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
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Chivay bound
I´m in the Terminal Terreste of Arequipa, killing time. I walked down here (its 3km off my map) and got semi lost. Sketchy area of the city. But, it was noon on a Sunday so I wasn´t too concerned. When I got here at 1230 the 1pm to Chivay was already sold out. SO I´m grabbing the 3pm. It takes about 3 hours to get there and its right on top of Colca Canyon, so I´m going to stay there tonight. Tomorrow I´ll hopefully make my way to Cabaconade (sp?) where I can take a day hike down into the canyon.
Hopefully be back in Arequipa by the 18th where I can grab another bus up to Nazca for one day, as I need to hurry up to hit the spots left up the coast.
Arequipa has been an interesting city. Some of the colonial architecture lived up to its billing, and most historical buildings are made of volcanic rock, the likes of which I´ve never seen. Yesterday I went to Santa Catalina Monastery, a giant place that takes up an entire city block. Some very interesting history there, mostly to do with well-to-do families sending their second daughters there for 4 years of novice training (vow of silence, etc.) with a 100 gold coin a year dowry. Founded in 1579, much hijinx ensued. The nuns had it pretty good, servants/slaves, parties, and no work -- but limited contact with their family and the outside. That was until 1870 when the Vatican stepped in and "cleaned" things up, impressing a regime of stoicism upon the community.
The italian place I ate at the other night was fantastic. Indeed, Arequipa is by far the most modern place I´ve been here. Obviously I expect Lima to be ever more so.
Well that´s it for now, off to 2nd deepest canyon in the world (twice as deep as the grand canyon)... hopefully to spot some Andean Condors and get some nice hiking in.
Buenes tardes
Hopefully be back in Arequipa by the 18th where I can grab another bus up to Nazca for one day, as I need to hurry up to hit the spots left up the coast.
Arequipa has been an interesting city. Some of the colonial architecture lived up to its billing, and most historical buildings are made of volcanic rock, the likes of which I´ve never seen. Yesterday I went to Santa Catalina Monastery, a giant place that takes up an entire city block. Some very interesting history there, mostly to do with well-to-do families sending their second daughters there for 4 years of novice training (vow of silence, etc.) with a 100 gold coin a year dowry. Founded in 1579, much hijinx ensued. The nuns had it pretty good, servants/slaves, parties, and no work -- but limited contact with their family and the outside. That was until 1870 when the Vatican stepped in and "cleaned" things up, impressing a regime of stoicism upon the community.
The italian place I ate at the other night was fantastic. Indeed, Arequipa is by far the most modern place I´ve been here. Obviously I expect Lima to be ever more so.
Well that´s it for now, off to 2nd deepest canyon in the world (twice as deep as the grand canyon)... hopefully to spot some Andean Condors and get some nice hiking in.
Buenes tardes
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sketchy Times, Sketchy Places
Well, what an adventure.
I headed off to Island Amantani monday morning, via collectivo boat. Collectivo basically means "collective" as in, a collection of tourists and peruvians cramped together in a rickety wooden motor boat. Thankfully there was a roof. My fellow tourists include the first person from Taiwan I´ve met here, and 6 from France. I spoke good french to 5 of them... the other woman I couldn´t understand a word she said. This couple, living in Chile, was wearing Canadian windbreakers, with Canadian flag on the shoulder, so naturally I asked if they were from Quebec. What every upperclass Parisian wants to hear I´m sure!
First we stopped off at the Islands of "Uros" -- a people who no longer exist. Apparently the last Uros died this century... but people still live there. Its probably the strangest place I´ve been to. The Islands are made of reeds from the surrounding swamp, that need to be constantly replenished. So are all of the houses and structures on the islands... even the boats are made of said reeds. Its pretty sad actually. They raise fish in ponds in the middle of the islands, and the guinea pigs have their own reed castles... with moats and everything!
We headed off to Amantani after that. It took about 4 hours and we arrived at 1pm. Just before we got there one of the crew comes by and gets everyone to sign their names so he can hook them up with a family. For whatever reason I wasn´t interested in this arrangement, since I had just purchased a boat ticket, nothing else, from them. My Lonely Planet guidebook also told me there was a hostel on the island and families could be arranged easily by oneself. I asked the guy if he was putting a gun to my head b-c he insisted I sign up, then asked him if there were other options. He said "no", in contradiction of my guidebook and that was the last straw. I know people here are trying to eke out a living but as soon as they lie to me I just opt out of giving them money even if it ends up costing me.
I got off the boat and walked away from the tourists and swarming locals. Up the hill, I was walking with a woman who was carrying a bbq propane tank on her back. She offered me a place, and I said, Id think about it. I found the city square, and guess what, low-season = no hostel. Then a guy in the square sees me and says "where is your family?" "Canada" seemed like the obvious response. Then he comitted an even more egregious error in selling to me than the previous guy. He just starts ushering me towards this house with his friend in tow, saying "Ok, he is your family. He is your family you stay with him." This is a way to garauntee I don´t buy anything from you, trying to force it on me.
Anyways after walknig around a bit more said bbq woman was on the same route as me and showed me her house. 20 soles a night for 3 meals and a room of my own. Looks like things worked out because those fools on the boat paid 25. Now, if this wasn´t the best value one could imagine I don´t know what is. It definitely got my budget back on track. I paid 95 soles in total for 72 hours, 9 meals, 3 nights accom, and transport plus bottled water. That´s like 30USD or something, or 10USD a day for everything. Ridiculous.
Anyways they didn´t have electricity or running water, but I spent most days sleeping in, reading, doing Sodoku, going for a 3 hour hike around the island, swimming, then reading by candlelight before sleeping at 830 or so. Very interesting place, I´ll have to go into it more later.
To get back to Puno after 3 days I took the sketchiest boat back with no fellow tourists. Then after a delicious lunch I grabbed a 5 oclock bus to Arequipa, supposed to get in at 10. We arrived at 1230 and I was exhausted. I sat beside this very nice rotund woman and got to practice my spanish for a lot of the trip. The last 3 hours she fell asleep and turned on her side. As a result everytime we took a hard right her ass fat rolled over my right leg to form a would be pig in a blanket.
Once we got there she along with 2 other tourists implored me to be careful. The terminal is 2km from the city centre, where I was hoping to find a place to stay (reservation? no of course not), and I was planning on walking. NO! they told me quite emphatically, and one girl told me not to take cabs from a certain area, only from the other. Then the rotund lady introduced me to her family and escorted me to a cab. We walked past the place the girl advised me, or so I think. I asked rotund why we weren´t going to the girl-recommended cabs "too expensive" she said. Hmmm, the sketchiness continues. They arrange my cab ride with a sketchy looking driver for 4 soles and then suddenly I´m alone in a cab with this guy on a street with no lights and no sign of being close to the city square. I formed a quick plan... namely that I would give him all my soles if he pulled a gun, run if he pulled a knife, leaving my big bag, and a combo of run/show him my swiss army knife if he tried to rob me without either. Seems pretty poorly thought out. Anyways the sketchy part of the road ended after a few uneasy minuets and he helped me find a hotel to stay for the night. Such is travelling here alone : assume everyone is going to rob you until they show unconditional kindness.
Oh, also, Arequipa has grocery stores! With fresh fruit... .that doesn´t have flies! And floors... not made of dirt! And the meat looks more than edible, though I won´t buy any lacking a stovetop as I do. But I finally don´t have to eat out for a bunch of meals. I´m going to make sandwhiches. I tried looking for PB, but it seems they have 44 kinds of jam, plus marmelade and honey, but no PB. Maybe Ill make cheese and jam sandwhiches or something.
Tonight I´m reconnecting with Christy, 31, who I met on the Inca Trail. She is here from Oregon on mission, learning Spanish and Quechau, so that she can spread the "word of god." I´m heading to an highly touted Italian restaurant for dinner with her and all her co-missionaries! Don´t believe me if you will, but I can be deceptively polite.
Gareth
I headed off to Island Amantani monday morning, via collectivo boat. Collectivo basically means "collective" as in, a collection of tourists and peruvians cramped together in a rickety wooden motor boat. Thankfully there was a roof. My fellow tourists include the first person from Taiwan I´ve met here, and 6 from France. I spoke good french to 5 of them... the other woman I couldn´t understand a word she said. This couple, living in Chile, was wearing Canadian windbreakers, with Canadian flag on the shoulder, so naturally I asked if they were from Quebec. What every upperclass Parisian wants to hear I´m sure!
First we stopped off at the Islands of "Uros" -- a people who no longer exist. Apparently the last Uros died this century... but people still live there. Its probably the strangest place I´ve been to. The Islands are made of reeds from the surrounding swamp, that need to be constantly replenished. So are all of the houses and structures on the islands... even the boats are made of said reeds. Its pretty sad actually. They raise fish in ponds in the middle of the islands, and the guinea pigs have their own reed castles... with moats and everything!
