Arriving in Pucallpa

I´ve heard accounts of this town being ¨Hell on Earth.¨ I arrive to this feared destination at early dawn after a long restless night journey. I ask the bus clerk where i can find a boat. He gives me directions to the docks and tells me they leave daily.

With aprehension and heavy ¨red eye bus lag¨ i start walking. In confidence i count the blocks following the directions written on my hand. After 15 minutes i arrive at the end of my directions. I´m dissapointed, but not surprised to see that i´m not at the docks, nor am i even on the river front.

I carefully pick my way through the streets of Pucallpa
After asking a handfull of people i arrive at the docks nearly half an hour later. I curse my backpack weighted with everything from books, clothes, seeds, string and even stones.

I pass the office and they tell me that the next boat leaves in three days. He points towards the river and says ¨The Gilmer III.¨

The rustbucket of my lancha or cargo boat named Gilmer III lays crowded amongst a slew of other ancient vessels. I wonder what happened to Gilmer I and Gilmer II.

You can see first class upstairs and economy class just below
Seeing the animals below, I hesitate before descending the muddy river bank to climb on board. Do i really feel like i can stay on this boat for more than a few minutes?

Nearly slipping into the mud i climb a wood plank onto the deck. Once up, i head towards the cabins. I don´t see any one selling tickets. After some searching, i find the captain and he tells me that they do indeed set sail in three days, at which time I can buy a ticket.

He also tells me i can hang my hammock on the deck. I´m stoked to have a free place to sleep while i work to save for my passage (80 soles, or about $25). I just need to sell about 15 soles a day to buy my ticket... a very do-able goal.

He lets me leave my things in the office and i head to the streets to start pedalling my jewelry.
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Pucallpa or Hell?

Tomorrow i arrive in Pucallpa where i´ll load a cargo boat. Peru’s most easterly port town situated fairly deep in the jungle. Once onboard, I´ll slowly (for 3 nights and 4 full days) wind down the meandering Rio Ucayali to its confluence with the Amazon River, eventually landing in Iquitos, the world’s largest city lacking land access (that is, you can only get to it by air or river).

Pucallpa, I´ve been warned is an awfull town, when asking another gringo how it was he described the following in an email-

This town deserves some description, as I think it can be considered an Earthly representation of Hell. I'll copy the following description of Pucallpa directly from my notes, for fear of insulting a Pucallpeño reading this if I go into too much detail: mud; clouds; home to a dog missing its face and a man with no legs, who danced, one night, to an unimpressed and somewhat bewildered crowd; and a very unhigienic fish market which was popular with the town’s large population of vultures. That’s all I want to say about that place.

Well tomorrow I´ll find out before venturing off onto the boat again. Wish me luck in this ¨hell on earth¨



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Following Che on the River

Hey, do you remember that beautifull movie The Motorcycle Diaries, based on Che Guevara’s motorcycle trip around South America?

One of the scenes follows the young Che and his pal taking a boat trip from Pucallpa, Peru, to Iquitos and on into the Amazon to live at a leper colony.

Che considering the ruins of Macchu Pichu
So now you remember the movie? Well this is my next venture. I´m following young Che´s boat route from Pucallpa to Iquitos, and then deeper into the amazon to work at a natural healing center.

A healing center where a shaman that is known to have cured numerous cancer patients and other terminal diseases among thousands of other cases- I´m really excited.

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The Nazca Lines

´Poco a poco,´ or little by little I´ve been making my way north through Peru. Selling a little and traveling a little- city by city.


Its been great being out of the jungle. Not having to worry about bugs, is a huge relief for me. I can´t tell you how much mosquitos can unnerve even the most patient person.


Lines of Nasca, created by natives hundreds of years ago
Passing through the desert of Peru was nice to bring me back to familiar high mountain desert of home.

Of course I passed by Nasca again. I disapointedly passed by last year with Angela and Ashley and told myself I´d return on my way north. Well I passed by again and it just wasn´t in the budget... Next time.

There are various theories on these lines, including assumed sky or space travel! Check it out here at wikipedia


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Gringos!!!

Gringo.
Hey Gringo.
Gringo, hello Meester.
Ohh, gringoooo.

