VIGNETTES
There are some stories I hear, or am a participant in, that just don’t belong to any larger theme. I store them away carefully in my mind, thinking that it’s such a shame that I can only capture episodes and not moments in my writing. They are just so poignant, however, that I feel that they deserve a place here somehow. So I will update this post periodically, and I hope that those of you who want a little light reading will consider revisiting this post.
Puppy love
Two researchers in Puerto Maldonado needed to get to the other side of town one evening and so they walked up to the main road and flagged down a motorcar. Also called an autorickshaw in India and a tuk-tuk in Indonesia, these three-wheelers are a comfortable and cheap way to get out of the heat and dust for a short while.
The motorcar can hold upto three people. A few minutes after they piled in, the third passenger for the ride joined them. A friendly mutt off the street just jumped in and settled down at their feet.
The girls were a little taken aback. However, nothing compares to the reaction of the taxi driver.
“Is that your dog?” he asked, turning around.
“No” they chorused.
“Well then, you’d better kick it out!”
Get me to the boat on time
Yesterday, on Saturday the 14th of November, Peggy from the States married Reneé from Puerto Maldonado. We attended the wedding and had a terrific time. The couple met at CICRA, working on a bird project together.
Peggy shuttles between Peru and the US as she is in the middle of her Ph.D. program in Wildlife Ecology. A few weeks ago, she packed her bags and decided to come down to Peru to see Renée and also get a headstart on data collection at CICRA. She landed in the Puerto Maldonado airport, about 6km from the town and was happy and excited to see Renée waiting for her on his motorcycle.
Wanting to be with him, they hired a little motorcar or rickshaw and send her bags with it. The plan was to follow it on the bike together. About three minutes out of the airport, their bike uttered a guttural gasp and gave up on life altogether. They squealed to a halt only to realize that her bags were happily on their way ahead, the driver of the motorocar unaware that his clients were held up on the road behind him.
While Renée fiddled with the engine, Peggy quickly flagged down another motorcar, and headed into town. Then she began to systematically search the streets for her original mode of transport and her precious luggage. Peering out the side of the little three-wheeler she desperately tried to recall what the first taxi looked like.
So preoccupied, both she and the driver failed to notice the vehicle in front of them and in a few seconds, her second mode of transportation collapsed in a minor traffic accident. People gathered and the police got to the scene so it took them a while to get extricated.
Fearing the worst she returned forlorn to Renée’s house and stumbled in, tired and upset.
“Hola!” said Renée, who had fixed the bike and returned home.
He had every reason to be cheerful. You see, the original taxi driver just asked around and figured out where Renée’s house was and brought the bags right to the place, leaving them entirely untouched.
That’s Puerto for you.
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