You are currently browsing the monthly archive for September 2010.
Kalpana Sharma writing for ToI:
When a rapist offers to marry the victim, one would think it’s the perfect solution.
Who is this one?
Links to all albums (all pictures are unprocessed/unedited):
Up to Puerto Maldonado 4th-5th Sep. 2010.
Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010
Travelogue (starting with part one) here.
[Start with part one here.]
More people.
We had a train in the evening from the base or Machu Picchu to Cusco. The rest of the group was in a different compartment, and I was free to explore people. I met a group of 5 youngsters in their late teens, accompanied by their teacher. Only one girl, S, knew a bit of English and was the interpreter between the group and I.
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| From [Peru] Back to Cusco 11th Sep. 2010 |
In an hour, we were listening to each others’ music collection. They wanted to hear the music I had with me, and I heard plenty of great stuff on their iPods.
[During the trip, I realized another great thing about my job besides the fact that I love it: I can explain what I do to anyone around the world, from a taxi driver in Peru to a guide in the Amazon rainforest. I was also asked to troubleshoot problems, which I gladly did.]
The teacher, J, knew very little English. But she loved movies. So we conversed in terms of movies. We had both seen some French and Iranian movies — movies I would’ve never imagined to be the lowest common factor between a teacher in Peru and I. I was earlier told that Mera Naam Joker and Mother India are extremely popular in Peru; she had seem them both. (Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta are idolized in Peru.)
[During day 3 of the Inca trail, I sang some Indian songs for the group. The group didn't know most of the songs, but liked what they heard. Then I sang a song from Mera Naam Joker, and our guide knew the song and exactly when it appeared in the movie. There is something fascinating about Bollywood, which we miss in our finite wisdom.]
S invited me to join them for dinner and watch a Salsa competition at a club in Cusco. I was dead tired, but agreed: I probably would never see them again.
I saw some of the most amazing Salsa dancing that night.
Day nine.
Has a plane waited for you?
I reached the airport 3 hours before my flight to Lima at 12 p.m. The airline representative asked me if I’d like to board an earlier flight. I said Why not? When does it leave?
She replied Now.
For some reason they thought it was okay to hold up an entire frikkin’ plane for me. I had staff relaying me from the counter to the plane to make sure I speedily went past security and other checks. One gentleman saw my name and greeted me with a Namaste too. The only flip side was that all other passengers probably thought I was an irresponsible idiot who held up a plane because I was late to the airport.
The perfect ending.
I reached Lima at 11 a.m. and my flight back home was at midnight. Since my camera bag was in a plane that eventually traveled to Lima, I went to the Lost and Found at the Lima airport. Two girls were at the desk, and I explained the whole situation to them. One of them walked inside a room, and walked out 10 seconds later with my camera bag, everything intact.
Finding something you want is a great feeling, but finding something when you have no hope of finding it is slightly better.
I felt extreme happiness on seeing the bag and the camera equipment again. I offered to buy them lunch in return. They hesitated, I insisted, they agreed.
Lima.
I deposited my luggage at the airport (since Lima is notorious for thugs) and spent a few hours in Lima with a small backpack and shot pictures with the wide angle lens I had almost lost.
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| From [Peru] Lima 12th Sep. 2010 |
There was one urchin at Lima Center that I probably won’t forget. I saw him cleaning the exhaust pipe of a parked car. Looking at the equipment he was carrying, it struck me that he polished shoes for a living, and instead of buying shoe polish, he scraped soot from exhaust pipes and used it as polish. It was heart-wrenching for a second, but then I realized his brilliance. I gave him a couple of soles (Peruvian currency) and wished him well. I think he’ll be fine.
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| From [Peru] Lima 12th Sep. 2010 |
Taxi driver.
The last person I met in Peru: A taxi driver who drove me from central Lima to the airport, a half an hour ride. He knew his way around Lima well. A little too well, in fact, because he took isolated bylanes. Given Lima’s reputation, I was apprehensive. But then we got talking. In 10 minutes, I was looking at pictures of his 2-year old adorable daughter Mia on his cellphone. He was a mechanic by day, and drove the taxi by night. He said his dream was to visit India one day if he had enough money. He seemed to know well about India, most of it from Discovery. His only concern was that his English was bad, and he wouldn’t be able to manage in India. I just asked him to trust the good in people, and he’d be fine.
