Blogs from Callao, Peru, South America

Hello family and friends! I am now in Santiago, but am still posting about all my adventures through Peru the past two weeks. I haven't had much time or wifi to post as I traveled, but as of today I will begin settling down in Chile. I hope you're all well, I miss you. We arrive in Lima at 10 pm. Our hostel sends a car to pick us up, and I get my first taste of Peruvian Spanish from the drivers Omar and Denis. They talk over one another telling us about Peru’s jewels--the Nazca lines etched into the desert by aliens or some strange race of us, Cusco the beloved capital of Andean culture, Machu Picchu the pride of the country. Denis tells of a seaside town south of Lima, where orbs of light ... read more

Ft. Lauderdale to Manta, Ecuador We successfully boarded our ship and found our luggage in our stateroom, and all is well. The seas were a little rough between Ft. Lauderdale and Cartagena, Colombia and dinner that evening was sparsely attended although we were able to make it. There are seven people at our table – one couple who cruises all the time, and another who cruises slightly less, and the tour director for American Express customers on board. He has been all over, too. So, it is an interesting group. The staff is wonderful. They are very helpful and charming, too. Most of them are Indonesian and are looking forward to stopping there to see relatives. Our first stop in Cartagena was brief. We took a tour around the town stopping at a fortress and the ... read more

Saturday Jan 29th, 2011 Off the West Coast of South America Latitude 12 degrees 47 minutes South- Longitude 80 degrees 14 minutes west We are heading out into the vast Pacific Ocean and there will be nothing on the horizon for several days. Behind us is Lima, Peru, a city of contrasts. Both poor and affluent, Lima is a huge sprawling metropolis with pollution and all the problems of a modern city. Even though it rarely rains in Lima the city is very green and lush. We found out that huge water trucks go around the city in the early morning watering all the street trees and flowers. Jane and I walked many miles shopping in the small Indian markets and moving about with the local people. They were smiling and friendly with only a few ... read more

Hello everyone, Well I was quite exhausted on Monday but content non the less, have to make the most of things in life. Things seem to be coming along excellently with the projects, I was hoping to finish our construction this week but as always with construction we are waiting for items we need. Things are going well with the Workshops, English is fine as is Boxing and football. I noticed some of the kids no longer come along and dont go to college, they help there parents make braids to go around people wrists instead, didnt want to say anything but oh well. I have started applying for some jobs in England , knowing the jobs market is bad I guess its a good idea to make a start to do it know. The next ... read more

Estes Bien? Good I hope! Well this weekend was funny, if not slightly intense. It looks like Machu Pichu is totally off the cards as its been washed away and so are the Chan Chan temples which are North. I might still be able to see them though. Anyway, we headed south to somewhere called Ica. It was nice to have a weekend off and get away from the project. It’s pretty intense a lot of the time and there is one hell of a lot to see in Peru. We travelled straight down the Pan American highway on Friday night. Cheap bus journey (30 sols) it’s the one all the Peruvians take and we got it from a dodgy part of Lima, we actually blagged a police escort to the bus station and they told ... read more