Three Nights without Sleep

5/23 I was on a bus travelling through the Andes through continual switchbacks sitting in a seat. Although the seat was comfortable and reclined well I only caught a couple of hours of sleep.

5/24 I stayed at a residence 8 blocks out of Cusco town center. One to thirty dogs barked all night long. People yelled to each other from one end to the other of the 100 meter corridor down the side of the building from the pitch I think they were using bullhorns. Funny it is a very quiet area in the daytime.

5/25 The death blow, I couldn't deal with the noise and told my host I had to sleep elsewhere. I found a hotel right on town center. El Chaski Hotel had a room on the main floor of the hotel, right behind the breakfast area. Town center is quiet and this provided me three doors between me and the street.

Desparately needing sleep I went to bed around 9. I had not counted on the sound of large numbers of people wearing packs and hiking boots treading up and down the wooden staircase but three meters from my glass walled room. The sound of heavy furniture being moved on wooden floors thundered down into my room. The reception phone rang. Simple conversations sounded like they were taking place on my bed. Somebody had come to the coffee area to make a phone call based on the obvious sound of one sided conversations. I stepped out of my room to glare at him. He was skyping somebody. He informed me that he would be but two minutes more.

A slight delay and then the buzzer for admission went off, about 10 times in a row. Then the poor guest started knocking on the door, loudly. In most of these places there is way for a guest to unlock the door, and I didn't have the key. The knocking turned to enormous banging for 15 minutes, the large heavy door resonating like the world's largest subwoofer.

After about a fifteen minute delay, it was now four or so in the morning, it started again, not quite as loud but much more persistent. I walked down the stairs to see if I could find a way to open the door, but that had been accomplished. The lower part of the three sectioned door was about a foot away from the rest of the door but still standing upright. Why didn't the guy just drop the panel and come in? It was the national police investigating the break in. I invited them in and showed them that reception was empty. Then I pointed to the room that was occupied by a woman who kept shouting "Collin!" as the first set of bangs was going on.

The police stomped around in their heavy boots. Excited loud conversations filled the air for another hour or so. After a brief lull, the noise picked up again with guests leaving, presumably for the early train to Macchu Pichu.

What does anybody who can sleep through a racket like that use for an alarm clock?

I hope I get some sleep tonight.