Yesterday I went to Museum of Coca. It was very interesting. I had a Spanish speaking guide who explained to me what is the use of coca leaves now and what it was before (for example medicine). The guide introduced me to the drug traffcking history and how the leaves are transformed into cocaine. I saw pictures of celebrities who got into trouble for taking cocaine. You can also buy natural products made of the coca leaves. Small but a great museum.
Today Jhoel took me to La Feria for lunch, it is a market where you can buy everything and eat everything (look at the poor guinea pigs in the picture!! - it is Peruvian delicacy).

Yesterday we went to a salsa club. Well, there was salsa music in one room, in another it was rock music. There were only five people in the salsa room but luckily I met a passionate salsa teacher who asked me for a dance. I was struggling. I am surprised how much my body reacts to lack of oxygen. My lungs hurt when I walk, climb a hill or dance. I spoke about it with Jhoel because I visited Quito and other places located on a high altitude and I was fine. Jhoel said that it was different. There are green spaces around Quito so consequently there is more oxygen. It is just mountains and desert around Cusco so there is little oxygen. I don't like it. Yesterday, the first time in my life, dancing hurt a lot and the pain took away the pleasure of dancing.
The club closed at 1 am so we went to two other clubs with techno music. I enjoyed myself a lot but the cigarette smoke in clubs started annoying me a lot.

I got so drunk yesterday that I felt very unwell, I went to the toilet and I forced myself to vomit. It happened the first (and hopefully the last) time in my trip. I got drunk many times in Colombia (famous agardiente and ron) but I always felt good while drinking and also the next day. Yesterday I drank Peruvian pisco with lemonade. It was horrible but I wanted to drink it because it is a very traditional drink. I mixed it with two glasses of red wine and two glasses of rum and coke.
http://pbav.homestead.com/files/pisco.html
First I went to a Halloween party with Jhoel and Natalie from London. It was in a hostel, on the suburbs of the town. Natalie is a very nice and sweet girl. Unfortunately she drinks and smokes too much, and what's more, she takes cocaine. She comes from a rich English family I think because she lives in Richmond (a very posh district), has own horse and never looks at prices when ordering drinks or food (unlike me :)). I had a chat with her yesterday and I told her to change the lifestyle. I think she is unhappy in life so it is not easy to give up the bad habits.
After the Halloween party we went to a disco, with some people from the hostel.
Cusco discos are "meat markets", reminding me of Cali. However, Colombian men have a lot of respect for women, I am saying this from my own experience. But the fact is that many foreigners come to Cali just for sex (which is fine as long as everyone is happy). Majority of people come to Cusco because of Machu Picchu, not to party. But they quickly understand that the nightlife here is great and that it is extremely easy to find a sex partner.
Sleezy Peruvian guys in discos annoy me a lot. Two days ago I slapped a guy who touched my bottom twice. The first time I turned round and I said laudly "don't do this again". He did it again an hour later so I slapped his face, very strongly. The guy was in shock but his friend got angry with me and he asked what was the problem. I got so furious that I almost started a fight but the guys knew that they were going to lose (with a blond foreigner) so they gave up. Yesterday another guy touched my bottom. I was busy talking to somebody so I reacted too late and the guy run away. Even Jhoel's friends touch my hands, back or hair whenever they can.
I made a lot of friends in Cusco and generally I am feeling good here. I decided to stay in the town for Halloween.
In the picture: Cusco's cathedral at night.

I was dancing last night :) First I went to a Couch Surfing meeting in Plaza de Armas. I met lovely people and to my big surprise I saw Alex from Spain who I met in Cali, Colombia, two months ago (in the picture with glasses). He has been travelling for 9 months now and he will finish his trip in December. He made a lot of miles by bus - from Brazil to Argentina, then Peru, Colombia, Panama, back to the south of the continent, then back to the north and now he is heading to Argentina again. He spent a lot of hours travelling on buses, I thought that nobody could beat me :)

We had a great time yesterday although I was feeling sick again (what the hell is wrong with me??). At the CS meeting I drank coca tea (you make cocaina from coca leaves but they are also good for altitude sickness). We went to a club with a loud rock music (it was a concert of a Peruvian group) so I didn't dance and I couldn't chat with anyone. After half an hour I phoned my host Jhoel and I asked him what he was doing. He didn't come to the Couch Surfing meeting as his ex-girlfriend was there. They just ended the relationship in a bad way, so he is avoiding her. Apparently, when they were going out, he saw her four times (on seperate occasions) kissing other men. I asked him: are you sure it was her kissing them or maybe you kissing girls? He did swear it was her.
Jhoel picked me up ten minutes later and we went to three discos where I met Jhoel's friends. The music was not my cup of tea but we were dancing salsa to techno music ha ha ha....
You don't pay entrance fee to clubs in Cusco which is great, and you get one free drink, which is even greater! Unfortunately people can smoke in pubs and clubs in Peru. So: you can't smoke in Brazil, can in Venezuela, can't in Colombia, can in Ecuador, can in Peru.