Ironic.
I had bargained for the fare to the airport, but I didn’t have much use of the soles I was carrying any more. I gave him what I had, and 2 soles to buy chocolates for Mia.
2 soles are enough to give much happiness to a person, and I’m certainly talking on the expensive side here.
Airport, flight and home. That was the trip.
Final thoughts.
I’m physically exhausted and mentally exhilarated, but I’m glad I made the most of the trip. It’ll take me a few weeks to digest the experience and extract the best out of it going forward.
One last thing:
I’m not sure I’ll ever again meet the people I befriended. I’ll be
glad to meet them, but I’d prefer not to meet them.
There is a certain high in letting go too.
After-thoughts.
I’m writing this a couple of days after returning, and it feels strange. I’m amused at all the symptoms of society around me. My aversion is probably at its peak, but it is a wonderful feeling to see things clearly: That nothing really matters in the larger scheme of things. On second thought, there isn’t a larger scheme of things either — just small schemes of everyone in the pursuit of something. For most among us — and we don’t realize it — it is happiness we’re pursuing. For me, it is an abstract feeling I’m pursuing that I’m yet to understand fully about.
And while we’re all pursuing what we crave for, I sure hope no one thinks that you, I, something or someone matters.
[I can only try to make sure these thoughts aren't just a plan to feel superior to those around me, because that is an obvious pitfall of the mind. In my defense, I care very little about others to fall for it.
Further discussion offline welcome. I realize this is already in WTF territory.]
***
I wasn’t sure about continuing blogging in the near future, but I might just. It still matters infinitesimally more than tweeting to me.
[Start with part one here.]
Day five.
Inca trial/Camino Inka.
The day began at 5, and I was picked up from the backpackers’ hostel at 5.30. We then picked up the rest of the hikers from a nearby hotel. They were 4 of them: all from Hong Kong. The two guys, D and M, were pilots and the girls, S and J, were part of cabin crew of a well-known airline.
The trek begins at Piscacucho, a couple of hours from Cusco. It was a beautiful, sunny day and gorgeous location.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
I changed intoto shorts and t-shirt, and mosquitoes had a free buffet. The entire trail of 45 kms had mosquitoes, I was told.
The 45 kms were split as 11, 12, 16 and 6 over 4 days.
Intro to Incas.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
The first day was easy, and we saw a few Inca sites on the way. Unlike other trails to Machu Picchu, the Incas used the Inca trail (duh!) during their time and built 9-10 sites along the way. Inca trail was a pilgrimage route, and the idea was to endure pain before visiting the sacred Machu Picchu — similar to my plan.
Porters.
We started the day at 9000 ft. and crossed the Inca sites at Llaqtapata. Lunch was after 7 kms of walking, and a pleasant surprise. Backpacking for me usually means carrying all equipment, cooking and foodstuff. On the Inca trail, porters carry equipment and food. And they are marvelous! They walk way faster than hikers, carry upto 20 kgs (That’s the most weight they can carry. Their bags are weighed at checkpoints.) and only drink an corn based alcohol drink to keep them going. The first few hours of the trek, as porters passed by, I felt sorry for them. But they love what they do, work as a team and are quite happy doing their job. It pays them more than what farming does, and they are respected on the trail by everyone. Hikers have their breakfast/lunch and start hiking, porters pack all stuff, race ahead of hikers, and arrange for hot meals by the time hikers reach the next campsite. I found the hikers on the Inca trail not very fit, and much sightseeing happens on the way too. So the equation works out well for porters.
All meals included an appetizer, a soup, a main course with 3 dishes, dessert, juice (usually instead of water in Peru) and tea/coffee. I, of course, felt spoilt when I saw the first lunch ready at Llaqtapata, which included vegetarian food made only for me. But there was also a feeling of Goddammit, I deserve this after all the hiking I’ve done this year.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
We reached our campsite at Wayllabamba (9800 ft.). The first day was mostly easy hiking. That’s the Incas’ way of making one underestimate the hike. The weather seemed like it’d hold up for the rest of the hike. By now, the six of us (tour guide, folks from HK, and I) had settled down in our relative positions while hiking. The guys were faster than the girls, but the girls were doing okay too. I was at the peak of my stamina (because it was the end of summer and I had hiked plenty). I prefer walking first when I’m going for the kill, or last (with the last person) as that helps me conserve my energies for the future part of a hike. The first three days, I was conserving energies and my knees for what was going to be a sprint on the last day. More on that later though.
Stories from 30,000 ft.
Much airline conversation happened over the course of dinner thanks to the 4 employees. I now know many secrets and free stuff airlines have, the grades of smiles used by flight attendants and that flights have a survival kit in case passengers are stranded on water which contains – and this is rather hilarious if you get the joke — a book with prayers of all religions. Yep, that’s right. After a point, the airline just wants to say All right, we’ve done our best; let’s see what *you* can do now.
Many stories were shared, some of them hilarious and some outright disgusting or plain sexual harrassment. People go to ridiculous lengths while traveling alone and many seem to think air hostesses are easy. I also confirmed that Indians were the worst air travelers. I’ve seen compatriots treat flight attendants as servants, in line with our social psyche.
Day six.
The quasi-14er.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
This was the most challenging day of the hike. We started at 9000 ft., crossed a pass at 13,828 ft. and descended down to 12000 ft. to camp. Reaching the pass was an extra challenge because of the altitude and the steep hike. J was feeling the symptoms of altitude sickness. After guiding her for most of the ascent to the pass, I took off in the last 30 mins before the pass. The rationale was thus: If you’re me, you’d obviously see that 13,828 is *this* close to 14000 ft. I haven’t had much luck summiting 14ers this year (both attempts had to be abandoned), so I selected one peak near the pass to summit, to feel 14000 ft.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
The guys D and M were already at the pass when I reached and agreed to join me. D is afraid of heights (Aren’t we glad he isn’t a pilot!) and stopped midway when we had to walk along a cliff that fell a thousand ft. M continued on the crazy attempt. He wasn’t experienced with hiking and climbing, but didn’t give up. At one point, we had to cross a metro of rock, with a cliff on one side, and a valley on the other. I played Morpheus to his Neo, and showed how it was only in the mind that made people crawl past it instead of walking.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
By the time M and I summited the peak, or guide Jose reached the pass and took D down to safety, while I guided M down. M and D had the experience of a lifetime. That was the craziest thing they had done and vowed never to attempt something similar again. I know the feeling, but if they’re anything like me, they’ll keep attempting crazy stuff and feel the same thing all over again.
Playing guide.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
At the pass, while two of us had a minor headache, J was severely affected by altitude: headache, nausea, weakness and aversion to food. I played guide and brought her to the campsite at her pace, while Jose kept up with the rest of the group. Upto last year, I was a very good hiker but a terrible guide. I could almost never bear walking last. Make that: I could never bear not walking first. If you’v hiked with me, I know you’re smiling here. Over the last 2 years, I think I’ve turned into a better guide than hiker. I had some more high altitude experience than our guide, so I kept her busy with breathing exercises, food, water and conversation to keep dizziness away. High altitude sickness is terrible to experience, and the only remedy usually is to reach a lower altitude.
We reached the campsite well after dark, and slept like babies after dinner.
Day seven.
More peaks.
I had conserved enough energy, and reckoned I could go for the kill for the last 2 days. Day three long (16 kms) but we crossed incredible landscapes which made the hike enjoyable. We started at 12000 ft. and crossed a pass at 13,500 ft. Here on, I was walking at my pace, reaching passes and checkpoints in almost half the time as others, and climbing all nearby peaks while the others made it. I climbed about 4 peaks this day. Towards the end of the day, we had to descend 4000 ft. and I switched back to guiding the last person.
There isn’t much to write about this day; photographs can do the talking.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
Day three’s campsite was better than the rest. There was a restaurant with electricity and hot showers. Machu Picchu was 6 kms away, but there was a catch.
Day eight.
The catch.
If you see any photograph of Machu Picchu, you will see a steep cone-shaped peak overlooking it. That’s Wayna Picchu. It is tough to climb, views from it are stunning, but only 400 permits are given out daily to climb it: 200 for the 7 a.m. slot and 200 for the 10 a.m. one. Tourists start lining up for permits well before sunrise and permits run out before 6.30, for both slots. The Inca trail is well maintained and tightly controlled. Camping I’d only allowed at designated campsites and no hiking during night is allowed. On day 4, we were supposed to pass a checkpoint right after or campsite. The checkpoint doesn’t open until 5.30 a.m. and we had 6 kms. to cover from that point. Strange, but not unlike me, by now I was more interested in Wayna Picchu than Machu Picchu. If you really love to do something, you will see art in the way you do it. Trekking is one of the things I see art in, and the last day was the performance.
