October 4, 2011
Most of the roads here in Chachapoyas are dirt roads except the main ones and 6 blocks within the main square. The internet is piss poor here since I can't upload anymore pictures to my blog for the past 24 hours. I was able to get 2 up so far but the signal is weak and I did go to an internet cafe and it was even worse where I would have internet explorer up and get to the web blog site and log in and then it would dissappear with just the desktop showing and no windows open. It happened twice in a row where I just gave up and realized it was a waste of time. I had read in the LP book that there was an archeology museum down a block from us so I went to check in out and I saw everything in under 10 seconds. Yup, it was a really big museum as you might have guessed.
I decided to compare some of the tour prices and transportation to the places I wanted to see so I check out a few tourist offices on our block. The first place I go to the guy is talking in super fast spanish like Speedy Gonzalez "Ondaley! Ondaley!.... ARREEEEEBA!" and I have to say "WHOA!! Stop right there. Do not pass GO and do not collect $200! Hablo muy poco espanol. Comprende??" and he shakes his head indicating he fully understands that and then immediately goes off again in super fast spanish and I finally tell him to just write it down because I can read super fast spanish. I go to another young fellow and he quotes me the same price for the same tour (My guide book said they are all competitive with each other on prices). I then decide to go see the tour guy that is located right inside our hotel and he quotes me 75% more and won't budge on the price even though I tell him my other 2 quotes so I write him off immediately.
Many of the stores just don't sell anything that is edible (At least to us Gringos). Most of it is just junk (IE not junkfood but junk). I looked into a few stores and see absolutely nothing that interests me in the least to purchase. So I am walking along the "off the beaten path" areas and see a sign with its menu displayed and I see "arroz" which I recognize immediately as rice and know at least I will be filled up. Well I walk into this family run restaurant out of their home and order the rice. She then starts speaking in spanish (Strange eh?) and I am getting the idea I can't have what I just ordered so I point to something else and she gives me the same spanish blurb and at the end says "manana" (tomorrow or Morning). Well 75% of the things on the menu she basically says I can't have and the way she is saying manana (Tomorrow/morning) at the very end of her blurb and I am interpreting this as "Oh I am sorry but you can't have that because we are getting our rice in tomorrow, and our Chicken in tomorrow, and our meat in tomorrow. Or it could be that they only serve it in the morning. Either way, she points to the other 25% of the items which are my choices and the only thing I recognize in spanish is fish (Sadado de "Pescado") so I play it safe and order that (BTW: Pez means "live fish" and Pescado means "dead fish" in spanish). Well she brings me out a big bowl of soup broth with a whole fish in it along with a spoon and a side order of that white corn that I hate (picture to follow). They seem to always serve it as a side order the way restaurants in North America will serve you complimentary bread before you meal. Whenever you think of that white tasteless corn just think "NO ME GUSTA!!!".
It wasn't really what I had in mind so I am checking out other eateries on my way back to my hotel and I pass a place that is suppose to have the best pastries and cookies in town called "Dulceria Santa elena". Earlier in the day I had read a bit of Eugene's Lonely Planet Peru book to see some places to eat and there was a place around the corner from us called "Dulceria Santa elena" and Lonely Planet describes the owner as "a grouchy old man who serves the best pastries and cookies in town". Immediately I knew I was dealing with a pastry nazi but his stuff on display did look good and I go in and order a piece of chocolate cake and to my surprise he sells cappacinos and expressos so I order an expresso as well. I ask if I can take his picture and he doesn't look too pleased with me where I can see the steam coming out of his ears and realize I am only a few seconds away from him yelling "ENOUGH!! No cake for you!!" as he quickly snatches back my half eaten cake :). Actually I am probably being a little hard on him since later on after I am finishing up my cake and expresso he made a half hearted attempt to be friendly and asked in spanish where I was from. He was probably wondering why I wanted to take his photo and was starting to feel pretty good inside. He was probably thinking "I am a very important pastry maker and take my profession very seriously and this fine young tourist obvious appreciates that fact".
I run into Eugene and Megan back at the hotel and they say they have found a good tour package for us which will take us to some ruins in the north west for the day and then take us south a few hours drive to "Kuelap" that night (which is second only to Machu Pichu in size for an ancient site) where we plan to spend the night there and then come back to Chachapoyas and go to the waterfalls that is suppose to be the 3rd biggest in the world (at least that is what Eugene told me) and from there we will catch a night bus to Tarapoto (Friday) all for around $30US each for the tour only.
As the 3 of us were making our plans in my hotel room with my door wide open I immediately recognize the German fellow coming into the hotel and behind him is the Austrian couple that had traveled with us from Vilcabamba Ecuador. They smile and wave as they walk by and I realized they weren't staying at the hotel but were going to the back room to the "Tours office". Immediately I wanted to warn them not to deal with that guy but right then Megan says "Ahhh leave him! That German guy loves paying top dollar for everything and has absolutely no bargaining skills" so I left it at that.
So tomorrow we are getting up early and heading out at 6am with a full day ahead of us and on Thursday to the pre-Inca site of "Kuelap" for the full day returning to Chachapoyas on Thursday night and then on Friday seeing the big waterfall before heading on an overnight bus to Tarapoto. We haven't paid yet for this and have to go over in an hour to meet the woman and make arrangements with our hotel since we plan to leave most of our stuff here and come back to the hotel on Thursday night.
Adios Amigos!
