Late September, 2006
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. First, Marieke and I finished off a long, hot 250km walk to the city of Trujillo in Peru, and then in a blink we were on a bus down to Lima and almost before really being able to say goodbye, she was on a plane headed back to Holland.
She did great, and broke all kinds of “walking visitors” records: She walked 31 days, covered 835km, got about 28 blisters and once went 5 days without taking a shower…all without a single complaint. In fact, one of the best aspects about walking with her was her enthusiasm, her curiosity and her genuine appreciation of all the incredble sights and people seen and met.
Plus she put up with all of my little anal-retentive camping practices. (it’s hard to teach an old walking guy new tricks) things like:
“um, mar, could you fold that groundcloth the other way?”
or “Er, mari, actually the toilet paper goes in first, and then the…uh…yeah, that, the pots, well, they go righ…um, no over there…no, the other side, yeah, there.”
and “so, you gotta stir it like that, you see, because the stove gets really hot…um, well, a bit more vigorously…there, that’s it, thanks”
and “Uh, mar, yeah, well…that label there…yeah, I like that to go at the bottom left…um, no, your left, uh…here, maybe it’d be easier if I did it.”
Yeah, she’s a saint, to put up with that. It’s strange, back in the “real world” I’m an organizational disaster, but on this walk my cart and my camping stuff, well they all have their place, their correct positions, and their “correct” manner of assembly/operation…I guess I’m a camping obsessive compulsive. Like I said, weird.
I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at how lonely I felt after Marieke had left. In the same way that I’d gotten used to walking alone, after 31 days spent walking with such an easy-going, relaxed, happy person like Marieke, the adjustment back to the solo routine took some time.
But here I am, once again back on the road, just cranked out 210 km in 5 days. It’s been hot here and the Northern deserts of Perú are at times excruciatingly boring, but I’m loving the walking and feel really inspired.
Except for one small glitch: I’M TOTALLY BROKE. I made some money when I last went home to recuperate from my broken back and leg…but I did a TERRIBLE job of managing that cash, what with a couple 5,000km trips down to patagonia, a month of sight-seeing and clubbing in Cusco, and then all the dough I spent with Marieke and Daniel during their visits. Yep, suddenly I find myself without a penny in my pocket.
So, what to do?
- Rob banks? (hard to have much success in that when my “getaway car” are my own 2 feet)
- Stick up old ladies on the street? (the old ladies on the streets of south america usually have negative cash flow)
- sell my body on the streets of Lima or Quito? (hmm…maybe, just maybe)
- seduce a rich, 40-something divorcee “sugar mama”?
- Get a (gasp) job here? (well, seeing as though the going rate for most jobs here is around 7 dollars a day, it might take me a bit to save even ten dollars)
- Ask my family for a loan? (a possibility, but the guilt and “loser” factor keep me leery of that)
- Go home for 5 months, work like a dog and try to save enough to finsish this trip once and for all? (actually, that’s where I’m leaning right, now…we shall see)
anyway, that’s what’s up in my world right now.
Oh, yeah, I just reached the 10,000 km point in my walk (that’s 6,200 miles)…and I should be crossing into Ecuador in about 9 days, I’m excited about that…another country down.
oh, and on my “useless factoids” page, I’m adding a little section with the estimated distances I need to walk in each country. As I finish each one, I’ll add what the actual mileage was for each one…gee, sounds incredibly thrilling, huh? stay in your seats.
I hope all who read this are well and happy,
much love
ian
what’d you say?