Dispatches; The niggly bits and pieces

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Due to the national attitude of 'Ah sure fuck it, it's grand' and general 'That'll do' when it clearly won't, it appears I myself have fallen victim to the above malaise. When I went travelling with Brian a good few years ago to SE Asia I brought everything. I mean it. Bangkok is the hottest city on the planet Earth and i packed my M65 Field jacket with cold weather liner. That got ditched.

Anyway, this time I prepared little and didn't do a proper list as I normally would, so here's what I forgot;

1. Poo tickets. Or bog roll, whichever you prefer.
2. Swiss Army Knife. A vital piece of equipment used from gutting snakes to spreading Laughing Cow on rolls
3. My heavy Salomon hiking boots. I need them. I didn't think I did. This is the Andes. I'm a dick.
4. Sudocreme. Unavailable here, or outside Ireland I'm told. The only remedy for crotch rash.
5. My SD card reader. I've no USB lead for my camera, and I've two card readers at home. One in the drawer with the tea-towels and one in the press where the crisps go.
6. Deep heat cream. Two nights in a row disco dancing, and a football match. I can't bend my toes and am walking a bit like Virgil Treacy.

I'd like to thank Jeremy Kerr, however, for the wonderful gift of the head torch. This LED lamp with elasticated straps is one of the most important pieces of my kit because it simply allows you to see in the dark. Dead handy if you're rooting in your rucksack at night while everyone else in the dorm is asleep, or just reading a book. Thank you, Jeremy.

I arrived back to the hostel at about 8am this morning from another mental Peruvian disco and sat down to watch the Man U v Liverpool game. I only lasted till half time myself before I climbed the wooden hill to Bedfordshire but by all accounts the ref spoiled the game so i didn't miss much. What is good to see is Kenny back in the Pool's dugout. At least now we can hopefully resume the classic rivalry between the two best teams in football. Chelsea and Man City be fucked; they got no soul.

Tomorrow I'm off up to Cusco, higher and higher. I'll be there for about 5 or 6 days in MY OWN ROOM! Can't wait for that. The journey is between 20 and 24 hours so I've stocked up on nibbles, like lady fingers, dried banana chips, and a couple bars of Ritter Sport chocolate. Oh, and bog roll. Better to be lookin' at it than lookin' for it!
I don't think I'll be doing the whole Machupicchu thing this time round. I will do a bit of trekking and walking and the like but in terms of expense and not wanting to have a fucking heart attack before I start my job in La Paz it's probably best to put it on hold for now.

Right, it's time now for a little rest with my book, which incidentally is about another great Irish adventurer, and a more than qualified candidate for the greatest most inspirational Irishman who ever lived. Tom Crean is keeping me going more than any amount of dried banana chips ever will. Thanks Tom!

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Comments

[Osgur]

Sorry about the dorm
I thought that the best way for you to learn the "hostel trade" is to start in a dorm. Im glad you will enjoy a private room in Cusco. My recomendations are: Walk to Saqsay'waman , the Inca ruins above the Loki Hostel. ( alternatively get a taxi there and walk back) Take a bus to Ollyantambo through the sacred valley even if you miss Machu Picchu. If you do Machu Picchu sign up for the Huyanu Picchu limited access as soon as you get there. Eat anti-cuchos. Enjoy the amazing shitness that is Mama Africas Nightclub, its like a shit Kehoe's on acid. Eat in Pacha Papas ( Peruvian Andean Food ), Jacks cafe ( maybe a bit early in your trip for home foods) and if you are really brave eat in the San Pedro Market food stalls ( if you don't have the balls, at least get some juice from the juice women, and bring your camera for the offal section ). If you find yourself in Paddy Flaherty's eat the Bread and Butter Pudding ( 40 min wait ) If you can, go see a Ciencano football match. Eat anticuchos ( beef heart on a stick ) when coming home drunk. Eat Choclo (maize) with andean cheese on bus journeys. Eat Lomo Saltado, Aji de Galina and Papa Huancayna. Pisco sours are not as good as they are made out to be. Drink the pisco straight instead. On a Sunday buy an ice cream and sit on a bench in Plaza de Armas and see if you can spot the mice running around in the borders of the perfectly mowed lawns. Dont buy happy pants. Buy an alpaca hat. Dont buy a "Inca Wars" tshirt. Never go with a hippie to a second location. See you in a week or two!