Since the guide didn't come even at 7.50 a.m., I started to walk by myself, probing the road by the stick. I have a flight today, and I didn't like the perspective to enter the craft looking as a peccary.
Nobody met us in Puerto - it was not the way Chris would have arranged things, I thought with increasing irritation. After several unfortunate attempts to catch the moto-taxi, my guide finally stopped one that managed to drag itself and us up the hill and leisurely brought us to the office of the company that organized this trip. I dashed from the vehicle to the office and explained, trying to be as polite as I could in this situation, that I have my flight in one hour, and I wanted to know where the car was that I was promised. The girl started to call the taxi, at the same time trying to calm me down saying that I should not worry because I will be on time. There was nothing that I could do, really. I then went to the bathroom to change my clothes that had too visible evidence of my walk in the rainforest.
The taxi took me to the airport for ten soles and about 15 minutes. My flight was delayed, and not only mine; so it seems that nobody hurries up in this country - that's why nobody worries about being somewhere not on time.
- ‘Do you have any drugs, flammables, jaguar, anaconda?’ - the strict and serious customs officer asked me.
- ‘I found neither Jaguar nor anaconda’ – I replied, sheepishly. - But I have cocoa tea and three machetes about a meter in a length.
- O, I'm so sorry, I hope you will find Jaguar next time! Have a nice trip! - saluted the officer.
Lima, where I had a stopover, left me under an ambivalent impression – and I could notice that the contrast between prosperous Miraflores and slums was inconceivable.
- ‘Why don't you drive around this traffic jam? Those streets are free of cars!’ - I asked my driver, Rudolpho. It was a curious conversation: I knew about 30 Spanish words, and he knew English at the same level. But our talk was quite interesting, indeed.
- ‘It is better not to drive in these streets’ – he replied. – ‘Most likely you won't come where you want to. These people are appallingly poor and apathetic to anything. They give birth at 13-14 years and have 4-5 children, who become even poorer than their parents. They make a living by joining a gang, engage in theft and drug-dealing.’
- ‘But in Miraflores I saw a lot of rich and fortunate people’ - I said.
- ‘Miraflores is an entirely different thing. We have five districts like this, where tourists and rich locals used to live, and you can always see many policemen there. But there are only five - and Lima consists of 30 districts!’
- ‘I can't understand this. You have gas, forest, mineral wealth, smart people - so... why??’
- ‘People in government have money. And they don't care about others.’
During my way back Air Europe pleased me even more: they gave us blankets and other staff, and the meal was decent too. I tried to discern the Amazon River, but it was covered by clouds. I have one more reason to come back!
What one feels when the ten-year-old dream is fulfilled?
In my case, it recalled me the myth of the Hydra: as soon as Heracles smashed one of its head, two more would burst forth in its place! Just with one difference - now, after completing this trip, I have not only two new dreams, but many more!
Even in Peru I haven't seen so many interesting things - Titicaca Lake, Iquitos, the river trip from Manu to Puerto, and the giant otters! I can confidently tell that Amazonia in reality turned much more exciting, magnetic and mysterious that I could imagine in my wildest imagination.
19.03.2015
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