Trujillo, Wednesday

1122 At Snoop's or Snoopis or something not too far from plaza. Had shower and laid on bed surfing for an hour then cleaned teeth and come out for food. Feeling bit tired and slightly irrational, sure food will help. Will quest after malaria medication after eating. Little fear re organising a tour for tomorrow.

1349 Back at hotel. Seen doctor (didn't understand most of what she said, but it was only PEN10 and maybe a half hour wait), got tablets (only 14 days worth, doctor probably said I have to get more later if need them but not clear, also the adjacent pharmacy owned by same chain couldn't read prescription and had to go ask, PEN46ish, will read up on internet re how to take, also not entirely clear if doctor felt I really needed malaria tablets or not), bought razors, paid for this hotel. Also booked so-cheap-its-suspicious tour (in Spanish) for tomorrow, full day. Anyway, let's look into Mancora hotel and will maybe go book a bus onwards as guide book warns about them being full.

1524 OK, let's head out and trek right across town to get bus ticket. I am feeling pretty fed up, doubtless sleeping badly didn't help, I am also feeling rushed and while I do want to go (briefly) the guide book text on Mancora stirs up that feeling there's a party going on, I'm not invited and *since it's not my kind of party I sort of don't mind but feel bad about it not being my kind of party as well as the fact I'm not invited*. Also doubtless some of the uncertainty re border crossing and what to do in Ecuador and also job shit. Anyway. No point worrying about it, especially when I reckon at least 50% of the shit feeling is the lack of sleep talking. Let's go see about that bus.

2307 Been back at hotel ages. Got ticket on less expensive bus, fingers crossed is safe but co is mentioned in guidebook. Went to Casa de la Emancipacion after as open late and free, not huge and bit 'unfocussed' but for they money definitely worth it. Been looking into onward trip and flight to BA, from Quito mega pricey at 530GBPish at decent time, is a half decent flight direct from Bogota for 360ish. I have also been reading up and bit scared about bus safety in Ecuador and Colombia, I am wondering if I should do something like Guayaquil-Quito-(Cali)-Bogota by air. Cali-Bogota is like thirty quid flight iirc, international flights not super cheap but prob under 200. The cities themself seem bit dangerous with need to take *phoned* taxis even if only going one block, but short of just not going I am not sure I can help this. Bit worried about safety of bus to Guayaquil but it is prob OK and it is really not super convenient to go by air. Need to mull over, perhaps tomorrow I will look into possibility of booking a series of flights as above. Might be quite expensive but meh, prob less so than Galapagos. Anyway, not made the progress had hoped tonight but then the fact my research has turned my plans a bit upside down is something that had to be gone through so in a sense it is progress. Have booked hotel for two nights in Mancora anyway.

2332 OK, I do need to get to bed soonish but surprisingly untired (had Spanish lesson at 10 BTW) and have had a look at that. Internal flights are pretty cheap, a decently timed flight Guayaquil-Quito is 54 quid, Cali-Bogota is 24 quid. International flights get pricey. Quito-Cali can't be done for under 280 quid, though Quito-Bogota can be had for 185 (no idea if decent times). Given (rationally or not) the short timescales and lack of 'wtf, if I'm stuck here an extra day it's OK'-ability as I approach end of trip (and have a deadline with return flight from Ba) I am less inclined to 'chance' the possible horrors of the buses (especially in Ecuador, tho this is based on a few couple of year old and possibly biased blogs, tho iirc the Chilean couple from MP tour mentioned buses in Ecuador bit odd, tho nothing like some blogs with tales of massive overbooking and allocated seats meaning nothing). I am leaning towards getting to Guayaquil by bus (would be during day, fingers crossed) then spending maybe 5-6 nights each there, Quito and Bogota, with flights linking them. Cali (also considered Cartagena as substitude) dropped as flights there are extra pricey and given I am clearly not even scratching surface of Colombia this trip I figure I might as well save the hundred odd quid on the expensive Quito-Cali flight and give myself an extra night or so in three places and perhaps be able to go a little 'deeper' into them.

Of course it's a shame to give up my bus odyssey but this isn't Round The World In 80 Days and while on a future trip where time isn't pressing I might well try Ecuadorian/Colombian buses, I do feel I can feel more relaxed (personal safety and less risk of getting stranded when I need to get to BA on time) switching to air travel for this last phase. I might make some bookings tomorrow night, for now this will give me something to mull over.