I woke up too late today and I missed my bus to Puno, so I went for a walk in Cusco again. The streets are very narrow which is beautiful and annoying at the same time. You have to give priority to cars all the time and there is very little space for pedestrians.
I forgot to mention yesterday that when I was in Machu Picchu... at one point... unexpectedly... I heard quiet music coming out from somewhere. It was a Peruvian flute version of the most famous in the world lambada song!!! - And no, I wasn't drunk; it was a sign from heaven... :))

Finally I managed to upload a video of the "dancing fountains" (3D show) in Lima, which I loved.
Circuito Magico del Agua, Lima
And also a video of the Ecuadorian wedding I was invited to:
Ecuadorian wedding, Quito 25.09.2010

Machu Picchu

My 2-day trip to Machu Picchu was... won-der-ful. But it's not because of the beautiful mountains, not because of the famous MP, not because of the welcoming Aguas Calientes town or the nice hostel we stayed at but... it is all because of the extraordinary people I met on my minibus.

I booked transport to Hidroelectrica with the travel agency of my first host Chalex (I am staying with my second host now as Chalex got a 4-day job in the mountains). In Cusco everyone has a travel agency, tourism is the main source of income for the town.
The minibus picked me up at 7.30 am on Monday. It was full and I was too sleepy to start a conversation with the people. However, at one point the discussion between guys turned to my favourite subject: Colombian politics, and this was the moment when I had my say. We all introduced ourselves. There was a guy from Ecuador (a "walking encyclopedia"), a guy from Colombia, 3 guys from Argentina, 2 girls from England and 2 girls from France. All of them very nice. We talked about politics, economy, religion, food, sex, marriage and many other subjects - no taboo existed. All the conversations were in Spanish :)
The landscape was breathtaking. High mountains, waterfalls, wooden bridges. I just can't describe how beautiful it was. Well, dangerous too as there were small mountain roads right by the very steep slopes. I felt a little bit sick on the altitude of 5000 meters above  the sea level.
We arrived in Hidroelectrica. Some of the people wanted to take train to Aguas Calientes where our hostel was, others wanted to walk (I wanted to walk for experience and it was free). It appeared that the train ticket price rose from 8 to 18 dollars on that day (120% increase!!!!! - with no warning or any information given out !!). Everyone decided to walk to save money. The walk was fantastic - it took us 2.5 hours to get to Aguas Calientes but it was worth it. Who takes the train, misses a lot !!
We arrived in Aguas at 7 pm. I managed to get a room in the same hostel that the Ecuadorian and Colombian guys, and Laura from London.  What's more, we were sharing a huge room which was great fun. I had a long conversation with the Colombian guy about Colombia again, then we had dinner and we walked around the beautiful but very small town. We got to bed at 11 pm, laughing all the time.

We woke up at 3.30 am and started walking with our torches at 4 am. The entrance gate to Machu Picchu (translation: Old Peak) opened at 5 am. It was 1-hour climb, very tough because the mountain was very steep, it had steep steps all the way up. I was struggling. I couldn't get air in my lungs and I felt very sick few times, which was unusual for me. It must have been either the altitude sickness or the fact that I just recovered from flu. I tried to be as fast as possible as only first 400 people a day who enter MP can climb Wana Picchu (Young Peak), a mountain next to MP (in the picture, behind me).
When I eventually made it to the top, I entered the Machu Picchu area, had a walk around, listened to a guide for a while and I climbed Wana Picchu. Again, I felt sick but I really wanted to climb the second mountain - it was part of my experience. When I got to the top of Wana Picchu, it started raining violently and the way down was very dangerous. Apparently, every year 5 people fell down the mountain and die.

Machu Picchu was not magic for me. Neither for my friends (it was a proof that I am not the only strange one). We all admitted that MP is just a big name and you have to visit it to "tick the box" in Peru. For me it was another bunch of ruins and stones, however very beautiful and mystic. You can only admire what Incas built 600 years ago on the altitude of 2450 meters. There are beautiful mountains surrounding MP - just breathtaking. I think this is the real reason why people say that the place is magic.
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/sites/machu_picchu.html

Laura and I left MP at midday and we took the early bus down the mountain. We decided to walk from Aguas Calientes to Hidroelectrica to save 18 dollars each. The walk took us 2 hours and it was fantastic. The nature was great and we talked non-stop, all the way back.
We arrived in Hidroelectrica at 2.30 pm, found our minibus, waited 30 minutes for the people to arrive by train and we left for Cusco. We were all extremely tired and struggling on the minibus as it was impossible to sleep. The bus was jumping and swinging on the mountain roads. We were so exhausted that we even couldn't talk any more.
At one point our minibus picked up a girl and a guy from Ecuador. The girl remembered me, she interviewed me in Quito for a local newspaper. Small world...
We arrived in Cusco at 10 pm where we said goodby to each other (so sad !!). I got to my host Jhoel's flat, had a chat with him, took a very hot shower, went to bed and slept for 13 hours. I am going to have a good rest in Cusco today and tomorrow I am leaving for Lake Titicaca.

