Mike came back

So Mike found me in an internet cafe the other day. Of course, "all the Western Unions are closed on Sunday, and I was wondering if I could get a little something from you, just for lunch." I told him no, and he put his hand on my shoulder and adopted this demeanor like I was the most cold-hearted sonoffabich in the world. "Well you just chill out and have yourself a good day then." He turned to leave, and I asked if he even wanted his camera back. He said "yeah, I have a lot of good pictures on there," even though it looked to me like the film was brand new and had no pictures. So he said "You're in the Presidential, by Plaza Mendoza, right? Maybe we can go over there when you're done here." I had this vision of my getting a knife held to my throat in my room, so I tried to be evasive about where I was staying - I mean just a second ago he had no money for lunch, so why would he have money to get the camera back? He said he was going to wait outside for me, but when I went out 5 minutes later he was gone. I knew I had told him where I was staying the night we met, because I didn't need cash or a passport the first night I stayed, so I went back to my hotel and explained the situation. Later that night, Mike came by my hotel while I was gone and was asking for his camera. I have a really hard time understanding the woman at my hotel, to the great amusement of her son (this is really going to be fun when I get to Argentina, or Brazil!), so I didn't understand what all had happened, but I guess he said he was going to come back. Which he did, this morning, but I wasn't there again. Today I left the camera with my hotel, and explained that he can have it if he surrenders some cash. The more I deal with this guy, the more confused I am. What is his deal? He's done so much to make me think that he just needs dope money, but he's also done just enough to make me think that maybe he's cracked in the head but really does want his camera back.

I went to a pharmacy today, about a suspected fungus on my hands. The first place I went to tried to tell me I had some sort of toxin in my liver or something, and wanted to sell me some powder that was for "energy, endurance, and detoxicant." It had vitamins B1 and C, plus glucosamine. And it was expensive. Well, that seemed like a crock, and one more strike on the pharmacy system of medicine. So I went someplace else and got some cream, which I assume is for fungus, although the closest word I know in Spanish is "mushroom."

I'm going to Cochabomba tomorrow. The protests have apparently died down, and the few remaining ones are peaceful. I have a month left on my visa in Bolivia, and thought I would give Cochabomba and the gas nationalization project a chance (hopefully there's something decent to eat in Cocha). I was thinking of going to Buenos Aires, but apparently this is the worst time of year to go, with the city being mostly empty of people who are vacationing to escape the 95 degree heat and high humidity. So I'll try Cochabomba, and if that doesn't work, I'm thinking of going to Patagonia.