Not a Good Friday

Wow - I went back and fixed some spelling in that last one - apalling, I know! So I headed to the bus station to catch a lift to Cuzco. It was pretty empty, which I hoped would last. I read while I still had light - the sun diligently sets about 6:30 pm, and the lights are pretty dim. There was some loud music that the three or four guys with the bus company knew by heart. They all thought it was fun to sing along. It made me think of the Three Amigos music, though I didn't hear Ned Nederlander, Dusty Bottoms, or Lucky Day singing, too. And then, there I was, in the middle of the pediatrics infirmary. Next to me, behind me, across from me: everywhere was another coughing child. The poor boy next to me sounded asthmatic, and as he tried to cough up some phlegm, my heart sank. There was nothing I could do to help the poor kid, though I had been in his shoes so many times I felt the pain in my own chest. I wished I could have made him comfortable, but he really didn't care to sit next to me in the first place. This ward was actually just the bus. It filled up in Juliaca. The young boy didn't want to sit next to me, while his mom, dad, and baby brother sat across the aisle, so I tried to joke that I wouldn't eat him, but it didn't go over well. I tried to protect myself from the germs, but I was already feeling a bit worn down. I finished Tuck Everlasting again - such a great book. One of the guys with the bus, who really gave me the creeps, sang terribly for us. He couldn't keep a rhythm clapping or anything. I didn't offer him any tip for his efforts, though if he would have asked before he sang, I would have paid him not to sing. Really awful! The next CD they put in was worse than the first and louder. I tried the ear plugs, but they did little to drown out the wailing. At least I managed to "hold it" for eight hours. The gas stations the bus pulled into looked three shades worse than going behind a tree. The seven hour ride was dragged out to eight by leaving late and dropping people off anywhere along the route. I snacked a little, and mostly I slept. At one point I woke up to see Cristo Blanco. I saw that people were getting off at different stops in the neighborhood, but I didn't recognize the neighborhoods. I though maybe I could get off close to my hostal, but then we headed back into the dark of night. I panicked! Did I just miss Cuzco? I went to the front of the bus and asked about the terminal terrestre, but I couldn't understand what was going on. They offered to drop me off on the side of the highway in the dark. I was so confused! We actually hadn't gotten to Cuzco yet. How silly I felt! I still don't know what I saw because the guys said there wasn't another city with a Cristo Blanco. It was after midnight, so I didn't care to pursue it. I got a taxi to the hostal and crashed hard. So much for my plans to meet up with my friends! So then Friday really begins - I slept until nine. I showered for a long time. Something was settling into my head and shoulders - a flu or something. I walked to Gloria's to get my backpack, and gratefully, my laundry had arrived in my absence. The Irish boys were still asleep, and Gloria and Freddie were out, so I left notes and caught a taxi back to the hostal. I couldn't stand to carry anything very far - what a change from the last week! I didn't have the energy to walk up the street to the school to see my friends, so I started to repack. I managed to make it halfway down the hill for a bit of lunch before leaving for the airport. I took a window seat, so I could catch Manuela if she walked by. She did. We chatted for a few minutes before she had to get going to get home for lunch. It was peculiar sitting in the doorway and watching all these familiar faces passing by - the teachers, other students, and the volunteers. I was once a part of that group, but now I sit on the other side. Not much time to be pensive...I paid, and the woman helped me get my pack on - 20 kg. I got a taxi right away in the plaza, and I was off again. Being on the move so much was getting to be a drag. I have been having second thoughts about Iguazu Falls because it is over twenty hours by bus from Cordoba, and the return to Mendoza is about 35 hours. That is a long time!! I don't know if I have it in me. Turns out I will have time to think about it...tori