Adventures in Peru

the show was not really a success. i got a bit of video, and a few photos of the shindig.

it was so amature. i do not think that fashion tv will be showing any of it. at most it will be a few second segment when they are talking about fashion around the world. the cloths consited of:

t-shirt with the word lazzy on the front. it is a local brand, but they got 10 girls and 5 guys to walk across the stage in the same shirt. it is all that that store sells. and at last minute that got hold of some untrained dogs and had the models walk with them. i did not do this walk. there were 8 guys, and i opted out of walking a stupid beast.

alpaca overcoats. nice business/business casual overcoats. the short coats cost s/.400+ and the long ones cost s/.700+. it was nice to were those, they were warm. the lady models had on hankerchives and shortshorts, or skimpy formal dresses. it was well under 10 degrees outside.

finely, the biggest joke of all. we had to model for a surf/skate shop. they dressed me up as a surfer, flip-flops, shorts, t-shirt and board. it made no sence. it was not local clothes. we all wore international skate brands. they had us in hurley, roxy, dc, dickies, etnies… what a fucking joke. it made no sence at all. i can only assume that the shop help sponser the show, and got an advertising spot.

over all it was alright. being told to be on site at 5 when we did not go onstage until 9 was ludicrous.

pisac, an impressive agricultural site. if in cusco, make the bus ride. building ledges into the moutain side to create farmland. it is rediculous.

ollantaytambo is my favorite of the three sites. it is actually a town with ruins on one mountain, and the appearance of ruins on the opposing. the ruins were very enjoyable. walked around them listening to a mixed minidisc. i went for a rather long walk that day. i listened to one 4 hour minidisc the entire way thru, and over half of it a second time.

on the none ruins mountian construction was happening. i found a path up the mountian. the higher up the path got the harder it was to follow. not because the climb was hard, but because it was not well worn. in the end i made the mistake of assuming that the path went to the place that i wanted to go. that was not the case. i followed this non-path for a ways. then i started to think that there is no possible way that i could backtrack on this path without the risk of falling (inevitably to my death.) that was the point i hit an almost dead end. i could see my ‘destination’ just 4 meters up from my location. i had the choice to backtrack, or climb a cliff. it was one hell of a situation. i stood for a while looking down at the place i would die if i fell, then i started to examine the plants growing on the cliff face, and started to plan my route up. then i saw it. a wild orchid. based on my location, there is a good chance that i will be the only human to see that bloom. then i climbed the cliff. the vantage point from there was fantasticly awesome; i found the ‘real’ path. i continued along the path for some time. it lead me to a constuction site, with a different orchid specied growing in it. the workers had a good laugh at the gringo taking a picture of a flower growing in the work site.

machu picchu became boring fast. with 2 days of ruins before it, it was not that great. the view from machu picchu was splendid. to pass the time i started up the machu picchu mountain trail. ofter 2 or so hours of climbing i noticed that the park closed in less than 2 hours. i started down. the trail was great, orchids everywhere. there were only 3 types of orchids in bloom this time of year, but atleast 10 types growing in the area. walked back and left. i am to start school monday.

all in all, south america or peru are NOT worth a visit just for machu picchu. all the power tourists that travel halfway around the world are being ripped off. there isn’t even a starbuck or macdonalds at the site. they don’t sell alcohol. and it is as reconstructed as the great wall. there were repair crews working when i was there, no doubt fixing their shabby craftmenship because of the pisco earthquake.

yesturday i went to a fashion tv run way model tryout. imagine me, a male runway model. i did not think that i did to well, but considering only 7 males showed up, i think that i am in. they took my name, pant/shirt/shoe sizes and asked me to return next saturday at 4:30.
if i am going to be in it, it most be a fairly amature event. they kept saying it was ‘live’ next saturday. i can not imagine a live event that does not use seasoned profesionals.
i did a quick search of fashion tv and i could not find anything about this event, so it will probably be filmed, edited down to 45 seconds and shown between some programs.

this is going to be fun.

bus from cusco to pisac
departure date: sept 19
bus from pisac to urubamba
departure date: sept 19
bus from urubamba to ollantaytambo
departure date: sept 19

train from ollantaytambo to machu picchu
departure time: 0545h sept 21.
train from machu picchu to ollantaytambo
departure time: 2030h sept 21.

bus from ollantaytambo to cusco
departure date: sept 22

after a night of incredibly light drinking and playing pool the establiment started up a game of killer. basically, everyone has 5 lives. you make pool shoots, if you sink a ball you are good. if you scratch or miss your shot you loose a life. it cost s/.1 to enter. winner gets the pot. the game was good at this point. i signed up. then came the new rule. if you miss you loose a life and take a shoot of spiced chili vodka. yeah!
one 26 of vodka lasted 8 participants about 20 minutes, then it ran out. the game continued with out for a while, then the jello shooters started getting used. it was great. my drunkest night of the trip, and it could have all been for s/.1.

