jose, the owner of marquay friends hostel, is taking me to the airport in his newly acquired kia sportage. He keeps his promise that we will be there by half past 6. I don't want to know how many liters this SUV consumes in city traffic and at such driving pace.
There is still time for two croissants and a cappuccino. Everything is going according to plan.
Almost.
We are ready for takeoff. The doors are closed, the engines are revving at higher speeds, but then they are powered down again. The front door opens and safety personnel in signal red disappear into the cockpit...
With a slight delay, the small city-liner makes its loop over the Pacific, then turns east.
This time, I am sitting next to a somewhat plump woman in her forties, who knows how to use both the footwell and the armrest for skin contact. My unwilling glance and a vigorous movement of my left arm have a lasting effect, but not for long.
I have my earplugs in and fall asleep to beautiful music. But then I am awakened by the changing sound of the engines. The plane starts its descent. I look at the clock and wonder why it's still too early for that. But I can't see anything outside because we are above the clouds. I see the still snow-free peaks of the Andes.
I fall asleep again and only wake up when the landing gear is deployed. With astonishment, I recognize the Pacific below me. At first, without looking outside, I thought we were making a stopover in Cusco. Far from it. We are back in Lima, the water and the naval ships are approaching dangerously. Finally, the coastline appears and shortly afterwards we touch down safely and reach our parking position again.
Why all this?
The earplugs have prevented me from hearing an announcement from the pilot, so now I can only wait to see what happens next.
It takes at least half an hour before we are allowed to disembark. There is unrest in the cabin, children are whining, video clips are playing on smarties.
The bus is waiting. I get off last to find out from the flight attendant why we are back in Lima. Her laconic answer, in accordance with the company's language policy, is only: mantenimiento - maintenance work. But that had already been done before our flights started, right? Professional friendliness as a response.
It will take a while for the bus to get clearance to return to the gates. But then we are back at gate 34 and take our seats there. Each of us receives a StarPeru card, which will later allow us to re-enter the plane. We wait for an hour and a half and are supplied with cola, sprite, and sandwiches.
Two hours later, the call comes. We are back on the plane without any further delay. It is the same plane that no longer enjoys full trust.
An hour and a half later, we land safely in Puerto Maldonado. After about half an hour, I arrive at the hostel. A familiar glance and after a short negotiation, the usual room price is agreed upon.
A thunderous but brief heavy rain reminds me that I am back in the tropics.
A long siesta, some corrections on the blog, dinner - that's all for today.
Even in the restaurant, I almost feel like coming home. Have I been away for a long time? I tell them about Lima and the peculiar wasps.
05.02.
Today is dedicated to tour planning.
The countdown is slowly beginning. There are still about 6,400 km ahead of me.
The church of Puerto Maldonado. Filled with light and air, but the asbestos sheets heat up fiercely.
In the Andes, there was no planning security in terms of road quality and weather caprices. On the tour through the Amazon basin, the rainy season and rivers overflowing could ruin my schedule.
With a good calculation, I want to arrive in Sao Paulo on March 20 and reach Montevideo in Uruguay on April 21 after a 10-day break.
The stages up to there are well calculated except for two or three 'twists'. 223 km per day.
Just over four weeks later, my cargo ship will leave the port.
06.02.
manana por la tarde a las seis- tomorrow afternoon at 6 o'clock, the Vespa will be in Puerto Maldonado. It only left Lima yesterday.
I am already somewhat annoyed by this laconic answer to my question about where I would find the Vespa on the premises of the Aragon shipping company. Shoulder shrug, no apology.
So I will only be able to start on Friday.
I spent the morning at the customs office, as there is still no response from La Balsa, the border crossing from Ecuador to Peru.
I am supposed to go to the bank tomorrow and deposit 100 soles so that the Vespa can stay in the country for another 48 hours. This will delay it for an additional 24 hours. However, I will still contact customs tomorrow just to be on the safe side.
Golden Gate in Puerto Maldonado
Mucho calor is what I hear frequently today. Yes, it is scorching hot. Almost 40°. I am still somewhat surprised because the locals are used to such temperatures. My hostel owner, who is particularly affected due to his overweight, is more hanging than sitting behind the reception desk. He can hardly manage to greet me. It hasn't rained since Sunday. Is it true that the calendar was right in predicting the heaviest rainfall in January? I would be happy about that.
Despite the heat, I am sticking to my schedule. There are large colorful shopping bags here that I need for the luggage in the side cases. The reserve canister - 2 gallons - is also taken care of, the motorcycle pants are as good as new, and my hair is short again.
