And she’s off…
So now the fun is really beginning. Ironically this ‘fun’ started at the bus stop where I was weeping hopelessly with (they call themselves) my Pervian family. Tonight that consisted of Kelly, her mother, two sisters, cousin Denise, her daughter/my Godchild Flavia and Belfastian Aisling. Myself and Flavia did a bit of last minute bonding when I gave her a little pep talk on how she should ignore all the people who tell her her head is massive. I showed her some photos of the square head I had as a child and she seemd to feel a lot better about her large, but circular head. Flavia’s Head
My Head
After almost 3 months it was finally time to leave Lima and head off to find some people to play with in Ecuador. First though I had a lot of Peru to get through.
I had gone to the bus shop (there is no bus station really) the previous day and asked for a ticket to Trujillo, eight hours north of Lima. But as the lady was checking the computer I noticed a big picture of an archeological site and Trujillo written under. Then, next to it a picture of a beach and the word Piura. As much as I enjoyed Cusco and all it’s archeological wonders I quickly changed my mind and booked myself on the 15 hour bus ride to Piura.
So I said my goodbyes and made a grand entrance onto the top deck of the bus, everyone turned to see the only gringo, who must obviously be too cheap for the tourist buses. With tears streaming (it was hayfever I tell you) I barged my way to my seat at the very front of the bus and sort of fell on the nice lady next to me while trying to get to my seat. I curled up in a ball and tried really hard to ignore the magican who’d been hired to entertain us for the first ten minutes or so. I did take his sweets though.
The highlight of the trip was getting my laptop’s battery to last for two whole episodes of “Crime Scene Investigation; Miami”, but that turned out to be a bad thing when the bus stopped in the middle of the desert. With not much else to do, I whipped out my notebook and started writing. It went a little like this:
1.06am We’ve pulled in. Do hope it’s not one of those hyjackings I’ve read about. Thought the stupid non-tourist bus would be safe. Plan is to pretend I’m asleep, no one can see me under my black sleeping bag. Although that one time on CSI Miami…… oh, FIGHT ON BOARD! Man and woman, tearing strips off one another. All I get was he was asleep, and she thinks he’s gone in the head. I want to ask the lady next to me, but things are still a little awkward after falling on her while crying earlier.
1.10am We’re off again, but man and woman refuse to sit next to each other., he wants the police. I think she hit him or stole from him or something.
1.16 am Dammit we’re stopped again! This time we’ve stopped at a toll bridge type place to let a guy with ‘Security’ on his back handle the situation. Everyone’s laughing so things can’t be too serious. Presume it’s the situation everyone’s laughing at, and not the foreigner recording all this in her diary. Guy across the way took the opportunity to try get the security guy to fix the window we have constantly open up here. Situation with man and woman seems to be resolved, window’s still open.
Things were quiet then. 15 hours after climbing on, I hopped off that bus. €12 for such a long ride wasn’t too bad but I think in future I’ll fork out for a bus with reclining seats.
So I arrived in Piura. I get to this waterfront place only to discover there is no water and there is no beach. I went to the tourist office to ask how one would get to a beach and was told it was three hours away in Mancóra. She then proceeded to show me amazing photos of Mancóra and all the great things I couldn’t do here in Piura. Lonely Planet says there’s not much to do here, and they weren’t lying. The main museums were closed (on a Tuesday??) so I never got to see the belt with the golden cat’s head on it.
I did however get to see a lot of the inside of my hotel room. A nice 5th floor room which has what I’m sure (after watching CSI) is blood on the curtains! I’ll take a photo and see what you guys think. I decided to stay in the Moon Hotel, because Lonely Planet recommends them, and it was the first I saw. Again, LP lied about it having hot water. Does the Lonely Planet announce their arrival in a place with trumpets to give all the hotels time to ready themselves? Next time this happens LP is getting an email.
Tags: 2 - Peru, Peru
cybersusst
