48 Hours and the results.

Before I tell you more about some unpredictable 48 hours, I first want to give you a little update about my quest for more safety on the Huayna Picchu Mountain and hopefully a better service from the Peruvian government towards tourists.

While in Cusco I went again to the office of INC to complain about the safety on Huayna Picchu and that nothing has changed yet. The director was too busy again and no-one else really wanted to listen until I treated to publish some of my little videos about the unsafe route on Huayna Picchu, on the internet. Only them they wanted to accept my list with suggestions and the cd with some videos of people climbing the Huayna Picchu.

After that I went again to the office op Canal Panamericana to present them the same list and video´s, just in case… They told me that I´m not the only one with complains against the government. Even the governmental organization INC seems to be in protest against it´s own government. A few weeks ago already the governmental organization Indecopi complained that the service of its own government towards tourists needed to improve a lot. Now the cultural and tourists organization INC also seems to complain that the government doesn´t listen to them. This sounds hopeful and maybe together they can finally convince the Peruvian government that bad service and publicity can cost them tourists.

The Peruvian government seems to do well in working on big sustainable projects to improve the future of the Peruvians. It are projects with huge investments, like 280 million dollar for plants around Lima to turn seawater into fresh drinking water, a big irrigation project close to Puno and huge gas pipe (about 1000km) from Lima to Arequipa, a big bus terminal in Lima which works with city-busses on gas and even taxi drivers who pay less tax is they use gas instead of gasoline. This sounds all very promising, no?  But now you wonder what that has to do with tourism?

In a country where the economy grew 8.4% in this year and where tourism is a big cause of this growth it must be an important message that the tourists and tourist industry are complaining about the service of the government. It sounds fair that we also want something in return for helping their economy.

I keep on working on my part and will keep you updated on this, but for now I want to tell you about one of the charms of working/living in Latin America:

How 48 hours can be so different tan expected when I woke up.

Sunday the 26^th of October, I woke up in my Hotel in Lima knowing that within 48 hours I needed to be at the airport of Quito to fly back to Holland. I had plans to visit an ‘old’ friend on my last morning in Lima, fly in the afternoon to Tumbes (because I had miscalculated one day of my tour I had no time anymore to go by bus), cross the border with Ecuador, take an overnight bus of 12 hours to Quito, relax a bit and fly the next morning back to Holland. Sounds like not much special to go wrong, so I took it easy that morning.

After packing my backpacks I went to see my friend. She had sent me an e-mail to ask for help. Her niece was born around the same time that we met each other in 2004 and already from the birth my friend would often help her sister in taking care of this child. Now I got this disturbing e-mail that her niece might have cancer… More research was needed, but would be very expensive.

While drinking a fruit-juice my friend explained me the whole situation. Luckily the health of her niece was, mainly because of her young age, still covered with some kind of insurance, but this would only cover the most needed and until a certain max of costs. Better research could improve the treatment, but was too expensive. I asked my friend how much money could make a difference, but now, sitting in front of me she seemed to be ashamed to ask for help. I decided to give her the 400 US$ of my tip-money from my last tour and asked her if this could be of any help. She thought that it could help a lot, but promised me that she would pay it back. I told her that it was more of a gift, but if she wanted she could pay me back in 10 years or so. After a great tour, it had something special to be able to use the tip to try to really make a difference, towards someone who is always helping others before herself…

After a smooth flight and some negotiating about the ridicules (double) taxi prices from the airport of Tumbes to the border, I arrived at 18:00h at the Trans Pullman bus-agency on the Ecuadorian side. There I heard that  at 19:15h there would leave a direct overnight bus to Quito, 12 hours for only 10 US$, a good deal. I bought a ticket, but before I could get on the bus I would first have to pass the immigration of Ecuador. This office is about 2 km outside the city. I took a taxi and was happy that there weren´t a lot of people at the immigration office. But when I handled over my entrance paper and passport I heard: “Sorry, I can´t let you into the country.”… “What, why?’” “You have already been too long in Ecuador this year.” “But I´m allowed to stay for 6 months a year in Ecuador?” “No, not anymore, the rules have changed since the 15^th of September. Without a visa you´re now only allowed to stay 3 months a year in Ecuador.” “Ai, what can I do?” “Well, just go back to the Peruvian migration office and ask there for a visa.”

