Music wakes me up so I get up and head into town to see if the Fiesta is still on the go. Its 8.30am. I have to catch a bus at 12.30 back to Arequipa so I have a few hours yet to see the craic .
As I enter the Plaza I pass a side street which was used last night as a public toilet by half the town. This morning the stench that wafts out of the street makes me cringe. When I say half the town used that street I mean just that. Young and old, male and female were squatting happily in darkness of that alleyway last night. Nobody was batting an eyelid bar me. Back in the plaza its lively enough but casualties of last nights excesses are evident enough. Bodies are slumped over benches deep in drunken slumbers. A couple of bands strike up some tunes but they are without half their compliment. Plenty of people are milling about but there is a quiet, tired air about the town. A touch of a hangover, perhaps?
The decorations are being dismantled by a sprightly group of locals. A group of musicians enter the plaza. At their head "an elder" is beingchaired shoulder high. He has a litre bottle of beer which he sprays all around, cheering exuberantly as he does so. The bottle emptys, somebody hands him another bottle and he continues. Nobody seems to mind being sprayed with beer but few people follow the group at the same time.
A lot of women are still parading around in traditional dress so I don´t know if the fiesta is still continuing but there isn´t the same buzz as yesterday. I have a little breakfast in a small cafe and top this up with an orange and banana. As I stroll around town the cramps begin to return and my stomach starts to rumble. It doesn´t feel good. I have a last wander around town, collect my rucksack from the hostel and make my way to the bus station. I go to the toilet there and my suspicions are fully confirmed. I appear to have some kind of bug. In 15mins I have to start a 3-4hr bus journey. I´m scared to think of the possible consequences.
Thankfully the journey passes without mishap. We get some great views over Chivay as the bus climbs up into the mountains, and another great view of a volcanoe up in the altiplano. Otherwise the terrain is very familiar back to Arequipa. Back on the outskirts of the city the size of Arequipa again surprises. The suburbs extend right to the lower slopes of Volcan Misty. I would not like to be living in those suburbs when Misty next erupts. Misty is an active volcao and she´s due to pop at some point in the next few years.
I have about 5hrs to kill in Arequipa before catching an overnight bis to Cusco. I´m looking forward to this its one of the big destinations on the trip with the prospect of visiting Macchu Pichu in the near future. However, my most immediate concern is my stomach. I´m not eating anything only dry bread and water. I´m afraid to eat anything with a 10hr journey coming up. I spend a while people watching in the station. One little overactive toddler keeps me amused with his antics for a while. Creating mischief for his mother. Shouting out destinations in imitation of bus company reps trouting for business at their counters. The bus station is very busy. People coming and going. One side of the station is lined by bus company ticket booths all shouting out their destinations. The opposite side is lined by small booths selling snacks etc.
By 8.30pm I´m on the Cusco bus. I´m travelling with Cruz del Sur. Unlie other bus companies this one has its own private departure lounge. You check in your luggage as at an airport, wait in the lounge and proceed to a departure gate when your bus is called. A hostess checks your ticket and ushers you on board. Its all ver slick and novel.
An hour into the journey the evening meal is served. I´m starving so I decide to chance eating it. This was followed by a game of bingo. I was down to two numbers when house was called. A film I hadn´t heard of called "August Rush" was up next. It was actually quite good. When this finished the lights were lowered and it was a case of trying to sleep. I found it hard to settle as I was very conscious of my grumbling stomach. It was a night of clenched buttocks!!
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