The end of the pilgrimage.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
We stood in line at 4.45 a.m. at the checkpoint, and there were already upto 50 hikers ahead of us. By the fourth km. I had passed all of them and reached the sun-gate. This is the first view of Machu Picchu on the Inca trail, after three and a half days of challenging trekking. After wanting to be there for over a year, after months of planning, after 3 days of walking and after enduring enough pain – just like the Incas intended — I was there.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
I felt nothing. After a couple of snaps, I continued with the remaining 2 kms. for the Wayna Picchu permit. I made the 6 kms. in 55 minutes with two twisted ankles — both — on the way. I had hiking poles, but couldn’t get myself to use them: That would be cheating.
The 10 a.m. slots were full, and I got a 7 a.m. permit.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
The rest of the hundred-odd Inca trail hikers that day probably enjoyed the first view of Machu Picchu a lot more than I did. I got a piece of paper and some great views from Wayna Picchu. In terms of total happiness felt, they were easily the winners. But I wasn’t after happiness; I was after a feeling.
After Wayna Picchu, we had a 2 hour guided tour of Machu Picchu, and then we all had some time to wake around and explore. I walked down to the lowest point, sat on a rock, watched the towering Machu Picchu above me, and listened to some of my favorite songs.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
I felt what I was after.
I can’t think of a word to describe it, because I can’t describe it.
I wanted to visit Machu Picchu and trek the Inca trail ever since I saw the Taj Mahal in Sep ’08. Visiting the Taj required zero effort, but was accompanied by an empty feeling. But there was another wonder in the world which required plenty of effort and probably carried a proportionate feeling. It did.
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| From [Peru] Inca Trail 8th-11th Sep. 2010 |
Part five here.
[Start with part one here.]
Glitch.
I was tired from all the hiking, and slept well during the flight from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco. A little too well. While alighting the flight at Cusco, I forgot my camera case of the carry-on luggage in the flight. The flight was to proceed to Lima, so I requested the ground staff to retrieve the bag. A ground staff member went in, and brought a different bag. By the time I told them about the mistake, the flight doors had closed (as the flight continued to Lima), and with that, most of my hope and getting the bag were gone too. Fortunately, my camera was with me, but the bag contained a 600$ lens, some filters, the camera battery charger, a spare battery, spare memory cards and lens cleaning equipment. Getting through to the LAN customer support was a pain, as they had to be told the entire story. I spent a few hours on the phone trying to track the bag, and eventually gave up hope. In all this, I hadn’t seen that I was in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
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| From [Peru] Cusco 7th Sep. 2010 |
My camera had a good zoom lens attached to it, so the only thing I really needed from the case was the battery charger. I could easily purchase one at Cusco.
I could either let the whole thing go, or ruin the trip for myself.
Tomas and small world.
I let go, and after packing my backpack for the hike, I called Tomas who lived in Cusco. He had a class until 8 p.m.; we decided to meet after class. He introduced me to a few of his students who were walking with him to the bus stop. I learnt the traditional Peruvian greeting: handshake and hug for guys, kiss on the cheek for girls (the muah type ones — unless the girl really likes you, in which case it is a peck on the cheek).
[Digression: When I told a friend that I was visiting Peru, his comment was something to the effect of Peruvian women are hot, and they have amazing skin. The first bit can probably be attributed to half the body of one woman he might have seen (on the internet), but the second bit was totally WTF. How on earth would he know what their skin was like!
After the introduction with the girls, I can vouch for it though.]
We then went to meet Tomas’ cousin — a dentist who strangely had braces — all gems of people — and we all went to the only Indian restaurant in Cusco. The owner was happy to see an Indian, and took good care of the three of us. He asked me where I was from. I said Pune. He asked Which part? He seemed to know a fair bit about Pune. He told me he was an interior designer, and designed some buildings in Pune, and a hotel called Step In on FC Road. It is next to Vaishali and Roopali, but I hadn’t heard of it.
Small world though.
He has been living in Cusco for 10 years now. I asked him Why Cusco? He said Because I love the place. I said Perfect.
Music.