0000 In bed. No socket to charge phone, will prob risk it (not with Scribd) as can always switch to spare if phone is low tomorrow, as long as batt not so low alarms don't go off.

Lima, Tuesday

1227 Got up about 1045, felt bit disoriented. Left hotel about 1145, left bag. Walking into centre unless I spot a bus, will prob get bus back - problem is knowing which intersection or place to ask for, on way back I can say Angamos or Parque Kennedy. Tis OK, quite enjoying walk. In restaurant for lunch. Since obviously need safety margin re bus, will probably go to DC for half chicken and chips on returning to Miraflores this evening.

It occurs to me, not for first time, I am hardly eating any bread. Not counting choripan other day, can't remember last time - few/no cheap restaurants in Peru give it to you. Not saying this is bad or good re health (FFS, I wouldn't even dare to try making such a call) but I just kind of miss it. Could buy some in supermarket but it's not the same, I'd have to faff buying butter or margarine and generally it would be inconvenient and/or crap. Tis OK. If none crosses my path, it is at least another small home comfort to compensate for the looming return to the UK and ('hopefully') work.

1313 Food pretty good, have lingered a bit but also a bit slow to get bill. Tis OK, it's not as if any particular touristic sight is a massive draw so I'm not in an enormous rush, but still.

1317 Bill 18.50, pretty good, make it 21. Place is La Casa Verde de San Isidro, Arequipa 2795. Let's go.

1909 At Don Corleone's. Walked both ways. Knackered. Food, write more later.

2008 Food v good. Perhaps weakly getting a half litre draught beer, then will have to get back to hotel. Do dislike this pre-bus fraught period but what can you do. Should have asked for beer 10-20 mins ago, was lingering post food, but coulda woulda shoulda I suppose.

2022 Now I've left will say was at B&B Miraflores Wasi (IIRC), first three nights on Tarapaca and last night at Independencia 387.

2035 Bill 38, will make it 43. Not finished beer yet and it's only 600m to hotel but usual time jitters so wanted to avoid last minute delay over paying.

2045 OK, finished. Slash and off.

2122 At terminal. Hotel had already booked me a taxi to the airport. FFS. Need to speak to Spanish teacher about this. But I *definitely* never mentioned airport. ACTUALLY, the woman at the desk liked to practice her English on me, we spoke in English this morning. FFS. Guess I need to stop mentioning taxis in advance. It's (take a ticket and wait to appear on monitor) queue central here. The equeue doesn't seem to be moving, I have nearly 1.5h before bus goes and I am slightly worried I'm going to miss it. I can't queue up for baggage submission until I first queue up to change my voucher for a ticket; heaven forfend the travel agency should be able to print me a ticket directly.

2141 Finally got voucher changed. Let's extract daypack and queue for baggage.

2205 Finally got bag checked. Not clear but I think I was actually in an enormous 'let a few in at a time' nightclub-esque line for boarding gate 4 instead of baggage check most of time. Of course no indication which of the four gates my bus goes from.

2230 On bus.

Brief notes on today then. On a whim/I was tired and it was right there, I sort of went in the Museo Metropolitano de Lima. As I was getting my 4 soles out to pay a helpful if slightly officious chap came up and explained that the charge was for a bit of a cinema kind of thing and if there weren't enough people I'd have to wait half an hour but there was an exhibition of photos for free. Partly to get away from him and partly fearing a cinema kind of thing might be a linguistic bridge too far, I went into the photo thing (aquiring a city map on the way for free at insistence of helpful chap) but it wasn't great and I didn't stay long.

Then tried to go to postal museum (in guide book) but tho I found exact location and asked a super policey security guard it was the museum of peruvian gastronomy or something, I asked where the postal museum was and I think he said there wasn't one right now but far from clear.

Bit hacked off by this point, and only going to some museum 'because that's what tourists do' anyway to some extent.

By sheer chance the Convento de Santo Domingo was round the corner so I went in there. Though I initially didn't get told to wait for a guided tour so wandered on my own, I did eventually hook up with a tour and got to go up the tower for quite nice views over city, so that worked quite well. I ended up in a Spanish tour group, understood about 80% and had a bit of chat with guide at one point. He recommended the inquisition museum (on grounds of building architecture iirc) but guide book said it shut at 5pm and it was 450ish when left CdSD. Not a huge loss and given its hub status will probably be back in Lima at some point in future. That plus the really big fountains in some park are main things didn't see. Oh, and I had a recommendation for fancy buffet La Bistecca but apart from fears re fanciness didn't want to risk turning up without reservation over weekend (presumably mega busy) and too lazy/uninterested/something to try today or yday.

