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Main | Journal: Cuzco PE | ||
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Cuzco, Peru Friday, May 21 A SHORT TIME AGO
ON A CONTINENT NEARBY
2 AMERICANS ARRIVED IN A TOURISTY CITY NAMED CUZCO
IN THE COUNTRY OF PERU
ON THE CONTINENT CALLED SOUTH AMERICA
THIS IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THEIR STORY...
The travellers arrived from different cities, by different modes of
transportation, and in different states of mind. The one named Dan
made the arduous thirteen-hour bus excursion from Arequipa, of the same
continent and country as the current location. This trip could be
described as a typical long-distance journey made by many
intra-continental travellers in the Andean countries, or those
countries including Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Upon arriving at the
bus terminal in Arequipa at 6:00 AM, Dan was accosted by several bus
ticket vendors. He proceeded to choose the most uncomfortable option
and boarded the bus as the only gringo en route to Cuzco. His seat was
occupied by a baby and its mother who slid over just enough so that Dan
could get one cheek firmly planted on the seat for the long voyage
ahead. From his previous travels, Dan learned not to consume an amount
of liquid that was more than absolutely necessary for his survival.
This tip enabled him to hold his bladder in check for all seven hours
prior to the first time the bus would stop, and then again, for the
final six continuous hours of the journey. One local traveller, was
not so fortunate and had to chase the bus for several kilometers across
an unnamed village where he had felt it safe to take his pants down.
Another lesson learned. For the better part of the journey, the
traveller could look between the curtains which covered nearly
ninety-five percent of the windows and take in spectacular views of
undulating hills, snow-capped peaks (again), narrow valleys, etc, etc.
At times, the bus would stop for no more than ten seconds so that an
elderly woman or a little boy could disembark and disappear into
oblivion. The gringo could not possibly fathom where they would go off
to--houses, apartments, any other kinds of shelter could not have
possibly been found remotely near these seemingly uninhabited, bumpy,
dirt roads. At the end of this trip, Dan left the bus station,
wondering what awaited for him in Cuzco.
The other traveller, named Elliot, got on a plane, got off that plane,
got on another plane and arrived in Cuzco with a touch of sleep in his eyes.
Parasites can be found everywhere in Cuzco. In the streets, in the
plazas, and even in the hotels, one cannot be left in peace for very
long. The parasites often take the shape of sub-human forms trying to
pitch their hand-made crafts, their restaurants, and their postcards.
(There must be several hundred little boys hawking those things.) They
call us friend, amigo (which means friend), mister, anything to get our
attention for a few moments. One creative young woman, watched an
entire chess match (duration of roughly two hours) between Dan and
Elliot, all the while talking to Elliot while Dan carefully plotted
his next moves. At the conclusion of the game, the woman unzipped her
bag and brought out gloves, hats, and sweaters, insisting that we
needed them for our next trek. Dan decided to throw her a few Soles
(Peruvian coins) since she did allow Elliot to flip through his Spanish
phrasebook for several minutes before he could find one word that might
possibly convey his thoughts.
Another danger zone for tourists is
aptly named Gringo Alley. The uncamouflaged tourist must run this gauntlet,
dodging, shoving and hurdling would-be service providers to make a safe
passage to the plaza.
Elliot may have come to South America with little knowledge of Spanish,
but his efforts in communicating to the locals have been...well, let us
say entertaining. One such episode took place in our favorite
breakfast establishment. Although ordering eggs has been quite time
consuming, it has allowed Elliot to practice Spanish with the four-year
old daughter of the proprietor. While she jabbered away, talking about
the cartoons on the television--or her views on world peace, for all he knew-- Elliot smartly responded with a few
head nods, a few laughs, or an advanced word such as Si or Bueno. This
seemed to please the both the young girl and the older gentleman. Each
morning, Elliot has requested that we return to that same place for
breakfast. I do not think it is for the eggs!
After four days of acclimatizing to the high altitude in the region (approx. 10,000 feet) and basically putzing around, the travellers embarked on what would become their most remarkable journey to date. Equipped with zinc cough drops, the head lamp of some poor miner, large quantities of the vitamins C and B, several varieties of Clif bars and granola bars (special treats for those in South America), and every cream, ointment, pill and bandage that can be found at the pharmacy, Dr. Elliot Sperber grabbed his backpack and boarded the mini-van. Dan threw a few t-shirts in his backpack and also boarded the mini-van. (Incidentally, Elliot would like to thank Samuel Harwin for teaching him everything he knows about how to carry a very heavy backpack.) Finally, they reached the trailhead with five other travellers, a guide, a cook, and three porters (commonly referred to as sherpas). The guide pointed out interesting flora along the way. The cook concocted several delectable meals. And the sherpas carried heavy loads of 60 to 70 pounds on their backs and scampered ahead of the group over the dangerous terrain in their well-worn sandals in order to set up the tents, tables, and meals before the others would arrive. Other than the beautiful scenery (adjectives have been exhausted in previous pre-stories), the group contended with many, many, many, many steps. Both up and down. In one 5K stretch, the guide warned that the group would encounter 3,800 of these steep, eroded steps. All of which would be down. Dan clambered along, as he heard the tendons tearing apart in his knees, knowing that he was losing several precious years of the service of a functioning body just as Wesley lost many precious years of his life in the film the Princess Bride. Wearily, the group reached the infamous ruins of Macchu Picchu at 6AM on the fourth morning of the trek. As the group approached the lookout, they could see...CLOUDS! The surrounding area was completely smothered in clouds, as Elliot's whimpers and moans could be heard among all groups that arrived early that morning for the majestic sunrise over the lost city. The group descended the steps near the lost city into the snack bar and found thousands of buses, unloading millions of tourists! Dan's knees let out cries of anguish and disgust. Once the clouds dissipated, one could see a truly incapacitating site. The ruins appeared in a surreal manner from out of the clouds and into reality. The site that has been built up more than any other succeeded in living up to its billing for Dan. He even scrambled up a nearby peak in order to get a better look. After climbing back down that peak, Dan knew a certain peace that he had never known before. With the realization that he would never, ever, never again, hike along that Inca Trail. And that someday, he may arrive by a tourist bus, just as many others have done before. Please check back for Chapter 2 in the days to come. Dan
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