On our way over the border, there was a lot of rain. A LOT. A deluge. Like streets becoming rivers. It didn’t seem to be a big deal to us on the bus – we figured we’d get there nice and dry and be fine. I should’ve known better. Upon exiting Ecuador, the Peruvian border guards told us that since there were only 5 people left on the bus (there were about 50 of us squished in an hour earlier), our vehicle could go no further. Instead, they put all of us into one little taxi with all of our luggage. That’s 6 people (including the taxi driver) and 5 suitcases/backpacks. Oh, and did I mention that it was pouring?
Somehow we all fit (although the trunk didn’t close all the way and all of our stuff got soaked) and made it to Peru’s immigration control about 20 minutes away. Since I was the only non-Peruvian, I was the only one who had to get out of the taxi and go into the building. And immigration was flooded (not with people).
So, I had to WADE my way through immigration and put on my less-annoyed face to ask for another 6 months on my visa. Fortunately they were in a generous mood for being inundated with water and gave it to me with little more than a glance. Whew.
Immigration...
Yes, those are his flip flops floating next to him...
I crammed myself back into the taxi and we headed to Tumbes, another 30 minutes away. About halfway there, our taxi broke down. Of course. Hum and the driver got out to fix it and I took the opportunity to call Niki back home in Cusco to share my adventures with someone in English and confirm that we were going to have to vacate our house soon (she sent me an e-mail a couple of days earlier with the news). Nothing had changed – we had to be out of the house by the end of March, as the landlady was finally planning to sell (she’d been threatening for quite a while).
This wasn’t too hard a pill to swallow. While I love that house, I was ready to start looking for a new one. After years of being my own landlord, following someone else’s rules was getting old – especially when one of the rules changed that wasn't really conducive to the way I wanted to live. The other rules weren’t too hard to follow but rules are rules – and when you’re not the one making them, well, you know…
We spent a morning walking around Tumbes and this was what we found...
So after 3 days of bus travel from Ecuador, we finally got back to Cusco unshowered, smelly and ready to collapse. I don’t recommend 3 days on a bus to anyone. A day here and there is fine (like how we got to Ecuador), but trying to get home in one fell swoop was more than I could take. I did catch up on a lot of movies (albeit with English subtitles – and only because I asked the driver’s assistant to turn them on), but sleeping well was out of the question. When we got back to Cusco we crashed for an entire day.
And then we went out and bought a Rueda, the Cusquenian newspaper devoted entirely to classifieds. We knew we wanted to stay in San Blas, our neighborhood, but there were only 2 listings that fit the bill. The first one was $250 and right down the stairs from our house. It was an absolute DUMP. $250 is a lot of money for rent here and landlords think they can get away with it in San Blas because it’s the neighborhood everyone wants to live in. But the only thing worth paying for in that apartment was the view. Nada mas.
The second property was a small private house about 3 blocks from where we were living. The house was adorable – there was a real kitchen! – and the landlady was incredibly sweet. The energy of the house was calm and inviting. We fell in love with it immediately and took it that day.
Hum then left for Sicuani (his hometown about 2 hours away) for the weekend to see his family and get some TLC from his mother, as he was nursing a bad cold and only a Peruvian mother can coddle her sick son the way he needs coddling. I was planning on meeting him there in a few days to see the family and check up on Flor, the puppy we gave them for Christmas. Unfortunately I never made it there as it rained all weekend and Whitney ended up spending more time at my house trying to finish her TEFL certification (she completed the course 8 months ago but still hadn’t turned in her paperwork – neither have I – for shame!) and would be leaving Cusco the following week.
Hum returned on Monday evening (still sick), but anxious to sign the lease on the new house. We met the landlady the next day, signed everything, handed over money and got the keys. And then we began the move. For the record, I warned (and apologized to) Hum in advance that I was an OCD mover. I’m one of those people who has to unpack as soon as the movers drop the boxes. And since WE were the movers and the house was only a few blocks away, the process took an entire week. We bought new furniture, including a fridge (there was a real kitchen but it lacked appliances), and woke up early (on my insistence) to organize as much as humanly possibly throughout each day.
Now you have to remember, I’m working with Peruvians here. Peruvians have a very different sense of urgency than Americans. In other words, urgency is not in their vocabulary and their favorite word is “mañana” (tomorrow). And then when you switch me on into hyperactive overdrive for something like a move, stand back, I might blow a gasket.
But, low and behold, I’ve changed quite a lot since I first got here. While the old me would lose patience quickly and be a terror to work with, the slightly newer me was rather calm and composed during the move. And persuasiveness is completely underrated.
Hum was great. He’s a perfectionist though, which can get on my nerves at times when I just want things DONE. But to his credit, the house looks good because he took his time to arrange things just so. We’re waiting on one more piece of furniture (which will be ready in about a week) and, gulp, a TV.
A few things I learned during this move:
1. A refrigerator will fit in a taxi (station wagon).
2. For about $10, you can get someone to help you move just about anything.
3. Having running water all day in your house is overrated.
4. Hot showers, however, are not (our new shower is GREAT).
5. When drying dresser drawers (that were annoyingly wet when you bought the dresser), remember that dried wood expands and may not fit back in the dresser – without a hammer.
6. You don’t realize how much you missed having a fridge until you have one again.
7. New vocabulary words arise, like clavos (nails), arreglar (to fix), jala (pull), callete (shut up – ok, I already knew that one, but it came in handy a few times this week).
The only times the move was a real challenge was when we brought things in a taxi. The street we now live on is the only road that leads into San Blas. And it’s one way and narrow, which means we perform a Chinese fire drill every time we pull up to our front gate. We jump out of the car, run around to the back, pull everything out and pile it on the sidewalk while all of the taxis behind us honk their horns. This was especially fun with the fridge and the sofa (separate trips).
All in all, it was a long week but we’re nice and snug in our new abode. It’s a 30-secomd walk to our new restaurant (which we start working on this week), I can finally cook in a real kitchen, we have a beautiful patio (that I plan to use more AFTER the rainy season) and I even have space for massage (and already have new clients!). There’s also a spare bedroom that we furnished with two beds and an armoire. We’re planning on renting it out for $10/day or exchange for work in the restaurant (but you need to know your way around a kitchen for us to consider that option). You’re all invited to visit and I promise to cook for you, too!
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