We headed off to Amantani after that. It took about 4 hours and we arrived at 1pm. Just before we got there one of the crew comes by and gets everyone to sign their names so he can hook them up with a family. For whatever reason I wasn´t interested in this arrangement, since I had just purchased a boat ticket, nothing else, from them. My Lonely Planet guidebook also told me there was a hostel on the island and families could be arranged easily by oneself. I asked the guy if he was putting a gun to my head b-c he insisted I sign up, then asked him if there were other options. He said "no", in contradiction of my guidebook and that was the last straw. I know people here are trying to eke out a living but as soon as they lie to me I just opt out of giving them money even if it ends up costing me.
I got off the boat and walked away from the tourists and swarming locals. Up the hill, I was walking with a woman who was carrying a bbq propane tank on her back. She offered me a place, and I said, Id think about it. I found the city square, and guess what, low-season = no hostel. Then a guy in the square sees me and says "where is your family?" "Canada" seemed like the obvious response. Then he comitted an even more egregious error in selling to me than the previous guy. He just starts ushering me towards this house with his friend in tow, saying "Ok, he is your family. He is your family you stay with him." This is a way to garauntee I don´t buy anything from you, trying to force it on me.
Anyways after walknig around a bit more said bbq woman was on the same route as me and showed me her house. 20 soles a night for 3 meals and a room of my own. Looks like things worked out because those fools on the boat paid 25. Now, if this wasn´t the best value one could imagine I don´t know what is. It definitely got my budget back on track. I paid 95 soles in total for 72 hours, 9 meals, 3 nights accom, and transport plus bottled water. That´s like 30USD or something, or 10USD a day for everything. Ridiculous.
Anyways they didn´t have electricity or running water, but I spent most days sleeping in, reading, doing Sodoku, going for a 3 hour hike around the island, swimming, then reading by candlelight before sleeping at 830 or so. Very interesting place, I´ll have to go into it more later.
To get back to Puno after 3 days I took the sketchiest boat back with no fellow tourists. Then after a delicious lunch I grabbed a 5 oclock bus to Arequipa, supposed to get in at 10. We arrived at 1230 and I was exhausted. I sat beside this very nice rotund woman and got to practice my spanish for a lot of the trip. The last 3 hours she fell asleep and turned on her side. As a result everytime we took a hard right her ass fat rolled over my right leg to form a would be pig in a blanket.
Once we got there she along with 2 other tourists implored me to be careful. The terminal is 2km from the city centre, where I was hoping to find a place to stay (reservation? no of course not), and I was planning on walking. NO! they told me quite emphatically, and one girl told me not to take cabs from a certain area, only from the other. Then the rotund lady introduced me to her family and escorted me to a cab. We walked past the place the girl advised me, or so I think. I asked rotund why we weren´t going to the girl-recommended cabs "too expensive" she said. Hmmm, the sketchiness continues. They arrange my cab ride with a sketchy looking driver for 4 soles and then suddenly I´m alone in a cab with this guy on a street with no lights and no sign of being close to the city square. I formed a quick plan... namely that I would give him all my soles if he pulled a gun, run if he pulled a knife, leaving my big bag, and a combo of run/show him my swiss army knife if he tried to rob me without either. Seems pretty poorly thought out. Anyways the sketchy part of the road ended after a few uneasy minuets and he helped me find a hotel to stay for the night. Such is travelling here alone : assume everyone is going to rob you until they show unconditional kindness.
Oh, also, Arequipa has grocery stores! With fresh fruit... .that doesn´t have flies! And floors... not made of dirt! And the meat looks more than edible, though I won´t buy any lacking a stovetop as I do. But I finally don´t have to eat out for a bunch of meals. I´m going to make sandwhiches. I tried looking for PB, but it seems they have 44 kinds of jam, plus marmelade and honey, but no PB. Maybe Ill make cheese and jam sandwhiches or something.
Tonight I´m reconnecting with Christy, 31, who I met on the Inca Trail. She is here from Oregon on mission, learning Spanish and Quechau, so that she can spread the "word of god." I´m heading to an highly touted Italian restaurant for dinner with her and all her co-missionaries! Don´t believe me if you will, but I can be deceptively polite.
Gareth
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Luxury! Catastrophe? Cacophony!!
Luxury
I intended to take a bus tour to Puno friday morning (there would be stops at sites of interest and guided English etc) but I still was not 100% and opted to sleep in, after Delfina´s best efforts to wake me. I went down to the train station on bought a ticket from Cusco to Puno, runs only 3 times a week, including saturday morning. Only thing is that on this route there is only first class. I took the train back from Machu Picchu with Perurail as part of my Inca trail package and it was very comfortable in the backpackers section so obviously I thought to cusco would be the same.
I couldn´t have been more wrong. Cherry tables covered in white cloth and single seater upholstered armchairs were in order. Not to mention the gourmet lunch (I went with the pumpkin soup and chicken), observation car (all windows or open air), free drinks, music etc. A perfect 10 hour ride, with some stops at places of interest, and spectacular Andean highland scenery. I met two Swedes there, about 50, named Magnus and Michael. We had a good time and some great conversation.
Catastrophe
I was finished taking a lot of videos from the train when I checked my back pictures... I was actually going to show Magnus a pic of the Guinea Pig castles...when....it appeared as if 150 photos had gone missing. In fact, the whole week before of photos were gone. Why is this such a problem? Ive taken about 1500 photos/videos so far and I´d say only about 8 of those photos are exceptional. Three of those I took last week in the jungle...as the troupe of Howler Monkeys crossed a vine I got the perfect silhoutted shots of 1. a monkey climbing across the vine on all fours, tail in the air 2. next monkey swinging along vine like tarzan 3. monkey mom with baby on back going across vine. I couldn´t upload these shots at any pc since when you import they only read and display the first 1000 pics (1180-1330 are missing). I thought maybe a pc had thus wiped off the excess shots, but that couldn´t have been the case since the last day of Cusco I took photos that are gone and I hadnt been at a pc for 2 days beforehand. Similarly I´ve been in a lot of rain but none for the camera in the past week. I can only hope that the video and sun overheated the memory card so it temporarily forgot the shots.... why would it randomly erase 150 photos? Anyways, that card is retired to avoid further exhertion and I am on 2GB #2. Oh well, I guess I remember what the photos look like... though I did promise them to Carol and Colin..
Cacophony
Puno is in the midst of a musical festival and is very loud, into the night. I got turned away from the first 4 hostel I went to last night but finally found a spot at a hotel for not too much more. Tonight I´m staying in an absolute hole in the wall, and in the case of the bathroom, in the floor. You would not believe this place! Thankfully its only for one night. Tomorrow morning I´m taking a collectivo boat out to Amantani Island in the middle of Lake Titicaca where I plan on staying 2 nights. Of course I could stay a week if I want. I´m going to try and camp there with my tent, but if that isn´t an option I´ll be staying with a local family. One problem: they don´t even speak Spanish there... they speak Quechuan. So while I look up how to say "can I camp here tonight....with tent?" right now in Spanish, it may be for nothing. I can only hope there is an English Quechuan translation service somewhere on the net...
On the island I eagerly anticipate swimming in the lake -- which I reckon is probably 12 degrees or so. Hopefully the locals don´t think Im too weird....
The music here is loud but enjoyable enough... the costumed dances parading around in the streets at all hours is really incomprehensible.
Finally, I had my closest encounter with possible violence earlier today. I was relaxing by the lake with my new Sodoku book (much more interesting than Heidegger) when a Peruvian vacationer with a video camera was accosted by this drunk youth. The young man accused the older of videotaping him without permission (camera´s can steal your soul remember) and made quite a scene. I was the only other one on the boardwalk apart from the old guy´s family and the drunk´s drunken friend. Once the man walked away I considered relocating, but didn´t immediately, the youths went back to where they had been sitting. But, I thought, I should continue to be prudent, and it was good timing because as I started to walk to the next sitting area (200m away) I was accosted by said drunken youths. They were friendly for about 15 seconds before it became clear I wasn´t giving them any money. Then they began to beg. I wasn´t quite in range of a large group of people such that I thought they would be dissuaded. I also didn´t see any cops (usually everywhere) -- but then again in Cusco I tapped the shoulder of a cop to point out a woman being assaulted in a busy part of downtown, and he shrugged and walked in another direction!
Anyways, after the begging was over the tactic was forceful insistence. The younger drunk stepped infront of me and put his arm out to prevent my passage. Well I think it became clear to them then that I was willing to beat the shit out of them both and might actually opt for the fight of the fight/flight choice... conflict resolved.
Back in a few days
Gareth
I intended to take a bus tour to Puno friday morning (there would be stops at sites of interest and guided English etc) but I still was not 100% and opted to sleep in, after Delfina´s best efforts to wake me. I went down to the train station on bought a ticket from Cusco to Puno, runs only 3 times a week, including saturday morning. Only thing is that on this route there is only first class. I took the train back from Machu Picchu with Perurail as part of my Inca trail package and it was very comfortable in the backpackers section so obviously I thought to cusco would be the same.
I couldn´t have been more wrong. Cherry tables covered in white cloth and single seater upholstered armchairs were in order. Not to mention the gourmet lunch (I went with the pumpkin soup and chicken), observation car (all windows or open air), free drinks, music etc. A perfect 10 hour ride, with some stops at places of interest, and spectacular Andean highland scenery. I met two Swedes there, about 50, named Magnus and Michael. We had a good time and some great conversation.