i visited a bunch of museums today. one of them has grass. once again i am abroad and missing grass. why is it that something so simple is so nice to lie in. dont try sitting on the grass in plaza del armas. el policia blow there wistles at you. apparently the fence isn’t just for show.
lots of catholic paintings. lots for inca and pre inca replicas. the museums are a bit of a joke. half the stuff is not labled. dispite that fact there there are no signs telling you, i got confronted for taking out my camera. no pictures are allowed in museums. the funny part of it is that i was taking out my camera to take a picture of a fire extinguisher. not the exibits. it was by far nicer.
one museum is good. it has grass you can sit in and read.
that is were i met someone from aldergrove. small world.

i spent my first day as a tourist.

what fun. checking out the inca ruins.

it turns out that this town was originally in the shape of a puma. it does not resemble that any more. checked out saqsaywaman. all the seniors on the bus tour kept calling it sexywoman. like all great ancient structures it is still being worked on right now. it was not till after i was gone that i thought about getting a photo with the workers, it would be like going back in time; and having proof.

the trip continued to see el cristo blanco: the white jesus. he was tall and white. a bus tour that had arrived at saqsaywaman shortly shortly before i left for el christo blanco was just leaving as i got there. it is a 15 minute walk. the bus tour spent less then 20 minutes at a site that i spent 1.5 hours. the jesus was not very impressive, exept for his mesmerizing eyes.

onto the next sight, another 10 or 15 minutes down that road. the bus tour left before i even finished the walk to the site.

these see peru in 6 days tours are amazing. i would never want to do one. it seems alot like the see europe in a fortnight.

i woke alright, considering the all you can drink.
then i started to get dizzy. a headache started to build with an insurmountable force. i drank as much water as my stomach could hold, then had a nap. i woke up and the pain was worse, i would get dizzy and nearly colaps on my way to the washroom.
i went to bed and stayed there. sensitive to light, sound, and movement. i stayed there getting asked why i am not at the party. then i stayed there all night and almost all day. i finally got up in the evening to meet a friend for a drink, i was not going to have one, i had not eaten in forever, and i was not hungery. a couple hours of that and i was ready for bed.
woke up this morning, pretty alright. i eat about 5 bread stick for breakfast.
then a few hours later i was hungery again. i went and got some falafels and hummus and pita and salad and fries. the salad was so so good. i have not had salad like that since i made my own. it was lettuce free. basically tomato and cucomber. it had salt and pepper and oil on it. it was just what i had been craving.

tonight i start an independent study on the affects of all you can drink vodka at an altitude of 3.5km above sea level. i was a cheap drunk in strathmore alberta (alt. 1.2km.)
the thin air is quite noticable. people continually talk about altitude sickness, i do not feel that at all. i do feel shortness of breath when walking. in lima, or back home, i can walk and walk until my legs hurt. not in cusco. i need to stop and catch my breath every 3 or 4 blocks.

the bus ride. that is where this tale should begin. 22 hours on a bus. when you add taxi time to and from the stations it is over 1 day in transit. the bus was something special. i was in the second class of the upper class bus line. i did not get a bed, but i got meals and a reclining seat. we even played bingo. it was good number practice. the bus itself was winding up and down mountain roads. there were switchbacks and gravel. the over all feeling was not unlike turbulance. god, i felt like i could puke at any point in the last 16-18 hours of the ride.
arrived at the new hostel, it is a party house. yesturday was bucket night, tonight all you can drink vodka. which i guess brings me back to the the start.
pool, vodka, altitude, loud music, and people from every wealthy country imaginable.

the city itself is beautiful. it is like a large scale macau. i shall describe it better later.

bus from lima to cusco.
departure time: 1400h sept 4th.
arrival time: 1100h - 1800h sept 5th.

i got my yellow fever jab today. the soonest that i can enter the jungle is in 10 days. if i do 2 weeks of language classes it will be plenty more then 10 days. my arm feels so heavy when i try and do anything with it.
i am done with lima. i have not visited any of the museums, but they do not seam all that interesting. it is time to leave this town because i can not think of anything to do today. i could go see the lesser of two ruin sites, but the greater site was a dive. i not feel like walking around to much either. a full day on a bus is what i can expect for my tomorrow.
check of the luxurious 1st class busses. http://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/

yesterday i had a feast of a meal. 1 roasted chicken (s/. 9.90) and 1kg asparagus (s/. 6.90.) i had leftovers for lunch today aswell.