I moved. Into another “hostel” which is really just a cheap
hotel as there isn’t any dining room or other facilities you’d expect in a
hostel but at only 5 soles per night more than last night it offers a large
bedroom with en suite bathroom and the toilet here has a seat. They assure me
it has hot water in the shower which I’m very pleased about as that’s the
priority right now. I pay and go to the room on the second floor which faces
the busy main road – I know it’ll be noisy (again) but I’m getting used to that
and deal with it (earplugs and zopiclone). I strip and turn the shower on, it’s
one of those electric shower heads that are popular here and next to useless
even when new. Someone has penned a notice on the tiles “usar este lado” the
translation of which is obscure to me
–
“use only on low”? There is more water spraying out the crack in the side of
the fitting than is dribbling out the bottom. I turn the tap down to low and
the spray out the side seems to continue at the same rate while the dribble
lessens. At least the dribble is warm, so I hop under and check to see if the
spray out the side hitting the shower wall is warm as well – more 50 hertz /
230v tingling so I just put up with it. I’ll buy a roll of duct tape and see if
I can improve it before tomorrow. At least I can get clean, although it takes a
while longer. I shave under the dribble since there’s no hot tap over the basin
(normal here). I feel like I need a coffee as I have a headache and remember I
didn’t drink much yesterday so go out looking for a café and find one not far
from the hostel. 2.5 soles for a large one is good value – the steak, eggs and
vegetables on the menu looks good for tonight at 12 soles, too. The air is so
thin here even strolling is taxing for me and when I pop into a hotel to
enquire about the price a woman from Brazil is sitting in the foyer hooked up
an oxygen cylinder – she doesn’t mind me taking her photo. I now know how
people with asthma feel because I find myself struggling for enough oxygen
here. The high concentration of carbon monoxide in the air from the thousands
of vehicles doesn’t help – I think my red blood cells are absorbing that in
lieu of the missing oxygen. After leaving my laundry at the front desk I stroll
down the road towards some high-rise buildings hoping to find an ATM or bank
but after 30 minutes give up looking and ask a hotel receptionist who gives me
the address of one in exactly the opposite direction to the way I strolled
(Murphy’s Law). The airport is right in the middle of the city and I stop for a
few minutes and watch as a 737 with the “Star Alliance” branding (part of the
Air NZ loyalty group) lines up to roll. I wonder how long it will take to get
airborne in this thin air and I’m right – about 8,000 feet instead of the usual
3 or 4,000 feet at sea level. I start back and as I have to pass my hostel pop
in to use the loo. I’m alarmed for a moment, thinking I’ve contracted some
fatal gastro intestinal disorder, and then remember that I’ve been eating a lot
of beetroot the last few days. The day’s getting hot and I change into shorts
and sandals – I know I’ll look out of place dressed like that, but I don’t
care. I continue in the right direction to find a bank (I don’t even have 4
soles left for a taxi) and finally find Scotiabank. On the way back I stop
where I had a coffee this morning and have fried rice with bits of everything
mixed in and meat pieces on the top for my lunch – as always, there is a small
bowl of wasabi sauce with it. The strength of the sauce varies from
establishment to establishment – sometimes mild and this time very hot (which
is better). But never ever a pepper shaker on the table – only ever salt, olive
oil, mayo, tomato ketchup and mustard. If you want pepper (and with tomatoes I
consider it essential) you have to ask for it and if you’re lucky they’ll have
it. After such a big lunch ($7.00) I feel like a siesta and come back here for
a sleep. Then I feel like lying in the afternoon sun and cross the road to the
park and lie on a bench seat for half an hour before finding a hardware store
and buying the tape I need to fix the shower head. They don’t have duct tape,
so I settle for insulation tape which should do the job equally well. The proof
will be in the morning when I take my next shower. I'm still undecided about going to Macchupiccu because of the altitude - I'm struggling here in Cusco at less than 4,000 metres but if I do go it'll be with an operator that carries oxygen for the clients. I'll finish this post now - enough for one day. Ciao.
 |
| Not that unusual to see someone connected to oxygen here in Cusco. |
 |
Member airlines of the Air New Zealand alliance fly here daily.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment