Speed Bumps Ahead

We made our way from the coast through the mountains and into the Sacred Valley. We sold ice cream for a few days in Cuzco, Pisaq and next to the Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo where we caught the train to Machu Picchu. I never thought I would get to visit Machu Picchu let alone twice in as many years. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let my Machu Poochies into the historic ruins, something about the llamas being spooked by dogs, whatever, they've peed on plenty of ancient ruins already. This time around was different since I wasn't carrying all the emotional baggage of being evacuated and I was with the person I love, sharing this wonderful experience. Due to a strike in Cuzco there were actually not too many tourists at the site since the trains weren't running all morning. We found an Italian couple on a Spanish tour and they agreed to split the price with us. So I learned a lot of new things about the site this time around, like how all the artifacts were carted off to Yale and apparently there's a musuem there. Am I just incredibly ignorant for not knowing that?  I'll have to check it out when I'm back in the states.  It's impossible not to take a million pictures when you visit Machu Picchu, here are a few of the best:

 

            Fly like the condor

Some ruins where the dogs could ruin aroundThe Andean Cross: Condor, Puma, Serpent

Machu Picchu in minature

With Lebo back in the States tending to her organic garden I've finally had to step up and learn how to drive a stick shift for real. David is a great driver with no license and since leaving Bolivia we've had to pay a lot more bribes to Peruvian cops. It seemed like every time there was a stop we were giving 5 soles (see side bar on bribes) and then finally one night we got taken "down to the station" and were gonna have to pay a big fine, no bribes accepted. But we stuck around until the other five people who were pulled over and taken in for not having papers or a license left and another captian was there and we explained to him our situation and he was sympathetic saying that we were tourists and we shouldn't have breen brought in. He let us off and didn't even want any money, just a big bottle of Coke for the office. So for all highway driving where there are potential cop stops I'm behind the wheel, and yes, for those of you who are wondering I can see over it, just as long as I have a blanket behind my back so I can reach the pedals comfortably. I really hated changing gears at first which makes highway driving perfect for me. But when I have to pass through a town that's when the speed bumps would come, literally. Like fifty of them in a stretch of maybe ten kilometers. Speed bumps are my least favorite things because it involves way too many things to think about, breaking, clutching, changing gears, accelerating, clutching and changing gears again. Around speed bump twenty is when I really got the hang of it. After not getting it, not getting it all of a sudden I got it. I was like holy crap I can drive stick shift! I even drove through Lima (bypassing the city on the highway but still a ridiculous amount of cars, detours and traffic.) Lebo can attest it is a nightmare to drive through.

From Cuzco we headed back to Nazca, a sure thing for ice cream sales. We worked for several days and made enough to go on an aereal tour of the Nazca lines. For David it was his first time ever in a plane and it was quite the experience. A tiny six person prop plane, the smallest plane I've ever been on in my life. The pilot dips and turns to show the people on each side of the plane the lines. David and the two English tourists with us were all throwing up. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster and that I might be sick as well...but I wasn't. At least it was only a thirty minute flight and the lines were really impressive, I didn't think you would be able to see them as clearly as you could, I mean they are two thousand year old lines in the desert! In the photos it's a little harder because of the sun glare but they are there.

Smallest plane ever! 

Astronaut, Condor, Humming Bird, Monkey

Besides Nazca we couldn't really work in any other cities because it's "winter" in the Southern half of Peru so after a quick stop to try sandboarding in Huacachina we decided to cross quickly to the North. We stopped in Piura to check on the progress of my title card for the car. We had done the paperwork five months earlier but because in that same month a new Peruvian law went into effect that would change the license plates I had to sign a piece of paper in order for them to start processing my card. So I went to the office to sign and was told it would take ten business days until the card was ready. Two weeks to kill in Piura!

We decided to visit Lebo's old site in Canchaque and were warmly welcomed by her host family. The town happened to be celebrating the festival of San Juan and we got there just in time to see the big burning of the castillo and fireworks display. I've never seen such elaborate fireworks so close before...scary and impressive. They were crazy in Canchaque for our ice cream since they don't have any permanent ice cream vendors around there. We stayed for a few days but didn't want to overstay our welcome since we were camping on Maricella's patio. Plus the machine needed refrigerator gas which we could only get in Piura.

An ice cream cone for Lebo's "abuela"Fireworks!

So we headed back to Piura and tried to sell in some towns around there but it didn't go so well.  So we decided to head to Mancora...small, touristy beach town where it's always summer and ice cream sales are great. They were in the festival of San Pedro and San Pablo which meant more pyrotechnic explosions, fireworks and easy ice cream sales. We got the notary to agree to ship us the card up here on the bus but after a week in Mancora it's still not ready. But who cares? We've made good money, relaxed on the beach and gone swimming in the ocean. I even got to celebrate 4th of July with some PCVs from Peru and some guys we had met in Nazca, among other gringos and Peruvians. We drank Brahmas on the beach and set off a few bottle rockets in celebration, danced to salsa and shared the moment. Still, I would like to be in Ecuador by now as my parents are laying on the guilt trip pretty heavily and I know I have to get back to the states, even if it's just to visit. At least this time around I'm stuck at the beach and not a crappy border town with nothing to do, but why is it that Peru will never let me leave? Ecuador awaits.

Soledad and Fresa love the beach