Getting to Yurimaguas was an adventure in and of itself, but the real adventure that I was awaiting was the three day boat trip up the river to Iquitos. It felt like I'd gotten the hardest bit out of the way by arriving here, so all that was needed now was a trip to the port to organise the details on the next boat due to leave. Upon arriving at the port I was imediatly thrown into the chaos of a buisy small Peruvian port. I noticed a huge blue and white boat with the name "Eduardo V," which I assumed would be the one I would be taking. Big cargo trucks were backed up all away along a muddy bank and dozens of people filed on and off the boat, unloading a range of cargo from fish, to vegetables, to chickens. I had spoken to several people in a shop, they all told me to go down onto to boat and find the captain.
As I cautiously walked onto the boat I was approached by a man who I assumed was the man I needed to talk to. I told him that I want to take this boat to Yurimaguas. He said replied saying, "great, no problem. The boat will be leaving tomorrow at midday." He then showed me around the two decks that I had to choose from. The bottom deck was where many of the local people hang their hammocks. There was also one more deck which was a lot more spacious, and also had an open view, it seemed by far the better option for me. After a brief conversation I was on my way again. The next task for me was to buy a hammock and a couple of other little essentials before the boat ride.
The market in Yurmaguas was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The humiditiy & heat was almost unbearable at times, but that didn't stop people from selling fish, chicken, and all sorts of other meats. The smell was equally unbearable in some areas, but I was so fascinated by it that I just wanted to keep walking. The markets here are a huge part of the way their community functions. Not only is it the source of income for many of the families, but also the source of cheap food and other goods which is highly relied upon to support those whom can't afford to eat out or use the sinificantly more expencive super markets. It was also the perfect place for me to find my last few supplies for the boat, a hammock, some jandles, and some food as back up in case the boat food was shit. It wasn't hard to find any of them, so after a brief shop I spend the remainder of my time wondering around satisfying my curiosity.
As the next day came round I was glad that it was my last. Yurmaguas was only really a pass over point for me and I'd been anticipating this journey for quite some time. The idea of sitting in a hammock, cruzing down a river for three days strongly appealed to me so I was eager to get onto the boat. I'd been told the previous day to arrive at about 10.00 to get my things set up and to find a good space. As I arrived at the port a man immediatly came up to me and explained that the boat currently wasn't here, and that I would have to wait until 11 before I could get on the boat. It didn't supprise me, things have very rarely actually gone to schedule during my trip here in Peru. He kindly guestured me to wait outsdide this little rustic cafe for the meantime. I enjoyed the unusual environment but felt slightly uncomfortable waiting there with all my gear. At about 10.45 I was approached by another man who told me that the boat was here now and that I could wait on board if I wanted. I didn't even need to think twice before making the decision and quickly grabbed my things and made for the boat.
I ended up being one of the very first people on board so I had many different choices for where I could put my hammock. After getting a local guy to show me how to tie it properly I was set for the journey. I lay down and found a position that I spent many hours in over the following days. As soon as I was ready I started hearing rumours that the boat won't be leaving till much later than originally planed. The first rumour I heard said that it won't be leaving until 8pm that evening. Others said 3pm, and one even said that we won't be leaving until 8am the following morning. The captain changed his mind every half an hour so no one really had a clue. By about 4pm the boat was completly filled with passengers with the main topic of conversation being when this boat mite actually leave. I thought that I would probably be one of the only travellers on this boat but I quickly discovered that on my deck I was actually in the majority for once.
Set up next to me was a group of 19 school girls from England who were on a planned adventure trip which they'd planed previously at their school. There was also another British guy travelling solo, a French couple, an Austrain couple, two girls from Germany, and then a further two from France. It was a very multicultural mix, which made for some interesting conversations throughout the trip. By 8pm that night we still found ourselves at port and not looking like we were going anywhere anytime soon. It was now looking very inevitable that we wouldn't be leaving until the morning. It didn't really bother me to much, all it meant was that I get a free nights accomodation and it also gave me a chance to wear in my hammock before the trip.