2249 Yay! One of the earpieces on my noise cancelling headphone has come off (this happens all the time; they are interchangeable by design and it's a bit loose) and appears to have ben lost. This could have happened just now - but I can't see it loose anywhere - or last time I used them, whenever that was. I even have a spare in my bag, but that's locked away in the luggage compartment. Fortunately I have my non-noise cancelling headphones in my pocket but not very happy about this all the same.

2304 Fucking hell, the mandatory 'safety' video goes on and on and on and on. I already knew this (eg bus Cusco-Ica) but FFS. It's not safety, it's mostly promotion.

2308 And the stewardess finally finished burbling on "live" after the video. I think - tho with the appalling audio quality on the PA and language issues not sure - she read out the wifi password. Obviously security is a major factor, there could be freeloaders driving immediately behind the bus in order to use the 3 bps connection, so the password has to be super complex. I didn't get it and am not going to bother asking for it, it was so slow as to be unusable except just about borderline email capable on previous bus and frankly I don't need it. I got a batch of email when back at hotel and the chances of anyone I care about sending me an urgent email overnight are slim. It's a nice-sounding feature on the brochure but the reality is it's virtually useless. Kudos for trying I guess.

0922 At hotel, super sweaty so luckily been allowed into room.

Lima, Monday

1221 Despite or perhaps because of or independent of last night's gorge feeling bit irrational and light headed this morning. Changed hotel, broke after paying for last four nights and this night, need to get cash and sort out bus ticket but come to some small restaurant for lomo saltado in case this feeling is related to being hungry.

1301 Bill 16, make it 18. Food not bad, some veg in there too, feel bit stuffed but better.

1733 At Mezzaluna, was just going to have beer but feh, will eat too. Went to Casa de Ricardo Palma but despite signs showing it was during opening hours it was shut. So went to Huaca Pucllana, just down road from first hotel, guided tour quite interesting and got to stroke a (recently shaved) llama. Guide said (can't remember which way round) llamas and alpacas were domesticated versions of vicuñas and guanacos, there were never wild llamas and alpacas so to speak. They also had a half-and-half (the llama I stroked was its father) though - perhaps due to recent shaving - it didn't look enormously different.

1929 At hotel, went to bar to get bill as v dead and no sign of waitress, bill 62 as expected, made it 68. Stopped off for fruit and Inca Kola Zero at shop nr new hotel on way back. Need to book Trujillo hotel and ideally also flight from X-Buenos Aires later this month but not rushing this instant.

0128 Should go to bed but not just yet. Not booked flight but have booked Trujillo hotel. Slightly peeved by response to one of the Galapagos discussion threads suggesting if I don't like spiders I shouldn't be in South America full stop (because obviously Torres del Paine and the Amazonian rainforest have identical flora and fauna) and should maybe think about a trip to Antarctica. Smug, missing the point it's not about spiders full stop, it's about encountering big ones in my fucking room. Some other comment (less smug) suggests slight cause for concern in eg Quito but it also rather seems to assume 'spider' is the issue, when 'big spider' is really the issue. Not pursuing the matter further. Am a bit worried about mainland urban Ecuador now and (when I think about it) here, for that matter, but I think/hope I am not taking enormous risks (while acknowledging probability is not 0) with what I have planned.

Do need to get that flight booked, I will have to look into it when I get to Trujillo. Also need to see about getting malaria medication if necessary, should perhaps have done it here in Lima but been lazy, it's not as if this is super obscure medicine, Trujillo is far from a backwater and if anything in a slightly smaller place I hope it will be easier (walking distance) and cheaper to see a doctor or whoever it is I have to see about this. (My UK experiences in past suggest malaria prophylaxis is treated like fucking heroin. Heaven forfend you should simply be given a prescription and go buy it at the chemist, nooo, you have to buy it off the surgery's travel clinic and of course they don't accept anything but cash and you suspect they're coining it in because it fucking ain't cheap. I hope it's better here. To be fair that was one experience back in 2009 pre the 2010 trip. I didn't need any for the pre-Xmas part of this trip and due to laziness, shortage of time and the route being a bit ad-hoc I didn't try to get any for the post-Xmas part back home.)

