Into the Andes

"Never let schooling interfere with your education"

- Mark Twain

Arriving in Lima, Peru my immediate thoughts were that it was very dirty and somewhat dangerous. Graffiti lined the walls of trash strewn streets and stray dogs were as common as crumbling buildings. Of course it was 1:30 in the morning, but I took the lack of human activity and the pothole ridden streets as signs to stay indoors at night. It was a wise thing too, as I heard some people come out later that night who were certainly not selling insurance. I believe they were salesman though. Good thing I was only staying the night, then. In the morning I went to the Cruz Del Sur bus terminal to high tail it out of Lima and make my way into the Andes mountains. As I was leaving on the second story of the luxury bus, comfortable as a clam in sand, I had a chance to see the entirety of the city by daylight and from a more relaxed position and among other foreigners; and consequently, my lasting thoughts of Lima, Peru were that it was very dirty and somewhat dangerous.

Following the welcome exile from Lima was a 23 hour bus trip; first through the Peruvian desert and then up into the winding roads of the Andes. Foolishly I assumed I would get sleep. I did not. Occasionally I took a nap of about twenty minutes before waking up in terror at the turns we were making, and the cliffs prone to landslides to our left making way for the 700 ft. drop-offs to our right. A railing would have been nice, but probably wouldn't have done a thing for anybody had our driver made even the slightest mistake. It was a good thing then that the stress only lasted for 15 hours until we reached Cusco.

In Cusco I allowed myself three days and three nights to acclimate to the elevation. Cusco, Peru is 11,200 ft. above sea level and it takes some time to get your breath when you first arrive, even if only walking around to visit the shops and restaurants. One should accept the fact that he will be light headed for the first day he is here, and maybe the second and third days too if he has sea level blood. It's a good place to acclimate in though; it is much friendlier and cleaner than Lima. In fact, it is even safe! One night I was startled by a local who caught me off-guard as I was walking back to my room. I thought for a second I was being robbed only to find out it was a kid trying to sell me a picture of a rainbow he had painted. He was nice enough, and once I had a chance to gather myself from the shock he put me through I told him where he could make improvements to his painting and finished walking back to my room.

Thus far Peru has been an exercise in traveling and acclimation. It has been an exercise in avoiding stray dogs and the smallest taxis known to man. It has even been an exercise in patience. In Europe, the service at a restaurant is poor, and they don't expect much of a tip for it. In America, the service at a restaurant is good, and they expect a big tip for it. In Peru, the service at a restaurant is horrifying, and they expect you to go into debt for it. There has been a terrible pattern of neglect here; neglect of good service and neglect of tourists to come forward and bear the bad news to them. As long as no one else will tell them, I will not either. Instead, I will thank them for their good manners outside the restaurants on the streets when soliciting anything at all. For these faithful sellers of trinkets and unnecessary courtesies it only takes one “no” and two “no thank you's” to send them on their way. This is good. This is wonderful. This is excellent even. In Asia the word “no” is valueless. You could say it a thousand times and on the one thousand and first time the solicitor will have as much energy as he did in the beginning. The rule there is to avoid eye contact and control your tunnel vision. While that rule is surely helpful in Peru, it is not necessary, and ultimately it is better to be polite and leave the encounter with a smile. I see nothing wrong with more smiles.