The 2-day trip to Machu Picchu cost:
100 soles (23 pounds) return trip by minibus
20 soles (4.50 pounds) hostel
126 soles (29 pounds) entrance to Machu Picchu
20 soles bus from MP down the mountain to Aguas Calientes
35 soles (8 pounds) all the food
Total: 69 pounds. It may sound not too expensive for English conditions but for the people travelling long time, those used to Peruvian prices in other towns or those from Eastern Europe for exmple, it is very expensive.
You can only save 20 soles if you have time to walk down to Aguas Calientes, otherwise you can't get this trip cheaper. If you don't look around and if you don't get a proper price information, you will pay double or even more (ripping off travel agencies).

This afternoon I did the city tour by bus (we visited few places outside of the city too). It was ok. A lot of ruins, stones, horrible stories about sacrifying animals and people (well... virgins and children) and local people annoyingly trying to sell you anything. Luckily I met a Brazilian guy on the bus, Elder. We had some interesting conversations all the time, otherwise I would have gotten bored.

In the morning I did some visiting, then I came back home, slept a couple of hours and in the evening I bought a city tour and I also booked transport to Machu Picchu (I am going tomorrow). It is all expensive here, if you want to come to Cusco or MP, you have to empty your pockets.
At night I met William from Couch Surfing and we went for a walk (in the picture). William is a history teacher and he told me a lot of very interesting (and scary) stories about Sendero Luminoso, a communist "mafia" group from the 80's. His own brother belonged to the organisation and when it was terminated, he spent few years in prison. William's father, who was also a history teacher, was robbed many times by Sendero at home because as a teacher he was getting money from the government. Sendero didn't like people who were getting money from the government. William was very happy to tell me all these stories. He said that it has never happened to him before that somebody wanted to know so much about an ordinary person from Cusco (all the travellers ask only about Incas...).

In Cusco

Arequipa - Cusco: 623 km, 10 hours on the bus, cost: 12 pounds. This trip was a nightmare. Not because of the bus company - as always in this country it was very good. I am very surprised by the level of efficiency, safety and standard of buses in Peru. The problem was that we travelled through the desert (again kind of a Moon surface) and it got really cold, so cold that the windows got covered in ice. The bus had air conditioning but I felt cold. I asked for two extra blankets and I still felt cold. My body is really annoying sometimes. I didn't sleep at all in the night and now hey! - I am visiting Cusco (in the picture). Somehow, miraculously, I feel good and fresh.

When I arrived to Cusco I took a taxi to Chalex's house. The taxi in the bus station would cost 8 soles and the drivers were extremely rude so I walked out of the station and I found a taxi for 3 soles. There was a French girl who asked me if we could share the taxi because she was afraid to travel on her own. I was wondering why.... until I heard Chalex's story.
My host lives in quite basic conditions: no heating at home and no hot water (so there is no way I am going to take shower for the next 3 or more days, sorry!!....). I just asked him for a lot of blankets to be able to sleep at night. He seems to be a nice, smart and trustworthy guy. He welcomed me at 7 am with a cup of coffee and breakfast. This time I didn't feel obligued to pay for it which is unusual in Peru. We were chatting for a long time when I arrived and he told me that Peru is very dangerous. I would never think of this. I suppose the majority of people in Europe just know Machu Picchu in Peru.
Chalex was kidnapped and almost killed. He got on a taxi and after a short ride two men with guns entered the taxi, punched and kicked him all over, and kidnapped him. They kept him in a garage for 3 days, with a sack on his head so he could see nothing. They were kicking him hard until he gave them the pin number for his card. Within 3 days they took out all his money and his bank account became empty. His head and body were covered in blood because of the kicking. On the third day they told him they would let him go. He got very nervous because he thought it meant taking him to the desert and shooting him. Luckily, they freed him. He was hospitalised with the wounds.
When he was telling me the story, I remembered that my host from Arequipa, Raul, was kidnapped as well but the saga lasted "only" few hours. They got his money and let him go (it all started with a taxi driver too).
Wow.... Chalex is having councelling now as the impact of the kidnapping is huge and it left him with many fears (no wonder...).

Cusco is small and beautiful. I am going to Machu Picchu tomorrow or after tomorrow. People say that MP is a magic place and I am very curious to see if it makes the same impression on me. So far I have seen two magic places in my life: Petra in Jordan and Amazon river and forest in Brazil. "Magic" for me means: you go to a place and suddenly, unexpectedly, an immense feeling of happiness hits you and everything starts to feel surreal. You feel vastness of space, freedom and hope.
Here are my pictures from Arequipa:
Arequipa

Last night I met Carlos from Couch Surfing. We drank emoliente in the street and then we went for a walk (in the picture in front of Monasterio de Santa Catalina).
Carlos told me a lot about his life. He does different jobs but all of them are connected with death. He is a forensic officer, required on accident sites when somebody dies. He also works in a mortuary, putting makeup on deceased people. He doesn't mind doing the job because he has seen dead people since he was little. His mother left him and his four siblings when he was 3 years old. He remembers going to the kindergarden and waiting long time for her to pick him up at the end of the day. She never came. His father, who is a plastic surgeon, was working in a mortuary at that time. He didn't have money for a nanny so he was taking his youngest son with him to the workplace. Carlos' mother turned up when he was 16 years old, apparently her mother's instinct suddenly kicked in. Somehow it is hard to believe it, I think that maybe she needed money from the father.
This afternoon I am meeting Juan from CS for a drink and at night I will be travelling to the famous Cusco.

