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The eight hour truck journey went quite quick, couple of movies, couple of stops and playing on iPhone etc
We left Banos about nine in the morning couple of us making ham butties for a bus breakfast as we did not have brekkie arranged that day.
We headed south west towards Cuenca (second largest city in Peru) some scary mountain roads on the way!
We arrived at the hotel about five in the afternoon settled in then went out for dinner.
The hotel was pretty amazing we had a five bed room for four of us with tv, massive room, wifi and a large balcony.
The following morning Simon, Chris ( nicknamed chicken now, another story!) walked into the centre for some brekkie and then walked around some museums and churches.
The group met for lunch, a Peruvian delicacy (also served in this part of Ecuador) Guinea Pig!
We had to book the night before so they had time to marinate and spit roast for an hour.
Looked a bit strange on the plate but tasted bit like a cross between duck and chicken, not much meat on it and we only had a quarter each
but when in Rome . . .
Twelve of the seventeen were up for it and it was good to do see the pickies!
The skin was crispy like pork but as been marinated tasted of chilie and garlic.
In the afternoon we bundled in to taxis and went to a nearbye panama hat factory, Panama hat not actually from Panama! The hats are hand weaves taking anything from 2 days to four months for a fine weaver 1000 bucks hat which feels like animal skin.
Some of the group bought some hats for about twenty bucks but I decided not to as would not travel well and already lost the cap i bought in Banos! lol
But managed to take a few pickies in different hats, nearly bought the blue trilby, tried it on four times!
Most of the group went Salsa dancing in the evening but as we were leaving early the next day decided to head back to the hotel with some of the other guys after dinner, visiting a micro brewery on the way home!
We left at 0415 in the morning heading down from the Andes towards Mancorra
a beach resort on the Pacific coast in northern Peru where the warm waters and weather come down from the west coast of America.
To break up the eight hour journey we stopped for a boat trip and lunch. The boat trip went through some mangroves where there was a Frigate bird nesting site and included a visit to a crocodile farm.
We arrived at the hotel around five and here we pitched tents but had the use of the hotel pool and were
near a fantastic sandy beach.
The drivers cooked us breakfast lunch and dinners (barby).
We stayed here three nights, spending the day on the beach one day and a tuk tuk ride the other day to a surfing resort close by with the use of a hostels pool and bar faciltities including pool table, table football and ping pong (wif waf!).
I was booked for a surfing lesson but I managed to hurt my foot by landing on a rock in
the sea, the only rock we came across on this sandy beach! Plus we had a bonfire on the beach and lots of rum and I managed to burn my
finger on a hot ember!
Went for a fantastic tuna fish meal on the last evening then got up silly o'clock again at 0600 to head
further south down the coast to another hostel for the night, again to break up the journey we stopped for lunch and also visited a musuem about incas and other indigenous Indians.
Then set off again at 0415 in the morning to Lima the largest city in Peru with a population of seven million people! Some amazing views driving through the desert, so far we have been in the jungle, the mountains, the beach and the desert.
The drive to Lima was through desert surrounded by mountains withthis straightish tarmac road running
through, quite a strange experience.
Outside Lima we passed through a large shanty town.
Went to typical Peruvian buffet for lunch when we arrived, eat too much!
Went for a walk after lunch and three of us, the usual suspects, ended up walking down a scary cliff face with steps missing from landslides to go see the surf, strangely enough followed by a dog which I had to carry up part of the climb on the way
up!
We managed to lose the dog on the way back. Lol
Isabelle and Sarah were leaving the trip at Lima and we have three joining so we went out for a meal
in the evening the day we arrived.
Next day we had to ourselves so went sight seeing around Lima including cathedral, catacoombs, panteon and a few pisco sours!
We are due to have new tour leader and will leave Thursday morning to head to the fantastic Nasca lines in the desert, including a flight over the lines.
Larf
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Helen
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yo yo yo
hey Marky Larf just thought i'd drop you a line to say hi and glad to still be gettng your updates- sounds like your having a great time- im in Cuba at the mo- all is brillaint- quick one as only have 30 mins left and internet is muchos expensive- miss you- take care hun