I wrote this for my creative writing class and thought people might enjoy it. This adventure was on a trip to Peru in April/May of 2006...before I had my blog.
Disclaimer: I hadn't had much sleep the night before my trip! And no, I didn't take pictures!
Disclaimer: I hadn't had much sleep the night before my trip! And no, I didn't take pictures!
Lost in Puno
After 24 hours on the tranquil island of Taquile in the middle of beautiful Lake Titicaca, we headed into the busy lakeside city of Puno. I was enjoying my adventure tour of Peru with 15 other intrepid souls but truth be told, halfway through the two week trip the constant togetherness was grating on my nerves. As our van maneuvered its way through the busy downtown traffic our guide told us there was a wonderful market he recommended we go to that was only a short rickshaw ride away from our hotel. “Hmmm….” I thought “that sounds interesting. Let’s do it”!! (meaning just me of course)
After checking into the hotel I dashed up to my room, dumped my luggage and rushed back through the lobby to the street outside where a cycle rickshaw happened to be waiting nearby. Wow, talk about luck I thought!
I jumped in, telling the young driver “La Mercado Por Favor” feeling like a real adventurer. And off we went and went..and went…ten minute later I was getting a bit concerned. Where was this market? What did the guide mean by “a short journey”? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Hmmmm…maybe I should have asked.
The young fellow cycled on and I got increasingly uneasy….where is he taking me? I asked him to turn around and go back to the hotel but he didn’t understand what I was saying and kept going. Oh oh...
Ten minutes later he was still cycling – where the heck was he taking me? I started calling out to people “do you speak English”? as we cycled past. They seemed bemused by this seemingly crazy middle aged woman yelling at them and just stared back at me. That didn’t stop me from yelling it more times than I am comfortable even commenting on. By now I was getting into panic mode…even the rickshaw driver was confused. I kept asking him to go back to the hotel but it was totally lost on him.
We rode by police men standing on pedestals directing traffic – yelling at them didn’t seem to work either. I was getting used to the “are you a crazy woman” look. Any pride I had was gone… Where was this kid taking me? Would I ever find my hotel again? My tour company would leave for Cusco tomorrow without me! The thought of that not only horrified me but embarrassed me. How stupid could I be to do such a spur of the moment thing without even knowing what market I was supposed to be going to…. I had no clue where my hotel was or even the exact name of it. I just knew it had “lago” in it which is Spanish for lake. “Lago hostal” I yelled at the now very confused young man….so off we turned in another direction. I then realized we were going to the lake. “no, no” I yelled. At least I knew one thing about my hotel - we weren’t by any lake despite the name.
Finally the driver stopped and yelled out to a nearby police offer who wasn’t directing traffic from a pedestal. He came over and they conversed in Spanish so of course I couldn’t understand but I swear I heard the word “loco” in there somewhere!!! To my surprise the policeman jumped into the rickshaw beside me and off we went! Who would have thought I’d be riding in a rickshaw around a city in Peru with a very good looking young police officer. Under different circumstances it really could have been quite enjoyable.
In halting English he told me we were going to the tourist office. I heaved a sigh of relief. Five minutes later sure enough we rattled up to a building labelled Oficina de Tourisma. The woman there asked me where I was staying and I said it has “lago” in it and I am with the Explore Adventure group thinking that might help…yes, I felt like a right fool. After perusing the map of Puno and a quick phone call she said in English the best words I had heard all day “I know where you are staying”. My knees literally sagged in relief.
When we got back to the rickshaw my police man friend told the driver where to go and we settled in for the ride back. Less than ten minutes later we pulled up in front of the hotel – that was it! I don’t think I’ve said “gracias” so much in my life. The police officer told me how much the driver wanted and I gave him double that. The poor kid was no doubt exhausted. I was so excited and emotional I wanted to give them both a hug. Both resisted…hmmmm..I wonder why?
A short while later our group went out for dinner together….the whole experience was probably an hour although felt like triple that. I regaled my fellow travelers with what I had gotten up to and they all had a good laugh at my expense. I deserved that. Never have I felt like such a fool in my life.
As for the policeman and my rickshaw driver – I am sure their families got to hear all about the “loco senora” they met that day.
And what did I take from this …always take a card with the name and address of your hotel on it when you leave the premises!
Comments