You're the One That I Want(98)

Of everything I’d done on my trip by that point, sandboarding down the dunes at Huacachina, taking in the obscene view as I went, was definitely one of my highlights. Not only was I propelled off a sandy mountain at a ridiculously fast speed (it’s a wonder I didn’t scream like a girl all the way down), but the beauty of the world around me was breath-taking – massive sand dunes curved their way for miles around, eventually ending at the horizon where they were met by the deep-blue sky above. It was impossible not to feel in awe of it all.

The world was a big place with so much to offer, I was happy to greedily soak up as much as I could of it.

That day in November I’d arrived in Cusco, Peru. Getting off a long bus ride late-afternoon, I’d decided to chill in one of its town squares with a cold beer as I watched the locals around me going about their daily business. A group of old men, all wearing a mixture of grey and white trousers and shirts, had gathered on the adjacent bench to me, taking it in turns to talk passionately about something as the others keenly listened and nodded in agreement. I’d no idea what they were saying, but they were interesting to watch. Mothers wandered past, their babies barely visible beneath the multi-coloured blankets they were tied to their bodies with. All the while, at least a dozen stray dogs roamed around to different people, seeing if anyone would offer them scraps of whatever food they were eating.

It was while I sat there, in the Peruvian sun with my Peruvian beer, that I got a text from Robert asking if I was free for a Skype chat later that day. I hadn’t spoken to him for a couple of weeks – it wasn’t always easy to keep in touch, especially if I was off somewhere remote.

As a rarity, I’d treated myself to a private room in the hostel I was staying in for a few nights, knowing that I’d be camping a couple of days later when I joined the Inca Trail. I’d known I needed to get in as much decent sleep as I could before that. So rather than having a bunch of strangers around me as I tried to make the private call, it meant I was on my own, in my little single room, when the Skype call came through a couple of hours later.

When the image appeared onscreen I was surprised to see Maddy as well as Robert. Even though I’d spoken to her a few times since I’d been away, Maddy had usually found an excuse to flit in and out as Robert talked – busying herself with making the dinner or doing the washing. Sometimes she’d miss the Skype chat altogether – insisting she’d email me later on. Which she did, most of the time. I’d get the odd couple of vague lines about how everything over there was the same as ever, perhaps get updated on what the university lot or her parents were up to, but nothing really substantial or full of thought. I’d email her back my photos – not of me, obviously, but of the places I’d been and seen. I liked to feel like there was still some communication running between us, that I hadn’t managed to ruin everything.

I couldn’t help but smile at the rare occurrence of having her join us.

‘Mate!’ boomed Robert, shifting the screen of his laptop, which he was resting on his knees, so that they were both nicely in view.

It may have been early evening for me, but it was late at night for them in England, and as a result the pair of them looked dishevelled and sleepy as they leaned into each other, dressed in their pyjamas ready for bed. I noticed they were on their brown leather sofa in the lounge, the one I’d been staying on before I’d left.

‘Hey, guys,’ I smiled back, waving with my free hand. It’s a funny thing, I rarely waved hello at people when I greeted them in real life, but put a Skype call in front of me and it was the first thing I did. Always. Perhaps it was the novelty of being able to see people when they were miles across the other side of the world – I felt like I had to make the most of being seen, starting with that gesture.

They waved back, grinning manically at me as they did so.

I’d assumed they’d missed me.

‘Nice to see you’ve still got your colour,’ laughed Robert.

My olive skin had turned four shades darker on just my first day in Ecuador, something Robert was still shocked by every time we Skyped, continuously making it one of the first things he opted to talk about.

‘Where are you?’ asked Maddy.

‘In Cusco, Peru.’

‘That’s where Paddington Bear’s from,’ she informed me with a knowing nod.

‘Really?’

‘Yep. What’s it like?’

‘Well, allow me to give you the guided tour of tonight’s sleeping quarters,’ I said, turning my iPad to show them the bare white walls surrounding me.