Last night I went to a Mexican restaurant with Raul. I could hardly walk because of the flu but I made this effort because I don't have much time left in South America and I don't want to waste my time lying in bed.
I slept a lot at night and now I am feeling better. Raul's flat is tiny. I sleep in the same (well, the only) room in a separate, very comfortable bed. I feel good here, there is good energy in the room.
This afternoon I went to Plaza de Armas (main square, in the picture). Arequipa is small, you can visit everything in two days - the cathedral, churches and museums. There are a lot of travel agencies selling different kinds of trips and trekking but I am not interested. To be honest, the only thing I am thinking about now is to be in Buenos Aires and to dance lambada.......

In Arequipa

Lima - Arequipa: 1009 km, 16 hours on the bus, cost: 16 pounds. I didn't travel with the same company that from Trujillo to Lima as it was far too expensive. However, the cheaper bus I took was very comfortable too. We travelled through the desert again. Desert was everywhere (in the picture).
I got a bad cold or flu and I am feeling horrible. Again I thought: malaria? - and again I am lucky, just a flu.
From the bus station I took a taxi to my host's flat. Raul lives very close to the town centre, 5 minutes from Plaza de Armas which is a very nice place. Arequipa looks beautiful but today I am going to sleep all day to get better and I will do some visiting tomorrow.
My pictures from Lima:
Lima

Yesterday I went to Barranco district again (in the picture) where I met Oscar from Couch Surfing for a drink. In the evening I went to a buddhist centre (why not?... :)) I used to practice Tibetan buddhism for ten years. Yesterday it was a quite good lecture of a German teacher about buddhism in the contemporary world.
Today Marco took me to the financial centre of Lima, to show me how developed the district is. It reminded me very much of Liverpool Street in London which I don't like - too much rush and stress in the streets.

This night I am going to Arequipa, south of Peru. Apparently it is warmer there than in Lima, I hope so! After my Brazilian beach overdose in the first three months of my trip, I would do with some sunbathing now. Unfortunately it is only spring in Peru. At least it almost never rains here. Can you imagine, people from London? :)
My stay in Lima has been very intensive - I did a lot of visiting and I met some people but not a lot. I always felt that my host Marco was happy to chat with me so I didn't feel lonely and it wasn't necessary for me to contact many people, as I usually do.
I love Lima, it has a lot to offer and it is beautiful. I wouldn't mind living here if I had a good job.

Today I went with Marco to a food market for a lunch. Than I went to the historic centre again to take more pictures. I visited China Town which was not as big as I thought, considering the size of Chinese community in Lima. The Barrio Chino is very nice however I didn't like bank adverts hanging off the street lamps.
Regarding the safety situation in Lima, well.... I feel safe. I was told that there are no men running around with guns like in Brazil, Venezuela or Colombia but the crime here is different. There are many well-skilled muggers and a lot of people are masters of cheating, to get money from you. I just kept my handbag close to me all the time. At least I knew it was unlikely that somebody would put a gun to my head again. In many places there are also security guards with scary looking dogs, which makes you feel safe.
What I don't like is that so many men urinate in the streets; no wonder the smell is terrible in some places.
At night I went to the Circuito Magico del Agua again (in the picture: Fuente de la Armonia - harmony fountain). I love this place. This time the fountains were "dancing" to different kinds of music, with 3D projections on the water.
There is so much good energy in the fountains park. You can walk inside some fountains with no water. Suddenly, the water splashes from all directions, and you get wet. It is a lot of fun; people get happy, they laugh, shout trying to run away from the water and you feel that this place is magic.
I talked with Marco and his brother about Colombia today, apparently people here call Uribe Vellez (the ex-president) Uribe balas (almost the same pronunciation but balas means: bullets). Why? It is all explained in my "Colombia" section.

In Peru you have to learn how to recognise fake money. This skill is a must. You buy something in a shop - the shop assistant checks carefully your banknotes and coins. He/she gives you change - you check carefully the banknotes and coins. We used to do it in Poland 20 years ago (well, maybe some people still do it now) then I completely forgot about all this business and now the past has come back.

Today I phoned Cesar from Couch Surfing, we met and spent the whole day in Miraflores district (in the picture). The weather was beautiful, the place was very clean and the air was fresh. I enjoyed our long walk a lot.
At night Pamela (not from CS, I just met her in a bar yesterday and it appeared that she lives very close to my host) picked me up and we went to... Miraflores again, to meet friends and to spend time in a lovely bar called La Maquina where they serve the best fruit juices in the world :)

I woke up very late this morning, I was tired and my bed is very comfortable. Marco decided to show me Barranco district, right by the beach. I liked the district a lot. The coast is amazing, you see extremely high slopes with posh houses built on them; this is a part of the city where rich people live. There are many old and traditional restaurants. Lima surprises me more and more, every day I see something beautiful.
At night we went to a Couch Surfing meeting in another awesome district called Miraflores. It is a very posh district by the Pacific coast, like Barranco. I met nice local people and many times I had to explain where Poland is on the world map (...no, it is not a part of the United States...). In Peru you can't smoke in clubs and bars, so: you can't in Brazil, can in Venezuela, can't in Colombia, can in Ecuador, can't in Peru.
Another interesting fact about the capital: it has the largest Chinese community in South America (famous Barrio Chino de Lima).

