0800 Dragged myself out of bed 0745, managed to just get ready in time, currently lurking inside hostel door. Not sure if any other guests, I keep hearing things but never see anyone.
Feel bit knackered but not too bad, woke up independent of any alarms about 0630 then went back to sleep and drowsed/snoozed on alarms from about 0715. Bit of rush to dash sunscreen on and clean teeth and go to bog but managed it.
Probably not get to write much of this during day but you never know.
Have stuff for today in daypack, rest locked up in main bag, on basis they may want to shove that on roof or in boot or whatever. I half hope we get to our hotel before we do the thermal baths as can then drop off my most theft-sensitive items at hotel, but we'll see.
Didn't get to sleep til maybe 0130 or so despite being tired but that's life. Finished Arthur C Clarke's Garden of Rama which was good but ending a bit annoying. I nearly always think that about books though.
Hope I get a half decent seat on bus and it's not too rammed. I console myself with the thought not individual stint on it should be too long, I think here to Chivay is 'only' about three hours and except possibly on the way back I think we would probably stop off at least briefly several times during that kind of journey. Fingers crossed anyway. Not too worried about altitude right now, this is relatively gentle and I've done everything I can to help myself so if it goes wrong it goes wrong. (It could, ISTR one woman had problems after we drove from San Pedro de Atacama to El Tatio geysers, which is approximately the same as this.)
It's 0810.
0817 Not picked up yet. Always hate this pre-tour wait, especially when staying in obscure hostels. Never gone wrong or been scammed yet, but still, always a first time.
0827 Still waiting.
0833 Still waiting. Apropos of nothing, when went up to 'reception' first time yday and no one was there, there were several boxes of 'video recording glasses' lying around. They looked like cheap sunglasses but presumably have a little video camera in them. I didn't know this existed as a consumer thing outside Google Glass, though I suppose it's hardly surprising now I think about it.
0840 Still waiting.
0844 Still waiting. Taxi just went past with ad for my tour company on side, for second wondered if it was here to pick me up and take me to join the bus. I have been picked up way later than this before so not deeply worried but still, would be good to get the uncertainty resolved.
0859 Still waiting. Starting to doubt a little they are going to turn up. But I can hardly risk charging off to their shop in Plaza de Armas even though only about 5 mins away as I might then miss being picked up. This is not so late it's totally implausible, eg the SpDA pickup was iirc an hour late and that was more time critical as we were racing against dawn. Not sure what I will do re staying another day to do this tour tomorrow if they don't turn up. I might go and see if I can find and persuade hostel chap to call them in a bit but don't really want to.
0906 Just been picked up, no one else on bus yet...
0911 OK, if I understand correctly we are now waiting somewhere in town for another bus to turn up and I will change to that one. Fingers crossed for a half decent seat. Not likely to keep up this as-it-happens account of these rivetting events once other people around but who knows?
0938 OK, we are on a big slightly cramped coach, I estimate 32ish seats, all full, I was last on but meh. Have window seat which is sort of good sort of bad. Tour guide made us all introduce ourselves, stupid re names but interesting re where from. Vast bulk are Peruvian, nearly all those from Lima, one from Peru and quite a few Ariquepeños. A few French, one Dutch chap and think I am only Brit, no US or Canadians. We stopped at a small shop, guide says we don't spend enough time at altitude to get sick, is largely psychological, breathe through nose as gets more oxygen to brain, have glucose (eg chocolate), chew coca leaves. We have stopped at a shop, bought small bar of chocolate and some coca leaves. Not sure latter do any good but I never tried them properly before so want them for the experience anyway - I never bought any but on mine tour in Potosi someone gave me some, but I didn't realise you were supposed to chew them with a little piece of iirc alkali. Not trying them now as nowhere to spit in bus, but may help psychologically if have them later if do feel funny.
Guide says everything in Spanish then English. Quite good in way as I get to check my understanding. She speaks pretty clearly, I get 90%+ of what she says. Will guzzle chocolate now.
