Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Soltera

My son and I arrived to Cusco at different times. He came from Puno via bus, I traveled from Arequipa by plane. I had no desire to visit Puno and wanted to stay in Arequipa as long as possible. After a month there, the city felt familiar and, as one does after awhile in one place, I had a routine that felt comfortable.

Still, I looked forward to Cusco. I had booked an apartment as a pleasant change from hotel rooms. And then there was Machu Picchu! Cusco is the major hub to get there as well as to many other Inca ruins in the area.

My first look at the apartment was disappointing. Yes, it was spacious with two bedrooms but the kitchen could hardly be called a kitchen, not even a kitchenette. There was no refrigerator, no pots and pans for cooking, and although the website had said "oven" it was just a two burner propane unit on a table next to the tiny sink.

Forrest, who had arrived earlier in the day, reported the shower was just lukewarm, the WiFi wasn't great, and "Look, Mom, how dirty the floors are--" the bottoms of his bare feet were black. Also, within a few hours, there was no water at all!

The water eventually came back on. Apparently this is Cusco's dry season and water has to be rationed. I understood that since we experienced the same thing in Guatemala when we lived in Panajachel. I kept water stored in jugs for these times. But I had just arrived here and it was all too much!

I went to bed feeling very frustrated. I kept checking on Booking.com for something else. Finally, I decided not to be rash or impulsive and to give it 24 hours.

The next morning, Forrest left on his 5-day trekking journey along the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. As for me, nothing looked better in the morning light. As so often happens during these kinds of situations, I sat there crying and thinking if only Bruce were here, he'd make everything better. We'd see it as an adventure and would immediately set to work tackling the problems together, rather than me sitting here alone wondering what went wrong.

I imagined how Bruce would handle things, what he would do first. From my vantage point in bed under three heavy blankets, I saw a clock on the wall in the not-really-a-kitchenette. It wasn't keeping time (one more lame thing about this crappy place.) I knew that right off Bruce would get one of the AA batteries I brought for my camera and put it in the clock. So I dragged myself out from under the covers to get the battery and put it in the clock and set it on the right time.

The dear little clock started ticking, a comforting sound that made me feel immediately better. What else would my capable husband go after?

"What should I do next, my love?" I asked him, and then wrote out a list of simple tasks we'd undertake if he were in this situation with me.

One of them was to talk to my contact person for the apartment. I put that one way down on the list, because when you're feeling discouraged and sorry for yourself, you don't want to talk to anyone.

Finally, after I completed everything else, I messaged the person, saying I had some questions about the apartment and could they come by. At 11:30 a.m., there's a knock on the door, and it's these two smiling women, one with a baby in a backpack. Turns out they're mother and daughter, and I'd been messaging the daughter as my contact person.

I ask about turning on the heater, about turning on the hot water, about cleaning the floor, and what about no pans to cook with, not even a little one to fry an egg. The mother said, "I'll clean the floor right now!" I told her I wouldn't mind doing it, but I had no supplies. During all this, I saw a man in the hall carrying a mini-fridge down the stairs from another apartment.

I said, "I wish I had one of those here," and they said, "We will bring you one, and pots and pans later today."

While the mom mopped, she asked why I was in Cusco. I showed her a picture of my husband, saying he died last year and I just needed to get away from everything familiar. She understood, said "Ah, tu eres soltera," told me her mother was also a widow and very independent, just like me. We had a nice conversation, although with the stress of the past couple days, my Spanish wasn't very good.

When they left, everything looked so much better after having all the rooms mopped. It felt clean and, with the sun now shining brightly through the apartment, more like home.

Around six pm, they come by again with a man who's probably the husband. He is carrying a mini-fridge, still wrapped in plastic from the store. The women have a big box with new pans, cooking utensils, a cutting board and a knife. Also, a brand new broom and dustpan. The mom calls me Karencita which is so sweet. And they dropped the rent by $50.

