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YOU DON'T NEED EYES TO SEE YOU NEED VISION.....
Woken at the crack of dawn, faced with dodgy electrics and occasional water that shot out of the shower and taps, I moaned to myself at how cold I felt. Shortly after my glue like coffee and cold pancake I haggled a couple of old Peruvian women for my walking/hiking stick and 3 more bags of coca leaves (yeah man!) and then I was set.
A 1 hour journey on a bus that can only be described as "OH MY GOD". Never before had I been so pleased that I had worn my sports bra on a bus! The bus was so bumpy my arse left the seat at the same time as my knees wedged into the chair in front of me. Trying hard not to allow my motion sickenss get the better of me, I clung on with white knuckles as I focussed ahead. My heart skipped a beat as I realised we were driving over a train track, shaking my head in disbelief I continued to cling and try and take in the view of the mountain goats, the wonderful sunshine and snow capped mountains. Glancing forward again I realsied the bus was actually crossing a lively river.....without the bridge. "O....K.....then". Next we drove back over the train track, narrowly avoiding the 2 small children that were wondering along the track (as you do).
Back on a more even road now we twisted and turned until the breaks crashed on suddenly. Whilst shocked, it was a relief to know that the breaks actually worked. Why the emergency stop? to avoid a random cow that was moon walking into the buses path.
Glancing back at this point, I realised there was a truck load of sherpas behind our bus that were stood, clinging and looking terrified over the top of a disused quarry.....
It was at this point that I began to get an attack of the conscience. Knowing that these poor people were following us in order to "serve" us over the next 4 days just seemed wrong on every level and still does. I realise the whole "supply and demand of goods and services" and all that malarky but it still seems wrong to me.
After other occasional road blocks and head to head near misses, I continued to chew my coca leaves and take it all in....well....when in Rome...
Once we arrived at our destinatin we were given a snack to take with us and off we set, not before I requested a wee and then had to pay 1 Sol (which I had to borrow from someone) for the privaliage of peeing in a hole in the floor which was already covered in someone elses....ahem. Anyway, this was to be the 1st of many practices for me to not wee all over my trainers.......
Lunch was a strange experience.......The sherpas had gone on a ahead and set up a "lunch tent". We thought we would be eating beans out of a tin but actually we were served a 2 course meal of soup and then various main meals followed by coca tea. As if this wasnt astounding enough, they then led out mats in the sun for us to have a lay down after lunch. This is where my attack of conscience really kicked in! talk about wrong on every single level. This is where my culture shock took over I think. It felt like utter exploitation. however, it has to be said, I still ate my lunch and I still layed down to enjoy the sunshine....
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