0958 Guide just explained how to chew leaves, so having a go. Pretty much as I recalled but hadn't done, four or five leaves with a small bit of the 'stone' broken off and wrapped in the middle, chewed for maybe an hour. There are different kinds of 'stone', but some are prepared from ash, basically I think it is an alkali but she didn't say that, apparently it speeds up the effects.
She didn't say but I recall the mine tour guide in Potosi saying it takes something like a cubic metre (or was it a kilogram? a lot, anyway) of leaves to make a gram of cocaine.
1009 Dunno if I overchewed or didn't put enough in but those leaves have largely disintegrated in mouth. May swallow remaining dregs as I must have swallowed the rest in passing. I think guide said it's harmless to do so.
1013 Yeah, as I continued to chew they sort of naturally got swallowed. We just passed Jura (sp) cement factory which makes cement out of the surrounding volcanic ash from eruption in iirc 1600. Also 11km off was the naturally carbonated Socobani (sp!) spring.
1112 A single track railway runs roughly parallel to road. Guide says it is from Arequipa to Puno & Cusco. Apparently today it only carries minerals to/from Arequipa, though there is a passenger service between Puno & Cusco. I am not intending to go to Puno on this trip, I have been there, I didn't like it very much and while I might well return at some point I see no need to waste time going there on this trip, I am almost certainly going on to Cusco from Arequipa, so I will go by bus.
1127 We just got off briefly to take photo of some vicuñas in the distance. Could swear walking about made me a little bit breathless, no idea if psychological or not. GPS says altitude 4071m (tho I have read and also from experience believe GPS altitude is nowhere near as precise as its lat/long readings).
1151 We've stopped for '10 minutes' for coca tea (slightly herbaly but perfectly pleasant) and photos and toilets. Some sort of 'rock forest' if I heard guide correctly on one adjacent mountain. Walking around makes me feel just the tiniest bit breathless but nothing too serious.
Didn't really ned toilet but squeezed what I could out on 'go when you can' principle, only PEN1 on honour system so meh. Feeling relatively tranquil, may write more on that later, anyway, let's see.
1159 More like 20 mins, natch. Chap offered to take my photo, we spoke a very little in English, he is from Arequipa.
1317 We just stopped for 5 mins at some lookout at 4900m. You can see eight volcanoes from here which is cool but in a way because it's moderately flat and high they are all 'on the horizon' and don't loom as impressively as they would viewed against a valley. Still cool. Loads of little stone piles which are quite cool en masse, apparently originally built as offerings to gods, now traditional. Also a couple on mountain bikes, FFS! I could *maybe* handle a trek (quick flick through a leaflet I got other day half implies the walking is mostly downhill) but I know I could not do that, after what I did in Chiloe at sea level.
1430 Just guzzled three platefuls at lunch buffet. Thanks to not being a connosieur I can say it was great, particularly liked the stuffed peppers. Fairly healthy quantity of rice, salmon and vegetables consumed.
PEN30 for buffet (didn't tip; it's a buffet) and a coke zero, not too bad. It was 70 (as expected) for the park entry, this is differentially priced, Peruvians get in for 20 and though it wasn't on the sign I think the guide said 'South Americans' get in for 40. Meh, it's not so expensive and at least I'm not being continually gouged as in India.
Oh, I deliberately accumulated as many smallish bills as I could prior to this tour to avoid needing change, eg the guide collected the park entry fees off us and bought tickets so having exact money was handy.
1505 At hotel, basic but perfectly OK, pivate bathroom, twin beds. We are meeting in plaza at 1530 to go to thermal baths so will stop writing this and prepare to leave stuff behind etc.
1832 Back at hotel for second time. Meeting to go for dinner (with traditional dances; hmmmm) at 7 but will start write up now while have time on hands.
Decided to leave phone, camera, passport etc in hotel when we went to thermal baths as didn't think would be lockers. I was right. In reality most people took cameras and I half wish I had but the main thing is to experience this not take photos of it.