Catastrophe
I was finished taking a lot of videos from the train when I checked my back pictures... I was actually going to show Magnus a pic of the Guinea Pig castles...when....it appeared as if 150 photos had gone missing. In fact, the whole week before of photos were gone. Why is this such a problem? Ive taken about 1500 photos/videos so far and I´d say only about 8 of those photos are exceptional. Three of those I took last week in the jungle...as the troupe of Howler Monkeys crossed a vine I got the perfect silhoutted shots of 1. a monkey climbing across the vine on all fours, tail in the air 2. next monkey swinging along vine like tarzan 3. monkey mom with baby on back going across vine. I couldn´t upload these shots at any pc since when you import they only read and display the first 1000 pics (1180-1330 are missing). I thought maybe a pc had thus wiped off the excess shots, but that couldn´t have been the case since the last day of Cusco I took photos that are gone and I hadnt been at a pc for 2 days beforehand. Similarly I´ve been in a lot of rain but none for the camera in the past week. I can only hope that the video and sun overheated the memory card so it temporarily forgot the shots.... why would it randomly erase 150 photos? Anyways, that card is retired to avoid further exhertion and I am on 2GB #2. Oh well, I guess I remember what the photos look like... though I did promise them to Carol and Colin..
Cacophony
Puno is in the midst of a musical festival and is very loud, into the night. I got turned away from the first 4 hostel I went to last night but finally found a spot at a hotel for not too much more. Tonight I´m staying in an absolute hole in the wall, and in the case of the bathroom, in the floor. You would not believe this place! Thankfully its only for one night. Tomorrow morning I´m taking a collectivo boat out to Amantani Island in the middle of Lake Titicaca where I plan on staying 2 nights. Of course I could stay a week if I want. I´m going to try and camp there with my tent, but if that isn´t an option I´ll be staying with a local family. One problem: they don´t even speak Spanish there... they speak Quechuan. So while I look up how to say "can I camp here tonight....with tent?" right now in Spanish, it may be for nothing. I can only hope there is an English Quechuan translation service somewhere on the net...
On the island I eagerly anticipate swimming in the lake -- which I reckon is probably 12 degrees or so. Hopefully the locals don´t think Im too weird....
The music here is loud but enjoyable enough... the costumed dances parading around in the streets at all hours is really incomprehensible.
Finally, I had my closest encounter with possible violence earlier today. I was relaxing by the lake with my new Sodoku book (much more interesting than Heidegger) when a Peruvian vacationer with a video camera was accosted by this drunk youth. The young man accused the older of videotaping him without permission (camera´s can steal your soul remember) and made quite a scene. I was the only other one on the boardwalk apart from the old guy´s family and the drunk´s drunken friend. Once the man walked away I considered relocating, but didn´t immediately, the youths went back to where they had been sitting. But, I thought, I should continue to be prudent, and it was good timing because as I started to walk to the next sitting area (200m away) I was accosted by said drunken youths. They were friendly for about 15 seconds before it became clear I wasn´t giving them any money. Then they began to beg. I wasn´t quite in range of a large group of people such that I thought they would be dissuaded. I also didn´t see any cops (usually everywhere) -- but then again in Cusco I tapped the shoulder of a cop to point out a woman being assaulted in a busy part of downtown, and he shrugged and walked in another direction!
Anyways, after the begging was over the tactic was forceful insistence. The younger drunk stepped infront of me and put his arm out to prevent my passage. Well I think it became clear to them then that I was willing to beat the shit out of them both and might actually opt for the fight of the fight/flight choice... conflict resolved.
Back in a few days
Gareth
Thursday, February 5, 2009
From Cusco to Puno
Tomorrow I am hopefully heading to Puno at 730am. I won´t be returning to Cusco after 3 stints here.
Bus rides, Illness, and Women
I´ve been really sick since my last post. I stayed an extra night in Puerto and then took an 18.5hour bus to Cusco. Its only like 550km but the road is literally being built as we speak (part of the InterOceanic highway linking Brazil to the Pacific). Apparently it used to take 45-60 hours by truck. Obviously being sick the bus was pretty bad, I had stomach cramps for abour 5 of every 15 minutes. We stopped for 20 minutes at night for food, though I didn´t eat anything, and I ran into a random woman´s house and asked her if I could destroy her bathroom. I could go on. Actually one non-stomach related embarassment happened sometime around 4 in the morning when we stopped for a bathroom break (side of the road as always). I had just woken up and didn´t have my glasses on, I was really out of it. I got to the ditch and started doing my business and noticed something moving further down the road in the ditch. It looked like half my size and was white wooly so I thought it was an alpaca and stared at it a bit longer (its not quite pitch black out). Of course when the women who was squatting in her white alpaca sweater stood up looking straight at me and pulled her pants up I felt like a retard. Luckily she didn´t sit near me in the bus.
On the bus they played ripped DVDs that continually skipped every 5 minutes, like Hits of the 80s, and Father of the Bride (only dubbed in Spanish). Brutality. The best part? Besides saving all the money on a plane ticket and a place to stay overnight was the woman 2 seats to my left who threw up on 7 different occasions throughout the trip. I don´t know if she has a weak stomach (she came prepared with plastic bags) or if she was sick but she looked (and sounded) awful and I was not in the best state to listen to any of it.
I haven´t eaten much in the past 40 hours and that will continue to be my plan. Body, muscles, head, and throat all still feel perfect, but my stomach is just ruined.
Actually another funny two things happened last night and on the bus the night before. Shortly after I had left this random woman´s house on dinner break I was waiting for the bus driver to return on the curb in who knows where. One of the passengers, a girl maybe 20 years old, came and sat beside me and started talking to me. She was stunning, and despite the broken spanish conversation we had it was obvious she was really interested in me. Obviously I could have just asked her to dinner the next night in Cusco but I was sick as a dog and kind of gave her the polite shoulder. Women that good looking don´t approach me... it was strange. Its not like I was dressed like a high roller either in my ratty jeans and tshirt.
Just after I finished telling Emre about it yesterday I went out for a small dinner at a Western restaurant. Halfway through my meal an American girl comes up to my table and asks me if I´m travelling alone, etc. After like 20 seconds she sits down beside me and wants me to go to Norton´s rat with her and her friends after dinner. Maybe its the tan but these two incidents are pretty unusual. Anyways at the pub we had a good enough time, and one of her friends was a Canadian journalist from Moncton, very cool, but I went to the bathroom like 3 times in 2 hours. I was glad they called it an early night (they all had Spanish class in the morning) because I wasn´t going to make it. I might meet up with her in Puno this weekend.
Things I miss about Canada:
Sterile corporate big box grocery stores: There are a lot of people who lament the inhuman nature of our corporate big box stores and how our society is terrible etc. I invite you to even think about buying fruit in the 3rd world. As with the state of nature most of these JeanJaques dont consider alternatives when they complain. I wouldn´t eat a piece of fruit from the best grocery store I´ve found here for 250 dollars.
Music: rap, hip hop, rock, pop. I heard U2´s the Sweetest thing in the gringo restaurant last night and the song lived up to its name. There is fine music here but I would pay good money to listen to two hours of rap.
Youtube, the internet, etc. The internet cafe´s here are pretty remarkable given the condition of the country. That being said I can´t wait to watch an hour of random Youtube videos in Canada.
Fixed prices: This has to be an economic indicator of how poor a business or economy is. That is the presence of bargaining seems to me to indicate underdeveloped state. I dont like and dont want to bargain. I dont mind it when the person is nice and when its something I dont need (ie I can walk away). But here you can bargain everything. I´d like to see a set price for bus tickets, food, hostels, etc. Just put a sign up on the wall. When I see a sweater in a store and it doesn´t have a price tag you just know you are getting ripped off.
No littering: If you think people in Canada don´t care about the environment, and don´t care about littering, while those who live closer to nature, closer to "traditional" ways of life, have a respect for Mother Earth that we need to recapture you´ve been drinking way too much Kool Aid. People here buy a piece of corn from a vendor on the bus and throw the plastic on the groun when they are done. I have not seen a single Peruvian finish any snack and not just drop the litter, even in the smallest villages.
Cars that have to pass emissions tests: I really like Cusco but there is one thing I will not miss walking the streets and that is the noxious fumes emitted from just about every cab and vehicle passing by. Its brutal.
Personal space: people here have a different concept of it, let´s put it that way.
Secular society: For almost all intents and purposes, when you walk down a street in Canada, you are living in a secular society. I went to Europe and I loved the Sistine Chapel, I loved some of the church architecture I saw in Bern, Vienna, Rome, and Paris. I enjoyed a lot of religious paintings at the Louvre. But its different in Peru. The paintings first of all -- I haven´t found one Christian painting here that I enjoyed. There are fawning idealizations of the Virgin Mary or some other saint, with angels carrying her up, while devils attack from below, painted in a style (I dont know the name) which is really unappealing to me. Then there is Jesus, always in the most gory, in your face poses. You see these two types of paintings over and over and over again without any variation in theme or execution. All the cab drivers/busses have similar displays on their hoods and they ahng in every store, restaurant, and hostel. The military has an official religion and people keep shoving the virgin mary in my face. While I have become good friends with the family that runs the hostel I stay at here, they too have a similar painting hanging and even their website changes the cursor into a cross. Its just all a bit too much.
