From Tarma to Huancayo and Ayacucho

Monday, July 23, 2012

I get up around 6:30 and began to prepare myself for the bus. I redo the configuration of my bag and I leave around 7:30 to pay for my room and head to the bus terminal. We leave Tarma at around 9 am, half an hour late and arrived in Huancayo at 12h. I try to find a hostel, but none offer internet. After a while I decided to take a room at 10 soles to at least drop my bag and continue my research without having to drag all my weight. The room is very small and has a strong smell of mildew and paint peeling off the walls and ceiling with graffiti on the walls dating from 2004, that says a lot :) I'm leaving right away to find an internet cafe, actually there at all everywhere, so for 1 sole I have internet for 1 hour, I try to find a way to get to Huancaya, but no luck, it seems it's only possible to reach there by car. I then asked several people if it is possible to have a bus to get there but nobody seems to know what if any buses go to Huancaya. I give up my search and decided to go eat. After I wandered the streets trying to find an agency bus which going to Ayacucho, the next destination that I envisioned.

Huancayo

Two agencies offered me a ticket for 45 soles, it's too much. I continued searching and finally found another agency that offered me the ticket for 28 soles (10.69$) for about 215km. I agree to the bus for the same evening at 8pm. No need to sleep in the little room, my first glance at Huancayo does not inspire me so I made the decision to go directly to the next destination. So I go back to grab my bag and went to the terminal which is about 10 blocks away. I arrive at the terminal around 5:30 pm and decided to stay as it will be dark in about 1 hour. I take the bus around 8pm and will arrive in Ayacucho in the morning.


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

At around 7am, the bus stops before arriving in Ayacucho. A series of buses are parked on the roadside and some trucks. People are all talking, some seem unhappy and I am trying to understand what is happening but I do understand that whole conversations. Everyone starts to get off the bus and I decide to follow and try to understand what is happening. There are large rocks everywhere across the road, but it's not a landslide, The road is simply blocked for some reason I have not yet grasped. The bus driver opens up the baggage compartment and begins to distribute to everyone their belongings. Many people begin to go down into town by foot. We can see the city down the mountain, but it's still far enough to the center of the city.

So I also decided to walk into town. During my descent into town, I pass a barricade with a sign saying'' por la Educación gratuita'', I finally understand what is happening it is a day of protest and the whole city is empty of motor vehicle. There are people on the roadside here and there, but no vehicle. I finally get downtown after a ten kilometer walk and I decided to take a room in the first hotel I see 'Hostel D'Las Americas', more expensive but a super nice room all inclusive for 35 soles (13.37$) . Still a slight headache, but much less worse than during the previous night in the bus. During the night my headache was so intense that every time the bus hit a bump it was like I had cymbals crash on either side of my head.At that time I sit and think about the week and a half just spent. I realize that I find time to be extremely long and that loneliness hits me. I am alone with myself most of the time and only time I talk to other people to ask for information or directions, I thought I had a good foundation in Spanish, I quickly see that I'm really below a beginner and I often repeat the words 'No Comprendo'. I realize that I feel quite lonely and find time monotonous. So I took a decision that will change my trip.

I go to find the airport and walk to it to be told that I have to buy the tickets in a city agencies. I found an agency in downtown and bought a ticket to Lima. When I returned to my room, I searched online and reserve a plane ticket using my Aeroplan points (travel points programs) towards Montreal. Back at home .....

What, why??

To be continued...