Went to plaza at 3ish or whenever, ended up walking round for a bit due to delays. Quite attractive if bit overcast and just smidge chilly. Atractive stone church with a cross 'shaved into' the greenery on the mountain behind it. Fountain. An Irish Pub.
Thermal baths adjacent to Colca river. Truly impressive views over the river from where we pulled up, a genuinely disturbing rope bridge to cross and a bit further along a stone bridge which went somewhere else. From the thermal baths great views of the valley sides and in the distance terraced slopes of the hills/mountains. Wish I had had camera but meh.
Was a sort of crude changing room (which I used tho lotsof people just seemed to change by the pools) but no lockers, left bag by pools like everyone else. Water v pleasantly warm, apparently it comes out of the ground at 89C, runs along the ground (probably been channeled) and enters the main square concrete bathing pool at one corner. It then trickles out of one adjacent and the diagonally opposite corner to feed two other pools. (Two further pools a bit further off presumably fed by some other means.) They said the water temperature in main pool was 39C, I could believe that but it varied with proximity to corner at which hot water entered; that was steaming, I didn't dare touch it but putting hand underwater near that corner you could feel the heat. Being in the water near that point there was a perceptible temp difference between one side of both and other. Came up to about my belly button standing which, new if useless fact, means it came up to my neck if I knelt down. Spent most time in that pool, though did try one of the two slightly cooler ones fed from first pool's run-off towards end.
We were perhaps there 1.5-2h, then came back to hotel. I grabbed my stuff and popped back out to take some photos of plaza, now back at room.
The 'rope' bridge was suspended from what looked like steel cables wrapped loosely in wool presumably for comfort, but it did sway seriously alarmingly and they didn't let too many people on it at once. It wasn't 'oh shit' scary but I didn't enjoy walking across it much, though I fully accept this is irrational.
Been intermittently chewing the coca leaves, dunno if they help but generally feel fine, perhaps just a touch short of breath on occasion but not sure, maybe what I think of as my sinuses ('above' nose) feel slightly funny for last hour or two but who knows. Quite like the taste when start chewing the leaves, though they never seem to last me very long.
We breakfast at 0530 tomorrow and leave at 0600. FFS! I did sort of know this and it will be OK but still.
Oh, ticket for thermal baths says Tambo Thermal Baths. Obviously no GPS trace there as didn't take phone.
There are tuktuks in the plaza; some just seem to do circuits. At least some appear to have enclosed sides, presumably in deference to the weather.
It has been overcast since we got to Chivay (where hotel is), there was a light sprinkle of rain while we were in the thermal baths but nothing more yet.
1940 At restaurant. Tempted to have beer but altitude, early start, nagging medical establishment and plans for tomorrow night all suggest no, so having a coke zero. Tourist menu is 20 PEN (+3 for drink), so having crema de champiñones to start then bistec de alpaca, having checked the latter is without sauce. Think I've had alpaca before (in Uyuni, 2010) but not sure. Not seen cuy on menu anywhere yet, guide book mentions some places in Arequipa but a) reluctant to seek it out specially b) reluctant to go to any recommended restaurant in guide book as I suspect will be wanky (the guide book raves about how Arequipa has great food blah blah; sod it, I have my little quirks re food - and the surroundings in which it is served - and frankly I'm happy with them, but anyway it does make me reluctant to take gushing advice from foodie-esque author).
Place is Restaurant Peña El Horno.
2030 Service dog slow. Finally got soup, had a bit but not raving - nothing wrong with it, but I'm not raving, never been that keen on thick soup (well, it depends, I guess) and it's a smidge cold due to copying lead of other woman who ordered it by waiting for other people to get food before giving up after 5-10 mins since obviously it would have been stone cold by time other people got food. I am not bothered, had some and I basically had it as the tourist menu made it 'free' compared to ordering just bistec de alpaca (assuming I don't get a smaller portion to compensate). No sign of my coke zero, most people don't have drinks yet except the tea drinkers.