Of course there is the dynamic that a lot of people make the cross sign when they pass a church but don´t go in it once during a year (as in every country I would guess). But when it comes to these things there is a real, I would go as far to say, slavish mentality amongst the people with respect to roman catholicism that I haven´t observed in other countries en mass. That Nietzschian (slave mentality) and Marxist (opium of the people) theses are very easy to spot here when its a bit more subtle (and more personal) in Canada and elsewhere.
Bargaining
I think bargaining probably has a few economic implications. The first being that those who are selling things that they would be willing to sell for a lot less are trying to rip you off since they are so poor. Of course, it isn´t close to a perfect market. One thing is information: the consumer doesn´t have information on what the price of (let´s say a souvenir) x good should cost. This is mostly because the Westerner is coming from another place... and the bargainers who dont list prices want to take advantage of this. They want to take advantage of a few dynamics. The first is that the gap between what the difference between reasonable profit margin (ie what they would be willing to sell at) versus what a Westerner ends up paying is asymetrical. Ie: From 60 soles to 40 is not as much to me as it is to the person who would sell at a 5 soles profit for 30. To me its 6 bucks or something, to them 6 bucks is not 5 coffees from Tim´s, its 12 full meals or more. There is the other dynamic, that of the starbucks frap. There is a good book called "The Undercover Economist" whose author I don´t recall where he describes the basic premise of this phenomenon. Why do people buy fancy coffees from Starbucks when they can get a 1/3 of the price for a cup from Tim´s that will give them 85% of the same satisfaction? Its basically because they can afford it and they are willing to pay extra for a small gain which a) satisfies their ideas of status b) they perceive this as luxurious, which it may be, and are willing to pay exponentially more per % added of satisfaction. That´s why starbucks offers so many different kinds of drinks... they aren´t selecting necessarily for taste (atleast entirely) they are also selecting for income bracket cross referenced with willingness for conspicuous consumption in the consumer. They want the thrifty to buy their product at a profit to them, but the don´t want that to discourage the wealthy from paying a lot more (and vice versa). Actually the exact opposite thing happens when a grocery store puts out a flyer every week for a sale on certain items. They are selecting for the low income person who wouldn´t buy product x regularly. They want business from this income bracket (at a profit) while not giving too good a deal for the higher income brackets who are willing to pay more (what´s 50 cents more for peanut butter to the lawyer´s wife?). I can tell you if I see that PB is 50 cents off at A and P this week I will be more inclined to walk to the store and buy it... and probably other things while I´m there.
So the souvenir person here in Peru has the following adantages: I don´t know how much it should actually cost, I may be willing to pay more because it isn´t as much to me, and I may be willing to indulge if I am inclined to partake in conspicuous consumption. In a more ideal market there are websites like gasbuddy.com that list all prices at gas stations across a geographic area. This way the consumer benefits, they will go to the lowest price gas station if saving money on gas is important to them, and the stations will have to respond by making their prices as appealing as they can to the consumer. It seems to me a lot more exchange will happen under this scheme than that of the bargainer. I´m sure there are more things that we can tell about an economy from the presence of bargaining....
Hopefully I´ll be in Puno tomorrow and my stomach will be fine. Its hard to upset it if nothing goes into it right?
Bus rides, Illness, and Women
I´ve been really sick since my last post. I stayed an extra night in Puerto and then took an 18.5hour bus to Cusco. Its only like 550km but the road is literally being built as we speak (part of the InterOceanic highway linking Brazil to the Pacific). Apparently it used to take 45-60 hours by truck. Obviously being sick the bus was pretty bad, I had stomach cramps for abour 5 of every 15 minutes. We stopped for 20 minutes at night for food, though I didn´t eat anything, and I ran into a random woman´s house and asked her if I could destroy her bathroom. I could go on. Actually one non-stomach related embarassment happened sometime around 4 in the morning when we stopped for a bathroom break (side of the road as always). I had just woken up and didn´t have my glasses on, I was really out of it. I got to the ditch and started doing my business and noticed something moving further down the road in the ditch. It looked like half my size and was white wooly so I thought it was an alpaca and stared at it a bit longer (its not quite pitch black out). Of course when the women who was squatting in her white alpaca sweater stood up looking straight at me and pulled her pants up I felt like a retard. Luckily she didn´t sit near me in the bus.
On the bus they played ripped DVDs that continually skipped every 5 minutes, like Hits of the 80s, and Father of the Bride (only dubbed in Spanish). Brutality. The best part? Besides saving all the money on a plane ticket and a place to stay overnight was the woman 2 seats to my left who threw up on 7 different occasions throughout the trip. I don´t know if she has a weak stomach (she came prepared with plastic bags) or if she was sick but she looked (and sounded) awful and I was not in the best state to listen to any of it.
I haven´t eaten much in the past 40 hours and that will continue to be my plan. Body, muscles, head, and throat all still feel perfect, but my stomach is just ruined.
Actually another funny two things happened last night and on the bus the night before. Shortly after I had left this random woman´s house on dinner break I was waiting for the bus driver to return on the curb in who knows where. One of the passengers, a girl maybe 20 years old, came and sat beside me and started talking to me. She was stunning, and despite the broken spanish conversation we had it was obvious she was really interested in me. Obviously I could have just asked her to dinner the next night in Cusco but I was sick as a dog and kind of gave her the polite shoulder. Women that good looking don´t approach me... it was strange. Its not like I was dressed like a high roller either in my ratty jeans and tshirt.
Just after I finished telling Emre about it yesterday I went out for a small dinner at a Western restaurant. Halfway through my meal an American girl comes up to my table and asks me if I´m travelling alone, etc. After like 20 seconds she sits down beside me and wants me to go to Norton´s rat with her and her friends after dinner. Maybe its the tan but these two incidents are pretty unusual. Anyways at the pub we had a good enough time, and one of her friends was a Canadian journalist from Moncton, very cool, but I went to the bathroom like 3 times in 2 hours. I was glad they called it an early night (they all had Spanish class in the morning) because I wasn´t going to make it. I might meet up with her in Puno this weekend.
Things I miss about Canada:
Sterile corporate big box grocery stores: There are a lot of people who lament the inhuman nature of our corporate big box stores and how our society is terrible etc. I invite you to even think about buying fruit in the 3rd world. As with the state of nature most of these JeanJaques dont consider alternatives when they complain. I wouldn´t eat a piece of fruit from the best grocery store I´ve found here for 250 dollars.
Music: rap, hip hop, rock, pop. I heard U2´s the Sweetest thing in the gringo restaurant last night and the song lived up to its name. There is fine music here but I would pay good money to listen to two hours of rap.
Youtube, the internet, etc. The internet cafe´s here are pretty remarkable given the condition of the country. That being said I can´t wait to watch an hour of random Youtube videos in Canada.
Fixed prices: This has to be an economic indicator of how poor a business or economy is. That is the presence of bargaining seems to me to indicate underdeveloped state. I dont like and dont want to bargain. I dont mind it when the person is nice and when its something I dont need (ie I can walk away). But here you can bargain everything. I´d like to see a set price for bus tickets, food, hostels, etc. Just put a sign up on the wall. When I see a sweater in a store and it doesn´t have a price tag you just know you are getting ripped off.
No littering: If you think people in Canada don´t care about the environment, and don´t care about littering, while those who live closer to nature, closer to "traditional" ways of life, have a respect for Mother Earth that we need to recapture you´ve been drinking way too much Kool Aid. People here buy a piece of corn from a vendor on the bus and throw the plastic on the groun when they are done. I have not seen a single Peruvian finish any snack and not just drop the litter, even in the smallest villages.
Cars that have to pass emissions tests: I really like Cusco but there is one thing I will not miss walking the streets and that is the noxious fumes emitted from just about every cab and vehicle passing by. Its brutal.
Personal space: people here have a different concept of it, let´s put it that way.
Secular society: For almost all intents and purposes, when you walk down a street in Canada, you are living in a secular society. I went to Europe and I loved the Sistine Chapel, I loved some of the church architecture I saw in Bern, Vienna, Rome, and Paris. I enjoyed a lot of religious paintings at the Louvre. But its different in Peru. The paintings first of all -- I haven´t found one Christian painting here that I enjoyed. There are fawning idealizations of the Virgin Mary or some other saint, with angels carrying her up, while devils attack from below, painted in a style (I dont know the name) which is really unappealing to me. Then there is Jesus, always in the most gory, in your face poses. You see these two types of paintings over and over and over again without any variation in theme or execution. All the cab drivers/busses have similar displays on their hoods and they ahng in every store, restaurant, and hostel. The military has an official religion and people keep shoving the virgin mary in my face. While I have become good friends with the family that runs the hostel I stay at here, they too have a similar painting hanging and even their website changes the cursor into a cross. Its just all a bit too much.
