October 25, 2006
Day 392
Grazing horses telling secrets behind my back.
I woke up this morning to the sound of roosters crowing everywhere. Actually, the first ones started at about 1:00 AM, but by sunrise, it sounded like there were hundreds in full force. I took down camp and threw my stove and pots into a garbage bag to try and minimize the black residue that seemed to be spreading everywhere. I began to wonder why I took the advice of the hotel owner, who said that diesel burns nice and cleanly in stoves, at least when compared to regular unleaded.
This morning I got one of the locals to walk with me around the dry forest in the area. We saw lots of ruins that were used for both housing and praying, but most of them were not in very good condition. We also walked down to the thermal lagoon, where the locals do all of their bathing. It smelled like rotten eggs, so I declined.
When I had had enough of Agua Blanca, I took a local bus back to Puerto Lopez and began the long process of cleaning everything. I don't think anything was permanently damaged, but my hands still get dirty whenever I touch my stove.
The photo album for this entry is here.
