Blogs from Lima, Peru, South America - page 166

I really have no idea where to start from, there's so much I want to write....but before I begin, I want to thank all of you for your concern and messages and comments on the blog.... I really appreciate them... So, finally, after a very very long journey... I made it to Lima ... even though at one point I really did think that I was never going to get here.... My Peruvian friend Vladi was at the aiport waiting for me, as promised, and I set off to the hostel (Inka Lodge, Miraflores... well-recommended) to settle down a bit and get used to my new surroundings... In total I was in Lima for 4 days, and although I spent alot of time chasing British Airways here in Lima about my return flight and sitting for ... read more

Well after months of planning we finally made it to the southern hemisphere despite all attempts by American Airlines to prevent it! We had a lightening strike in Miami (no for once not the baggage handlers) - but serious weather preventing the baggage from being unloaded for several hours, for health and safety reasons. As a result it got very wet standing out in the rain, then had to be collected and checked in through customs in Miami and put back on to the plane in double quick time for the next leg to Lima. Result late arriving in Lima, one lost rucksack and very frustrated and tired travellers trying to beat the system in Spanish! Advice, never travel on American Airlines, service poor/non-existent and cheerless. Chartermark is certainly not a feature in the States. We ... read more

We´re in Lima now and it´s pretty great so far. We are only going to be here for a few days, but we are coming back later in the trip. We had a city tour today and realized that this is pretty much the United States in this part of Peru. We actually got real cultural and went to Hooters for lunch....weird, I know. It is really beautiful here and the ocean is gorgeous. The flight went well..I´m pretty much an expert now :) Saying goodbye to my host family was kind of hard, but I was excited to move on from Ecuador. My host parents took us up to a lookout point and we watched the sun set over Cuenca. It was beautiful! Our host dad bought us a bunch of treats for the road ... read more

Well - a lot has happened in the last ten days since Irene and Gaby arrived and Polly and Marianne headed for home. We started by flying to Sucre - a beautiful colonial town in Bolivia. It would be a lovely place to live: large courtyards, rolling roads lined with jacarandas and flame trees with fun shops, markets, and an easy way of life. We went to a number of fransiscan monasteries (how could you not with Irene in two, even with Gaby muttering "a person can only take so many religious icons..." as you go around). The only problem with Sucre was that it was blockaded by striking truckers at the time, but once we sneaked through, we enjoyed the peace of a traffic free city. The British Ambassador to Bolivia (with who we had ... read more

My last day in Lima means my last day in South America. I´ve seen, done and experienced too much to sum it up in one entry, but suffice it to say, this trip has been completely perfect. Sure there were problems, there always are and surviving problems always help in making experiences memorable, but there were few problems, and the timing could not have been better. 2 months was a perfect length, and never did I feel rushed or limited (nor drawn-out and homesick) throughout the vacation. A little about Lima--it wasn´t much of a place until the Pizarrro´s came over from Spain, making it the conquest´s administrative and commercial capital. It´s now host to over 11 million people, and stretches 100 km in length! It´s not cool here, but it´s not warm, and 8 months ... read more