In Lima

Distance Trujillo - Lima: 560 km, 10 hours on the bus, cost: 12 pounds. The bus was the best one I have travelled on in South America so far. It had the best service: a very pleasant stewardess, food, drinks, warm blankets (although the temperature was perfect), good film, health and safety instructions. All buses of this company are monitored by the main office to make sure that you are safe and that you get to the destination on time. Wow!
The bus company is called Cruz del Sur, they are more expensive than others but the standard is amazing.
From the bus station I took a taxi to my host's flat. Marco lives in a nice district. His flat is big, clean and comfortable - a great beginning in Lima :) Marco himself seems to be a great guy, we talked for ages when I arrived. I learnt many things about the country. For example, the safety situation was very bad in Peru in the 80's. There was a "mafia" communist party called Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), they were cutting off electricity to protest against the government. People didn't have electicity for up to few days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_Path
They were putting bombs in the city and killing many people. At the same time (84' - 85'), the inflation in Peru was 1000% so people in the country were struggling.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news-7000-peru-peru-helping-poor-curbing-inflation-governments-main-goals
In 1992 the leader of Sendero Luminoso Abimael Guzman was captured by the intelligence forces of a new president Alberto Fujimori (who was president of Peru but he was Japanese!!). Since then, the safety situation improved. Phew......

In the evening Marco showed me the city. Lima is beautiful. I remember my host from Quito saying "don't go to Lima, you will waste your time, there is nothing to see in Lima". Luckily I always have to find out for myself. He was wrong and I would miss a lot if I didn't come here. Plaza de Armas, president and mayor residences, cathedral, many beautiful churches and the most important for me - the absolutely amazing "Circuito Magico del Agua". It is a park with many huge, "dancing" to the classical or electronic music fountains with spectacular light effects.
There are no tall buildings in Lima, due to earthquakes. Marco said that there is an earthquake every day, just that usually you don't notice it, however sometimes it is scary. The last big earthquake occured in 1974 when a lot of houses were distroyed and many people died. The big ones happen every 35 years, which means that the next one is just about to happen... (I got a little bit panicky here!...). Last week there was a big earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter scale in the Ica region, south of Lima. At the same time in Lima it was 4.5 on the Richter scale which was already scary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale
Marco said that people here learn at school how to deal with this kind of natural disaster and what to do when it starts (I got a quick lesson).
I also tried a typical warm drink called emoliente, made of linseeds that grow in Peru, with herbs and lemon. It has a sticky consistence, it is very tasty and it makes you feel warm on the cold nights.
A next set of my pictures:
Trujillo

Yesterday I went to Teatro Municipal with Abraham to a classical music concert. It was great. After the first break, the musicians came back on the stage and they welcomed foreigners. Evidently, I was the only foreigner in the teatre (Trujillo is not popular with travellers) so it was directed at me. How nice of them! The sad thing was that no young people came to the concert (and it was free of charge). So different from London or Cali, where the cultural events are packed with people of all ages.

After the concert we went to a restaurant and I met Abraham's friends (in the picture). All of them do voluntary work for a human rights organisation, supporting gay and transvestite rights movement. They receive money from a similar organisation in Holland and they are one of a very few organisations of this kind in Peru. The people were lovely and I had a good time.
Today I went to "Huacas del Sol y de la Luna" archeological site. I feel obligued to visit these places while I am here, although they are not of my interest really. When you are in Peru, you must see them... After that I went to Huanchaco, a district with a nice beach. Yes, it is nice but why everything is so dirty??
There was a football match on Tuesday, Ecuador played with Poland :) The score was 2:2. All my friends in Ecuador were watching the match.
Here are my pictures from Cuenca in Ecuador:
Cuenca

My host Abraham picked me up from the bus station at 1 am. In his house I met the whole family: his mother, two sisters, two brothers, their children and a very weird looking dog. The family is lovely, talkative and helpful. The house is very basic and it is cold in it. Well, it is cold in Trujillo now.
Today Abraham showed me the town centre (in the picture Plaza de Armas) which is very small. I would say that Trujillo is not especially attractive but it is very hmmm... Peruvian.
I found out that I had fake 100 Peruvian soles (23 pounds). I either took it out of the bank cash machine or the taxi driver at the border swapped it when I was paying him, and he took the real money (although I was very careful !!). I also found out that I had fake 20 dollars (13 pounds) from Ecuador, when I wanted to exchange it here..... This made me feel like I had enough of South America and sadly, I stopped trusting anyone. In the morning I asked Abraham to hide my passport in his room as my room is easy to access. When we came back from the town centre, I asked him to give me the passport back. I felt sorry because he knew the reason... I carry my passport with me now.
What I don't like is that he expects me to pay for everything. He asks me to "lend" him money for lunch, coffee and everything else. I hate it. I always buy my hosts something to say thank you but it has never happened before that they wanted me to pay all the time.

