This morning I had a hot shower and a shave before catching the 11.30 bus to Lima. I´ve been having cold showers for the best part of the last 3 weeks, not realising how to operate the showerheads here. Last night I discovered you have to flick the top of the shower head in order to get warm water. I´d never noticed this before. It felt so good this morning. My future in D.I.Y. has been confirmed.
Today I begin the journey south which will eventually bring me to Santiago for the flight to New Zealand. Chachapoyas marks the most northerly point of the trip. A pity I didn´t make it to Ecuador or Colombia bu I think I underestimated the size of this continent.
At the bus station the place is throged with people. We have to queue up to regster our luggage for carriage and this is painstakingly slow. The amount of luggage some people have is a bit of an eye opener. My own rucksack seems tiny by comparison. I don´t know how it will all fit. Whn the departure is called masses congregate around the bus. It turns out most of the crowd are family and well-wishers biding farewell to loved ones making the long journey down to Lima. As the bus pulls away it seems as if half the town has lined the streets to wave farewell to us. I find myself waving and blowing kisses out the window along with everyone else. A little toddler in his mothers arms cries as he sees his father leaving on the bus. Its a 21hr journey down to Lima so its a long way from home for those who have found work in the capital.
As we head down into the valleys outside Chachapoyas I´m very content in 1st class. The seats here are large and comfortable. There are only 9 seats in this compartment. Upstairs there are usually 40 seats. Down here there is so much space to stretch out. After 2hrs we stop in a small town in the valleys. I get out for a stretch and a quick look around. Its a small, sleepy town surrounded by mountains. Nothing much seems to be happening here other than the traffic passing through. We pile back on board and the bus continues. For hours we pass through high valleys, descending gradually. We pass paddy fields of rice, some of which are bordered by coconut trees, a novel sight. The vegetation in these valleys is lush sub-tropical.
By 7pm its dark and the friendly hostess hands out dinners of rice, chips and stringy beef. A DVD is showing, "The Passion of the Christ", a most odd choice of film for a bus journey. I forgot how violent the film is. Some of the scenes are painful to watch, leving most of the passengers squirming and grimacing. The scene of the scourging draws gasps of shock from some of the older passengers. As Jesus delivers himself to the heavens I try to sleep. A ridiculous South American comedy which follows ensures that I nod off. I manage to have the best sleep on an overnight bus so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment