6 march 2010, my "new" birthday

Yesterday was the birthday of my trip and it ended up being a weird day, as if to remind me that traveling can be great and bad at the same time:
It started with an awful night trip in bus where the driver had put the music more than horribly loud all night long (and that was no way to contact him, he was in a different cabin than passengers). The bus left us at 5.30am in Chiclayo where the taxis were waited and I heard some gringo whispered so I knew they would try something. It started with one trying to make me pay 5 soles instead of the usual 2.50/3.00. I refused and another one accepted my proposal of 2.00 (which was more a stance to bargain). Weird, weird. Indeed, his car was not a taxi and he did the usual bullshit of your hostel is full (and either they take you to their friend in another hostel or they "sell" you to some thieve who steal your belongings) when I told him the adress so I simply did not get in and was ready to walk the 10/15 mns in town in the dark when another taxi made an offer (3.00) that I accepted and it all went fine (the taxi even waited that the door of the hostel opened to leave, that was really nice of him). Then, after a bit of rest I went to the big market notorious for having skilled thefts who almost got me. Three women came around me as if they were walking (one was pregnant) and kind of "blocked" me; I have no idea why but I had an instinct to look at my backpack (that was on the front at that time) and indeed one of them was opening it so I grabbed her hand and she left (the shops around told me to hit her but I still refrain from hitting women even when they are mean like in this case).

But do not think Peru is bad because on the contrary I really like it and this bad luck concentrated in a few hours is as much as I got of negative things to tell in my almost three weeks there. I really like it and have a look at the new albums I have put online such as Chachapoyas, Cajamarca or Arequipa. You will see a lot of pictures of me with locals because many people come to talk to me and enable me to make huge stride forward in Spanish which has become the only language I use.

Finally I have also added three albums to Chile (Valparaiso, the colourful city, San Pedro and La Serena) for the short time I have spent in the North. About Chile I have asked the Red Cross if they needed volunteers at the moment but I assume they are swamped because I had no answer so I continue traveling and maybe later I will go to propose volunteering.