PERU, In Trujillo

Distance Cuenca - Trujillo: 949 km. It takes 5 hours to get to the Peruvian border (242 km) and 11 hours from the border to Trujillo (707 km).
My bus to the border in Huaquillas was at 3 am. I fell asleep but at one point the bus was swinging so much that I woke up and I looked through the window. What I saw shocked me - it was a desert. Sand everywhere... the bus was struggling to get through. Initially I got very scared because I thought that the bus had been hijacked and the capturers were going to kill us in the desert... (you have these thoughts after 9 months of travelling in South America). Luckily everything was fine, it was a normal bus route - through the dunes and mountains. The view was amazing, kind of a Moon surface (not that I have been on the Moon, not yet, but this is how you see it in films). Absolutely breathtaking.
Crossing the border was an experience. Well, I already learnt that crossing South American borders always means challenge and adventure, especially for lonely travellers. A funny thing was that both borders (Ecuadorian and Peruvian) are in completely different places, 10 kilometers apart from each other. When you arrive to the bus station in Huaquillas you have to take a taxi to the Ecuadorian border, then come back to the bus station and take another taxi with a Peruvian driver to the Peruvian border in Aguas Verdes. From the border you take a taxi again to a terminal in Tumbes (30 km distance) where you find buses to Trujillo, Lima and other cities. I got really tired because I had to negotiate hard all the prices. I paid 9 pounds to get everywhere comfortably. I also bought a Claro sim card (3 pounds 50 pence) and I phoned my hosts to say that I have arrived.
The bus to Trujillo was filthy and had no toilet but the drivers were very nice and chatty, and it made me feel good. We crossed the north part of Peru - everything was a desert. In some parts it is a dry land, in some it is white sand, and there are even villages built on the sand. Well, it looks completely different than Morocco for example. There is nothing to offer on the desert in Peru: no camels, no donkeys, no caravans - just some amazing views (in the picture). I would advise all the travellers to take bus instead of plane, despite the fact that the journey takes many hours. What you see you will remember forever.

For an unknown reason my bus terminated 3 hours away from Trujillo, in Chiclayo. The people in the station were extremely helpful. They showed me where to take another bus and were warning me all the time about pickpocketers in Peru. The bus company gave me some money back for not taking me to Trujillo. I have to say that the organisation and bureaucracy in the bus station surprised me a lot. For example, a security officer films faces of all the passengers on the bus before departure. If there is a trouble your face is on the camera. I suppose it reduces crime a lot.

Cuenca is charming but it is very small. I visited it in a couple of hours, then I came back home and at night I met Christian and his friend Luis. They took me by car to a view point on the outskirts of the city, it was great but.... cold. Then we went to an Arabic restaurant to have a drink and banana shisha. I had a great time, we were talking about many things that are happening in Ecuador, for example speculations who wanted to kill the president or on the "lighter" side, how difficult it is to find a partner in Cuenca.

This morning I took a local bus to Cuenca National Park (in the picture). It was beautiful however there was a strong cold wind and it was very expensive to get in. So I just had a quick walk around and I came back to the city.
I had some spare malaria tablets and I wanted to get rid of them. I left some in my bag just in case I get malaria so I can take them quickly to cure the illness. I asked Mario what to do with the unwanted tablets. He took them for his... flowers. He said that flowers live much longer in a vase if you dissolve malaria tablets in the water, hmmm...

Tonight I am leaving Ecuador for Peru. I have spent 270 pounds in 3 weeks in Ecuador. It covers transport between 6 villages/towns/cities, 5 nights in hotels or hostels (there is no much difference apart from the name - you can find a very posh and expensive hostel and a very cheap hotel), 3 meals in cheap restaurants every day, travelling a lot by taxi, internet, bus from Cuenca to Trujillo in Peru.
If you don't have much time to visit Ecuador, I would recommend you to go only to Quito and Canoa (and with some spare time, to Guayaquil). Quito to visit the beautiful capital and Canoa to relax.
In some places in Ecuador you won't meet many people (but this has advantages as well). Ecuador is great for surfers and hikers, and for those who like to get drunk in a nice scenery.

In Cuenca

Guayaquil - Cuenca: 260 km, 4 hours on the bus, cost: 4 pounds 50 pence. The landscape on the way was fantastic, we crossed amazing green mountains with many lagoons. It got very cold. It is cold in Cuenca as the altitude of the city is 2500 meters above the sea level.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca,_Ecuador
When I arrived, I took a taxi to Patricio's house. I was curious because I heard about him before from other Couch Surfers, they told me that he was a little bit strange. And indeed he is, but in a positive way. He is kind of a philosoph. In the first hour we met we talked a lot about life, that life is wonderful if you want it to be wonderful. He has 16 siblings, his grandmother was 120 years old when she died and his grandfather was 140 years old when he died (oh my god, it is difficult to believe!!). Patricio said that people in Cuenca and surroundings used to live very long. It has changed because of pollution, chemicals in food et cetera.
Patricio lives with Mario who he calls "brother" but everyone thinks that they are gays. Maybe it is not easy to be a gay in Cuenca. Sometimes you can get scared by the way Mario talks to you (a very serious, teacher's face) but he is a kind and funny man.
Cuenca is a nice city but it is nothing like Guayaquil, it didn't make a big impression on me. Apparently there are many rich people because they have families in the US. There is why you see so many cars in the narrow streets and consequently the traffic is horrible.

