Cusco Tourist Police Station
Trip Start
Aug 22, 2006
1
4
94
Trip End
Ongoing
Cusco,
Peru
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sighing, I left and made my way to a policeman who asked me why I hadnīt reported my camera stolen to my guides. I told him that I had, and he told me that he couldnīt do anything because it was outside of his local durastriction. The crime should have been reported in Manu, because thatīs where it happened. My face fell - it was just what I had thought would happen! And then he said kindly, that he would help. He would write the report and send it to Manu - all I had to do was go to a certain bank and pay a charge for a ticket of some sort
Dancing with a traditional conquistador, La Retama
. I needed to return to him with it the next day and then he would have finished the report. What a nice man - so donīt believe what all the guide books say, the police can be really helpful.Two hours later, Edgar, the original travel agent Iīd booked my holiday with came to my hotel to offer his commeriserations. I take it the police had spoken to him. It didnīt achieve much, but it showed that the police did their jobs properly, whatever might be said.
I rang my mum and my brother was there! Heīd just come back from a month long holiday to Asia and had decided to stay with my mum for the weekend to recover from jet lag properly. His flat in Bristol that he rents with two others had flooded while heīd been away, what a homecoming. My stepdad had been involved in a car accident and was suffering whiplash. We had a long chat, and I felt much happier after speaking to them. Its amazing how quickly homesickness can creep up on you.
Later that night, I meet up with David G and Leo for a meal in La Retama, a wonderful restaurant in the Plaza De Armas. Out of sheer coincidence, there was live music, traditional dancers and a speciality buffet meal offer
Gold Parrot in La Retama
. We had a fantastic time - Leo said it was the best night of her holiday to date. At the end, one of the dancers asked me to dance and before I knew it, I was being whirled around the dancefloor in front of a restaurant full of people with a man dressed in a militarly uniform with golden buckles! I can't dance well and it was so funny. Leo was exstatic because a man sheīd seen stagger out of an Irish pub toilet after half an hour was there - she was waiting for him to come out as there was only one loo. He'd sucumbed to travellers stomach in a big way. She had dubbed him ītoilet manī and made David G and I pretend to pose so she could take a picture of him. I think he could tell he was the butt of some joke because he kept looking over at us. Feeling guilty we stopped. Leo contracted a stomach bug the next day and was out of action for 2 days. She is convinced it is bad karma coming back at her for laughing at him.