Music/dance OK if bit hokey, though earlier they spent about five or ten minutes asking us to applaud for various nationalities in the audience, not even refraining from doing same country or city multiple times, tedious as fuck.
2036 Woman to my left is having a quick game of 'Wonder Zoo' on her mobile. This is OK and not really tied but given how long this is dragging out I think I am going to be back at hotel later than would like. Meh.
2049 I reordered coke a second time when got food but still no sign. Food OK, I have very poor sense of taste never mind lack of vocabulary but fwiw the alpaca had a slight tang to it which reminded me of gammon, would say it tastes a bit like halfway between gammon and chicken. Was a white meat, like pork or chicken. Came with a few chips, some rice and apparently miraculously undressed 'salad' of green beans and carrots.
Did remind me that after lunch was a girl (about 12) with a young alpaca (it was all one colour so assuming alpaca based on what I remember guide saying earlier, could easily have been a llama for all I know) which she was feeding from a baby bottle and letting people feed it. I should probably have seen if I could stroke it but didn't think at the time, main thought was had obviously no interest in feeding it. She was able to pick it up, but it was nearly as big as her. Then later an old woman brought one onto the bus as we waited in plaza to go to hot springs. Yes I did feel a bit bad for eating alpaca but not much, why should cuteness count?
2054 Just got coke zero as finishing the above. Should be more in moment but meh, it's not great and wanted to get this down.
Oh, all my loose change has (I hope) fallen out of trousers into daypack when got changed at baths, I certainly have none in pkt. Annoying as therefore nothing smaller than 10 note so didn't put anything in when music chap came round minute ago and may end up massively over-tipping on my presumably 23 PEN bill. It is busy and don't want to be stroppy twat by not tipping cos service dead slow but at same time rather not tip 20% by making it 30. Still, it's 50p, wtf if can't get any change.
Meh, virtually whole group has left while distracted by writing that. Bill actually 25 (5 coke), she gave me a 5 coin change but will leave it as tip, wtf. Wondering if should go. Think know where hotel is but didn't record GPS coords as expected to be with group, ditto don't know address as such as I didn't book it explicitly.
2111 Back at hostel. I was right, it was about 20 metres away - we drove (for some reason) in the bus but it was a comically short ride and that plus managing to orient myself wrt plaza on OSM map (I knew how to get from plaza to hotel) did the trick. Not sure if group had left, we were sat at a long table down both sides but it wasn't big enough for 30 odd people I think. Recognise a few people in group but not many. Music was still going on but I wasn't really enjoying it and felt bit awkward couldn't pay anything (but not so awkward was going to throw 10 in). Obviously bit sub-optimal to have been blogging earlier rather than 'being in the moment' but the mere fact I was doing it suggests I wasn't really that absorbed by what was going on, as a general rule I don't let the blogging usurp what's actually happening.
No wifi here, well, two wifi networks with names not like hotel's. I could have asked but frankly I was half embarrassed and half determined not to be too desperately 'over-connected'. I have mobile reception (tho still on Chilean SIM so vaguely possible I am unreachable from UK) so if anything super important had happened I would probably have been told, plus in reality even if something horrible has happened, do I really need to know *now*? It's not like I can get out of here until tomorrow morning anyway. I mean, it would suck, but would it really suck any more for having been out of touch, not that I am anyway qv mobile reception.
Anyway. Yes, change was loose in daypack. Shower then bed I guess.
Was thinking about earlier (triggered by what if thermal bath damages them somehow) and I appear to be travelling without a spare pair of glasses. I think I may have lacked a lightweight soft case and evicted them (consciously) when I was desperately trying to lose mass prior to flying out to Bangkok. Bit crap but not end of world, and I do have five or ten days worth of contact lenses and of course I could get some glasses here if need be.
2130 Fuck me. The room is cold, the shower could only be called lukewarm if feeling charitable. Need to sort out clothes for tomorrow before go to bed but may have to get in temporarily to warm up first.
2148 In bed. May not get to sleep too soon but still.
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