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Published: July 14th 2010
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So Trujillo was BEAUTIFUL ...but didn't end up being the volunteer opportunity of my dreams. The "school" ended up being a room in his aunt’s house with a couple desks where he charged Peruvians for English lessons. The room I was to rent was in this same house - which was, by the way, completely concrete. Foundation, floors, ceilings, stairs, counters...everything. Have you ever tried to get comfortable in a cement house? Not impossible, but difficult. So yeah - charges them for classes, gets me to teach those classes for free, and then charges me for rent...so this kid (yeah...you can't tell how old someone is over email...he was 24) was getting paid on both ends. Sweet deal...for him...I on the other hand, was quite unimpressed. The "cherry on top" were the roommates he never told me about (cockroaches) and the "running water" that never actually ran anytime during my brief stay in this land-o-cement.
Needless to say, I left rather quickly. It didn't help his case at all when, after my full day-o-travel - first a plane, then an 8-hour bus ride (oh, my- that was funny....I'll get to that in a second) he is trying to get me to
paint!! I kept telling him I was a little tired, and he kept saying, "Oh!! Solamente un ratito!" (It'll only be a moment)...So I painted. The whole time I was planning my escape. Once I broke free, I spent a day in Trujillo then headed straight for the beach of Huanchaco. Remember, I needed sun.
Oh! The bus ride to Trujillo! So...it's always a little nerve-racking traveling with a bunch of stuff and trying to keep track of it all while getting where you want to be going. This is usually the time when something of yours is most likely to end up in someone's pocket...i.e.: passport, camera, etc.
So I've got my passport in a pouch around my waist under my shirt, jacket around my waist, my purse on my shoulder, my frame pack on my back, and backpack on my front...in that order. I get a cab from the airport to the bus station - I was told not to pay more than s/7 for a cab...and I can be really stubborn ... so when the first driver I saw said s/45...I laughed in his face. By the time I got outside of the building, they were down
to s/25...but I was determined. So determined, in fact, that I ended up walking OUTSIDE of the grounds of the airport. I asked the first taxi that pulled up, "Al Terminal de Altobus - cuanto cuestan?" (how much to the bus station?) ...and he says, "s/7" ...."Digo yo!" (That’s what I'm sayin'!)
This is what I'm imagining will happen....he’ll drop me off at the bus station where there will be a NUMBER of buses that will be going to Trujillo, and I will just walk around to the desks and get the best price...
Yeah, not so much.
We pull off onto a dirt road and I just see tons and tons of buses, and chickens, and garbage...no place to "go around and price the bus rides" or anything.
The taxi driver tells me as he's pulling towards this particular bus, "Son lo mejor." (These guys are the best)...
The bus has seen better days...lots of neon paint…I’m not convinced. But he’s not concerned with trying to convince me...he's stopped the cab, grabbed my bag and headed for the bus. Now, remember, I'm trying to stay on top of all my stuff here....so this has gotten me a little nervous
- I get the rest of my stuff and run after him! By the time I get to the bus, my bag is already comfortably resting in the belly and there's a woman, Rosa, telling me "amor" (my new nickname for the next 8 hours) that the bus will leave "ahorita" (right now) for Trujillo and the ticket is s/15 (about $6). I pay her. There's a toothless guy (who forgot his shirt that morning) asking me for s/5 extra because my bag is "grandisima" (huge)...Since the guide books indicated that I would have to pay around s/45 - s/50 for this 8 hour bus ride, I pay him. The guidebooks also tell me to watch my bag until the bus leaves, so I'm standing outside of the bus like an idiot trying to make sure no one decides to take off with my pack. Seeing as the beast weighed a little over 60 lbs, I decided that was unlikely to happen and boarded the very neon bus.
Once aboard, my attention turns to the movie playing on the tv mounted directly above me. It is with mixed emotions that I tell you about the full frontal (both male
and female) I saw within the first five minutes. I look around at the children and mothers all sitting around me…no one else is bothered. So I leaned back, relaxed, and enjoyed the array-o-soft porn playing for the full 8 hours. When in Rome…or, uh...Peru...
Let’s skip the beach. I mean, don’t get me wrong…it was great! Lots of lazy days…quite uneventful J I did make good friends with a HUGE tortoise though…
One thing I did want to do here in Peru is hike in the Cordillera Blanca Mountains. So after about a week in Trujillo, I hopped on another bus (fully equipt with equally shocking movie choices) for Huaraz - another 8 hour trip. This time, I went overnight - saved paying for a hostel...
On the bus, I meet Justin - see photo of me and him rocking some of his rather unique hat purchases.
.................................two years has passed..................................................
and I haven't published this yet! So, I will publish this in the (very small) chance someone will want to read this. The week-long hike in the Cordillera Blanca Mountains was by far the highlight of my trip and I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Following
the hike and my two and a half month stint in Peru, I ended my trip early and came home. What a life-changing experience and I'm so thankful for all that happened - the good, the bad and the beautiful.
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