Peru and Ayahuasca Diaries
August 20th, Sunday — Pucallpa Tour and Journey to Cusco
I spent another sleepless night. My room is more comfortable compared to the previous days, but my adrenaline level is running high.
I woke up again around 5:30 in the morning. After a few conversations, at about 7:30, without the sun getting too intense, I took to the streets with my “I’m a tourist” hat on top of my blond hair. And went out with my white skin. It looks as if there were no other foreigners in the city.
Of course, it’s impossible to understand a city or its people in just a few days, but everyone greets and smiles when we pass. Smiling small talk, with even strangers put me in a positive mood.
There are many poor people here, the city is neglected, and people often have old and modest clothing. But still, the Peruvian currency is almost seven times more valuable than Turkish Lira. Also, eating a whole plate of food or shopping from a market is much more reasonably priced than we have in Turkey. Yes, they’re poor, but they seem to be managing themselves somehow. It looks like the contrary to most of the Turkish people, they’re not constantly worrying about what kind of disasters or surprises the country would have, or what would happen to them. They appear to have adapted to a standard of living that includes making their lives with less. I don’t know if there are extremely rich people here, or if there are significant income gaps. But it seems like the distance between expectations and the current situation creates a feeling of scarcity, and this gap is huge in Turkey.
Here, the most common and the cheapest items to be sold in the market seem to be bananas, chickens, and eggs. Whole chicken or raw chicken flesh is in the markets or the streets and is sold openly in the 35 degrees Celsius hot weather. I’m already continuing my post-Ayahuasca diet, so I’m not eating red meat or drinking alcohol. It’s a good idea to stay away from chicken as well due to these hygiene conditions. Somehow, I’m finding something to eat, and there is no problem.
Since there weren’t many options, I went to the church, the most colorful place to visit on a Sunday. I listened to a musical and entertaining Sunday Service.
Afterward, I visited the market. I bought some small ones and returned to my room. There’s a challenging week ahead of me, so it’s good to have some quickly edible snacks in my bag.
My flight departs from Pucallpa Airport at 16:30. I will fly first to Lima, and from there, I will head to Cusco.
