Jewamongyou

After my jungle adventure, my feet were in agony from the numerous mosquito bites that populated them. I sought relief in various ways and finally decided to get some anti-itch cream. Apparently you can’t get simple, over the counter, medications at grocery stores, convenience stores or mom-and-pop places in Peru. Instead, you must visit a pharmacy (botica). I found one in Iquitos and had to wait to speak with the attendant. I was told that they don’t have anti-itch cream. The only anti-itch medication available was in pill form. This struck me as odd, but I was suffering so I took the slip they gave me and headed for the other line. There, I got 3 or 4 tablets and instructions on how to take them. I have no idea if the tablets helped or if the mosquito bites simply wore off on their own. My feet are fine now.
Back in Lima I got a cold. I wanted something for my scratchy throat. In the U.S., I could visit various grocery stores or convenience stores and buy any number of throat lozenges. Here I had to look around for a pharmacy. It was around 8:30 in the morning and the first one I found was closed. The second one was open and there were two attendants. One was busy with some sort of paperwork and the other was busy helping another customer. I waited for my turn – and waited and waited. I don’t know what the woman in front of me needed but the attendant kept asking her for information, mostly numbers. This went on for a while and I was ignored. Finally, I’d had enough and walked out. On the main street I found another pharmacy that was open. An attendant was available for me and I told her I just needed something for my throat. She suggested a large bottle of syrup, which was expensive and probably overkill; all I had was a cold. I told her I’m not in the hospital, I’m not bed-ridden and I don’t need any sort of major medication. I just needed something to soothe my throat. She asked me for how many days and I guessed that 3 would be enough. She then produced several pills and told me to swallow one every 8 hours. I guess you can’t get throat lozenges in Peru.
My guess is that the high profile of cocaine here, and the proclivity to use recreational drugs that comes with it, has lead to an attitude of extreme caution, with the public, when it comes to all drugs. Also, at some point there may have been a problem with foreigners walking into drug stores to buy pain-killers or other medications that are highly regulated in the U.S. This might have led the U.S. to pressure Peru into being more strict about such things. Just a guess.
 

Blog raju was right in guessing I was in Iquitos, Peru. Actually I just left Iquitos and now I’m in Lima. While in Iquitos, I got to spend some days in the Amazon jungle. It was rough going and an adventure to remember. Also, because of me, many mosquitoes did not have to go hungry. Those mosquitoes refuse to use condoms – so it’s our duty to feed their children!
The water was too high to see much wildlife, but I did enjoy listening to it while laying in my hammock at night. It’s like an orchestra: Frogs, birds, insects, monkeys and God knows what else.
The owner of the hostel where I stayed befriended me and told me many stories. He’s a very interesting fellow and an American. Many Americans (expats) leave the U.S. for destinations such as Peru because the U.S. has strayed too far from its original values. In Iquitos, as long as you’re willing to stand up for yourself, you can do pretty much what you wish. The government isn’t nearly as heavy-handed as it is in the U.S. There, you can purchase a parcel of jungle for very little money and then live on it without anybody pestering you. You can easily live off the fruit trees, fish and wildlife. Medicinal plants grow everywhere. I was able to sample many of them, and wild fruits, straight from the trees.
Ayahuasca compounds dot the jungle. Young whites from all over the world gather there to gain enlightenment from the shamans and the Ayahuasca. They maintain a strict diet and perform various meditations to this end. I met some of them and get the impression that they are refugees from a culture that no longer provides answers for them. I’ve heard that some of them end up with damaged minds. Not all the shamans are competent or sincere. They can charge large sums of money for this service.
The jungle tour I took was on the cheap. The guide didn’t charge as much as he should have. As a result, we (myself, the guide and a young Swiss fellow) ended up paddling for miles in a primitive canoe. When the rain came down in torrents, we paddling furiously while scooping the water out in an effort to get back to the village. We also got our canoe stuck among the trees while trying to take a shortcut. Things got hairy for a while. Except for a couple of spots, we couldn’t see the shore; trees and bushes were growing out of the water and, as far as we could tell, the shore could be miles away in either direction. The boat we took to the village initially was leaky and had torn plastic for cover. It rained on us then too. On the last day, we hiked through difficult terrain for over 15 kilometers. It was brutal and very muddy. We had to cross numerous creeks on rotted, slippery, logs. We did see monkeys, some interesting frogs (including a small one traditionally used for poisoned arrows) and a poor sloth that was destined to be cooked a few hours later. Protection for endangered species is weak at best. People do as they please.
I was invited to a birthday party at the village. I got to dance with the granny whose birthday it was. I think she’s a better dancer than I am. As I was chatting with the man who’d invited me, and realizing how drunk he was, a man laying on a hammock casually leaned over and vomited on the floor. Nobody gave it any notice – maybe because the floors were simply uneven planks with plenty of space for the vomit to seep through onto the ground below. In any case, I excused myself and made my way to my own hammock.
When the Swiss man asked me what time it was, I told him it didn’t matter around here. I suggested that somebody invent a Peruvian clock that features a man on a hammock who leans over and vomits each hour on the hour.