I asked the woman at travel agency where bought ticket (they charged me 10 not 5 extra for their services, can't help wondering if this is cos they are in Lonely Planet, it's Cruz del Sur ticket just as was in Cusco where the booking fee was only 5) and she said mosquitos but if I understood correctly no malaria in Trujillo. Looking at NHS online map now says she's right, Trujillo is low to no risk, antimalarials not usually advised, like most of Peru south of there. I will need some for Mancora, I think.

0143 Obviously hope to do some sightseeing tomorrow given bus not til 2245ish. I haven't done that well in Lima but meh, tis OK. I don't hate the place but I haven't fallen in love with it yet. I think in part it's so big *even in the tourist sense* and given my taxi doubts (+tightness more than safety fears, during daylight) and fact I haven't tried to use the local buses doesn't help. The walk to the centre other day was fun, the walk back less so. In eg Santiago and Buenos Aires I felt less need to travel long distances and if I wanted to there was the metro. Here the centre, Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco all have things of touristic interest (even if I'm rather underwhelmed by the nightlife in Miraflores, to be fair I only tried once but then where was I going to find anything else?).

0245 FFS, bed.

Lima, Sunday

1314 Usual late start though slightly better than usual. In Restaurant-Pizzeria Angello in that horrible bar strip for lunch, couldn't find anywhere else but for food this area better than for drinks I think. Not super busy. Asked at hotel about staying an extra night, not in that room but they are going to check at their other location. If have to move hotel not much advantage over just making new booking on web but will see what they say, at least I can sort of trust the 'quality' of this hotel. Will stay another night, possibly two, not sure. In some sense waste of time but in another where's the harm, if I am not seeing stuff all day a) at least I'm relaxing a bit b) I never do anyway.

Pretty confident not going to Galapagos; hotel replied saying they fumigate but frankly cruise is ridiculously expensive and would be better suited to a break from work when I have money coming in and I just don't think I'd be able to relax on a land-based cruise. Pizza is freaking tiny, I ordered mediana, if this is mediana is a total rip off, I'd rather have had what I ordered by given that's not on I hope this is a personal. Meh.

1331 It was personal, waitress pointed out when got bill. Perhaps for best as wasn't as hungry as I thought. Bill 20.50, make it 22.50.

Looks like there are about five museum-y things in whole of Miraflores according to guidebook and none of even remotest interest open Sun. I think I will walk down to the cliffs and take in the views and maybe gorge myself on an ice cream

1634 At Fazoli's in foul bar complex for beer. Walked miles. Beer by beach would have been nice but short of going into one of two slightly fancy looking restaurants not an option. Feet hurting.

1706 Doubtless the beer - tho just 620m Pilsen Callao 5% - but hungry now, think will pay up and go have half chicken and chips at Don Corleone up the road. Maybe another beer there after eating then back to hotel via supermarket for fruit (tho got 2 bananas on cliffs) and ideally a cash machine.

Bill 12, making it 13.50.

1711 Yeah, at DC. F it. Might have beer after as said, dunno.

1820 Bill 28, make it 32. Food good but bit stuffed. Not having another beer now (had coke zero with food). Let's see about cash machine etc.

0238 Bed. Vicious circle anyone? Still, while I have enormousy overeaten (fruit+chocolate as well as the two meals) I only had one beer. Meh. Got to change to the other hotel tomorrow so not that it's much of a forcing factor I have to be out of my room by midday. Then need to go to a travel agent (guide book lists some) to book bus on to Trujillo. Stil fighting with dosfsck and that SD card hence no photo uploads, which is a bit crap as this would have been a good opportunity but c'est la vie. Definitely need to streamline photo handling on future trip as waffled before.

Lima, Saturday

1342 At Bahia Azul for late lunch. Got up about 12 feeling bit tired, loitered in room a bit. Feel a bit lazy, meh, I am on holiday. Plan is to walk the 7ish km into central Lima, maybe visit a museum or something time permitting or perhaps the cathedral. Feels like I'm wasting time a bit but as I said, meh.

1407 Steak a bit poor but OK overall, feel a bit stuffed. Bill 22.50, making it 25, will finish drink (coke zero) then go.

1726 Larding out with choripan sin mayonesa and an orange juice before walking back. Went to Museo y Catacumbas de San Francisco as well as having look at plaza de armas. Quite enjoyed the long urban walk without too much need to keep stopping for traffic, it's been a while. Catacombs sort of interesting but single coolest thing was actually the long narrowish library with a second storey of shelves. Also huge 120kg chorus books in there, we later saw the part of the church where the choir sits with a rotating lectern to hold those books so choir could see them.