The following morning had a much more optimistic vibe to it. Members from the crew were moving around as if they were actually organising somthing for depature. The first time prediction was 8am for depature but we quickly passed that only to find it to be yet another false prediction. At about 9 I was told that I need to go and buy a ticked before depature. I had a very nice surprise when I only had to pay 60 soles ($30NZ) for my ticket, half of what I thought I would have to spend. This included food but I had pretty low expectations for that, I'd read in several blogs that the meals can be marginal at the best of times.
At 11am the engine roared into life and we were finally moving in a direction away from Yurimaguas. It was a bit strange having been on a boat for a whole day before actually leaving, but I enjoyed the whole experience straight away. Once we were on our way I realised that any stress I'd been holding onto would be well and truely gone after these few days. It's strange when you actually have nothing that you have to do, therefore perfectly justifying being able to sit in a hammock for 10 hours during the day, then sleeping in it at night, or occasionly going for a wee stroll to look at the view from out the back of the boat. Knowing that I'd be doing this for three days almost made me feel guilty for over enduldging on relaxation.
On the second day of the trip we stopped off at our first stopover town. As we edged closer to the bank I noticed people crouded up ready to jump onto the boat. They were venders, eager to be the first ones to tempt the passengers with their goodies. As they pilled on most of them were little kids selling anything from fizzy drinks, cake, dried fish, ice blocks, sandwiches, and one of them was even selling little baby parrots for one sole. The fresh baked food was actually a great relief from the prison food that we were getting served on the boat.
Breakfast was somthing I decided to go without. It was simply this runny white liquid which they call porrige, but it was really horribly sweet condensed milk mixed with water which contained a few lumpy bits of oats. They were also kind enough to give us two pieces on stale sweet bread. Lunch was the biggest meal of the day and actually wasn’t too bad. It was always with a hefty serving of rice, accompanied by either a small bit of beef or Chicken. Dinner was often similar, with large servings of carbohydrates, a small serving of protein, and a couple of vegetables if you’re lucky.
By the third day I was really looking forward to arriving in Iquitos. I'd done so much lying around that my body was really itching to do somthing. The time of our arrival changed every half an hour, but it was looking most likely that we would be arriving around midday. Being so close meant that my curiosity was really burning now. I'd talked to people on the boat who had told me how different and crazy this place is. The unknown has become the most exciting thing for me about this trip, and this place was somthing that I knew very little about, so my anticipation level was very high. By this time I had met quite a bunch of people. It also ended up by coisidense that the girl I met in Leymebamba who is doing clowning with Patch Adams, was also on the boat. The project she was involved in sounded very interesting and a lot of fun to be involved in. I didn't know for sure if I get involved in it, but it was great to have it as an extra option.
At about 11am we were finally able to see the distant view of Iquitos. We couldn't really see much from the river, only a few distant towers which managed to stand out above the canapy of the Amazon. As we edged closer to the port I realised how unique the place was going to be. It was filled with boats of all different shapes and sizes, many looking like they were on their last days. There didn't seem to be a set place that the boats would pull up to, all that was really required was to find a free spot on the bank to pull up into. As we pulled up to the first place an inspector got on to go through the procedures, then we pulled away and went over to the "arrival area." As soon as we pulled up a bunch of over friendly guys jumped on board and insisted that we take their taxi to town. I had become friends with a guy during the trip and told him about a very cheap hostel in town which he agreed to stay at as well.
As we jumped into a tok tok I got my first taste of what this city was like. It felt nothing like anywhere else I'd been in Peru. The warm air and packed, chaotic roads reminded me of scenes from South East Asia. The frantic energy was a very big contrast to the tranquill peace of the boat ride, but with it brought a real sense of excitment and readyness to see what was on offer. I was well and truely running off the same energy that I had at the beggining of my trip again, and the best thing was that I had no commitments at all. As we approached the central plaza I had no idea what I was going to be doing here, or even how long I was going to be here. All I knew, was that this was going add a very interesting chapter to my adventure.
Rock formations on The Carretera
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
How I Celebrated Peruvian Independance Day
6.30am - I eagerly get out of bed, looking forward to yet another adventure. I'm excited that today is the first part of my trip that I'm not following a particular schedule. After buying a few supplies for the trip, I'm ready to hit the road.
7am - While waiting in the hotel reception I notice a kiwi accent. As I meet him I wonder what it is about Chachapoyas and kiwi travelers, he is now the fourth that I've met there in a couple of weeks.
7.45am - I check out of the hotel and make my way to the collectivo stand, trying to remember all the advice people had given me about making getting to Tarapoto. There wasn't a direct bus from Chachapoyas, neither did there seem to be a set way there so I figured I'd just work it out as I went along, adamant that it would add a bit more of an adventure element to my trip. I had also heard that it may be very difficult to find a bus because today was a Peruvian public holiday in which many people would be traveling. It would also be likely that prices will be substantially higher.
8.15am - After a short wait for the car to fill up I was finally on my way to Pedro Ruiz, a small town where I was to catch a bus busing through to Tarapoto. I had heard by a friend that it’s a very long trip, so I figured I'd just find an early morning bus and get there by the evening.
9.30am - Upon arrival in Pedro Ruiz, I asked the taxi driver where I can catch a bus to Tarapoto. He vaguely pointed in the direction of the main road and basically just told me to walk in that general direction.
9.35am - As I got to the main road with all my gear I wondered around trying to figure out exactly where I need to wait, and what I need to do to find one of these buses. I notice a man on the other side of the road standing outside of a shop yelling out destinations, one of them being Tarapoto. I thought that maybe he mite know something so I crossed the road to ask a few questions.
9.40am - When I approached him and asked him about finding a bus to Tarapoto, he looked at me and said "take a seat, I can organize you a bus right now." He got out his phone and made a call and after a brief conversation, then writing down the times and prices on a pad to ensure clear information, he told me that I had two options. The first was that I wait for a bus to pass at 1.30, the other was that I wait until the evening for an 8 o'clock bus. Of course I told him that the 1.30 option was a lot more ideal, so he got out his ticket book, wrote me out a ticked and I paid him 50 soles ($25 NZ, this is a little more expensive in Peru for an 8 - 10 our bus ride.) He offers me breakfast and tells me that I'm more than welcome to leave me gear here until the bus arrives.
11.30am - Twiddling my thumbs whilst keeping a close eye on my things for two hours is really starting to get old, but I assure myself that It’s only a short wait and I'll be on the road pretty soon.
1.20pm - I get up to ask the guy where I need to wait for the bus. He casually comes over to me and we had a conversation that went like this (this was all in Spanish so this is more or less how it went):
“Hi, do I wait for the bus here, or do I need to cross over the road?"
" Well there won't be a bus coming through at 1.30 that you can get on, there were no spaces because it's a public holiday today, the buses are very full at the moment."
“What!? You told me that there was a bus coming through at 1.30, you clearly said that I had two options!" (Immediately very pissed off after waiting four hours for nothing)
"Noooooo I said that there was only one bus at 8pm tonight"
- Here I was fuming and really shouting at him, I knew that I defiantly hadn't misunderstood him on this point.
"No, you clearly told me that I have two options, you sold me a ticket for a 1.30pm bus, give me my money back!"
"Ok, I can give you your money back, but why don't you wait here for the 8 o'clock bus? There won't be other buses passing through that you can catch today, they will all be full. Look here (pointing at a bench outside the shop with a couple of people sitting on it), all these people are here waiting for the 8pm bus later on this evening. You can't catch buses before then, it's just to busy."
