The quest for the perfect photo

Despite the strikes, we got to Machu Picchu. Apparently the train had been cancelled some of the days before, but we were lucky. We were held up for half an hour whilst protestors blocked the line, but were soon through. On the way back, each carriage on the train had two riot police. They obviously expected trouble, but there wasn't any.

The afternoon after we arrived in Aguas Calientes, just below Machu Piccu, we walked up mountain Putucusi. The "walk" involves lots of steep ladders, but when you reach the summit you get a view across to Machu Picchu. It was quite exciting just to come over the summit and discover it there, you could almost imagine you were discovering it for the first time.

The next day we went to Machu Picchu itself. We arrived for dawn, but clouds meant that we missed the classic sunrise. Only 400 people a day are allowed to climb Huayna Picchu, the bigger peak behind Machu Picchu, so we made sure we were near the front of the queue for that. I was number 14 through the gate at 7.11am and decided to race to try and get to the top first. I ended up second to the top, after a German who had been first through the gate at 7am.

Once we were down, the sun came out we joined The Quest for the perfect photo of Machu Picchu, but we were no match for some of the tourists with their huge cameras and zoom lenses. As the day drew on, more and more tour groups were traipsing round the key sights of the site. But we found that Machu Picchu is impressive as a whole, for its setting, not for each individual wall or stone.

Despite the number of tourists, it is such a big site that it is actually quite easy to get away from everyone. You just nip round a corner away from the big attractions and you can have a corner of the lost city of the Incas all to yourself.

Machu Picchu itself is quite tastefully done - no people hassling you or endless gift shops - thankfully that is all confined to Aguas Calientes and Cusco. In Cusco, people ask you to buy things so often that it possible to buy t-shirts that say "No, Gracias".

These last few days travelling with people who have little or no Spanish has made me much more appreciative of what I have. When in Lima, I was always with Peruvians or volunteers who spoke better Spanish than me, and I was constantly wishing mine was better. But on the gringo trail amongst other travellers who spend all their times with other gringos I became aware just how much I have learnt.

Advice from the foriegn office

From the Peru foreign office travel advice:

Since late June 2007, there has been civil unrest, with widespread strikes, in the departments of Ucayali and Puno. A State of Emergency has been declared in the province of Coronel Portillo, Ucayali (including the tourist jungle town of Pucallpa) until mid July 2007. There have also been severe disruptions to road and rail services between Puno and Cusco. You are strongly advised to check with your travel company or airline before travelling to the area.

Well we just travelled through all this. We couldn't take the train from Puno as planned and there were some problems with buses: Delays, never getting the tourist one you paid for, and constantly having to change between local buses. But we made it through and are now in Cusco.

One of the other volunteers still at the school in Lima told me that one of the reasons for the strikes was that the Government had decided to give all the teachers a literacy test which might result in a third or them being laid off. And then the miners, with a different grievance decided to join in too, and then everyone has to. In Peru, a strike doesn’t just mean not going to work – it means putting up road blocks and preventing everyone from travelling – to the extent that on some days stones were hurled at any taxis in operation.

Machu Picchu here we come. It just got voted into the new 7 Wonders of the World. There's been enough hype about this in the last few weeks in Peru, to encourage people to vote. It obviously paid off.

Corrupción, no puede pasar

So I hopped over the border to Bolivia for a couple of days, in part because I wanted to see La Isla del Sol, partly to meet up with a friend, and partly to get an new 90 day Peruvian stamp in my Passport without paying for it in Lima.

When I crossed from Peru to Bolivia on Thursday, the Peruvian police were searching selected persons for drugs, and I was one of the selected. They searched my day bag, my pockets and my money belt, everything I was carrying, but not my larger bag which was on the bus. At the time I hadn't really thought anything of it.

But today, when I got on the bus to return to Peru, I realised that 3 x 100 soles notes in my money belt were blatant fakes (300 soles = ₤50). I had earlier briefly checked that everything that should be was in the money belt, but had not actually taken the notes out to look at them. It was not possible that such notes had come out of the cash machine where I had originally got the notes. I also felt it very unlikely that a switch had taken place when I used the safe at the hotel, for three reasons: a) I trusted the lady at the hotel b) it was all sellotaped up c) It seemed unlikely that someone in Bolivia would have fake sole notes.

So it seemed to me that the most likely answer was that the two cops who had searched my money belt had deftly switched the real notes for couldn't watch them both closely at the same time.

So with the help of the el cobrador (the bus conductor, the same one as the first time I had crossed) I warned my fellow border crossers to be vigilant, and when we got to the border he took me police border office. I explained the situation, and the time I had crossed. I didn't particularly want to start making accusations at the police lest it get me into more trouble, and I wasn't hoping to get my money back, but I just wanted them to know there was a potential problem so they could try and crack down on it.

All the police, particularly the chief were very helpful, friendly, concerned, and indignant for me that such a thing should have happened. Corrupción, no puede pasar. They very concerned that I shouldn't have a bad impression of Peru.

We knew the time I had crossed and the office that had searched me, but there was no record of which officers were working it. In private, the chief told me not to be afraid and to help him by pointing out the culprits. All 8 officers who worked the posted were brought in, but there was no way I could remember which were the ones who had searched me. I wasn't going to point the finger without being sure because I could see they were going to get into trouble - perhaps even physically beaten up. I kept repeating that I couldn't remember, but I think they thought it was because I was afraid.

