urbanhiker: Now without headache!

March 07, 2005

Now without headache!

Yesterday was the Day of the Headache. I wasn't sure if it was due to sheer exhaustion, or due to the altitude. Either way, I didn't like it. I took a nap (siesta!) for a few hours and went back unto the world with a slightly worse headache.

I went to SAS to try to book my trip on the Inca Trail, but they didn't have openings until the 11th. So I tried to use my book about the Inca Trail to find another agency. This activity showed the very soft underbelly of the horrible information design of this book.

The map of Cuzco is spread across two pages, so it is nearly impossible to determine how streets continue. Not all the streets are indicated on the map. And my task of walking around to visit the various agencies was next to impossible, as the listing of agencies were at the end of the book, requiring the reader to hold two pages open, and the agencies were not numbered so they could be referenced on the map. And many of the phone numbers were wrong.

I guess all these things are artifacts of the culture with a high uncertainty avoidance factor.

I had dinner at a place called Ccoyllor, which my book recommended. I have been somewhat shamefully abandoning my vegetarian policies in favor of trying local fare. This meal was somewhat bizarre, but still tasty: "Chinese" rice, what seemed to be a Wienerschnitzel (they called it "suprema," a frayed hotdog, and french fries. All that for s/10 (about US$3).

I totally crashed after dinner, which was about 8:30. I slept until 7 o'clock, when breakfast was waiting for me. It was served upstairs in the hotel, where there was a fantastic view of the city. The woman working this morning was charming and served me two normal breadrolls (softer than Brötchen) and one soft slice of cake-like bread. The coffee was amazing -- she said it was a mixture of two different beans, but I didn't catch the name. I also had maté and the most amazing fresh-squeezed orange juice known to man.

Feeling refreshed, and mostly headache-free, I set about finding a way to Machu Picchu. I was propocitioned by a few guys on the street, who dragged me into their agency and proudly showed me the licenses hanging on their wall. Maybe the hard-sell doesn't indicate anything about the credibility of the service, but in my mind it did, so I did not take their offer.

I then went just down the street to InterContinental, where the woman was kind and obviously wanted to help me find a way to get my tour in before I leave on Saturday. Apparently this is very a tight deadline, as they must register you at least two days in advance.

The lady made a few phone calls and was able to arrange for me a trip leaving on Wednesday with a guide. On the third day, which is the day when you usually see the most ruins, I will press on with a porter, but without the tour guide, who is mostly just there to talk about the ruins. I realized this was the best offer I will get, so I took it for a discouted US$160. Based on my rough calculations, that is worth probably about US$500 back in the US. I have decided that I will ask my porter to lead me to a few of the ruins that we would otherwise miss, but not all. I just want a few shots.

Then the rain came. And this was no normal rain: it was torrential. And it hailed. It was hilarious to watch everyone flee the rain. It was clear that it was a somewhat frequent occurence, so everyone was in good spirits. The taxis clogged the roadways and honked more than ever, sloshing the water about that was careening down the edges of the streets.

When I thought it was over, I continued down Avenida del Sol, where it just started to pour again. I took cover for another 20 minutes and continued on.

I just bought my Boleto Turístico, a ticket that is valid for sixteen sites throughout the city. I went to the Museo Histórico Regional, which was okay, but mostly had Spanish art. I found this less interesting than the Peruvian pots and arrowheads. I am looking forward to visiting those tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm planning on taking a horseback ride to Saqsaywaman (pronounced almost like "sexy woman"), and at 6 o'clock I have to be at the information session for my trip to Machu Picchu.

My headache is nearly a forgotten memory. I think by tomorrow I will be fully aclimatized. See you then.

Posted by bengel at March 7, 2005 02:41 PM

Comments

Love the updates. Mom & I think the altitude was the source of your headache.

You've become quite the "smoozer" what with all the help you get people to give you.

Any chance you can bring an arrowhead back for Tom?

Posted by: Dad at March 8, 2005 04:33 PM