At night I met Christian from Couch Surfing. He introduced me to his friends, among them a lovely German couple (in the picture). The CS community in Cuenca is small but very active. They host a lot of people or meet travellers for a drink, however they don't organise any internal meetings.
We went to a bar, I tried canelazo again (the last time, it was awful...) and then we went to a latin disco. The music was ok, kind of salsa mixed with something, not for me but many people were enjoying themselves.
What I find interesting is that you can't smoke in bars and clubs in Brazil, you can in Venezuela, you can't in Colombia and you can in Ecuador. Here my clothes and hair stink of the cigarette smoke again.
My pictures from Guayaquil:
Guayaquil

This morning I went to the city centre for the last time. I visited my favourite Parque Simon Bolivar which is commonly called Parque Las Iguanas. I spent two hours looking in amazement and touching these extremely funny animals. People hussle them sometimes, just out of curiosity but luckily there is special police with whistles which guards the lizards.
At night we went to a funfair. I love funfairs and if you are in a good company, you can have a great time. Funfairs make you forget about your problems and everything - you only think how to survive when you hung upside down :) I was wondering: at what age you should stop doing the scary rides in funfairs? You can't do them when you are 70, so how do you know at what age you should stop??...
I am leaving Guayaquil today. This city welcomed me more than I expected and surprised me by its beauty. It also let me meet great people.

Yesterday I met Juan Carlos and his friend Adriana and we went to Parque Historico (historical park). It was great and I saw a sloth which was amazing. I touched it, I have to touch everything in South America that I can't touch in Europe :)) There were also some other animals and exotic plants.
At night Christian's friend came with a big car. He picked up many people and the Couch Surfing gang went to a disco. The music at the disco was mixed and not very good, and the salsa music was very commercialised. For me it is very simple: if you see many happy people dancing on the floor it means that the music is great; if there is just one bored couple on the floor, it means that the music is crap..... . However, I had a good time because of the people.
In the picture: Couch Surfing Guayaquil.

Yesterday I met Juan Carlos, a friend of my host Christian who works every day so he doesn't have time for me during the day. Juan was my guide in the city. We visited Bolivar Square, commonly called "lizards square" because you can see so many of them!! You can also touch them - it was an amazing experience for me. They are very funny and friendly animals.
Then we went for a walk along the bay and to the university where you can see turtles from Galapagos. I am going to skip Galapagos islands this year as it is a very expensive trip, for this money I can do many other things in South America. But I heard that the islands are unique and incredible experience. The turtles were huge, I was touching them everywhere, they have soft and dry neck with hard head and body. So peaceful as well, you have to like them straight away.
I had a very nice evening too, at a Couch Surfing meeting. Some people picked me up by car and we went to eat tacos, a very tasty snack. The CS group made a good impression on me.

In Guayaquil

Guayaquil is the biggest city in Ecuador, of which I would never know or hear if I didn't travel in the country.
Salinas - Guayaquil: 130 km, 2.5 hours on the bus, cost: 2 pounds 70 pence. We drove through Santa Rosa near Salinas. It is a very nice city, much bigger than Salinas.
I arrived to Guayaquil at 5 pm and Christian, my Couch Surfing host, picked me up from the bus station. It was the same guy I met in Montañita!! :) I didn't recognise him when I sent a couch request. Another weird thing happened in the Guayaquil bus station, I met Boris with whom I travelled to Canoa!! He seemed to be happy to see me but I wasn't happy to see him, to be honest. There were too many lies and uncertainty surrounding him. I asked him how was his brother's birthday party (it was the reason he was travelling to Canoa) and he said he didn't go to the party. Hmmm.... Then, with no money, he travells to Guayaquil.... I wasn't very talkative so he left after a while, apparently travelling somewhere else.

We arrived in Christian's flat where I met his two lovely flatmates: an Ecuadorian guy and his Norvegian girlfriend. At night I met Washington from Couch Surfing and he showed me the city by night. I am really impressed!!! It is so beautiful !! I am going to visit it again today with Christian's friend, Luis. The city is clean and they do recycling in the centre. I was told that 15 years ago it was a completely different place, very dangerous, and the parts we visited yesterday were "favelas". You can see it yourself as there are old pictures from 15 years ago on the beautiful walls now. The weather in Guayaquil is perfect and although people tell me to be very careful because of crime in the streets, I feel good. There is a beautiful lighthouse on the top of the hill in the city centre, and the view from it is breathtaking. I haven't seen any travellers as apparently people are afraid to visit the city. It is such a shame because Guayaquil is amazing.
Christian and Washington told me a lot about the recent political crisis. It was really bad and violent, as never before. The police went on strike so people in the streets were stealing whatever was possible to steal. The same happened in Quito.
In the picture: on the top of the lighthouse. Here are my pictures from the Ecuadorian coast:
Canoa, Manta, Montañita, Salinas