V overcast but pretty warm, I have been sweating a bit.

1940 Back at hotel via supermarket (where fruit & veg weighed at till UK style!) on corner of street hotel in. Knackered. Nice cold bottle of Inca Kola Zero & some fruit.

0154 Finally going to bed, been surfing. Meh.

Lima, Friday

1809 At Don Corleone's for half chicken a la leña and chips. Finally woke up/got up about 1330 and just bummed around in room all afternoon. Bit of a waste but by time got dressed etc was already mega late and sod it, I can't be actively haring around all the time. Only came out for food about half an hour ago. Meh.

Might stay in Lima an extra day or even two. Not deciding tonight. Will probably try to find somewhere to go out tonight, will probably go back to hotel after eating to research and bum around a bit more and maybe go back out 8-9ish.

1846 That was pretty good and chicken was tender. Bill 29.90 but still, this is a slightly fancy part of city and as I say food not bad. Will make it 33ish and see if can get fruit on walk back to hotel. Half chicken looked huge but was probably about right in terms of my level of hunger.

2048 OK, let's go out. No joy on web really, La Noche mentioned in guide book for live music but is miles away and not comfortable *needing* a taxi. Bit nervous but meh, it's not that late and I can get a taxi back if want and I prob won't stay out that late anyway. Besides, all the best nights out have been a bit serendipitous. Don't have great expectations but wtf, a couple of beers would be nice.

2204 I just this minute sat down in a 'bar'. Despite the guidebok's glib statement there are loads of bars in Miraflores, I finally had to come back to the strip of bars round Don Corleone's/calle San Ramon. It's fucking hideous. All neon and restauranty and I can't quite think what it reminds me of but it's so fucking half-wanky I can't believe it. I saw one fractionally less hideous place which had a slight open-air club vibe with a live band on, but it was only slightly les hideous and the band weren't great and they only did 'personal' (ie 330ml I guess) beers at PEN8 a bottle. So I've wandered and based solely on seeing a litre chopp at PEN16 have come to Mezzaluna. A couple of guys are playing guitar and recorder. It's twee as hell. I'm not impressed with the Lima nightlife so far. Arequipa was easily best so far, but Cusco and Tacna were miles better than this.

I don't know how to describe the atmosphere, it's like it feels like all the 'bars' - hell, they're more restaurants than bars - are the sort of place a family might come out for a meal, grandparents and kids included. Probably a stupid thing to say but wtf. I'd rather not be drinking beer by the litre but at 16/litre or 12/500ml it's a no brainer.

Anyway, let's just read a bit on phone and enjoy my enormously heavy draught beer.

2300 Waitress just came and seized my not quite finished glass and asked me if I wanted another. I said yes, didn't feel up to asking for that one back so I could finish it. Oddly tired given how late I slept and still feel a bit surly but one more then home I think. If I can't do better than this I may stay home tomorrow night. Peru in general has not been too lively, perhaps in part due to my late night travel/taxi fears, but elsewhere has been borderline OK, so not impressed with this.

0038 About 2/3 through second litre. Tempted to stay out but frankly I'm tired, it's not great here, I can't see anywhere better, I'm a smidge worried about walk home and 2 litres prob OK but another might make all the difference in terms of lateness on street and drunkenness on walk home and really stupid to burn through alcohol allowance when I'm not having that much fun. Also I really do want to be up before 1pm tomorrow to do stuff (though given this morning was not alcohol related it's a bit of a moot point). Probably best to cut my losses and maybe tomorrow I'll try calling a taxi with my local SIM to take me out somewhere else. It *is* still tempting to have another but probably not. I don't really feel drunk but I suspect the alcohol is exacerbating my illogical (I slept a good 8+ hrs, and I've only been awake 12 or so) tiredness. Let's get the bill and seal the issue, unless I spot somewhere cool on walk home.

0117 Back at hotel. Came back slightly (only slightly) indirect route to avoid quieter streets, felt safe though maybe that was just naivety. Meh.

Oh, if didn't observe yday, a number of presumably stray but fairly decent looking cats round Parque 7 de Junio. They don't seem too scared of people, if anything indifferent, one I made 'puss puss' noises at ignored me - I was within touching range but for both its sake and mine didn't want to touch it without permission. A rarity in Latin America IME. On semi related note after that first bad mood morning in Cusco not seen too many stray dogs and in general they have been amiable - tho in Ollantaytambo as we headed to ruins and I was worried about missing train I got separated from group and two street dogs decided to kick off near me, but with so many people around it was broken up quickly and wasn't overly perturbed about the fight, just about train and losing the group (street heaving with buses and hard to see more than a few metres).

