6/18/15
(I will be on a bus for 19 hours starting at 2pm tomorrow. Please excuse the gap in the blog again! Lode without cell data can be tough!)
So far on my trip, I have been blessed (err…figure of speech. I am not sure who wants to bless me…) o meet many great people, and most of whom I was able to hang out, talk and have a slightly more meaningful conversations. I know, friends on trips are always fleeting: we all had the best intentions to keep in touch, but time and distance only widen the gap. Therefore, it is always good to have a balance perspective on meeting new friends: it is rare to find people you can talk to, and even rarer to be actual good friends after the trip.
I woke up today feeling a little strange: I was in a 10 beds dorm room with car noises. Gone was the peace and quiet of jungle (and my own shower and bedroom), I was back in Lima for a day before my 19 hours bus trip to Mancora, a beach town. I plan to do some relaxation and rest after a fairly busy few weeks, traveling from Cuzco to Arequipa to huacachina to paracas to Lima to Iquitos to Lima. It was a great 2 weeks, especially since I got to meet up with Huanjie and then see the famous Amazon.
Since I did nothing but sat on a boat for the past 5 days, I went for a long run along the beach front. I planned to meet up with Americo and Marco, both of whom I met on the Amazon trip, and also Yovav, whom I met on the Salar de Uyuni trip. Everyone was busy until the night, so I took time to visit another local tourist site:Huaca Pucllana. According to our guide, this site is pre-Inca, built as a ceremonial temple by the Lima culture. The Lima culture worship the sea, which they used sharks as a symbol of representation. Young women were offered as sacrifices to appease the God, and their bodies were decapitated, mutilated and dismembered after. The site was also used as a burial site for the elite. One of the more interesting aspect is the construction. They used mud bricks to build “bookshelves” and then stack those on top of one another. According to the guide, this made the site earthquake resistant, and was able to survive a 7.0 earthquake back in early 2000. Since Lima has no rain (being a desert), the climate preserves the site, leaving it mostly intact. Unfortunately, some areas were used for construction before the site was preserved. Another fun fact: there is actually a restaurant on site, right next to the archealogical excavations. It was such a weird mix: well-dressed locals enjoying expensive lunches right next to a cemetery where virgins were sacrificed. I guess when your country is old enough, old corpses and burial sites become pretty common.
The evening was of course spent watching the football game : Peru vs Venezuela in the Copa cup. I wanted to watch with the locals in the nearby sports bar, but was turned away at the door (they said the bar was too full, but I overheard some had called ahead to reserve seats before hand). I even tried Chilli’s, which also said they were full (well, I’d say 75% full at tee bar and 25% full at the restaurant portion…). I finally found a spot in To y Romas (I think there is some irony there..) and enjoyed the game. With Venezuela down 1 man early in the game, I thought it would be an easy win for Peru. However, the Venezuelans held on strong until late in second half. Final score: Peru 1; Venezuela 0.
I tried to meet up with all three people I met on tours, but it was all for naught. Everyone was busy with something, and I ended up not meeting anyone anywhere. It was a good reminder that while travelers have time, life goes on for everyone else. It is inevitable we all go out own ways after the tours, but a small part of me always hope friendships will stay. After seeing a friend after 11 years in Lima, this is a good reminder friends and acquaintances also pass through our lives. Best enjoy the moment while it lasts!
(Or take lots of photos. When all else fails, all your other friends will be jealous of your trip and your other “friends”…)
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