Most of the roads here in Chachapoyas are dirt roads except the main ones and 6 blocks within the main square. The internet is piss poor here since I can't upload anymore pictures to my blog for the past 24 hours. I was able to get 2 up so far but the signal is weak and I did go to an internet cafe and it was even worse where I would have internet explorer up and get to the web blog site and log in and then it would dissappear with just the desktop showing and no windows open. It happened twice in a row where I just gave up and realized it was a waste of time. I had read in the LP book that there was an archeology museum down a block from us so I went to check in out and I saw everything in under 10 seconds. Yup, it was a really big museum as you might have guessed.
I decided to compare some of the tour prices and transportation to the places I wanted to see so I check out a few tourist offices on our block. The first place I go to the guy is talking in super fast spanish like Speedy Gonzalez "Ondaley! Ondaley!.... ARREEEEEBA!" and I have to say "WHOA!! Stop right there. Do not pass GO and do not collect $200! Hablo muy poco espanol. Comprende??" and he shakes his head indicating he fully understands that and then immediately goes off again in super fast spanish and I finally tell him to just write it down because I can read super fast spanish. I go to another young fellow and he quotes me the same price for the same tour (My guide book said they are all competitive with each other on prices). I then decide to go see the tour guy that is located right inside our hotel and he quotes me 75% more and won't budge on the price even though I tell him my other 2 quotes so I write him off immediately.
Many of the stores just don't sell anything that is edible (At least to us Gringos). Most of it is just junk (IE not junkfood but junk). I looked into a few stores and see absolutely nothing that interests me in the least to purchase. So I am walking along the "off the beaten path" areas and see a sign with its menu displayed and I see "arroz" which I recognize immediately as rice and know at least I will be filled up. Well I walk into this family run restaurant out of their home and order the rice. She then starts speaking in spanish (Strange eh?) and I am getting the idea I can't have what I just ordered so I point to something else and she gives me the same spanish blurb and at the end says "manana" (tomorrow or Morning). Well 75% of the things on the menu she basically says I can't have and the way she is saying manana (Tomorrow/morning) at the very end of her blurb and I am interpreting this as "Oh I am sorry but you can't have that because we are getting our rice in tomorrow, and our Chicken in tomorrow, and our meat in tomorrow. Or it could be that they only serve it in the morning. Either way, she points to the other 25% of the items which are my choices and the only thing I recognize in spanish is fish (Sadado de "Pescado") so I play it safe and order that (BTW: Pez means "live fish" and Pescado means "dead fish" in spanish). Well she brings me out a big bowl of soup broth with a whole fish in it along with a spoon and a side order of that white corn that I hate (picture to follow). They seem to always serve it as a side order the way restaurants in North America will serve you complimentary bread before you meal. Whenever you think of that white tasteless corn just think "NO ME GUSTA!!!".
It wasn't really what I had in mind so I am checking out other eateries on my way back to my hotel and I pass a place that is suppose to have the best pastries and cookies in town called "Dulceria Santa elena". Earlier in the day I had read a bit of Eugene's Lonely Planet Peru book to see some places to eat and there was a place around the corner from us called "Dulceria Santa elena" and Lonely Planet describes the owner as "a grouchy old man who serves the best pastries and cookies in town". Immediately I knew I was dealing with a pastry nazi but his stuff on display did look good and I go in and order a piece of chocolate cake and to my surprise he sells cappacinos and expressos so I order an expresso as well. I ask if I can take his picture and he doesn't look too pleased with me where I can see the steam coming out of his ears and realize I am only a few seconds away from him yelling "ENOUGH!! No cake for you!!" as he quickly snatches back my half eaten cake :). Actually I am probably being a little hard on him since later on after I am finishing up my cake and expresso he made a half hearted attempt to be friendly and asked in spanish where I was from. He was probably wondering why I wanted to take his photo and was starting to feel pretty good inside. He was probably thinking "I am a very important pastry maker and take my profession very seriously and this fine young tourist obvious appreciates that fact".
I run into Eugene and Megan back at the hotel and they say they have found a good tour package for us which will take us to some ruins in the north west for the day and then take us south a few hours drive to "Kuelap" that night (which is second only to Machu Pichu in size for an ancient site) where we plan to spend the night there and then come back to Chachapoyas and go to the waterfalls that is suppose to be the 3rd biggest in the world (at least that is what Eugene told me) and from there we will catch a night bus to Tarapoto (Friday) all for around $30US each for the tour only.
As the 3 of us were making our plans in my hotel room with my door wide open I immediately recognize the German fellow coming into the hotel and behind him is the Austrian couple that had traveled with us from Vilcabamba Ecuador. They smile and wave as they walk by and I realized they weren't staying at the hotel but were going to the back room to the "Tours office". Immediately I wanted to warn them not to deal with that guy but right then Megan says "Ahhh leave him! That German guy loves paying top dollar for everything and has absolutely no bargaining skills" so I left it at that.
So tomorrow we are getting up early and heading out at 6am with a full day ahead of us and on Thursday to the pre-Inca site of "Kuelap" for the full day returning to Chachapoyas on Thursday night and then on Friday seeing the big waterfall before heading on an overnight bus to Tarapoto. We haven't paid yet for this and have to go over in an hour to meet the woman and make arrangements with our hotel since we plan to leave most of our stuff here and come back to the hotel on Thursday night.
Adios Amigos!
