so i left you all in deep suspense [read: put you to sleep] with the crossing into peru and theft of my phone!.. more on that later.
The trip from the crossing near lake titicaca to cusco can be completed by a variety of means: public bus, motor cycle, bicycle, train or tourist bus. Being a massive fan of trains it was my intention to take the train; however, after speaking with the sales guy it was decided that the tourist bus was better. 20% of the price and more stops at archaeological sites sounded pretty cool. What old mate at the bus station didnt tell me was the next youngest person on the bus was at least double my age! We had more toilet stops and tea breaks than an englishman after a few overs to ricky ponting! To make matters worse I was sat behind a widow and widower both on a mission to re-marry but both having lost the knack for small talk. The trip became farcical when the guide was explaining the many different types of potato available in peru when an american lady (widower) on the trip said: "i can only think of four; mashed, baked, steamed and fries".. the guy flirting or.. sort of... with her.. could only be polite and say "i only knew 3". he stopped talking with her after that.
the plan in peru was pretty simple. smash and grab tourism: 4 days on the amazon and 4 days along the inca trail. of course after breaking my golden rule of travel whereby no chicken shall enter my body and of course getting sick, the amazon was cut short by a day to visit a Dr and get some personal admin done (report phone stolen etc).
the amazon was awesome, although a little less exciting due to illness and being the wet season. the main event was a 10km hike, climb and canoe through the jungle tracking down monkeys, anacondas, tarantulas, crocs (caymans) and assorted man killing bugs! the guide was awesome and was able to not only explain all the different animals in the area but track them and ensure we found some cool stuff. he also explained in outstanding detail the role of the different plants and in the area.. often more interesting than the animals!.. one example was the justice tree. it is home to the dangerous and poisonous ant of the amazon. the locals would put someone on the tree for committing a crime where the length of time spent tied to the tree was relative to the crime: murder was 24 hours and equalled death by 1 million bites. it was around 35 degrees and 7000 percent humidity for the day so it did wonders for my health. in the afternoon while others visited a mock family situation in the jungle i slept. when i woke i went for a walk and discovered a Japanese guy in the group (ken) wanted to go fishing. i joined him. he told me about his life in japan. the most... er...interesting... part was when he worked for some yakuza. they went on a trip to china to buy women to work in japan (he wasnt sure why chinese didnt like him).. and they bought 150 chinese women to take to export. anyway, he told me that the next day the airport was shut down looking for ken and his yakuza buddies. they had to escape with the women on a boat. we were interrupted by a load group approaching... he said.. let´s go. "fkn chinese are coming". sure enough 5 minutes later a large boat of chinese students arrived disturbing the quiet moment in the mud we were sharing. it was an insight into sino-japanese relations.
the following day, i returned early to cuzco to the Dr who gave me 4 different drugs to get me right and told me to rest (ie no inca trail). in the short stay in cusco i went to the police to report the theft. the conversation went something like this:
me: buenas dias
policeman 1: buenas dias snr
me: ¿usted hablas englais?
policeman 1: si
me: muchas gracias, yo no hablo espanol. i would like to report a theft.
policeman 2 interjects: when was it?
me: 19 march (4 days ago)
policeman ¨2: why didnt you report it then? where was it?
me: i was getting on a bus, there were no policemen. it was in puno.
policeman 2: well we cant help. you have to report right away.
me: oh i didnt know. i dont need you to investigate, it isnt important and i have insurance...
policeman 2: tourists just think they can tell us what to do
me: sorry, i dont want to waste your time. how can i help to get a report?
pòliceman 2: tourists are so stupid with their belongings.
me: you dont need to be impolite...
policeman 2: yes i do
me: tu entiendas "impolite"
policeman 2: yes. and i do need to be. tourists are stupid.
anyway, he may have been right. he then charged me a dollar (US) to get a report for my phone.
the inca trail was amazing and well worth the visit. our group completed a 4 day and 3 night trek covering 42km and going through 3 passes the highest at over 4200m above sea level. it was an eye opener. firstly it should be called the Quechua trail, named after the people that used and built it. the inca was just one person, the king. secondly, it should be called one of many Quechua trails as there are at least 100 already discovered. those facts aside it was a tough event and very well run. the guide explained the plants, animals and archaeological sites on the way. we visited 6 or 7 sites all from different times and slightly different roles. the 3 days were great and the 4th produced a story. after the first 3 days being quite hard everyone was eager to see machu pichu and have an easy day. however, at 5:30am when the gates to the park opened everyone suddenly forgot that we had spent 3 days walking to the site and wanted to rush. it was an uphill slog on 1m wide steps in the dark and rain. there was no room for resting or enjoying the view. several people pushed, couple of people argued and one (from our team and 1m from me) fell down a cliff. he was lucky that a tree broke his fall. while me, his girl friend and another team member recovered the guy, some people were a little worried.. others said "ok, he is fine, can we get going now". my response: "if you are in a bloody hurry why didnt you get the train!!" machu pichu was everything one is led to believe. the walk and our team was great. i recommend the trip to anyone with an inclination to attempt it.. you wont be disappointed. (wait for photos).
am now at lima airport heading to NYC for the big drive across USA... wish us luck!! bit sad to leave sth america but the trip was a great sampler of the offerings of this massive continent.
c.