Tomorrow, I will get a poncho at the market so that I can keep going even in heavy rain.
Yes, just make a plan and be a big shot, and make a second plan. Neither will work...from Bertolt Brecht's ballad "Of the Inadequacy of Human Planning" (1928)
07.02.
Neither will work...
Jueves, media dia - Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I am in disbelief, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
SUV Herbie with spare tire in the engine compartment and license plate on the roof rack I leave her office cursing in German aloud. Other customers look at me in disbelief. Thankfully, they don't understand what's coming out of my mouth.
The only sentence remaining is: It's no use. Indeed.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Now my mental cinema starts running its own film: Four things need to arrive here. How easily can it happen, with their way of working and reliability, that the side cases and the box with the accessories either stayed in Lima or were forgotten on the way.
I will soon be on a first-name basis with the customs officers. Today, I went there for the third time to extend the deadline for the Vespa. Tomorrow, I will go again and, when asked if I have paid, I will give the same answer again, that the Vespa is still not here.
Today, the sky empties itself with all its might. Every time, I ask myself where I am at that moment. But the temperatures are somewhat bearable now.
I have bought the poncho and also a huge funnel so that I can pour the fuel from the 6-liter canister into my tank without any losses.
Let's see...
The last six weeks have been a time of trials. But they will soon be over.
The daddy longlegs, who already has the wide-open bathroom window in sight, now notices a tremor. Its position follows gravity southward...
But one of its eight legs finds support on the fragile enamel.
08.02.
Another extension of my room. This time until Sunday. Perhaps for the last time? Questions about the Vespa are superfluous.
The customs officer, who is still being trained and is in conversation with a customer, nods recognizing me. He interrupts the conversation to inform his supervisor about my arrival. The supervisor appears shortly thereafter. He too gives me a knowing look, and I make a cross with my hand. He understands, and we continue our conversation in the waiting area.
Only afterwards do I wonder if this cross was somewhat disrespectful? Peruvians are very religious. I have noticed several times that taxi drivers cross themselves while driving. But too late now.
My customs officer seems to have experience with gringos and reacts neutrally. He seems to have understood that it means a further delay of the Vespa.
I should come back tomorrow. But he won't be there. He instructs his apprentice, with whom I will finalize the formalities tomorrow, to meet me.
The weather forecast is correct. It has been pouring heavily all night. Every time, I wonder where I am at that moment. But the temperatures are now somewhat bearable.
I have bought the poncho and also a huge funnel so that I can pour the fuel from the 6-liter canister into my tank without any losses.
Alright - let's see...
The last six weeks have been a time of trials. But they will soon be over.
The daddy longlegs, who already has the wide-open bathroom window in sight, now notices a tremor. Its position follows gravity southward...
But one of its eight legs finds support on the fragile enamel.
08.02.
Another extension of my room. This time until Sunday. Perhaps for the last time? Questions about the Vespa are superfluous.
The customs officer, who is still being trained and is in conversation with a customer, nods recognizing me. He interrupts the conversation to inform his supervisor about my arrival. The supervisor appears shortly thereafter. He too gives me a knowing look, and I make a cross with my hand. He understands, and we continue our conversation in the waiting area.
Only afterwards do I wonder if this cross was somewhat disrespectful? Peruvians are very religious. I have noticed several times that taxi drivers cross themselves while driving. But too late now.
My customs officer seems to have experience with gringos and reacts neutrally. He seems to have understood that it means a further delay of the Vespa. I should come back tomorrow. But he won't be there. He instructs his apprentice, with whom I will finalize the formalities tomorrow, to meet me.
The weather forecast is correct. It has been pouring heavily all night. Every time, I wonder where I am at that moment. But the temperatures are now somewhat bearable.
The poncho has been bought, as well as a huge funnel so that I can continue even in heavy rain.
Yes, making a plan and being a big shot, and making a second plan. Neither will work...from Bertolt Brecht's ballad "Of the Inadequacy of Human Planning" (1928)
07.02.
Neither will work...
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
Majestic: the Rio Madre de Dios
Thursday noon is the answer from the clerk when I ask if the Vespa has arrived yet. Expressionless face...
I can't believe it, but my lack of emotional involvement cannot oppose the clerk's indifference. While she calls the parent company in Lima on my behalf, she casually plays with the stapler ammunition in front of her. She mechanically repeats the new arrival date.
The truck is on its way. It left last night.
She already told me that yesterday. Utter helplessness. There are only servants at the desks. The decision-makers hide behind their offices. Words have little validity.