There was discussion of all the officers behind closed doors, but I don't think they got anywhere in finding out who was behid it. In the the end, the police chief gave me 300 soles from his own money, and we parted on very friendly terms. At a guess this might be half a weeks wages for him. I certainly didn't leave the experience with a bad impression of the Peruvian police.

I suppose the fact that he gave me the money on just my word shows that he believed there was truth in my story. I just hope that it was at the police post that the switch happened, and that my logic wasn't wrong - because otherwise I have thrown a cat among the wrong pigeons.

FC

Pinching the centimos

Tomorrow I am going to hop across the border to Bolivia and I will meet a friend there for a two day visit to the Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca before going on together to Cusco and Machu Piccu. I should also get a new stamp in passport when I return to Peru, allowing me to extend my stay over the single visit 90 day limit.

Today I made a resolution to try and limit my spending in my final two months so I don't arrive home up against the overdraft limit. I haggled for cheap menus, and didn't let a shop vendor charge me gringo prices for water, and opted for a basic hostel at ₤3 a night (private room but no private bathroom, what a hardship!).

I was pleased with myself for ringing round the bus companies in Las Paginas Amarillas (yellow pages) to get prices and times for the Buses to Puno tomorrow - because Spanish on the phone is something I am still not confident at. But having found a company at the right times for the 6 hour ride to Puno for less than ₤3, I was a little uncertain of being able to catch a bus from Puno for the 3 hour trip (probably about ₤2 more) to the Bolivian border before it closed at 5pm. I should have held my nerve, and done it independelty, it would have been fine. But I walked by a travel agency that could arrange the connections, on more luxurious buses and with people to take me to the bus terminal from my hotel. I don't need this kind of pampering, in fact I have been a little disdainful of other tourists on completely prearranged packages. But the security it was just too tempting given that the total cost was still only ₤12, and that I wnated to be sure of making it to Bolivia tomorrow. So in total I was annoyed with myself for having taken the easy and secure option costing all of ₤7 more. The problem is that everything is so cheap that you keep thinking its only a tiny amount relatively - but if I really want to travel on the shoestring that is possible here I can't think like that - I have to start pinching the centimos.

The lady in the travel agency asked if I had learnt Spanish in Quito - apparently she could hear it in my accent which I thought was quite exciting - at least it wasn't an English accent!

Yesterday I was on tour of the Colca Canyon, impressively deep but not quite what I expected. The condors were impressive and they flew very close to us. Maybe I'll be able to add a photo later. In comparison with the other Gringos I was feeling a little smug about my level of Spanish - I could understand most of what our guide said before the English transalation came. And I met my first Spaniards since arriving in South America. Sharing a hotel with them, when I boarded the bus I started speaking to the Aussies and Irish in Spanish before realising that I needed to switch back langauges!

FC

Exit Lima

My last couple of weeks in Lima evaporated quickly - getting myself involved in the computer finally allowed me to make the kind of difference I wanted; rushed, but better late than never.

Once it became clear that my friends and I really were going to make a donation, the teachers warmed to me and everything started happening quickly, of which I mentioned a bit in my previous post. Last Monday we did finally go to buy the computers and I ended up buying 5 new Pentium 4's as well as keyboards and mice and some parts to repair some of the existing machines. I was accompanied by parents, teachers, spouses, brothers, and a technical guy (I think there were 9 in total, quite a party). In total I think I spent the equivalent to 6 months wages for one of the teachers - an amount we could easily spend on one computer, or earn in less than 2 weeks. It made me uncomfortable flashing so much cash in front of them - having money and privilege makes me uncomfortable but at least it was being spent for a good cause.

The rest of that week, I worked hard with two technical guys to get everything installed and set up in the computer room, whilst others worked on the security and power outlets. I was a little disappointed that the Peruvian ability to repair everything seemingly doesn't extend to old computers - at least not with these guys. We spent a lot of time tinkering with the older machines but in total only managed to get 5 of 13 working. I also felt that I needed to supervise everything to make sure things got done and didn't succumb to any lackadaisical .

I then had two days off and when I returned there had been a transformation - everything had been cleaned, painted and smartened up immeasurably. With donations to get the ball rolling, a little persistence and supervision to keep things on track, the transformation in a week was impressive. Although rushed, the deadline of my departure, and the accompanying inauguration ade everything get done.

So the school now has 6 new networked fast machines (far better than my PC at home!) with WinXP to qualify for the government plan, plus 5 older machines Win98 for teaching basic computer skills.

The inauguration of the computer room took place on Sunday, my last day in Lima. It was a festive atmosphere, with pomp and ceremony, flag and national anthem, dances, speeches and me being treated like a bit of a celebrity. Not at all what I had wanted when I started this idea, but it was a big occasion for them - It would have been rude not to go along with it. It was also sprung on me that I had to perform the lost sheep play again without preparation in front of everyone and the friends I had invited. But it was fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it and found the play hilarious. Finally we got around to opening the computer room - I and the director of the LEA got to unveil a plaque and break champagne bottles to christen the room!

I've enlisted the help of one the volunteers who has just arrived to report back to me on how things progress in the next few weeks. The computing lessons should have already started, and there a few reaming things to be tided up. The school is also progressing towards entry into to the government computing plan - once the LEA director saw all that had been achieved, she promised to facilitate this, as well as sending more furniture for the room. The amount of excitement is is good because it means they all have a lot invested in seeing it through.

I will return to the school in late August. If all is going well, I may try donate some some more computers. I know some of you said you would like to help but were still considering. If you could let me know by early August that will enable me to decide how much more I am in a position to give when I return. After this there will have to be a cut off.

FC