Skip to main content

Motoventure Day 17: End of a Clusterf#$@%#@$%

We were told to expect the paperwork to allow us to leave Peru to arrive in Puno at 9AM, and that we would be ready to leave by 11AM.  Keep in mind this is paperwork that should have been completed before we ever left Huancayo, and that we were delayed in Huancayo for six days from the original start date waiting on it…

P1050154

Long story short, after sitting around the entire day ON THE STREET at various notaries following closures, openings, movings, delays, and random drama, we ended up outside the export license place at around 5PM expecting to finally be ready to go shortly.  More drama ensued, and we finally were ready to hand in our notarized paperwork and await the return of the Adventurist whose name is on all the papers so we could sign them when the bomb dropped…

P1050158

At 6:30PM on Friday evening we find out that because we are "exporting" the mototaxis outside Peru, we CANNOT LEAVE ON THE WEEKEND.  The border is closed for commerce on the weekend.  We have thus spent the entire day waiting around on the street for paperwork that can't even get us into Bolivia until Monday.  It's just another simple mistake in the line of simple mistakes that the Adventurists have made in South America that has completely screwed their clientele.  It's boggling to me that this simple fact isn't something that was well known to them weeks before the start of this "adventure" – it's quite a basic thing to check.

P1050145

As of this morning, over 1/3 of the original participants have dropped out due to the paperwork delays caused by the poor planning of the Adventurists (there is a "graveyard" of turned in mototaxis in Puno that were looted for parts today by the teams here).    Today it appears many more will be dropping out as well…

 

Unfortunately, myself included.  We have no guarantees that we can even actually get into Bolivia, assuming we are successful leaving Peru.  Then there's no guarantees we can get out of Bolivia into Chile, Argentina, or Paraguay…  At this point I'm just not willing to spend a grand+ and another five days of vacation to postpone my trip a week hoping to get to see the salt flats (the main reason I came down here).

P1050159

Instead, tonight I (and many other teams) will be asking the Adventurists for our entry fee and deposit to be returned to us as well as discussing additional compensation for the wasted time (though I expect they will tell us to follow up with their lawyers as they have mentioned to previous people who have dropped out).  Then I have to figure out how to get home, hopefully keeping as much of my original flights as possible.

 

This is a horribly frustrating ending to what should have been a fantastic experience, but I will have some amazing memories and some good friendships to take home with me.  And if the Adventurists act like a profession customer oriented business, I may even find myself trying again next time.

 

More tomorrow when it all plays out…

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Days 94-98: The Struggle for Beauty

In which Pete nearly loses Red and gives up once again, before crossing an ice field to spend the night with the Bolivian army at Laguna Colorada and returning to Uyuni for supplies.

Jury Duty: Not Like TV (or: Longest Post EVER)

Prepare yourself for by far the longest blog post ever – if you’re at all curious about real life jury duty or enjoy all those cop & lawyer shows then give it a go - this recount of the trial and details given for evidence will blow your mind, make you think twice about the effectiveness of our police officers and the impartiality of our juries… Shortly before leaving on my trip in January, I was summoned for DC Grand Jury Duty .  I was able to have it rescheduled to begin on June 7 and made it back to the US only a few days before it was due to start.  After thinking about it I really felt that I would not be comfortable spending 27 days of 8:30AM to 5PM in an “office” for $30 a day, especially with the changes to the economy going on right now – I’d rather enjoy that time. Upon arriving at the courtroom for Grand Jury Duty, I quickly noted that there were over 40 people in the room, considerably more than the number required for the Grand Jury.  Once we were checked in, the c

Goodbye, India

I felt it fitting to arrive at IGI in Delhi in the familiar comfort of an auto-rickshaw as I prepare to leave India behind me.  I am ready to leave – in fact, I feel somewhat as if I overstayed myself here, even with two days in Delhi doing nearly nothing. I have mixed feelings about India.  The dust, dirt, and heat of the dry season do not bother me (aside from my allergies).  The frequent squalor, open sewers, trash strewn streets, and clear signs of overpopulation and overcrowding do not phase me at all – if anything, they remind me of my youth in the Philippines and bring a certain nostalgia.  I love the food and breads, and while I’m not a fan of the excess of deep fried street food, it’s enjoyable in moderation.  The fact that I’ve had only one small piece of chicken and no other meat for nearly a month bothers me not at all, since the alternatives are quite a pleasure (mmm, paneer!). In fact, aside from a few things, I have quite enjoyed India.  The people who are clearly i