Of course there is the dynamic that a lot of people make the cross sign when they pass a church but don´t go in it once during a year (as in every country I would guess). But when it comes to these things there is a real, I would go as far to say, slavish mentality amongst the people with respect to roman catholicism that I haven´t observed in other countries en mass. That Nietzschian (slave mentality) and Marxist (opium of the people) theses are very easy to spot here when its a bit more subtle (and more personal) in Canada and elsewhere.
Bargaining
I think bargaining probably has a few economic implications. The first being that those who are selling things that they would be willing to sell for a lot less are trying to rip you off since they are so poor. Of course, it isn´t close to a perfect market. One thing is information: the consumer doesn´t have information on what the price of (let´s say a souvenir) x good should cost. This is mostly because the Westerner is coming from another place... and the bargainers who dont list prices want to take advantage of this. They want to take advantage of a few dynamics. The first is that the gap between what the difference between reasonable profit margin (ie what they would be willing to sell at) versus what a Westerner ends up paying is asymetrical. Ie: From 60 soles to 40 is not as much to me as it is to the person who would sell at a 5 soles profit for 30. To me its 6 bucks or something, to them 6 bucks is not 5 coffees from Tim´s, its 12 full meals or more. There is the other dynamic, that of the starbucks frap. There is a good book called "The Undercover Economist" whose author I don´t recall where he describes the basic premise of this phenomenon. Why do people buy fancy coffees from Starbucks when they can get a 1/3 of the price for a cup from Tim´s that will give them 85% of the same satisfaction? Its basically because they can afford it and they are willing to pay extra for a small gain which a) satisfies their ideas of status b) they perceive this as luxurious, which it may be, and are willing to pay exponentially more per % added of satisfaction. That´s why starbucks offers so many different kinds of drinks... they aren´t selecting necessarily for taste (atleast entirely) they are also selecting for income bracket cross referenced with willingness for conspicuous consumption in the consumer. They want the thrifty to buy their product at a profit to them, but the don´t want that to discourage the wealthy from paying a lot more (and vice versa). Actually the exact opposite thing happens when a grocery store puts out a flyer every week for a sale on certain items. They are selecting for the low income person who wouldn´t buy product x regularly. They want business from this income bracket (at a profit) while not giving too good a deal for the higher income brackets who are willing to pay more (what´s 50 cents more for peanut butter to the lawyer´s wife?). I can tell you if I see that PB is 50 cents off at A and P this week I will be more inclined to walk to the store and buy it... and probably other things while I´m there.
So the souvenir person here in Peru has the following adantages: I don´t know how much it should actually cost, I may be willing to pay more because it isn´t as much to me, and I may be willing to indulge if I am inclined to partake in conspicuous consumption. In a more ideal market there are websites like gasbuddy.com that list all prices at gas stations across a geographic area. This way the consumer benefits, they will go to the lowest price gas station if saving money on gas is important to them, and the stations will have to respond by making their prices as appealing as they can to the consumer. It seems to me a lot more exchange will happen under this scheme than that of the bargainer. I´m sure there are more things that we can tell about an economy from the presence of bargaining....
Hopefully I´ll be in Puno tomorrow and my stomach will be fine. Its hard to upset it if nothing goes into it right?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Adventures in the Rainforest
"Think of Heaven in a movie, then think about the frozen food section of a White supermarket... its damn near the same thing!"
-- Chris Rock (Bigger and Blacker)
I´m in the jungle city of Puerto Maldonado. Its hot and humid. I now know why most people relax during this time (1-3ish) -- its too hot to be outside. It rains frequently here, but not for long usually.
How did I get here?
I woke up at 540 on the morning of the 29th, and packed my remaining belongings. I left my large pack at the hostel in Cusco, not wanting to lug it around the jungle as I had the mountains. I exchanged my waterproof stuff sack´s sleeping bag for clothes, carabeenered it to my day pack, and had all I was to bring on this journey. Now that I´m a real backpacker I wonder if I can buy shares in Mountain Equipment Co-op?
I was told by the hostel´s attendant, Delfina, whom I´ve come to know from staying there so much, that the travel company called and said I would be picked up at 610, and to wear something warm. They didn´t come at 610. They didn´t come at 630. Actually, they called at 645 and where there at 650. The office had only given them the street name and the name of the hostel, not the number, so they couldn´t find the place up in San Blas -- despite another of the four members of the tour group staying on the same street!
This company, Manu Nature Tours, is the most reputable tour operator for the entire jungle region, and herein lies some insights into the state of professionalism in Peru. The aforementioned mix up in pick up was coupled with a fairly large discreptancy in the itinerary I paid for, and the services I received. On day 3 I was told we´d be visiting the Macaw Clay Lick in the afternoon to see nearly a hundred Macaws eating salt out of the mud. This didn´t happen. I was also told there would be the option to pay a little extra on site and go canopy climbing. This option was not available once I was in the jungle. I was given a list of not included costs, then my tour guide dropped us off at a store on day 2 and told us we had to buy rubber boots, which hadn´t been on said list. I didn´t want to but I did and I paid 27 soles. Not much, but these things add up. Did I end up needing the boots? Not really. Would I have taken them if they were given to me for free? Sure. More on that later.
The person in sales who I spoke with at the Cusco office, Evelyn, wasn´t exactly informed, and couldn´t exactly speak English. This latter part isn´t really a problem, I don´t expect anyone here to speak English -- but the tour company could have easily gotten someone to translate, I was after all thinking of paying them about 900USD. Evelyn didn´t know how to handle traveller´s cheques, which seems to me like it wouldn´t be an issue for a professional company. Though the banks were only 7 blocks up the street I wasn´t going to go change my cheques and carry 900 dollars cash in Cusco. Not for any length of journey would this have been wise. They also weren´t taking Visa -- our machines have been down for a while I was told. How did they expect me to pay then? Unmarked bills? Anyways, they ended up charging me a comission on the cheques and I had to accompany a sketchy sketchy guy who I guess owns the company to the bank to ensure he got his greenbacks. The comission I paid was of course greater than the comission he paid at the bank himself, so they skimmed me for a bit more. My main problem was with the itinerary disceptancy, and I am unsure at present what I´m going to do about it. I´m not sure if any company here in Peru has ever given any type of refund, partial or otherwise. But all this above does give you some insight into the business practices here (remember my experience with StarPeru planes?). I went to LAC dollar one day to change a couple cheques, and as my lonely planet guide had told me, there was no comission for this. The rate on the chalkboard was the rate I got, the cheques were treated as US cash going to Soles, as they should be. I went back another day to the same bank, and a different teller charged me a couple soles comission on my exchange. I asked him what the deal was, he told me their was a comission on traveller´s cheques. I´m willing to mix it up with some of the locals, and I have, but this wasn´t that important a moment to, so I gave him a bit of lip and left. These are reputable banks by the way, like our TD or CIBC.
Anyways I hopped into the van and met my compatriots, average age, 64.33. First was Caroline, a loudspoken Kentuckian living in Savanna, Georgia and working at a university there. Then there were Carol and Colin, a kindly, sharpwitted, if stereotypically English couple who live on the south coast of the UK. Both had recently retired it seemed. We set off from Cusco south on the highway towards Puno, for about an hour, making a quick stop at the gas station.
There we turned east, literally into the side of the mountains, and began to climb. We climbed and climbed -- and the road was nuts. Apeshit some might say. They aren´t really roads, that´s the thing. They are in the process of building real roads right now! So the real roads aren´t here yet. What we travelled on was the side of the mountain dug into by farmers to move cattle. For most of the time, if the van had gone over the side, that would have been it. The most ridiculous parts of this journey were when the road was perpendicularly intersected by a stream or waterfall flowing down the side of the mountain. There aren´t bridges. There are just rocks now with water flowing through them, and whether 20cm high or 3/4 of a meter high our Toyota drove straight through them -- slowly mind you, we were on the side of a mountain. There were other navigation concerns, often of the bovine variety. Nevermind the difficulty encountered when another vehicle is passing the other way. The drivers have to back up/move forward to a spot along the path (often several hundred meters in one direction) where a suitable width to cross paths can be found.
Driver´s in Peru also have a fascinating safety practice (perhaps to counteract the absence of seatbelts). It involves copious honking. A driver will honk repeatedly when there is any object also on the road ahead of him in his field of vision...be it dog, chicken, turkey, family of pigs, cattle, goat, old lady, cyclist (of motored or human powered variety), bus, collectivo, truck, merchant, or beggar. This makes for a lot of honking but it by no means disposes of all the scenarios under which the driver will honk. Honking is necessary whenever one is turning a corner on these mountain (or later jungle) roads. Since all the corners are blind (by virtue of the blockading geography) head on collisions of two unwarned vehicles will happen anytime they simultaneously face the corner from opposite directions. Obviously, I was happy this practice took place. I just wish we could give the pigs´ ears a bit of a rest.
After a time we crossed into the high Andes, and stopped at a preIncan funery. Nothing spectacular. Then back on the van. I learned that Caroline had been robbed in Truijo (sic) earlier in her trip, a man had ripped her camera off her wrist and dove into a cab. I neglected to mention that being around old tourists was one of my employed robbery defense mechanisms.