- I stood there for a moment, feeling more pissed off that I can ever remember feeling. There have been very few moments in my life where I have strongly desired to punch someone in the face, but this was defiantly one of them. Unsure what I was going to do, I noticed the sign outside his shop that listed a bunch of destinations, one of which was Yurimaguas. It was the destination beyond Tarapoto that I eventually needed to reach so I asked about options today that were heading to Yurimaguas.
"I see you have Yurimaguas there, is it possible to get a bus direct from here to there?" (I asked this question, being quite sure that this wasn't possible based on the information that I knew already.)
"Ohhh you want to go to Yurimaguas, yes you can do that today! There is a bus passing through tonight around 8pm also, it will take you directly to Yurimaguas"
"But I thought it wasn't possible to go directly there from here"
"Noo of course it is, this bus will go via Tarapoto and take you all the way." (He then pointed to all these places of the board and did this long explanation of which buses go where.)
- I spent a good few minutes deciding what to do. I really didn't have any other options but to trust this guy. I hadn't seen any buses pass by in the time that I was waiting, and I was desperate not to have to stay a night in this little town. I decided to take the risk and trust him one more time.
"Ok, I'll wait for the direct bus to Yurimaguas at 8." I then looked him straight in the eyes and said, "are you sure, can you tell me now that you are 100% sure that there will be a bus coming through tonight for Yurimaguas?"
"Of course, I'm completely sure, I'm telling you there is a bus tonight that is going to Yurimaguas."
1.35pm - I reluctantly pay an extra 25 soles and begin wondering how I'm going to fill in another six and a half hours.
3pm - I meet two girls from France who have also arrived from Chachapoyas and are looking for a way to Tarapoto. I explain the nightmare of my approach so they decide to look around for another option.
4pm - All the people that were supposedly waiting for the same bus as me have now disappeared. I start to feel the horrible feeling of knowing something isn't quite right here.
5pm - A bus comes into town from the west, heading towards Tarapoto. I notice a whole lot of people rushing up to it, including the French girls. They all pay cash to the driver jump on the bus, and ten minutes later they all leave to Tarapoto. Alarm bells started ringing pretty loudly in my head. I realized that this guy had lied through his teeth to me. No one had brought tickets before hand for this bus, and he never mentioned a bus that was meant to pass through at five. I start getting very frustrated but at the same time try to assure myself that my bus does exist.
6.30pm - I'm now sitting on my bench by myself and it's starting to get dark. The man who sold me my ticket was no where to be seen, by this stage I'd built up such a resistance to being in this fucking town that I was willing to do anything to get out.
7.00pm - A lady from the restaurant of this place (the wife of the man who sold me the ticket,) came up to me and said, "here is your money back, this bus won't actually be passing through tonight." I was once again very frustrated and pissed off, but by this stage I thought that I would never be seeing my money again so I didn't bother trying to vent my anger, I just took it and decided I'll just jump on the next bus that passed through, even though I had no idea when that would be. To this day I have no idea why they lied to me, then gave me my money back, it was very strange.
7.15pm - A guy from England had noticed from his hostel that I had been waiting on this bench for many hours. He kindly came over and introduced himself, offering me a bit of company. I was so great full for it after being forced to wait in one place for nearly ten hours.
7.30pm - A bus arrives with Tarapoto written on the front windscreen. I grab my gear and desperately run over and try to get a seat. There were many people competing for only a few seats. The driver saw me with all my gear and gave me a gesture, I felt a massive sense of relief, knowing that I was finally getting out of this town. The bus was very hot and stuffy, but I didn't really care at all. I was just happy to be finally on my way to Tarapoto.
3am - We arrive in Tarapoto after a long bus ride with pretty much no sleep. I didn't make any reservations for a hostel so I didn't know what I was going to really do at this hour. Then I was approached by a man who said,
"Do you want to go to Yurimaguas?"
"Yeah, if it's possible now I'll carry on."
"There is a collectivo that leaves as soon as it has enough people"
"How long do you think that will be?"
"About fifteen minutes."