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| From [Peru] Cusco 7th Sep. 2010 |
Tomas and I went to the central plaza, which is a square garden, surrounded by shops, pubs and churches. Photographs weren’t allowed at pubs, but the owner knew Tomas and I got royal treatment.
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| From [Peru] Cusco 7th Sep. 2010 |
I then saw a group having dinner on he sidewalk and one of them had a bunch of flutes in his backpack. I remembered I wanted to buy a flute (or some musical instrument) in Peru. We let them finish their dinner. They were a band, and the flautist gladly agreed to show me his flutes (no jokes here). He told me he made his own flutes, and they felt of great quality. I tried to play one, and could hardly play a sound. It reminded me of the first few days of playing the Indian flute. He showed me the exact lip position, and I was off in a couple of seconds. That was it for the night. I had to wake up at 5, and Tomas had a class at 7.
A wonderful day it had been.
Part four here.
[Start with part one here.]
Meeting the Amazon.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
It was a 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the ferry, and 3 hours to the lodge at some obscure place in the rainforest. The surrounding was rich in flora. We saw a few white caimans and turtles.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
We reached the lodge by afternoon, settled, and went for a hike to a nearby tower in the evening — spotting animals, birds and plants on the way. Walking in the Amazon rainforest is a strange experience. Every moment a sound is heard, and one has no idea what animal/bird it could be. And I also learnt — if our guide is to be believed — that brazilnut, when eaten by women, helps produce more female hormones. It is, ergo, the secret behind well endowed Peruvian women. If that’s true, let’s all agree to stop bothering god for demands which can be met by a brazilnut.
The dinner was the first proper meal I had in 2 days, and it was rather delicious. The nights were peaceful — if the animal sounds, bird sounds, and the fact that you’re sleeping in a room that doesn’t have a wall on the side of the jungle doesn’t bother you.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Day three.
Bird watching.
Morning was at 4 a.m., breakfast at 4.30, and we were off to Lake Oxbow, a 15 minute upstream boat-ride and a 30 min. walk. The lake is known to house Giant River Otters, an endangered species. Besides those, there were countless birds. Every 100 m. along the shore of the lake seemed like a whole new micro-ecosystem. Every bird had a story and every tree had a story.
We don’t usually consider plants as living beings in the same sense as animals. But if one sees the evolution of plants in the Amazon basin (and indeed anywhere), they’re no different from us. Sunlight is extremely difficult to get for a plant in a rainforest. Plants evolve to compete with other for sunlight and other reasons.
Sample these:
- A plant that has no trunk, for 2 meters above the ground, but just various smaller stems. This helps it grow taller.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
- A plant called the walking palm, similar to the above plant, but with the smaller stems spread out, which makes them look like creepy legs. It reminded me of the trees in LOTR.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
- Most trees don’t have branches except for the topmost few meters. Branches and leaves can’t grow at lower heights without sunlight.
- A tree with no branches and a bulging belly halfway through. The belly helps it store water for the dry season, and also helps spread seeds further away from the tree. (I’m trying hard not to make a joke about Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan here).
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
- A tree which grows its seeds into chunks of cotton, as cotton is light and takes seeds far away.
- A tree, again with no branches, because ants live in its trunk. Ants do not make the holes, but carry another insect to the trunk which makes the holes for them. Once that insect is done, ants transport it to another tree.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Incidentally, this tree is the one native women who indulged in infidelity were tied to. Taliban, take note. Males had to climb this tree full of ants to prove their manliness when they turn adult.
- A tree that had tiny thorns on its trunk. They are believed to have grown thorns to save themselves from being felled by large animals like dinosaurs.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
I would’ve chosen this tree to tie women and test adolescent kids.
At the lake, we saw birds and otters:
- The Hoatzin females mates with several males, lays eggs, and the male takes care of the eggs, which the female goes away to mate with another male. As a hardcore feminist, I’m proud of this bird, and so should you.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
- The Ahninga or snake-bird, has a neck resembling a snake.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
It helped that our guide knew his stuff, although if I *had* to nitpick, I think he knew disproportionately more about the mating habits and sexual preferences of animals and birds.