Our guide, Suzanna, was excellent. She was a keen birdwatcher, and had eyes for all types of flora and fauna. On day one we encountered mostly the former, and I wasn´t too excited. I knew there was a small, perhaps 2% chance, of seeing a spectacled bear as we drove around the highlands and later that day, the cloud forest. No such luck. I was also the only one not to have sported binoculars for the trip (they should be included of course). Not to say I wasn´t told they were included, I knew to expect their absence, but they were simply too expensive to buy or rent in Cusco in my view. That, plus my camera has mad zoom, I told myself. Not to mention wearing my new glasses is actually a homomorphic function to that of donning binoculars. Anyways, when it was really necessary, I borrowed Suzanna´s for a moment.
We broke for lunch at a small Colonial town, the highest town in the country, around 4300m I believe. There we happened into a small communal bakery, where in a giant stone oven locals would bring their ingredients to make bread. Bread was also made there by the building´s inhabitants -- we got some fresh and it was delicious. We ate this type of bread throughout the trip and I ate a lot of it, mostly because it was closer to a doughnut than bread. I also spied (and photod) a bunch of cuy (guinea pigs) baking in a row in said giant oven. Quite a sight, though I can still wait to eat one.
From there we drove downhill, into what is known as the Cloud Forest. The road conditions were similar, but now we had two additional factors: mist making the road invisible, and formerly washed out portions of the road (victims of mud/landslides). Carol mentioned her fear of heights a bit previous to this and that fear was exercised vigourously. There were some close calls I´ll say.
We arrived at Cloud Forest Lodge sometime around 330 -- we had hurried to get there in advance of 4 because we were going birdwatching at that time. Birdwatching? I had no experience with it and wasn´t, to be perfectly honest, interested in it at the time. All my worries, and tensions from the long journey, were quickly dispelled when I saw the lodge. It was easily the best room I´ve stayed at so far in my journey. The lodge perched over a raging river, complete with scenic rapids, under the backdrop of densely vegetated mountainside. My room, indeed each room, had its own balcony that overlooked the river. Two beds, and my own bathroom with hot water... this was paradise. I had been under some impression that I had been splurging up to this point, or that I already knew what the upperclass lifestyle might be like. Those were illusions not to last. After one of the best showers I´ve ever had I walked down to the lobby (complete with glass ceiling) to lounge in plush couches surrounded by cedar decor, wearing the soft cotton slippers provided. Then, they served up an incredible, 3-course, cuisine meal which would typically be found in the kind of Canadian restaurant I´ve never been to.
Before said shower and meal we had headed to this shack on the side of the road from which to birdwatch. Which bird were we trying to watch? Its name was the Cock of the Rock. I´ll leave you to your own imagination. Apparently at this same location every day at 4, the males will gather to dance and show off for the females. Males sport birght red plumage, and as our Birds of Peru guide stated in formal, terse, scientific tones, "permanently erect" head feathers. Now I don´t claim to be Edward Burtinsky, or Justin Wu, or Steve Irwin for that matter, but I managed to snap this photo of the bird, which I think turned out alright. Birdwatching wasn´t bad.
Around dessert (plantanes with icing sugar) Suzanna told us we had to wake up at 4 the next morning... and that there wouldn´t be any power in the lodge tonight, the generator was down. So when the itinerary tells you you have to wake up at the very early hour of 6... prepare to be shocked. As for the no power, I would never complain to Suzanna in the face of the meal we just got served and the room I was enjoying...but it was another notch on the lack of organization of the company back in the city. That plus I couldn´t charge my camera for the next day and would have to ration battery as we headed into the jungle.
I stayed up (until 830) drinking beer and eating popcorn while talking to two girls my age (the only other group we encountered) taking a trip of their own. Samantha and I can´t remember her name, from Boston and Chicago respectively, were both quite good looking. I managed to crack a couple jokes and we all headed to bed (different ones of course). What I wrote earlier about fleeting meetings remained true.
I woke up on my own at 345, though I was in no mood to leave the lodge. Breakfast was spectacular, and I filled up on this yogourt drink they served us. Think Yop, strawberry flavour, only a little bit more viscous and tastier. In other words, heaven. This was to prove my undoing, as I filled up on it before we proceeded back to the Toyota for the bumpy trip down the mountain into the jungle, along the "road." After about 2 hours I was thinking to myself that I was going to pony up the money to buy a plane back, because there was no way I would last on a 15-20 hour bus ride to Cusco at the rate my stomach was going. About 5 minutes after that I asked Suzanna if we were going to stop soon... everything had been very silent up to this point (it being before sunrise) and I guess when they looked at me I had a white-greenish complexion and they stopped immediately. I got out of the van and dry heaved a little bit, but mostly just hunched over with my hands on my knees and breathed deeply trying to get the my spinning world and stomach to come to rest. While the others inspected the local flora I popped another Pepto and Suzanna gave me the local treatment. What she said was alcohol (it was something alcohol based I think), she rubbed all over both her hands, and then cupped my face. You know when you watch an athelete take smelling salts and their head whips back at a hundred miles per hour? Yeah, it was like that. Suzanna rubbed my scalp, temples, and jaw with this stuff before giving my nose another hit. There was no doubt I was awake now... and we proceeded with me in the front seat. Which of the three made the difference was hard to tell, but I felt much better quickly.
We drove through jungle villages, and stopped at a coca plantation. A predictable story was told. The farmers are not allowed to sell their crop to anyone but a single company (yay for the "free" market!), and at a set price (80 soles per 10kg). They are not allowed to bring their crops into any town outside of theirs either, where they could get a higher price for it (110 soles per 10kg). Of course, bringing it to town isn´t really the biggest temptation to the farmer. That would be reserved for selling it to people who plan on making cocaine from it (150 soles per 10kg). Coca growing is perfectly legal, as is coca chewing, and tea making, but making cocaine isn´t -- so such selling is of course forbidden.
Later when we passed through another small town to fill up on gas I snapped this shot.
By 9 we had finally gotten to the water. Much happened in between, including the purchase of the aforementioned rubber boots. We got on what Suzanna called a "canoe" -- but this was no canoe. I would describe it as a streamlined 30 foot by 5 foot wooden boat with an outboard motor and plastic roof to keep the sun off. We made our way down (northeast) the Rio Madre de Dios (mother of god river) for about four hours, and much birdwatching ensued. I didn´t mind, the views were fantastic from the boat, the ride supersmooth, and the breeze very pleasing.
This was the rainy season, but the sky was remarkably clear. One advantage to the rainy season (amongst others) we were told is the high water level of the rivers, making them easily navigable. Well we got a taste for what the dry season might be like when our skilled driver, Roy, ran us aground on some rocks in a very shallow stretch of water. I stripped off my jeans and got in to help push us out. There was me, Suzanna, Roy, his spotter, and a 74 year old man we were taking to work at Manu Lodge, out in the kneehigh water pushing the boat off the rocks, while the 3 senoir tourists looked on. Caroline got a picture of me outside the boat, but decided to zoom in on my face so you couldn´t see any of the context.... it did happen though. After about 15 minutes we were back on track.
After about four hours we stopped in the village of Boca Many to refuel and stretch our legs. There I met the parrot pictured leading this post and below. She wasn´t a pet of anyone, since she could fly (they clip the wings of housebirds), but she was very friendly. Suzanna invited her on her shoulder and she obliged, but then refused Caroline (likely due to her leopard printed rain jacket we suspect). Anyways I coaxed her onto my arm for the very touristy scene shown below.
After that we headed up the Manu river (northwest now), and into the reserve. The water changed from a clear blue now to a light, but opaque, brown. Still just birds, but some spectacular ones. We saw maybe 75 different species in total -- I´ll have to get the exact count from Carol via the internet later. We saw a ton of Macaws (red bellied, blue and yellow, green, and scarlet), as well as parakeets, a few toucans, vultures (black and turkey), herons, hawks, the roseated spoonbill (google it), and many more. My favourite was probably the hoatzin, which all sport a punk rock hair cuts.
Once we got to the lodge we wasted little time eating and going to bed. I slept well, mosquitoproof bednets provided, and charged my camera without having exhausted its supply the day before. Up at 530 we were told, and up then we got.
The third morning we walked from the lodge, about 30m, to the Oxbow lake it sits on, and got into a catamaran. Roy paddled us quietly around while we looked for the wild local residents. Much ado continued to be made of the birds. But, early on, we spotted a juvenile white caiman (pictured above), and were able to get quite close. It didn´t scare and after 10 minutes of observation we moved on.
Around 7, a highlight. We spotted a family of Red Howler Monkeys waking up in the type of tree they sleep in. There were 6 or 7 of them, and I stole Suzanna´s binoculars to watch. The mother was quite fat, and had her tail wrapped under her legs and slung over her shoulder while she preened. Others waking up, climbed neighbouring trees looking for breakfast. The Red Howler is one of the more rare to see species of the 13 found in the area, and are spectacular to look at. I was pretty pleased, if I were to have asked for 1 species of monkey to see this would have been it. We watched them silently for about 15 minutes from the lake below. It was great.