In Salinas

I am travelling south very quickly, looking for salsa clubs and trying to leave Ecuador soon, just in case the political situation gets worse.
I arrived in Salinas yesterday. Montañita - Salinas: around 120 km, 3 hours on the bus, cost: 1 pound 20 pence. The hotel I found cost 7 pounds a night (such a rip off !!), it is because Salinas is very different than the places in Ecuador I visited before. It is a proper sea resort, well-developed with big hotels by the beach (in the picture). To get to Salinas you travel via "Ruta del Sol", beautiful and relaxing route:
La Ruta del Sol

In Montañita

Oh my god, Montañita is crazy!! - I heard a lot about the place before but when I got off the bus, I was shocked.
Manta - Montañita: about 100 km (going through small villages), 4 hours on the bus, cost: 3 pounds. Again, I found a nice room for 3 pounds a night.
Montañita is a hippie town. There are many restaurants, coffee bars, hostels, hotels, travellers in the streets, loud music coming from the bars, street vendors et cetera. You can easily get drugs here and the police don't care about it, therefore travellers looking for a drug experience come and love it here. This is the deal...

At night I went out, I was looking for a salsa place. There was a lot of good salsa music coming out of the bars but people were not dancing. So I went to the beach, met some local people, several times refused alcohol and marijuana, had a walk around, chatted to some people, came back to the beach, had some techno dance and that was it. What I noticed and what surprised me a lot was that the local people and foreigners go to different bars. Locals to the cheap ones (but with excellent latin music - I went there) and foreigners to the expensive, posh bars with American rock music. I don't understand - if you need rock music in a beautiful bar, don't travel.
Montañita is very small and if you don't do alcohol and drugs, there is not much to do. However, I am very glad I came here - it is an unique place in Ecuador.
I went to bed late at night - in the whole town the music was extremely loud. I fell asleep having impression that my bed was in the middle of a big techno club, even my lovely earplugs didn't work. But... I was very happy - it was the real Montañita experience.

Something very funny happened to me this morning. I was sitting in a coffee bar when a guy approached me and he asked "are you Couch Surfing?" I looked at him, very surprised, and I said "yes". He knew my profile from CS Cali website and he did remember me... ha ha  ha... very soon people will know me all over the world, I just need to travel a little bit more...
In the picture on the left: my hostel and my balcony on the first floor.

In Manta

Distance Canoa - Manta: around 150 km (I can't find the right number online). It took 5 hours to travel: by bus from Canoa to San Vicente (17 km), by boat to get through the river Chone to Bahia city and by bus again to Manta. Total cost: 3 pounds. I arrived in Manta, found a nice hotel and I negotiated the price of a room to 4 pounds (ha ha ha.. I like numbers..).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manta
Bahia is a nice, clean and safe town where everyone knows each other and they all seem to be happy (this was my impression in one hour I spent in the town).
We drove through San Clemente town. I think that in years to come it will be travellers main attraction, with beautiful beaches and amazing nature.
The people in small towns and villages in Ecuador seem to be honest, very respectful and very shy. They rarely look in my eyes or they look at me when I don't look at them and when I suddenly look at them, they quickly look somewhere else.
Manta is a nice and clean city but I would say it is not necessary to visit it. It is relaxing but it doesn't have a historic centre - the centre is a road with a lot of bars and restaurants where I went last night. There was a lot of good salsa music coming out of the bars but nobody was dancing (how was it possible??). The beach is located by a port - something I don't like very much.

At the moment I have a lot of time for myself. I don't dance but I don't mind, I know I will be dancing a lot soon (either in Buenos Aires, Cali, Porto Seguro or in the worst case in London). For this reason I don't get frustrated as I used to do at the beginning of my trip. I am focusing on describing my thoughts, feelings and experiences. As I told Fabian before I left Quito "I have to sort out my head". It is the perfect time and a perfect country to do it, the first time in my whole trip.

My dear friends, thank you so much for worrying about me. I am fine. I left Quito right on time, a day before the horrible conflict started. It seems to be a little war in Quito and Guayaquil (the biggest city of Ecuador). I watch it on TV in Canoa and I can't believe this is happening in the streets I was walking a couple of days ago. I am wondering if the conflict is going to affect my trip.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447519

Fabian, my host in Quito, phoned me and he said that he can't leave his house at the moment... wow...
I am travelling to my next destination today as I relaxed a lot and I need new adventures now. The nightlife in Canoa is non-existent. Yesterday I was the only person walking in the streets (and feeling very safe). However, I like the village a lot because it is exotic and welcoming. In the picture: the main street :)
Last night I had a very tasty drink called morocho, made of warm milk, sugar and cinamon. I wish I could make all these great drinks when I am back in Europe...
Here are my pictures from Quito:
Quito