Some time was saved for fishing piranhas at one spot in the lake. It wasn’t so much fishing as it was some of us feeding piranhas. The water wasn’t clear, but we could see was pieces of the bait vanishing; piranhas are that quick. The boatman caught a couple (white bellied and yellow bellied); everyone else gave the piranhas free lunch.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Piranhas live for upto half an hour outside water, and the famous leaf experiment was done.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Next we tried to spot macaws; they look like parrots and are clay-eating macaws.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
We saw a few, but not while they were eating clay.
Alone. Almost.
Before lunch, I wanted to hike alone for a while without the guide and the group. I took directions to tree considered sacred by the locals. One needs to be careful while hiking as it is very easy to get lost, and no way to tell direction. There is also no way to get to a higher point in a rainforest — the only way is by climbing trees, not very possible. Plus there are poisonous snakes and animals.
Five minutes into the hike and it was scary. There were just too many unknown sounds around. As I was proceeding carefully (all the while reconsidering the decision to walk alone in the rainforest), I ran into an Australian girl from our group, Carolene, who was also hiking alone. Glad that I got a partner, we went to the sacred tree, and after lunch, on another long hike finding birds and animals. She claimed she was unfit, but effortlessly kept pace with me (if you have hiked with me, you’d know that’s impressive). I was later told hiking in smaller groups was more optimal to spot animals. I would definitely recommend hiking all by yourself in the Amazon rainforest. I suggested this in the tour feedback too. If they do implement it, there are going to be some scared-as-hell customers.
Herbal Viagra.
The final activity of the day was visiting a botanical garden and herbal medicine centre. It wasn’t mere lecturing; herbs were demonstrated.
We were all given a piece of a leaf to eat, and our tongues were numb in a few seconds. It was an anesthetic.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Another plant, when its leaves were folders and released, opened up erect. It was herbal viagra.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
There was an aphrodisiac too, which made a person of the opposite sex (or same — depending of whether you use the male leaves or the female) fall madly in love with you. Further, he/she will come looking for you in 3 days after smelling the plant’s fragrance off your body. Or so is the claim.
We were offered shots (that’s what the glasses looked like) of some medicines.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
I tasted the herbal Viagra and another one to regulate my periods. I could report the results of the herbal Viagra right now, but I’ll wait for two weeks and report both results.
After dinner, we went for a walk at night trying to spot insects and animals, and some star gazing. We saw a few insects, a millepede, a giant spider, a tarantula and a snake.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
Night sleep was peaceful.
Day four.
Final thoughts from Amazon basin.
That’s all the time I had in the Amazon. In a sense, the Amazon reminded me of the Grand Canyon. Standing at the top of the canyon, it seems like a dead- still landscape. But deep inside the canyon are millions of birds, insects, plants and trees in a vibrant eco-system. The Amazon was similar: Looking at the rainforest from the flight, it was just extensive plains of thick, green forests. But every square inch inside, the forest had its own story, several times dating back to the ice age or the time dinosaurs walked on earth. Natives see and experience a living forest every day; no wonder they are far more protective about the earth. A majority of us, on the other hand, haven’t experienced nature enough to see what the big deal is.
Nature is miraculous in the Amazon, and I agree with George Carlin’s words:
When we are trying to save the planet, we’re just trying to save ourselves. The earth has seen worse, and will see worse. It’ll just shake us off and start again. If you’re worried about the earth, don’t worry: The Earth will be just fine. We, on the other hand, are screwed.
Airline troubles.
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| From [Peru] Puerto Maldonado and Amazon rainforest 5th-7th Sep. 2010 |
I had booked a Star Peru flight from Puerto Maldnado to Cusco. Star Peru cancelled the flight 2 weeks before my trip. Instead they booked me on a LAN flight. While at Lima, I wanted to confirm all my flights and their timings, and during the enquiry, I learnt that the replacement flight was booked for 22nd Aug. instead of 7th Sep.
And they didn’t offer me a time machine to board that flight.
Star Peru assured me they’d correct it, but once I was at Puerto Maldonado and in the Amazon, I had no way of following up. I was hoping they’d book me on some flight to Cusco, as I had to hike the Inca trail the following day. No more flight adventures though: The ticket was booked.
The brothers.
