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Traffic on Pan-Americana Highway after huge explosion, I wrote before, was restored and I decided not to go through the head hunters (head shrinkers) territory. They probably have never seen a folding bicyclist and may have a temptation to shrink my head as a souvenir. Instead I started long bus ride to Lima, Peru. However, before I will continue let me finish with Ecuador.

Travel to South America (part II)

Alex Mumzhiu
2006-03-22 14:07:41

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oldest climber from the time the record keeping started. Earlier in my life I always used to be youngest. I was youngest in my school class and in my college class. And now, more and more often I am oldest. I do not like it. It took me one hour to climb up, which is average time, and 0.5 hours to go down. I went down faster than average because I ran down. I was taught in mountaineering camps, always to run down, even on steep slopes. It is really the optimal way of descending.

Cocaine country

Cusco is located at an altitude of 3,400 meters, and anybody who comes here feels symptoms of high altitude sickness. The standard medicine, recommended even by the Let Us Go tour book is cocaine. In every restaurant they offer Mate Coca, tea with cocaine. They sell coca leaves in stores and in the street. They do not recommend tourist to take coca leaves out of the country because some countries (they laugh) may consider them as a narcotic. I bought a packet of coca
leaves for $0.30 and made tea in my hotel room. It had a pleasant taste but I did not feel any high or something like that.

Especially for non-Russian readers I have to explain how to make your own tea. You have to have little submersible electrical spiral (kipiatilnik) which allows you to boil a cup of water. Very useful, you can make your own tea or coffee any time. I carry two spirals for 110 and 220 volts, because different countries of S. America have different voltage. Russians don't need this explanation because every Russian takes such a spiral on trip.

Flat terasses surrounding Machu Picchu were built to grow coca leaves. Incas used them widely. They constantly were on drugs so to say. There are many Incas in the Cusco area, some of them look like people with mentall deficiency. As we know children of drug addicts can be defective. What to say if drug using was continued for generations.

Alex Mumzhiu
Arequipa, Peru
Dec 10 ...