While its a blanket term for any tourist in S. America, the term apparently originated in Mexico regarding Americans. From the days of our military occupation in Mexico, the locals were tired of seeing GI Joes, and started telling them ¨Green Go¨ (or military leave.)
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And as you´re probably aware, the name stuck. And it spread from Mexico all the way down to the southern tip of Chile. When used down here it usually has a negative conotation attached.

However there are some ignorant of its history, and offer me a different experience, like this morning.

I sit down for a bowl of rice soup (1 sole) and the old lady serving me is tickled to have me sitting at her street stand. She starts talking excitedly to the youth helping her, and then turns to me and says,

´Ohhh, Gringohhh.´

She says it the same way someone talks to a baby or a puppy dog. She turns from me but says it again, cooing sweetly,

¨Gringooooohhh.¨

She then mutters something about my eyes and serves me some soup with a toothy smile.

Initially, I´m caught off gaurd. Its like being in the states and calling a latino ¨ohh, wetback¨ in the same gingerly voice you call a child you adore.

I don´t know how to respond because she´s not really talking to me. She´s in her own mind, pleased to be serving a blue-eyed gringo some hot soup. I´m flattered over the attention, butI lapse into my own mind- just me, a bowl of food, and a spoon.

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Changing Gears with Jewelery

As a jewelry maker or artisan, there is a certain pride that comes along with making beautiful things with you hands. Its for this I should have known better than to suggest my plan to my fellow gypsies.

As there are no tourists, and my experiment with being a wannabee ¨jewelry gypsy¨ was failing, it was time to change tactics. While in Bolivia, i found that the Bolivian people loved to buy jewelry, they just didn´t have the same budget as tourists- no brainer. But it didn´t click for me till a local was looking at my work in Puno (border town of Peru). After asking the prices of a few pieces, he asks me what I had for 1 or 2 soles.

After explaining him the amount of work that goes into each piece, he just grunted and walked off. Minutes later i was telling my idea to my Argentino buddy, Lucas. He skoffed telling me that he was an artist and his time was worth more than 1 sol.

Whatever, I worked the next morning making little charm braceletts. Junk jewelry, really. Things i could sell for 1 or 2 soles. When i had a few dozen made i went into the streets.

Bingo. It doesn´t sound like much, but i made over 6 dollars. So I did it again, i worked late into the night and all morning. I really tried focussing on turning out quick work. Being somewhat of a perfectionist this was a task, as i have the tendency to overwork even these little charm braceletss to perfection.

I went out again and had my best sales day in S. America, I made almost 15 dollars. I celebrated like crazy. I went to the pastry shop i´ve been drooling over the past 3 days. Of course Peruvian pastries are nothing to right home about, but i loved it anyway. I bought my bus ticket and bound out for Cuzco!!!

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You tell me that my words are powerfull and they inspire you. You tell me that ýou live vicariously through these adventures of mine, and still others tell me that you just miss me and can´t wait to treat me to a cup of coffee... well, I may be on the other side of the world, but you now have the opportunity to invite me to a cup of coffee or even lunch should you wish.

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Machu Picchu: Closed

As an american gringo what would i care if the economy of peru is slumped due to the shutdown of the countries greatest source of income. If anything i should be happy because of lower prices. However as a vendor peddling my goods, i can´t help but be frustrated by the lack of tourists.

After torential rains caused the death of two tourists last month, they have shut down the world wonder ¨Machu Picchu,¨ or Old Peak. Heavy rains have caused landslides cutting off both the hiking trail, and train rail access.

Closing this tourist atraction has put a stop to the flow of tourists pouring into the country, and is creating hard times for those counting on tourists to pay our bills.

Because of the loss of national revenue the government has decided to step in and help with repair costs to get things up and running again. Reports suggest that things should return to normal by the end of march or early april.
The lack of tourists has left street vendors feeling glum
Thats great, but what does a travelling salesmen do until then? Things here are painfully slow, leaving me stuck without sufficient money to bus out. And I´ve had zero success thumbing it. From everyone i´ve talked to, I hear its virtually imposible to hitch free rides in either Peru or Bolivia.

So I´m plotting with the my fellow gypsies to come up with some options. Till then wish me a ride or a tourist with deep pockets who loves my work!