed to my hostel for lunch. I still had grocery supplies that I had bought in Arequipa. Thankfully I hadn´t unsealed my cream cheese b-c I´m pretty sure it melted yesterday on the bus ride here. I gave it to the hostel owner to put in the fridge. Now for lunch, I found my past self had semi-screwed over my current self by selfishly eating the entire sleeve of soda crackers and most of the bread. I had 4 pieces of bread (2 of them rinds) and 250g of cream cheese that was going to go bad if left after being unsealed. You do the math. You know those people who complain that Tim´s (or Common ground) didn´t put enough cream cheese on their bagel? Well I will never be one of those people since I experienced cream cheese heaven, though out of necessity. Put a little bit of strawberry jam on top of that inch of cream cheese..... mmmmmmm.

This little excursion into canyon country has me acting as if I was playing "Escape from Monkey Island" -- a computer game many people my age played as kids where you navigate through puzzles, collecting different items and using them in unusual (and creative) ways. I bathed in my boxers, then used my camera´s ziplock bag to not get my other stuff wet. I use my swiss army knife to spread cream cheese and jam on bread, then clean it off with carbonated water, toilet paper I stole from a hostel a few days ago, and you guessed it, when the jam gets in those little stainless steel nooks.... my toothbrush. Of course then I have to clean my toothbrush, but no problemo. The carbonated water is really good to brush your teeth with too (you can´t brush with tap water).

So after lunch I told the lady I´d stay an extra day here. I was only planning on staying in Chivay 1 night, but when I got off the bus this lady met me (the only gringo) and offered me a place for 10 soles a night (3USD). She then lead me through the town (pop 4500) to said place... and it was a triple room with private bathroom. Whaaaat? It is really low season here, and this is easily the cheapest place I have found so two nights was in order. I didn´t leave the shower on long enough to find out but I doubt there is hot water. I´ll find out soon enough -- I haven´t properly showered in a week or something ridiculous.

I showered twice in Arequipa at the place I stayed the first night, but my entire chest and belly were lobster red so I was trepidatious. I had swam in lake Titicaca on my last full day there, then fell asleep on the rocky beach of Amantani island for maybe 30 minutes (my sunscreen of course washed away in the water). It was painful, but nothing absurd. I couldn´t sleep on my front for one night. Last night was the weirdest. Maybe 3 days after the fact I take my shirt off and my entire front looks like its on fire or something (feels fine)..... running my finger across my skin creates the most disgusting effect of skin just falling off like meat on good ribs and revealing a moist fresh layer underneath. Gross.

So in the afternoon I got out of the sun from 1-3 then went on a second hike around the area. I scouted the direction I´m heading tomorrow, where I´ll hike to another small town called Yanke, and see what´s up there. Apparently there are horseback rides to the best part of the canyon, but this being low season there might not be. In that case I´ll probably try to hike to a town I can´t spell, Pinolloco or something. Yanke is an easy 7 km, Pinolloco is like 25km after that. But the terrain is super easy, flat and downhill. We´ll see. After that scouting I walked up to the north side of the town and went across the river and up this hill to get a good view of things. I got to the top of one hill with the intention of following it up with its higher neighbour. But then, in the recreation court I had passed earlier the day, I spotted someone playing basketball. It looked from afar like a 7 year old but I didn´t care. I have been looking for a basketball at one of these courts for 6 weeks... always soccer. I bounded down the hill, back across the river, I was probably there in 7 minutes.

It gets better, the guy playing basketball is actually 28, from portland, and speaks English! James has been working in the (even more remote then where I am) mountain villages for a year and a half with the peace corps. I couldn´t really contain my excitement being in basketball withdrawl. We got in some two on twos with local kids, played around the world, then more two on two until the sun got low. Such incredible fun. Of course I could still dribble, pass, and rebound, but not shoot worth anything. I blocked this 14 year old girl´s shot off the backboard so ridiculously that James was obliged to razz me for going too hard. I just reacted but it was pretty hilarious... standard pick and roll, I was guarding James not her, and just turned toward the backboard when he passed to her cutting to the basket.... jumped and slapped the ball about as high off the board I can get my hand...so hard it went flying back to the 3 pt line. You can get a better spring on the wooden boards but it was still a little excessive for this little girl in jeans´layup....

James and I grabbed dinner after at a place where he knows the owner and he´s a really interesting guy. Had a really good conversation (women, peru vs america vs canada, religion, commodity fetishism) over another absurdly cheap meal.

Like when I got back from Europe its only now that I feel I could plan and execute the perfect trip to Peru (ie after much of the fact). That´s how it goes when traveling I suppose, and I literally had no idea what to expect when I got here, so I think I´ve made out pretty well. Been ripped off a few times, but that only happens once per bus ride/hostel/meal/snickers bar. I mean, I really know how to do shit here haha, you could seriously hire me as a tour guide.

Another reason I stayed the extra day, instead of taking the bus out to Cabaconade is that these bus rides are starting to take a toll on me. Its only another 3 hours (but really 6 round trip) but the roads are terrible. I got a mouthfull of sand on the way here. If I can hike out to Cabaconade and then only have to take the bus back (thereby eliminating 3 total bus hours) I´ll be happy. I may, and probably at this point, am going to cut out Nazca from my trip plans. I wasn´t going to pay the 100USD for the 30 minutes light aricraft fly over the lines anyways and I´ve seen them on google earth and discovery channel anyways. I´m really just not that interested in them to be honest. There are apparently, recommended by Colin and others, some amazing graves there, but you can´t do everything. And you need a reason to go back right? So when I get back to Arequipa I´ll probably just get a bus direct to Ica (12 hours or something).... and that will be the last long distance bus I take here. I´m just running out of time and I want to spend a full 48 hours in Lima to hit the national museum etc, and enough time on the pacific ocean beaches to satisfy. In Ica I still want to see this oasis and visit the vineyards (they´re harvesting grapes soon), maybe go white water rafting?, and then in Paracas I´m going to spend a day seeing the sea lions, penguins, etc on a half day trip to the Bastilles Islands.... so lots to do not a lot of time.

The canyon is beautiful, incan style terrace farming everywhere, white capped mountains in the background... one, Mismi, is the origin of the amazon. Very cool.

On this trip, as I was telling Emre, there are things that are inherently good... some of the food, the guided tours, the archaelogical sites, the history, meeting all kinds of people, the weather (most of the time), etc.... but there are other things, not necessarily hedonistic, that are nonetheless extremely rewarding. Walking places instead of taking a taxi, finding your way alone in a random city, getting out of certain situations, learning spanish along the way, experiencing the way of life for many here, having nothing stolen (thus far), or lost (thus far). Its hard to describe, but I came up with a phrase on my way to the internet cafe tonight "Just the right amount of things have gone wrong".....

Two weeks now,

Gareth