Paddling around half the lake we arrived back at 8, having taken in the caiman, some turtles, the monkeys, and again, a shitload of birds. In Peru there are a total of 1792 reported species of birds, about 20% of the world´s total varieties. This number is expected to jump to about 1800 within the next 10 years, barring mass extinction. A great number of these birds are found in Manu. Did I mention I was visiting the most biodiverse place in the world? And being over half the size of Switzerland there were only about 270 people in the whole area? If you discount indigenous tribes that number drops to 20. If you only count Westerners under the age of 60 it drops to 1. Now I know those who have gone to the Arctic circle, or Antarctica, probably have a whole lot on me when it comes to this kind of population density, or lack thereof, but it was still an interesting facet of the trip.
We returned to breakfast at the lodge at 8. Fantastic again and I filled up on the orange flavoured yogourt drink now with impunity. At 930 we went on a 2 hour hike through the jungle to find what we could under the canopy. I continued to take the cue from my elder peers and Suzanna and wear longsleeves, jeans, and a rainjacket to keep the mosquitos off (with the addition of my deet). This would be my last sojourn in this get up, as the heat became unbearable. When you couple that with the fact that mosquitos don´t like me (even, as I found out, in the midst of dense Amazon rainforest), it was a no brainer to be the ugly duckling of the group, in shorts and a t-shirt. We saw an incredible variety of flora, including many fruits that monkeys or birds had half eaten, and myriad strange flowers, vines, bushes, and trees. Colourful butterflies were common, as were massive insects, some half the size of my hand. We saw our second batch of Tapir footprints, but sighted none, nor did we see any wild boar whose tracks seemed to be everywhere. About 10 minutes from the look out point we spotted a pack of common? tamarins (monkeys) hopping around hte trees above. They were very shy and we only got a few good looks as they navigated their way out of view. The group went on, while I tried to take some pictures (they were quite close). No luck, though I´ll inspect my blurry canopy photos closely upon my return. I moved maybe ten feet up the path to get a better look, and there, staring right into my eyes, maybe 20 feet above, was an emporer tamarin (google it). The emporer tamarin is very distinctive from the other species, it is light in colour with red markings and has a huge long moustache (like an ancient chinese emporer -- or so from which its name derives). The other species of tamarin, which I can´t remember what they are called, are brown in colour. I only got about a 4 second look at him, but it was quite a sight.
I moved on and met up with the group.. we didn´t see anything else for the rest of the hour.
When we got back to the lodge we waited for lunch. I read in one of the common rooms while others braved the outdoor showers. Then, Suzanna ran into the room and called our attention to a group of wild black spider monkeys that were swinging through the trees above one of the complex´s buildings that houses the staff (of 3). We got a great look at the group of 3 monkeys as they effortlessly and acrobatically, often swinging from their tail, made their way through the trees. This sighting lasted about 20 minutes.
It was time for seista after lunch, too hot to go outside, and I took advatage of the cold showers. After reading Birds of Peru for a little while and digesting lunch I felt fantastic. Probably the best my body has felt this entire trip. Carol and Caroline, meanwhile, had contracted diarhhea. Not a day goes by in Peru without this issue. I savoured the good feelings.
At about 5 we went out for another round on the catamaran, to cover the other half of the lake. As we looked at the various birds the lake was overtaken by a roaring din. This was the afternoon howl of the jungle´s red howler monkeys. Let me tell you, it was loud -- despite being kilometers away. As we headed back along the bank to the lodge we spotted a single white fronted capuchin -- a small monkey similar to the kind you see on Friends and in Outbreak. As we watched it eat some fruit it was joined by another pack (maybe part of the same one seen earlier) of black spider monkeys. The group was maybe 12-15 monkeys big, including three mothers with babies riding on their backs. As the laggards made their way across a tightrope like vine (they all travelled about the same route) I snapped 3 shots (to be uploaded later!) of silhouted monkeys making the crossing. They came to a halt just over us at the top of a tall open tree (ie not a lot of upper foilage), where we could watch them unobstructed. Suzanna told us they were going to sleep in that tree for the night. We watched them swing easily around, socialize with one another, and the mother´s take some care of the babies. I say some care because upon a particularly long leap one baby fell off the back of its mother (only to grasp on its own a branch below). The mother didn´t seem to perturbed by this, moving on, and waiting for the baby to swing on its own over. The younger monkey couldn´t have been taller than a water bottle.
Satisfied and tired we headed back to the lodge for dinner and sleep. After all, we had to wake up at 430 to start the long journey to Puerto Maldonado. So to recap, 540, 4, 530, 430 were the times I had to wake up -- not even close to the itinerary.
At dinner we played an interesting game. Each player tells two things about themselves, one true and one a lie, and the others have to detect which was which. I went 4-0 in this facet. First was Caroline who said that a) she had a paper route as a child and b) she had scarlet fever. I guessed the latter, and was right, based on how I thought she would try and play the game. She listed a mundane fact with a more rare one, and her strategy was to throw us off that way. Colin was very easy. He said a)he had climbed the highest mountain in Europe and b) run a marathon. Caroline asked what marathon and Carol answered the London one. I wonder which is true? Carol was a bit trickier. Earlier in the trip she had mentioned that Colin and her had 5 children "between them", implying they were not all of both their makings. So Carol said she a) sang in a choir that went to old people´s homes and b) had been married twice. Caroline was tricked by the second, since she thought Carol was married twice based on the aforementioned piece of information...but then reasoned maybe Colin and Carol aren´t married. Colin had his hands under the table so looking for the wedding band wasn´t an option but I pointed out to Caroline that Carol could have in fact been married three times, which ended up being the case. The main strategic error here was in fact her listing something that seemed to be too obviously true given what we knew of her. Suzanna asked if she was a) of original Incan blood or b) of mixed "colonal" descent. I was the only one to pick the latter and be right. She stumbled when she said "Incan blood" and the tell was fairly obvious.
Now, the interesting part was how dumb I was in my selection. It seemed to me (then) that there were two possible optimal strategies -- say two very mundane things or two very outrageous things. When I mentioned this Caroline implored me to say the outrageous ones so I did. But when thinking of them I tried to pick statements that would be very hard to tell which was true and which was false -- ie of indistinguishable plausibility. 2 of the 4 chose correctly...and this is in fact what I should expect given my terrible strategy. After all, if it suceeds, and people just guess, you would expect half of them to get it!
How stupid of me. The real strategy is to design two statements such that people will overwhelmingly choose the false one, and in fact, making them of similar plausibility, while ensuring you don´t go 0-4 in trickery, does exactly the opposite of that.
There seems to me to be a further problem though, and that is that you have multiple opponents in this game, and they may be thinking on different levels (which if you can predict doesn´t end your worries). The 1st level is the same as the 3rd and the 2nd the same as the 4th. In other words, thinking statement A is false because of misleading thing x(but maybe he is trying to mislead me...but maybe he knows I´m thinking that) is the same as thinking statement A is false because of misleading thing x. Since you have multiple opponents, you can´t count on them all thinking on the same level (ie using the same trick to fool all of them)...in fact invariably you will have people thinking more deeply than others. Shallow thinker 1 will think on level one, while moderate thinker 2 thinks on level 2, deep thinker 3 thinks on 3 and genius 4 thinks on level 4. Now you have to design 2 statements such that level 1 for shallow thinker is the false one, level 2 for 2 is the false one, etc. Though to get someone to think on the 4th level in this game would take a fair amount of effort I would think. In sum, to design two statements such that all opponents choose the false one is in fact very very hard for a number of reasons.
While there were many things that happened along the way to my current destination I´ll just detail one. We left the lodge on day 4 at 530, and trekked through the jungle to the river, where our "canoe" waited. The sun was coming up as we boarded, and we began motoring along towards the same confluence of the Madre de Dios and Manu river we had come to before -- only this time we would continue east instead of backtracking west. All the while my peers searched the skies and upper canopy for birds, I watched the river banks and foilage for mammals. This was going to be our last chance to see a Tapir, Caiman, Cabybera, or Jaguar. In fact, I had done this type of scanning the whole trip, taking in the birds almost (but not quite) incidentally. Often when you scan you see logs that look like an animal. I would say during the 16 hours or so we travelled in the canoe this happened 100 times. The first 99 times it had turned out to be nothing.
Then, at 630, I spotted a strange shape along the river bank in the distance. My eyes could not make sense of it at first, as is often the case with these log-shapes. It was an unusual colour, a speckled yellowish, I hadn´t seen, and as we approached it became more curious. It wasn´t big, about two feet in diameter, and seemed roundish. Bobbing in the water and still 50 feet away it began to look like the usual plant moving in the water, reflecting off the water, that had played so many tricks on me before. I looked away.
