Cusco-Pisco

1537 At hotel. As I half feared they had already arranged a taxi for 4, my query this morning re possibility being interpreted as a request. Difficult linguistic stuff I guess. They say it will be 10, chap at place bought ticket said something like 5-7 but can't be helped.

1559 At Cruz del Sur terminal. Ate last apple of the six, reminded in part by signs saying you aren't allowed to take fruit to Ica. (One apple was half rotten this morning so threw it away.) Here way too early but what can you do?

1605 I don't fucking believe it. The Nook, which was fine last night, has decided to crash/reset itself/whateve the fuck. Oh no, that's true but my fears that it had gone into the mode where it needs wifi to set itself up were misplaced.

1715 I see laptop computers are not allowed in checked baggage. I assume this is so it's easier for people to steal them. Temped to leave it in checked bag anyway but won't.

1741 There's a woman (probably a European/American tourist, 25-30ish) in the queue to check baggage with absolutely enormously flared/bell-bottomed jeans. Have I just been massively unobservant and this is in fashion now or is it just her?

1806 Off. Billy Joel's "Movin' Out" started to play on my phone almost at the exact moment. I felt somehow sad (not ttbomk about leaving Cusco) as soon as I got on the bus, who knows?

1830 Asked for wifi password, guy typed it in for me, dunno if secret. Can't surf heavily as phone batt won't stand for it but be nice if can check email.

1841 Fucking hell. We had a mandatory safety video. Now we have some guy burbling on live over the super low quality PA, insofar as I can understand a word of what he's saying he is repeating the video. Shut the fuck up and leave me alone.

0417 Slept. Illogical bad dreams about routing via some bizarre place to get  to Ica. Bus is fucking stiflingly hot. Had to change phone battery as first one down to 5%. Will try to go back to sleep. Had to dredge water out as felt super dehydrated. Short of breath after swigging, dunno if altitude related but GPS does show over 4000m here. Stifling stifling stifling.

0825 Nasca.

1117 Fuck a doodle do. I'm on a bus hopefully bound for Pisco. After I had a shit at the Cruz del Sur terminal I asked the chap there about a bus to Pisco. He said no one did a bus to Pisco, the closest was Cruz del Pisco or something where you could get a colectivo. He said you can't get a colectivo from Ica to Pisco. This is all completely at odds with what guide book said. I wandered around in the 'high crime area' near the bus terminals, not 'taking the usual precautions' because I wasn't sure what they were. More by luck than judgement some chap at the Flores cargo terminal said I could get a bus to Pisco at their office, which was 'on the left'. I blundered around madly and eventually found it, a surly woman sold me a ticket to Pisco for a bus leaving immediately and I panicked at missing it (however, only PEN4). I am on it and fuck knows what will happen. It hasn't left yet. Oh, OSM map shows a single bus terminal, despite at least Flores and Cruz del Sur having their own. Lonely Planet map doesn't deign to mention Flores at all. I am not at all sure they have CdS terminal in right place but I might have left a different exit. Fuckfest of epic proportions.

Oh, the Cruz del Sur chap kept calling me 'mister' which didn't help.

1246 Yay. Pisco is *not* final destination. We just stopped in (prlbably) Cruz del Pisco and now are heading north. I got window seat so couldn't leap off and the fucking woman next to me bought a jelly desert, obviously we are heading fucking miles and miles and miles. Oh, and we have a DVD of 'the immortal' on. Fucking hell. The bitch at the ticket office told me it was the final destination. The LP guidebook even shows a terminal for Flores in Pisco proper. Will just sit here and play it dumb for now.

What a fucking crock of shit. How was I to know 'Cruz del Pisco' counts as Pisco even though they are distinct places? Fucking fucking hell.

1404 At hotel. Wifi flaky in room. Top came off sunscreen in trouser pocket somewhere in that 5km walk back to Cruz del Pisco so it's lost and I have shit all inside that pocket. Managed somehow to get a collectivo (to myself) from the junction, dropped me in Plaza de Armas. OSM has no street names for this town; I think they anticipate an invasion as none of the actual streets have signs on. Sweating like a bastard so let's have a shower and wash my clothes and put some dirty ones on from bag (all the clean ones in bag are damply manky since they never dried in the freezing climate of Cusco) and see if we can organise this boat trip so I can leave Pisco behind forever. Chap at desk asked about a tour tomorrow morning and I said I didn't know, I needed to sort one out and he didn't persist for better or worse. Oh, and checkout is at 12am according to a billion signs. am. midnight. I am assuming this is a mistake and am deliberately not querying it in the hope of avoiding an extra charge if it really is midnight.