After saying goodbye to our guide, Ivo, the group dispersed according to their flights, and I was alone to explore new people. I saw a bunch of males, both elderly and young, wearing long brown robes. I asked the guide of another company about them, and he said he had no clue. A few Hablar usted inglés? (Do you speak English? — Yes, I later realized it was the lamest question ever.) later, a young man introduced himself as Joseph Mary. They were Catholic evangelicals. Joseph was born and raised in Florida. He was always interested in religion, and in his freshman year he decided to drop out and join a mission close to his home in Florida. By then the mission had moved to Puerto Maldonado, so he moved too. 23 years in Florida; six in Puerto Maldonado.
A few questions later, he ask me what my faith was. I said I wasn’t sure, but if I had to pick one, it’d be Hindu atheist. He knew *exactly* what that meant. I had a few questions (mostly related to faith) and he answered them. The intent behind a question is more important than the answer one seeks, and I had come so far to learn. I gladly heard him out. He was smart, and had that glint in his eye which only those who are truly happy have. He said he joined the brothers — they call themselves the brothers of Jesus — because he thought he had found his true calling. I believed him. I said I was glad he had found his true calling, and that I was still looking. We laughed.
His flight was before mine. While parting, he used a Spanish saying which meant ‘good person’. I said, and truly believed, Likewise.
Flight to Cusco.
Part three here.
Foreword: I maintained a diary while in Peru and wrote regularly. This is it. It is lengthy, and preachy at times. Only a bit of editing went in. I wanted to keep the essence of what I felt while writing about the experiences.
Relevant photos are embedded. Pictures are all unprocessed/unedited. All albums are in the final post, but you can get to them by following the embedded images too.
If you have the time or curiosity, dive right in.
Arrangements.
The thing about Peru is that far too many Indians have been there — I had 3-4 friends who have been to Peru. Plus our custom states that one must advice another even when one has no freakin’ clue of what one is talking about. So you’ll likely get plenty of advice.
Usually incorrect.
Visa.
That is still better than the information the Peruvian consulate shares — which is nothing. The websites don’t work and no one answers the call, but if you say you don’t have a certain document, they put on their best Puneri impression and say ‘But all this was clearly mentioned’. ‘Where’ is not a valid follow-through question.
The best bet is to ask those who’ve travelled and search on the web for documents, and carry all of ‘em. (Thanks to this process, I now know that there aren’t any criminal cases pending against me.)
The first visit to a consulate is to drop the passport and documents (and you’ll always have one missing document — rather, the officer will always think of one document you don’t have). Nothing is lost here; you just agree to bring it along on your visa appointment date. This date will be one day before you travel. When I requested to get my passport at least a couple of days before I was scheduled to fly, the officer wasn’t angry, or condescending, or frustrated: He was disappointed, and his exact quote was ‘But we have so much work to do :(‘. The frownie is transliterated from his exact expression.
The appointment date is when they manually stamp the visa, which they could’ve very well done the last time you dropped by. Here I was asked the question, Are you single or married?
I said Single.
To establish some small-talk, he said Haha, good decision.
I explained to him how being single was not a decision, it was the default option, and lauding a default option made no sense.
I still got my visa.
Shopping.
Shopping for the trip cost me more than the trip, as there were plenty of one-time investments like camera equipment and hiking gear. But now I have all hiking equipment for any trip, and all camera equipment to annoy anyone under the pretense of taking a snap.
Day one.
Flight.
The flights were smooth– Five flights from San Francisco to my first destination in the Amazon rainforest- Puerto Maldonado.
First stop at Texas, Houston, where they take security very seriously. That’s literal: Any jokes about security may get you arrested, said the announcement. The security was impressive though. I stepped 10 feet away from my bag to talk to the airline representative, and ten seconds after I left my bag, there was an announcement that someone’s bag was unattended and they had to claim it within 10 seconds.
Conclusion: Texas is the most secure state, and we already know most of the intelligentsia lives there. What’s not to like about Texas?
Second stop, Panama City. Panama has the biggest rain forests in the western hemisphere after Amazon basin, and the landscapes resemble the Sahyadris.
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| From [Peru] Way up to Puerto Maldonado 4th-5th Sep. 2010 |
I read that US invaded Panama a couple of decades ago, so I was sure they had a functioning democracy. The cheese at Panama was the hardest cheese I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know what they’re doing to the cows there, but whatever it is, it can’t be good, and the cows are angry now.
And don’t ask me any follow-up questions, but they don’t flush used toilet paper; they toss it into a bin. Lesson for UI designers: If there is a bin very close to a WC, oh you bet people will use it.