But as we came to pass by it (the canoe covers 50 feet quite quickly) I, very luckily, happened to glance towards the riverbank again at that spot. And there at that exact moment, emerging from the water merely 15 feet away, was a full bodied Jaguar. "There!" I exclaimed and pointed to the bank... unfortunately Colin and Carol were in the seats ahead of me and turning around took up much time. Caroline was beside me, and while on the bank side of the boat, was similarly slow. The cat didn´t wait for spectators, as it rose out of the water and effortlessly climbed the 8 foot mud bank. Muscular and lean, it was dazzling in the morning light with its distinctive black spots on yellow fur. It shook off some water and quickly disappeared into the jungle -- its long tail in tow. What a sight! The top predator in the rainforest, fifteen feet away, if for ten seconds. Colin got half a look while Roy, our driver, was quick to turn his head on my command, getting a full view, and confirming to Suzanna it was that most sought after sight. An hour later when we signed out of the reserve at a government checkpoint I was obliged, apparently by law, to report my sighting in the visitor´s book. I obeyed grinningly.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Jungle bound
Yesterday I woke up and went to my favourite crepery for breakfast...only to learn they are closed until February 16th! They only had to be open a few more days....
I grabbed some food at the local bakery instead and then headed up to Sasquawaman, the Incan fortress about 1 mile above Cusco. Cusco´s "navel" appellation really is accurate, since there are high hills on all sides of the city. Anyways, the ruins were really impressive, some stones about 20 feet high, and all, as usual, interlocking perfectly to form a strong defense against attack. Got some good shots, hopefully there will be some oasis internet cafe in the next few cities with enough broadband to upload easily. I also visited the city´s Jesus statue which overlooks the whole city and is lit up at night.
I relaxed at the hostel in the afternoon and met an interesting couple from California. They had spent two weeks (of their four in Peru) on a cleansing mission with the Shaman of a small village. Spiritual, mental, and physical cleansing...
Anyways we spent a fair amount of time talking about the food in Peru (they are meat-eaters but organic naturally raised only, etc). I recommended BC to them, they were thinking of going up next year.
I went to a show from 630-8 of traditional Andean dances. It was pretty good, the music not bad. An entertaining show at least for the time and place. Immediately after the show ended I realized my stomach woes had returned. Not fun. After that was semi-resolved I didn´t want to return to the hostel. I was tired of going to bed at like 9 because of stomach illness, jetlag, exhaution, and altitude adaptation. I headed to Norton´s Rat, an English pub in the main square. My guidebook said they had the best burgers in town, and since it was the first burger I´ve eaten here I have to agree. Huge bun, as big as two big Mac´s I´d say with a real beef patty, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and avacado. I wolfed it down.
I met a 65 year old guy at the bar named Tycho. He grew up in Estonia, then immigrated to NYC when he was 23 in 1966. He started visiting Peru in ´77 and has been back like 15 times or so. Anyways we hit it off and spent the night getting drunk and talking about politics, history, economics, socialism-communism-capitalism, language, religion, and Peru. We spent a fair amount of time making fun of Canadians which was great, and I probed him a lot about Peru. I don´t mind drinking a fair amount in good company.
When I left the bar I was coherent, but fairly buzzed. It was like 2am and I hadn´t been on the streets of Cusco after midnight yet so I was aware to be vigilant about being robbed. Of course, as those who have drank alcohol before know "being vigilant" about anything while buzzed means you have no inhibitions or worries until you re-remember you should be trying not to get robbed. My usual defense for not getting robbed was no longer in effect (being around tourists who would be easier to rob than me). Anyways I made it home ok and slept in.
The hostel here has a copy of Harper´s, the New Yorker, Wired, and New Scientist. I´ve already gone through them all, depraved of English as I am, and as a result not even Malcolm Gladwell´s article seemed bad. Wired I haven´t really read much before now but was pretty impressed with some features they ran. Anyways, I´ve been trying to figure out this puzzle they printed in New Scientist I believe. It goes like this:
"I had a list of numbers, but I coded them by changing digits for letters consistently. If you knew how many of the numbers were square you could figure out what the numbers are."
The coded list : "ARE ANY NOS HERE SQUARE" -- I can safely say that I went about cracking this code in the least efficient way possible. But, I´m fairly certain I can solve it in my next go, probably before bed tonight. Extra credit for doing like me and not using a calculator. Extra extra credit for not using pen and paper, though I´m pretty sure this would take 12 hours or something. One word of advice, I have figured out how to optimally approach these kinds of questions. DO NOT try and think laterally about the question for 3 minutes before resorting to brute force (like me) for the next 30. Instead, try spending 10 minutes thinking laterally. This will save you much time.
I´m heading to the jungle tomorrow, for 5 days. I ended up picking the expensive trip, but it seems like you get what you pay for. Of course, hindsight will be 20-20. One advantage is that the trip ends in the jungle town of Puerto Maldano, and I´ll have to find my way back to Cusco before moving on to Puno around the 4th of February. Im not flying, its way too expensive for an hour flight, so sketchy collectivos and buses through the jungle will be my transportation of choice. I know I´ve left out some days in this blog, to be filled in later, but I will say that I am now adept at busing between cities.
I wanted to make a semi-comical entry about things I dislike in Peru (not everything here is perfect) but I guess it will have to wait. If you don´t hear from me again I died somewhere in the Amazon. Don´t publish my notes.
I grabbed some food at the local bakery instead and then headed up to Sasquawaman, the Incan fortress about 1 mile above Cusco. Cusco´s "navel" appellation really is accurate, since there are high hills on all sides of the city. Anyways, the ruins were really impressive, some stones about 20 feet high, and all, as usual, interlocking perfectly to form a strong defense against attack. Got some good shots, hopefully there will be some oasis internet cafe in the next few cities with enough broadband to upload easily. I also visited the city´s Jesus statue which overlooks the whole city and is lit up at night.
I relaxed at the hostel in the afternoon and met an interesting couple from California. They had spent two weeks (of their four in Peru) on a cleansing mission with the Shaman of a small village. Spiritual, mental, and physical cleansing...
Anyways we spent a fair amount of time talking about the food in Peru (they are meat-eaters but organic naturally raised only, etc). I recommended BC to them, they were thinking of going up next year.
I went to a show from 630-8 of traditional Andean dances. It was pretty good, the music not bad. An entertaining show at least for the time and place. Immediately after the show ended I realized my stomach woes had returned. Not fun. After that was semi-resolved I didn´t want to return to the hostel. I was tired of going to bed at like 9 because of stomach illness, jetlag, exhaution, and altitude adaptation. I headed to Norton´s Rat, an English pub in the main square. My guidebook said they had the best burgers in town, and since it was the first burger I´ve eaten here I have to agree. Huge bun, as big as two big Mac´s I´d say with a real beef patty, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and avacado. I wolfed it down.
I met a 65 year old guy at the bar named Tycho. He grew up in Estonia, then immigrated to NYC when he was 23 in 1966. He started visiting Peru in ´77 and has been back like 15 times or so. Anyways we hit it off and spent the night getting drunk and talking about politics, history, economics, socialism-communism-capitalism, language, religion, and Peru. We spent a fair amount of time making fun of Canadians which was great, and I probed him a lot about Peru. I don´t mind drinking a fair amount in good company.
When I left the bar I was coherent, but fairly buzzed. It was like 2am and I hadn´t been on the streets of Cusco after midnight yet so I was aware to be vigilant about being robbed. Of course, as those who have drank alcohol before know "being vigilant" about anything while buzzed means you have no inhibitions or worries until you re-remember you should be trying not to get robbed. My usual defense for not getting robbed was no longer in effect (being around tourists who would be easier to rob than me). Anyways I made it home ok and slept in.
The hostel here has a copy of Harper´s, the New Yorker, Wired, and New Scientist. I´ve already gone through them all, depraved of English as I am, and as a result not even Malcolm Gladwell´s article seemed bad. Wired I haven´t really read much before now but was pretty impressed with some features they ran. Anyways, I´ve been trying to figure out this puzzle they printed in New Scientist I believe. It goes like this:
"I had a list of numbers, but I coded them by changing digits for letters consistently. If you knew how many of the numbers were square you could figure out what the numbers are."
The coded list : "ARE ANY NOS HERE SQUARE" -- I can safely say that I went about cracking this code in the least efficient way possible. But, I´m fairly certain I can solve it in my next go, probably before bed tonight. Extra credit for doing like me and not using a calculator. Extra extra credit for not using pen and paper, though I´m pretty sure this would take 12 hours or something. One word of advice, I have figured out how to optimally approach these kinds of questions. DO NOT try and think laterally about the question for 3 minutes before resorting to brute force (like me) for the next 30. Instead, try spending 10 minutes thinking laterally. This will save you much time.
I´m heading to the jungle tomorrow, for 5 days. I ended up picking the expensive trip, but it seems like you get what you pay for. Of course, hindsight will be 20-20. One advantage is that the trip ends in the jungle town of Puerto Maldano, and I´ll have to find my way back to Cusco before moving on to Puno around the 4th of February. Im not flying, its way too expensive for an hour flight, so sketchy collectivos and buses through the jungle will be my transportation of choice. I know I´ve left out some days in this blog, to be filled in later, but I will say that I am now adept at busing between cities.
I wanted to make a semi-comical entry about things I dislike in Peru (not everything here is perfect) but I guess it will have to wait. If you don´t hear from me again I died somewhere in the Amazon. Don´t publish my notes.
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