[Author’s note 2019: here’s a treat. This was long before digital pictures were affordable, but here is a scan of a map I sketched in an early attempt to see the abandoned Humbolt Hotel atop the mountain. There are two maps of the same street plan drawn different days. Why? I don’t know. I never did get to that hotel, but to this day, it symbolizes the corruption that rules every South American country no matter who is in charge.]
There are plenty of things to watch out for. These people draw no distinction between “works” and “works very poorly”. For instance, my air conditioner works. And the amount of conversation that is generated by the simplest question—I’m wondering if the language itself doesn’t lend itself to describing things. Example, I’ve learned 8 or 10 ways to ask if it is possible to walk to a destination. The answer is always yes. Provided it is somewhere in the continental Americas.
This is day 4, so I’m catching onto a few things. One of them is avoiding aggravation [by doing] everything yourself. It takes a day or two before this can happen [because] you have to find out where everything is. These locals have no learning curve. It takes them just as long to do or find something the second time. It has become a source of constant amusement for me to have them explain how to do something, or worse, several things in succession. This becomes even more fun if you combine it with their tendency to gamble. You total up the time the time and effort they’ve described and be them Bs50 you can do it in 15 minutes for 1/10th the price.
Then blow them away by sitting down for the first five minutes planning and lining things up. By now they are giggling and rubbing their hands together.
Ten minutes to go. You bolt out the door and back with say, a pizza, some postage stamps, and a roll of film. They sit there, stunned speechless. Whence, you get to remind them that is why I can afford to vacation here & not the other way around.
It must ingrained, however, as repeat performances to not result in any improvement, they insist it is magic. Good hope.
[Author’s note 2019: the original ends with “Good hope” in a different color ink. The significance is long forgotten.]