This day that had started off so badly with my dark thoughts, ended with joyful gratitude, a day I would never forget. I felt hopeful, blessed, and just happy to know people like this would be my landlords for one month in Cusco.

26 comments:

  1. What a lovely story, so hopeful, and I loved the way in which you turned to your husband and found the answers you needed 🌹

    ReplyDelete
  2. The owners saw to your comfort and needs when they stopped by. What a relief.

    May your adventures renew your spirit.

    Also, I am suffering from exclamationitis. I am using them in ways and places I have never. I feel like you have liberated me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's really hard to tone it down once you get in the habit of overusing exclamation points. I have to force myself to not, like both of these sentences I could easily have added the !

      Delete
  3. Sometimes it just takes a few little details to make all the difference between a negative and a positive experience. Glad things looked up for you after you made that human connection.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a blessing! Despite everything, your prayers were answered. And you were able to handle it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really was a blessed day, why I just had to write such a long post.

      Delete
  5. Love you and as always thinking about you

    ReplyDelete
  6. You handled that so beautifully, Karen. South Americans are usually so hospitable that I am totally not surprised by their sweetness and helpfulness. I would've freaked...But by waiting until later to contact the owners was certainly the right thing to do. How wonderful to have such nice people to look after you for an exciting month! Enjoy your adventure! I know you miss Bruce terribly, BUT he is there with you in spirit and he is always in your heart. Try and enjoy your adventure... once you meet more people, you'll feel very much at home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They really are the nicest people, guess why I love being among the Latin culture so much.

      Delete
  7. Hi Karen - well done on looking on the bright side and working your way round things. So pleased Forrest is with you ... albeit he wanders off to explore - but lovely when you can spend time together and memorise your travels. What an amazing place to go to ... while the others sounds so interesting - and you've obviously made the right decision to take your mind off your beloved Bruce, while you travel - yet know he'll be with you to mull things over with ... his answers will come. All the very best - looking forward to more news ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Hilary, this trip has been incredibly healing despite the occasional misadventure.

      Delete
  8. Wonderful to hear you handled it and they handled it and now everyone is happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It should keep me going until the next misadventure!

      Delete
  9. I'm glad you were able to channel you husband and it brought about good results. It's wonderful to hear the landlords were understanding and accommodating. I hope you have wonderful time there and it helps heal.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ah, Karen - you found your inner Bruce and made a frustrating situation into a chance to make friends. How good is that? I think you are quite a brave woman and I'm going to use you as inspiration for my own adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  11. By talking to your husband, he helped you even though you could not see him. My mo would talk to my dad and ask what he thought of things and missed him so. I am glad the landlords came by and helped you even though that should have been done before you came. They could be new at this and trying to get everything done plus, they are not from our neck of the woods or German, Swiss etc. here we do expect it right off the bat but, in their country they work differently and we have to be mindful of that especially since they were humble and very sweet. Glad they knocked down $50 of the rent

    ReplyDelete
  12. So glad that things turned more positive for you. Sometimes it does help to ask for guidance even through our loved ones aren't there to speak out loud. They still show us the way. Have a wonderful trip.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Karen, one of the legacies my mom left me was the philosophy: if you look for good you will find it; and if you look for bad, you will surely find that too. This story is a perfect illustration of that. What an inspired idea to think of how your husband would respond to the problems and tasks. With his light within you, you responded beautifully! Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Bruce continues to help you every day.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a heartwarming story! I'm glad that what started out looking so crappy ended up on a happy note. (AND for fifty bucks less!) I can't even bear to think of what I'd do if anything happens to my husband, so I really feel for you. After fifty years of marriage, I depend on him... reeeeeally depend on him for just about everything. God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. We stumbled over here coming from a different page and thought I might
    check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you.

    Look forward to going over your web page yet again.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to
    your weblog? My blog is in the very same area of interest as yours and my visitors would truly benefit from a
    lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this alright with you.
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She placed the shell to her ear and screamed.

    There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
    LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!

    ReplyDelete