Let me be clear: I am long past ready to get to Chile and be done with Peru until we are driving back north to go home. I want to be done here for now, and Chile beckons.
Layne’s skin cancer removal is healing but without any sense of urgency. The surgeon inspects it every two days and applies the dressing with his own hand. He says it’s going okay but slowly. So Layne is supposed to keep her leg up and walk just a little bit. We are wishing it to heal and be done but that’s not reality.
The campground is comfortable but dusty and we are alone much of the time. Most overlanders are inland here visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu, lake Titicaca and on to Bolivia. We aren’t going to Bolivia on the way down to Ushuaia. It’s a pain in the ass country to drive across as they have inadequate supplies of fuel and gas stations have to charge tourist prices to foreigners, not particularly expensive but which require tons of paperwork so they prefer not to bother selling to foreigners. Diesel is even worse as it’s in short supply and overlanders have to ask permission to get to the front of the line if they do find gas stations that will sell to them.
Almost all of Bolivia is at extreme high altitudes, above 12,000 feet and after the sun goes down the temperature freezes. Travelers report frozen water in their vehicles overnight, so you can imagine I’d love that. Plus Bolivia is in a state of social unrest so there are frequent protests and road blockades. We had that in Colombia and we’re over it. Plus Bolivia charges Americans $160 each to enter the country because they love us. Sigh. Our $3:50 lunch in Arequipa:
November is the beginning of summer in the southern Hemisphere so we want to be poised to make the most of the best weather in southern Chile and Argentina. We’re going to see country in weather that closely resembles Alaska, long empty roads, mountains, rain, and generally harsh conditions. Exactly what I look forward to after decades in Key West where we hid out to escape the cold.
Chile is said to be the wealthiest country in South America with high prices great roads and strict traffic rules and not hugely friendly people. This is going to be something of a change but because I’m a rule follower I’m looking forward to no trash organized traffic and some slightly easier traveling. I’m a bit tired of the dirt and chaos of Peru.
It feels graceless to grumble as the city is very pleasant and the campground is comfortable and the medical care is excellent. We’ve got the nearby Indian restaurant on speed dial. But we are here to be there, to be traveling to see things.
The trash situation never gets better but that’s Peru and the dust cloud over Arequipa never grows less either. We wipe our gone for obsessively but the costing of dust never quite goes away. It’s a daily reminder we are in a desert.
The one thing we are missing is fellow travelers from the US. There are so many Europeans especially Germans and while they are nice they aren’t people we have points of common interest or history. Europeans come to South America in droves at the moment as the Ukraine War has made the Silk Road journey rather uncomfortable for them towards Mongolia a classic European route. And yet American overlanders are hardly to be seen here in our own backyard. I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends in Key Weet and that highlighted the absence of a common culture on the road here with travelers.
This journey is teaching me many things, not least patience. Onward we go in two short weeks.
I miss you all.