It’s odd but the American expats around here smoke (flicking their butts to the ground) and drink quite a bit, even more than most of the locals. But there’s a lot of history in this town. Mostly from the rubber barons. Things are very different here from what I’m used to. I’m seeing interesting things, meeting interesting people and learning lots of new stuff. Each time I travel, I grow up a little more. At the same time, my inner child also gets stronger. Hopefully, I’ll get to do this a few more times before my time is up.

I just had the most delicious steak I’ve ever eaten, though I’m not a big steak-eater.

I’ve been far from home these last few days. Internet service has been sporadic. It’s a good thing I’d been working out prior to this trip; otherwise my legs would have given out a while ago. As for my Spanish, it’s lousy but at least I can usually get my point across and understand most of what people are saying. It’s cloudy and chilly where I am now. A hot tub would be really nice – but no such luck.
Sorry about the lack of substance in this post. I just wanted to let y’all know I’m alright. I won’t reveal my whereabouts just yet, but you’re welcome to guess!

I love to travel whenever I can. I sometimes do so even when I can’t, or rather, when I “shouldn’t.” I’ll be leaving for  a mysterious and interesting land a week from today, and I’ll be gone for a month. Of course I’ll post now and then even while abroad. But I’ll let readers guess where I am based on hints I’ll leave here and there.
If all goes well, I’ll have some interesting stories and photos to share upon my return, when I’ll reveal the destination. To those of y’all who know me personally, don’t spoil it for the others; that’s cheating and you might thereby incur the dreaded curse of jewamongyou.
This is one reason my posts have been sparse recently; I’ve been preparing for my trip. Another reason is just plain laziness or lack of inspiration. Those sort of things come and go according to their own schedule. It’s nothing to worry about. Yet another reason is I’ve been reading “Future Human Evolution” by Prof. John Glad. I may post of review of this short, but valuable, book before my departure.

My cat, Menchi, had a theory. She thought it would be a fun idea to swallow a string. Why eat plain old boring cat food when you can slurp up a string? In theory, it would be a lot of fun.
But reality had different ideas. Reality meant vomiting, loss of appetite, increasing weakness and almost death. She was rushed to the animal hospital and I was told that she needed surgery – which would cost at least $3,500 and probably more. With surgery, she would have a good chance of survival. Otherwise, her odds were less than 10%. When I opted out of surgery for financial reasons, they offered immediate euthanasia. I opted out of that too. Less than 10% is still better than 0%. I reckoned I’d give her a shot at life.
The very next day she started improving and now she’s practically back to her old self. I told her, “Menchi, it’s good to have you back – but you’re an idiot for swallowing a string!”
Be careful what you leave laying around if you have pets that don’t fully understand string theory. You could end up coughing up a lot of money. Don’t always take what the vet says at face value. A Jewish sage once said, “This too shall pass.” Indeed.