[Update: This was to be seen everywhere I visited during the trip. At one place the reason was mentioned: To avoid clogging the drain.]
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| From [Peru] Way up to Puerto Maldonado 4th-5th Sep. 2010 |
Third stop, Lima, Peru:
Staying to a hotel for around 8 hours (till the next flight to Cusco) didn’t make much sense, and many suggestions online were that one could sleep at the airport. There is much description of the airport online: good locations to sleep, their relative location to the Starbucks in the airport, etc. Before landing I could visualize the airport perfectly in my mind. None of that information was correct, but I did discover a cool website www.sleepinginairports.net
12 a.m.
Day two.
Worth it.
I bought a cup of espresso at Starbucks. Mind you, only for the WiFi. A true TamBram wouldn’t touch anything that isn’t decoction coffee with a 10 foot long pole.
On any trip or hike, there is usually one moment when everyone thinks It was worth it just for this. For me during this trip, it was about 3 hours after landing in Lima, Peru.
When I travel alone, I talk to every stranger. Back in the society I am familiar with, we think before approaching a stranger. I consciously avoid doing that.
There was a couple with their kid daughter at Starbucks. The father looked Peruvian, the mother looked American, and the little girl, Lusero, was the most adorable child I’ve ever seen — the kind who’d make you want a child for yourself. Proof:
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| From [Peru] Way up to Puerto Maldonado 4th-5th Sep. 2010 |
The mom had slept on a Starbucks couch, and the kid was running around. So I started playing with Lusero and eventually, a conversation with Tomas, the dad, began. It started at 12.30 and went on till 5 in the morning, with breaks in between to keep Lusero busy.
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| From [Peru] Way up to Puerto Maldonado 4th-5th Sep. 2010 |
Tomas’ parents are Peruvian, and he was raised in Oregon. Last year – after working as a lawyer for a few years and running a successful business for the next few years — he decided to move to Cusco, where he now teaches English at the university. His wife and Lusero stay in Oregon, where the wife is pursuing her masters’. The family was at the Lima airport to see off mother and daughter.
I can’t quantify what it was about the conversation, but I learnt much about everything and myself in the course of it. His background and experiences in US and Peru were something I identified with immensely. It helped that we were in sync on our core beliefs. And it wasn’t only philosophy: movies, society, love, trophy wives/husbands, children, parenting, system. For me, much conversation happened about happiness and society in the last few weeks with friends and acquaintances; this one felt like the finale. I saw some things that I wasn’t seeing previously, and was introduced to interesting thoughts. There is a certain high in good conversation, and I don’t mean the intellectual masturbation conversations — I’m talking about conversations that teach you something, conversations from which you take away so much that it changes your attitudes and philosophies for an extended period of time. Every idea in the mind course-corrects itself based on experiences or conversation.
Not many people around me have an opinion about society. Most have a critical opinion about things in society, but don’t seem to care about society and conditioning. I was happy to talk to someone who did. I don’t fault those who are happy to live in society, but it’s not what I identify with. I have an aversion to society and all its symptoms, and it looked like I wasn’t alone.
3 hours into the conversation and barely 4 hours in Peru, the thought first came into my mind: I think I just got what I came for. Until then, I didn’t know what I had come for. The rest of the trip now seemed like a formality — including Machu Picchu.
Fourth stop, Cusco; final stop, Puerto Maldonado.
In the Amazonia.
Part two here.
Blogging will be on a break for the next two weeks as I’ll be in Peru. Pre-arrangements have gone well, and inshahallah the trip will be okay. I’m trying to live on a shoestring budget during the trip — so no hotels. Instead it’ll be hostels, airports and of course, the mountains.
One plan is keep a daily log of the trip, which I can upload whenever I’m around one of those internet things. Inshahallah that’ll happen too.
Adios amigos (which incidentally is all the Espanol I know. I figured it’d be easier to teach some English there than learn Spanish.)
Namaste.
Great exposé by Churumuri on ToI reporting of the Commonwealth Games.
While Suresh Kalmadi might burn in hell for his handling of CWG, ToI will burn in hell for hiring Chetan Bhagat as a columnist. As I’ve said earlier, it is not a comment on his writing; it is a comment on what intellect he brings to his columns.
Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi:
Why four times, Sonia Gandhi could be the party president 40 times
and no, I don’t realize that she is human, not a tortoise.
