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MAMACOCA, p. 2
LIMA AIRPORT. The hustle-bustle of a noisy crowd. Confusion. Groves is met by an embassy official at the arriving passenger gate. He and the official walk through the bustling airport to an awaiting Cadillac limousine. A military jeep with four soldiers follows the limousine close behind. Charles, carrying his backpack, is seen at a ticket window. The agent informs him that the bus trip to Cuzco will take approximately two full days. He boards the bus and takes a place in the rear. At one of the stops along the way, a number of Indians climb in, laden with colorful array of baskets, carpets, and packages. Among the crowd is an American girl, a luscious blond, carrying a backpack. She moves to the back of the bus and boldly takes a place next to Charles. The ride is long, and the two have a chance to get acquainted. Clare tells Charles that she is from Cincinnati and that she is a Peace Corps recruit assigned to San Ramon. She has already been in Peru a year. Charles tells her his story. The two seem to like each other and amuse themselves by observing the other bus passengers. A conference at the U.S. embassy. Present are several US officials, a number of Peruvian government people, and some uniformed members of the military junta that rules the country. Groves is explaining the US proposal to control Peru's coca production, in exchange for which the US will agree to subsidize Peru's other crops, such as coffee, and offer credit for military equipment. The next to speak is a Peruvian professor and government advisor who gives his academic opinion. The Indian population has used coca for many centuries and is a very important part of Indian culture. The professor suggests that government control might only decrease the poor peoples' share of coca, but would have little bearing on the continuance of the cocaine trade. The cocaine trade is too powerful to take second place to the Indian market. A Peruvian government spokesman states that it is the responsibility of the US to improve control of cocaine in its own arena. US control of coca in Peru would be dangerous and difficult, if not impossible, in a country where armed resistance is already in fact of life. Similar problems would arise in Bolivia and Columbia, also large coca producers. Arguments follow. In the silence of the mountains, Lorenzo Matraca and his llamas move along in a completely different time frame. The bus is now deep into the interior on an incredible mountain road. Charles observes an Indian passenger chewing coca. He offhandedly tells Clare about the crazy plan of the US government to eliminate the coca crop of Peru which he learned from a drunken US official on the plane by the name of Groves. Clare's countenance changes. She asks Charles to repeat the man's name. Groves. Charles is surprised by her inquisitiveness and asks suspiciously why she wants to know. She avoids an answer. Sunset. Groves and two Peruvian officials are arguing inside the limousine, racing on the mountain road with its ubiquitous military escort hardly managing to keep up the pace. The official convoy overtakes the sluggish old bus, almost forcing it with blaring horn and flashing lights to the edge of a precipice. A few bus passenger curse the speeding limousine. Charles makes a crack at the arrogance of American diplomats. Nighttime. Inside the bus. Most of the passenger have fallen asleep. Clare, fatigued from the long ride, closes her eyes and lets her head rest on Charles' shoulder. He reaches in his backpack, pulls out a blanket, and carefully places it over the two of them. Charles wipes the fogged window next to him and stares out into the blackness. It the distance he seems to spot a flicker of light. By the light of a small fire, Lorenzo, high in the mountains, is squatting motionless. The following morning. The main plaza in the village of San Ramon. The bus inches forward to a stop amidst the noisy market crowd. Men and women vendors, mostly Indians, squatting or sitting on the ground, selling crafts, churrasco, chicarrones. Others weave alpaca wool. Loaded donkeys and llamas with jingling bells. Shouts and laughter of children. A whole section of the plaza is taken up by busy coca leaf sellers. Charles and Clare are approached by several eager vendors as they walk through the crowd toward an early colonial hotel, the only hotel in the village. On the other side of plaza is the old Jesuit mission of San Ramon. Parked in front of the hotel are the limousine and the military jeep. Soldiers, with submachine guns dangling, sit on the front steps smoking. In the lobby of the hotel Charles sees Groves, salutes him, and then introduces Clare, whom Groves pretends not to know. Charles goes to the desk to register. Clare lingers behind briefly and whispers something quickly to Groves. The desk clerk observes the exchange. Having registered, Charles and Clare make a date to go out on the town after they rested and freshened up. They part in the corridor, each going to a respective room. |