"How long will it take to get to Yurimaguas?"
"About two hours"
- I decided to take it, I figured that the later in the morning I arrive somewhere, the easier it will be to find accommodation.
3.30am - We have three other people in the truck and we leave to bus terminal supposedly going straight to Yurimaguas. After only five minutes of driving we pulled up at this place where the guy said, "it's still pretty early so we're going to just wait here for a wee while." I wasn't too worried because it was just going to make me arrive at a more reasonable hour.
4.15am - We leave the area that we were waiting at, but I have a strong sense that we still aren't leaving Tarapoto. We drive around random suburban streets for about ten or fifteen minutes before we arrive at this unusual looking building. The two guys in the front of the truck get out and meet a guy who is waiting for them at the gate. They then all walk in, and over the course of about half an hour, they load five whole dead pigs onto the back of the truck. It seemed now that they'd got the people, they weren’t going to leave until they had filled the truck up with cargo.
4.45am - We're finally finished with the pigs and I think maybe we finally get to leave now. We turn around but then quickly we find ourselves back at the original waiting spot. Once again the driver turns off the engine and gets out, not giving an indication on why we're waiting, or for how long.
5.30am - Finally we leave again and this time it actually feels like we mite be going for good. We get out of suburbia and I relax, hoping that it's smooth running from here.
*It ended up being anything but smooth running. The driver would often look like he was falling in and out of sleep, going all over the road and then jerking at the wheel as he awoke. I was used to crazy driving but this defiantly was something different. He stopped after about thirty minutes to try and wake himself up by splashing his face with water, but it didn't really seem to help to much. I was so tired by this stage that I managed to sleep anyway which was probably the best option.
7.45am - We finally arrive in Yurimaguas. Completely exhausted on every level, I'm relieved that this crazy phase of my trip is soon to be over.
8am - I arrive at a hostel and lie down, falling straight to sleep. I had no idea that my first adventure outside of my organized schedule would bring so many challenges to me. I knew before hand that it wasn't a straight forward trip, but I couldn't have possibly predicted that it would have been twelve hours of this!
I've once again fallen way behind with my posts. I have a lot to catch up with now but I'll try and get back to speed over the next week. Hope you enjoy.
7am - While waiting in the hotel reception I notice a kiwi accent. As I meet him I wonder what it is about Chachapoyas and kiwi travelers, he is now the fourth that I've met there in a couple of weeks.
7.45am - I check out of the hotel and make my way to the collectivo stand, trying to remember all the advice people had given me about making getting to Tarapoto. There wasn't a direct bus from Chachapoyas, neither did there seem to be a set way there so I figured I'd just work it out as I went along, adamant that it would add a bit more of an adventure element to my trip. I had also heard that it may be very difficult to find a bus because today was a Peruvian public holiday in which many people would be traveling. It would also be likely that prices will be substantially higher.
8.15am - After a short wait for the car to fill up I was finally on my way to Pedro Ruiz, a small town where I was to catch a bus busing through to Tarapoto. I had heard by a friend that it’s a very long trip, so I figured I'd just find an early morning bus and get there by the evening.
9.30am - Upon arrival in Pedro Ruiz, I asked the taxi driver where I can catch a bus to Tarapoto. He vaguely pointed in the direction of the main road and basically just told me to walk in that general direction.
9.35am - As I got to the main road with all my gear I wondered around trying to figure out exactly where I need to wait, and what I need to do to find one of these buses. I notice a man on the other side of the road standing outside of a shop yelling out destinations, one of them being Tarapoto. I thought that maybe he mite know something so I crossed the road to ask a few questions.
