peru-ed out.

i'm so sick of telling people about peru. i've been back for nearly a month, and still i am forced to reiterate the entire solemn story at least once each day. the man died. i saw death. i saw his wretched, twisted body, and i don't think i'll ever loose this grotesque mental image. sometimes, i see it in dreams. or i dream about that horrible swing contraption and the river. it's not a big deal, though. at least i'm not afraid of heights. we got new guides as a result of his death...and the drama continued.

we walked three hours on train tracks from the hydro plant near santa theresa to aguas calientes, since the only alternate route is by train. it was hot. we had to walk On the tracks, themselves, because the ground was covered in large rocks that made it more difficult on the legs than the wooden planks they called tracks. the train tracks were very uneven and sporadic. they were not evenly distributed; ie, two tracks were two inches apart, and the next two were five inches apart. it was like this the entire way. i felt mostly numb during that "walk". i mean, i had just watched a man fall to his death less than 24 hours prior. in addition, i couldn't stand my boyfriend. if i could offer a little advice to anyone, please do not travel with an individual with whom you are always fighting. this will ruin your trip. it got bad at the end. this scenario i will relate in due sequence.

we spent a night in aguas calientes. the place was a tourist trap. but, they did have 4 for 1 drinks in many of the bars. that's right, FOUR for ONE! of course, the drinks are tiny. my capirinas tasted more like sugary lime soda and didn't even give me a buzz. there is a neat little market up near the train tracks. i bartered a LOT. when bargaining in south america, you can usually tell within the first thirty seconds whether or not the vendor will lower their price. telltale sign: they don't chase after you when you start to walk away, saying the item is much too much money. most people, women especially, will immediately lower their price as you walk off. for example, i really wanted a pair of blue hippie pants for under 20 soles (which in american money is about $7--i was just being cheap). i went to several places on my quest. one woman told me 25, another 20, another 15. the first would not go lower than 20. now, keep in mind, this is in a market where the vendors are very close together and relatively in sight off one another and of each tourist. so the lady across will run up to you shouting a lower price than the one with whom you are engaged in conversation. i say lady because the men don't do as much active bargaining. they will certainly lower their prices, but they do not pursue you and try to convince you to purchase their commodity. anyway, i ended up getting my pants for 10 soles, or about $3.50.

another trick is to tell the vendor that you saw an item for much cheaper at another nearby stand. in my own battered spanish, i would say, "no, es mas caro aqui! es mas barrato en l'otro tienda!" often, this will prompt them to lower their asking price, as the fear another vendor will steal their sale. this is probably my favorite trick. :)

another way to lower prices is to shop in the bulk. if you by several items in one place, you are more likely to receive a discount. a classic example involved my ex-boyfriend and his poor spanish. the woman tried to charge him 25 soles for one t-shirt because it was an extra-large. he was willing to shell out the cash because he really liked it. i stepped up and got her to lower it to 22 soles. then i came up with a better idea. two t-shirts for 25, i demanded. sold. that's how i cut the price in half. and it doesn't hurt to be comfortable with your spanish.

i totally went off on a tangent here and forgot about macchu pichu. i'll do that later. for now, i must go surfing for airplane tickets. i think im going over to europe this december. probably taiwan or at least somewhere in asia during the summer. maybe by then i'll be able to blog in a more organized matter.