08 December 2010

The day started off on a sour note with me getting lost on the way out of Cusco and not being able to find a place to change my oil. I pulled into every gas station that had a sign for lubricenter and they all said no. One guy was gonna do it but he only had 20w so I said no and sped off in a huff of anger cutting off a car headed towards me. He honked and I flipped him off which really pissed him off. I could see him shouting and waving his hands. It’s easy to get angry in the crazy traffic down here but I have never seen tempers flare or heard obscenities fly except for mine.

I didn’t think I’d be able to change the oil for a while so I bought a quart to fill it up. A few miles later I found a shop that changed the oil. He put in 20w.

In Juliaca I got lost. The highway goes straight through town to a roundabout with no signs pointing the way to Puno. I probably wasted 40 minutes driving around asking questions and finally stopping at in internet cafe to use Google maps to find my way out.

Puno though was the absolute worst. In this town there are really no street signs, not on poles or on the sides of buildings, and the Lonely Planet map was no help at all. In fact with its lack of cardinal directions and more importantly the location of the lake, it was frustratingly disorienting. I couldn’t even tell which way I should be holding the map. It was impossible to find a bank. I was very, very, very angry and that is an understatement. I was absolutely incendiary and boiling with rage.

Puno and Lake Titicaca

I found Lake Titicaca and parked the car to walk up to it and have a look. I asked around and was directed to the plaza where the banks were but that took a while to find as well. All I wanted was a meal and with the 100 sola bills the ATM dispensed I wasn’t going to be able to do that. No one in Peru has change. The banks were closed for a holiday, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I stormed into an internet cafe and explained my situation to the owner and he took me across the street to get change at a restaurant where a friend of his was running the cash register.

Lake Titicaca up close

There’s too much to write about Puno. It would fill this entire journal. I was beyond angry or mad or even livid. After I got my change I ate a chicken lunch and then booked out of town. The bathroom in the restaurant was disgusting and they didn’t even have soap and a towel to wash your greasy hands. One last stop at an internet cafe to check Google maps and I headed towards Moquegua which was disappointing because I had wanted to go to Arequipa. But the turn for the road was behind me and I didn’t want to backtrack. I wanted to go forward.

The drive to Moquegua was serene and peaceful. Most of the time I was the only car on the road. Just like the drive between Cusco and Puno the land was reminiscent of Montana or the Great Plains with large dramatic skies and grassy rolling hills and plains. Further down the highway I came across some snow. This meant I was at a much higher elevation then I’d been. In addition to the ladies I gave rides to this morning (one by herself and two together) I also picked up a drunk man on the side of the mountain on the way to Moquegua. I have no idea how he got there or what he was saying but I let him out in the center of town and sped off in the night through the desert to Tacna. It took a while to find a cheap room with wi-fi. 

I was able to see the stars again tonight. I am surprised I can still see Orion. Tomorrow I will be in Chile.