9.40am - When I approached him and asked him about finding a bus to Tarapoto, he looked at me and said "take a seat, I can organize you a bus right now." He got out his phone and made a call and after a brief conversation, then writing down the times and prices on a pad to ensure clear information, he told me that I had two options. The first was that I wait for a bus to pass at 1.30, the other was that I wait until the evening for an 8 o'clock bus. Of course I told him that the 1.30 option was a lot more ideal, so he got out his ticket book, wrote me out a ticked and I paid him 50 soles ($25 NZ, this is a little more expensive in Peru for an 8 - 10 our bus ride.) He offers me breakfast and tells me that I'm more than welcome to leave me gear here until the bus arrives.
11.30am - Twiddling my thumbs whilst keeping a close eye on my things for two hours is really starting to get old, but I assure myself that It’s only a short wait and I'll be on the road pretty soon.
1.20pm - I get up to ask the guy where I need to wait for the bus. He casually comes over to me and we had a conversation that went like this (this was all in Spanish so this is more or less how it went):
“Hi, do I wait for the bus here, or do I need to cross over the road?"
" Well there won't be a bus coming through at 1.30 that you can get on, there were no spaces because it's a public holiday today, the buses are very full at the moment."
“What!? You told me that there was a bus coming through at 1.30, you clearly said that I had two options!" (Immediately very pissed off after waiting four hours for nothing)
"Noooooo I said that there was only one bus at 8pm tonight"
- Here I was fuming and really shouting at him, I knew that I defiantly hadn't misunderstood him on this point.
"No, you clearly told me that I have two options, you sold me a ticket for a 1.30pm bus, give me my money back!"
"Ok, I can give you your money back, but why don't you wait here for the 8 o'clock bus? There won't be other buses passing through that you can catch today, they will all be full. Look here (pointing at a bench outside the shop with a couple of people sitting on it), all these people are here waiting for the 8pm bus later on this evening. You can't catch buses before then, it's just to busy."
- I stood there for a moment, feeling more pissed off that I can ever remember feeling. There have been very few moments in my life where I have strongly desired to punch someone in the face, but this was defiantly one of them. Unsure what I was going to do, I noticed the sign outside his shop that listed a bunch of destinations, one of which was Yurimaguas. It was the destination beyond Tarapoto that I eventually needed to reach so I asked about options today that were heading to Yurimaguas.
"I see you have Yurimaguas there, is it possible to get a bus direct from here to there?" (I asked this question, being quite sure that this wasn't possible based on the information that I knew already.)
"Ohhh you want to go to Yurimaguas, yes you can do that today! There is a bus passing through tonight around 8pm also, it will take you directly to Yurimaguas"
"But I thought it wasn't possible to go directly there from here"
"Noo of course it is, this bus will go via Tarapoto and take you all the way." (He then pointed to all these places of the board and did this long explanation of which buses go where.)
- I spent a good few minutes deciding what to do. I really didn't have any other options but to trust this guy. I hadn't seen any buses pass by in the time that I was waiting, and I was desperate not to have to stay a night in this little town. I decided to take the risk and trust him one more time.
"Ok, I'll wait for the direct bus to Yurimaguas at 8." I then looked him straight in the eyes and said, "are you sure, can you tell me now that you are 100% sure that there will be a bus coming through tonight for Yurimaguas?"
"Of course, I'm completely sure, I'm telling you there is a bus tonight that is going to Yurimaguas."
1.35pm - I reluctantly pay an extra 25 soles and begin wondering how I'm going to fill in another six and a half hours.
3pm - I meet two girls from France who have also arrived from Chachapoyas and are looking for a way to Tarapoto. I explain the nightmare of my approach so they decide to look around for another option.
4pm - All the people that were supposedly waiting for the same bus as me have now disappeared. I start to feel the horrible feeling of knowing something isn't quite right here.
5pm - A bus comes into town from the west, heading towards Tarapoto. I notice a whole lot of people rushing up to it, including the French girls. They all pay cash to the driver jump on the bus, and ten minutes later they all leave to Tarapoto. Alarm bells started ringing pretty loudly in my head. I realized that this guy had lied through his teeth to me. No one had brought tickets before hand for this bus, and he never mentioned a bus that was meant to pass through at five. I start getting very frustrated but at the same time try to assure myself that my bus does exist.