0202 Bed.

Lima, Thursday

1702 Been out for walk, at some small cheap Chinese restaurant for langostinos con curri con chaufa. Went into department store where they said 15 for SIM plus credit, left as seemed expense compared to what read on web. Walked, no major rush, seeing bit of city. Ended up at a Claro store (super regimented, and they insist on ID before even assigning you a ticket for place in virtual queue, tho think dept store wanted ID too) paying the same and a bit less convenient but meh. Walked through Parque 7 Junio, quite a few cats, presumably strays but looked in fair condition.

1735 Pretty good, bill 13 (with 500ml coke zero), will make it 15, then back to hotel via shop for some water. May go out tonight but will go back and maybe investigate Galapagos cruises and do a bit of laundry and stuff first whatever. Place is Chifa "Dragón De Oro".

0007 Didn't go out tonight, had Spanish lesson. Been looking into the fucking Galapagos since then. I was heavily leaning towards a cruise, as that sounded ultra safe from a spider perspective. But fuck me is it expensive. There's not even any logic. One website at least grades the boats by luxury, yet the 'backpacker' tourist class boats in some cases cost more than the first class ones for the same number of days. And the single person supplement is typicaly 70-80%. One boat has a 25% supplement, but when you try to look into booking it's a complete nightmare of wankily over-complex forms and no information about single supplements and sometimes no price quoted for flights, which you have to buy off the same company. The whole thing just screams 'suck the money out of the rich bastards'; I expected to go on a website, see a clean simple (if high) price quoted and pay it. Even an online booking.

The single room supplement can be avoided if you're willing to let them assign you a roommate; I really think that would be pushing it, especially for say six or seven nights.

If I momentarily assume the website is right, the best price I could get for a four night cruise is about a grand, plus flights. This is an insane per day expense. I'm not even that desperate to go FFS, there's just a kind of 'well I was going to go and I don't want to back out' feeling.

Most the online responses I've had suggest it's unlikely to see a spider in my room or elsewhere (but the odd one appears to back up the book I quoted that they are all over the fucking place). And for well under a grand I could stay in fairly good hotels. But am I going to get any peace of mind? Also if I'm going independent it seems a lot of activities involve walking around and am I going to just be in a constant palpitating funk every time I walk near a tree, or for that matter when I don't? I mean, I asked for advice and generally people seem to be saying it's fine but it isn't registering. Fucking hell.

The comment suggesting they are everywhere says the mainland is *worse*. I may be misinterpreting this. Why the fuck can't I get a clear fucking picture of the situation? Half wondering if I should stay out of Ecuador altogether.

Frankly - and I can't help thinking there's a meta-theme developing here, cf earlier comments on taxi safety - it seems like asking for advice or doing any kind of research is a bad idea. By the sounds of it, whatever the worst cases, 'most' people clearly don't have any spider encounters, so if I'd just gone without thinking about it I'd probably have been fine, and if something *did* happen at least I wouldn't have been worrying about it in advance. Now I'm starting to think I just can't risk going (except on a cruise, and that's so expensive it crosses my 'go fuck yourselves, I don't want this that badly' line) and that pisses me off when the general tone of the advice is 'don't worry about it' and it would probably be OK.

I don't know why, maybe I will e-mail a hotel and ask about the risk. I'm not likely to trust their response, since they have a motive for lying, but WTF, I am not sure *what* I'm looking for any more, it can't do any harm and might be interesting.

0128 OK, my skin is fucking crawling. I do find a scientific report on the web that in 2011 (ie when I was there) one was encountered for the first time in Iquique, Chile. They are also present in India (though don't know where). Now on the one hand this is deeply disturbing, on the other hand it does sort of encouragingly suggest that mere presence doesn't imply visibility. On the other hand, they are presumably far more common in some places than others, and presumably sighting frequency variest accordingly. I am hopefully-not-delusively reassuring myself that in truly urban environments the things are not too common.

I do also note that they are apparently very timid and scared of humans, so one might hope that after terrifying their victim they don't hang around.

As I think I already said, I do wish I could get a clear picture of the true risk of encountering these or similar fuckers in any given place.

0252 Finally in bed. Bit fed up. Meh.