Tourism = soap in the bathrooms

Where is Jill? Still in Peru, if it´s even possible. I just hopped off the 3 day boat trip this morning from Iquitos, and have landed in the most boring and unexciting town of Yurimaguas. Much has happened the past 2 weeks, and I will hopefully entertain you with a few tales. As always, in flipped and reversed order. The three day boat ride was wonderful, relaxing, and just what I needed at the moment. For 3 nights and 2 days and 1 morning I swayed in a hammock, looking at the jungle scenary go by, one palm lined km at a time. It was just me and my ipod, my new best friend for a few weeks, and we relaxed to the point of exhaustion. Before that I had returned to Iquitos for 1 day from Lima after Steve left. Said goodbye to some friends, the internet guys, and their sister who sold me cookies, and the Salazars, and finally left Iquitos. Our week in Cuzco was great, if filled with a few too many travel foibles. Basically, we learned that when there is too much tourism infrastructure, we fail as travelers. And yes, I realize I´m a big fat tourist, but I prefer the term vagabond. Cuzco was lovely and cold, which was welcoming after weeks at the equator. We navigated our way through the maze of tourist infrastructure that leads one to the ever anticipated Machu Picchu over a few days (by the way, all necessary components of this maze are owned by different, usually foreign (the trains are owned by the brits!) companies who have made all schedules just conflicting enough to require you to spend extra money and make me mad), and only had to take 5 repeat bus trips up to MP and buy new return train ticket on the only available more expensive "vistadome" train (which I highly resented and was not worth the small extra charge) once. But all in all, it was humorous and well worth it, if for no other reason than to cross MP off the proverbial list. But it is the most highly touristy thing I have done in years, quite possibly ever. So, while it was beautiful and impressive, once is enough. We did a little bit of hiking and generally enjoyed the spectacular scenary (which you will not be able to enjoy because these computers are entirely too slow for me to post pictures. track me down in May). After being told that we would need at least a day or two to adjust to the altitude, we didn´t over book our week. Well, we had no ill effects at all from the altitude. I did notice that I got winded hiking considerably faster than I should have, which was likely altitude, or me being lamely out of shape. But other than that, nothing. So, if any of you are doubting a trip to MP because it´s too far off the beaten track, it´s too high, or there won´t be soap in the bathrooms, trust me, you have nothing to worry about. (You can even stay at the fancy hotel AT MP, which costs mearly $1000 a room a night.) Another note: apparently Peruanas think that the national dish of gringos everywhere is pizza. In Aquas Calientes, the town at the base of MP that exists entirely on the basis of toursim, every other store is a restuarant that hawks a pizza deal at you as you walk by. But, again, the scenary is beautiful, and the site was really quite impressive, and as humorous as all the elder hostelers were, it was a great week. Now, I have a few days to kill here in Yurimaguas and then in Tarapoto (which I apparently have to take a bus or taxi to, 3 hours away, at night because during the day the road is blocked by police or something...i will have to investigate this more) and fly to Lima (AGAIN) on sunday night and have a red eye from Lima to Buenos Aires. And then I´m sure there will be another update somewhere down the road. Much love