6.30pm - I'm now sitting on my bench by myself and it's starting to get dark. The man who sold me my ticket was no where to be seen, by this stage I'd built up such a resistance to being in this fucking town that I was willing to do anything to get out.
7.00pm - A lady from the restaurant of this place (the wife of the man who sold me the ticket,) came up to me and said, "here is your money back, this bus won't actually be passing through tonight." I was once again very frustrated and pissed off, but by this stage I thought that I would never be seeing my money again so I didn't bother trying to vent my anger, I just took it and decided I'll just jump on the next bus that passed through, even though I had no idea when that would be. To this day I have no idea why they lied to me, then gave me my money back, it was very strange.
7.15pm - A guy from England had noticed from his hostel that I had been waiting on this bench for many hours. He kindly came over and introduced himself, offering me a bit of company. I was so great full for it after being forced to wait in one place for nearly ten hours.
7.30pm - A bus arrives with Tarapoto written on the front windscreen. I grab my gear and desperately run over and try to get a seat. There were many people competing for only a few seats. The driver saw me with all my gear and gave me a gesture, I felt a massive sense of relief, knowing that I was finally getting out of this town. The bus was very hot and stuffy, but I didn't really care at all. I was just happy to be finally on my way to Tarapoto.
3am - We arrive in Tarapoto after a long bus ride with pretty much no sleep. I didn't make any reservations for a hostel so I didn't know what I was going to really do at this hour. Then I was approached by a man who said,
"Do you want to go to Yurimaguas?"
"Yeah, if it's possible now I'll carry on."
"There is a collectivo that leaves as soon as it has enough people"
"How long do you think that will be?"
"About fifteen minutes."
"How long will it take to get to Yurimaguas?"
"About two hours"
- I decided to take it, I figured that the later in the morning I arrive somewhere, the easier it will be to find accommodation.
3.30am - We have three other people in the truck and we leave to bus terminal supposedly going straight to Yurimaguas. After only five minutes of driving we pulled up at this place where the guy said, "it's still pretty early so we're going to just wait here for a wee while." I wasn't too worried because it was just going to make me arrive at a more reasonable hour.
4.15am - We leave the area that we were waiting at, but I have a strong sense that we still aren't leaving Tarapoto. We drive around random suburban streets for about ten or fifteen minutes before we arrive at this unusual looking building. The two guys in the front of the truck get out and meet a guy who is waiting for them at the gate. They then all walk in, and over the course of about half an hour, they load five whole dead pigs onto the back of the truck. It seemed now that they'd got the people, they weren’t going to leave until they had filled the truck up with cargo.
4.45am - We're finally finished with the pigs and I think maybe we finally get to leave now. We turn around but then quickly we find ourselves back at the original waiting spot. Once again the driver turns off the engine and gets out, not giving an indication on why we're waiting, or for how long.
5.30am - Finally we leave again and this time it actually feels like we mite be going for good. We get out of suburbia and I relax, hoping that it's smooth running from here.
*It ended up being anything but smooth running. The driver would often look like he was falling in and out of sleep, going all over the road and then jerking at the wheel as he awoke. I was used to crazy driving but this defiantly was something different. He stopped after about thirty minutes to try and wake himself up by splashing his face with water, but it didn't really seem to help to much. I was so tired by this stage that I managed to sleep anyway which was probably the best option.
7.45am - We finally arrive in Yurimaguas. Completely exhausted on every level, I'm relieved that this crazy phase of my trip is soon to be over.
8am - I arrive at a hostel and lie down, falling straight to sleep. I had no idea that my first adventure outside of my organized schedule would bring so many challenges to me. I knew before hand that it wasn't a straight forward trip, but I couldn't have possibly predicted that it would have been twelve hours of this!
I've once again fallen way behind with my posts. I have a lot to catch up with now but I'll try and get back to speed over the next week. Hope you enjoy.
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