This office is about 4 km back and probably closed by now, but I need to catch a bus and even worse, I also have a plane to catch, so no time for delays… I explained this to the costume service worker, but he kept on telling me that those are the new rules. I asked him if he could just give me permission for 2 days to catch my flight, but even that wasn´t allowed (according to him, later I heard that if you have a ticket, you should be able to get permission for max. 8 days). I kept on asking for options, so the guy started to talk to someone else in the office. Finally he turned back and asked me to go to a window on the side of the office. Here he told me that he didn´t like problems and that he wanted to help me, if maybe I could help him in return. He wanted money, but he knew that´s illegal to ask for and I know that it´s illegal to offer money to an officer in function. He gave me a stamp and I had to guess about what to give him, not too much, but also not to less. I gave 30US$ and it turned out well. I bought something to drink in a small shop and went back to the bus.

A few movies and a 12 hour ride later I arrived in Quito, I went to a hotel and started to call some friends to find out more about the new immigration rules for Ecuador. I had heard some rumors before, but after the incident at the border I needed to know for sure, or else there was a risk that I wouldn´t be able to fly back to Quito in 16 days…

Yep, the rules are really changed, so now I have a problem. I should be able to get back in Ecuador on my second passport, this would cover my upcoming tour, but it wouldn´t give me enough time to work for 3 months at Merazonia after the tour. I had now 24h left to arrange a visa.

A student visa is one of the easiest to get and would give me a year in Ecuador. I called again with Frank from Merazoinia to ask him if he could contact his lawyer who had helped him with his visa.

Some phone calls and even e-mails later I had made contact with the lawyer and the owner of a Spanish school in Baños who is also a friend of mine. I got lucky that she was just on her way from Baños to Quito, so she could help me with some documents. In the afternoon we met and I signed in to study for one year Spanish on her school. This went smooth, but unfortunately I needed the original of a document that proofed my economic guaranty in Ecuador. I copy wasn´t enough, so with only 17 hours to go before my flight I had to go to Baños ( 4 hours by bus) and back.

In Baños I met with Frank and his lawyer. We ate a late dinner and they gave me the papers which proved that Frank would be my financial guaranty in Ecuador.

At 0:00h I could catch a bus back to Quito. At 4 O´clock I arrived back at the hotel where I still needed to repack my backpacks. At 6:30am I took a taxi to the airport and at 8 O´clock I had just passed the migration office, luckily without any questions.

48 Hours earlier I thought to have everything under control, but now it took me 48 hours and I´m still not in the save-zone. I still need to see if the Ecuadorian consulate in Holland accepts my documents and gives me this tourist visa, but I do have a lot of documents and some good friends and connections.

Thursday the 13^th of November, two weeks later and I´m back in Quito. We did have a delay of more than two hours in Guayaquil, because they arrested a woman with 20kg cocaine who wanted to get on our flight. Because of this her friends called in for a bomb treat, so we had to leave the plane. After this not so very efficient handled incident and only 33 minutes fly-time we arrived in Quito. I was prepared for giving lots of explanations about my new visa, but everything went smooth. Tomorrow I still have to go to some immigration office, but this should be a formality.

First I helped a friend, but later I couldn´t do without the help of other friends to arrange this visa in such a short time. Yep, being able to depend on others in emergencies, that´s what´s friendship is all about ;-)

To end this story, on request, some more urban-legends:

The dresses of Bolivian women and their hats are not originally from Bolivia. The dresses were introduced by the Spanish during the colonial times. Around 1920 the British railway workers introduced the hats in Bolivia. They used to be made in Italy, but most are now produced locally in Bolivia.

Who thinks that Bolivia is a poor country with not enough food to feed its citizens is probably very surprised to know that some Bolivian newspapers wrote on the 18^th of October that farms in the province of Santa Cruz probably have to destroy tons of soya, corn and other grains. The biggest reason for this is the crisis with the USA, which put a stop on the export of many Bolivian products. No Bolivia isn´t a poor country, they have plenty of space to grow food, they have lot´s of minerals and even more gas than they need for themselves. So why are there so many poor people? Because, like in many other places, the money and power isn´t equally spread…………….

Later more about the truth of tipping.

Martijn

Obama wins the elections, the Peruvian government invests in duurzame projecten Like cleaning sea-water to turn it into fresh water, an huge irrigation project around Puno,  A big gas-pipe and more