A little summary

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Now I’ve been home a week I thought it apt to take a moment to reflect on the last incredible 7 months, as well as fill you in on my last couple of weeks in Peru.

I snuck home early, as an unexpected Christmas present for my parents, and have enjoyed a week of gluttony – scoffing all the food I’ve been missing for the last 7 months.

During my last two weeks in Peru I managed a series of disasters that I’d miraculously avoided in the seven months prior; namely spraining my ankle and having my purse stolen. I was lucky to have only cash in my purse, although spraining my ankle was a little more disappointing as I managed to do it only 5 minutes into a 2 day hike into the world’s deepest canyon.

Apart from falling down the Colca Canyon, I also squeezed in a visit to Arequipa – a really beautiful and distinctly different Peruvian city as well as a 2 day, 1 night tour of Lake Titicaca. Finally I had a few days back in Lima, panic buying Christmas presents and eating and drinking ceviche and pisco sours at an alarming rate.

Lake Titicaca was a real mixed bag. Incredibly beautiful and astonishingly huge – but perhaps the most touristy place I’d visited to date. It was probably one of the few places where tourism was the only form of income (rather than a supplement to agriculture etc), and this was really obvious and a little irritating.

This made me realise exactly what it is I’ve loved about the places I’ve enjoyed the most... all of my favourite places were places where there was enough infrastructure to sustain tourism, but tourism wasn’t the main focus of a place, meaning you still got a glimpse of ordinary life for locals.

This brings me nicely to a final sum up:



<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Countries: 11

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Border Crossings: 13

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hostels/Hotels/Hospedajes: 57

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bus journeys: 79

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Boat journeys: 21

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Flights: 10

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pairs of Flip Flops: 3

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pairs of Sunglasses : 9

And what have I learnt? I suppose this is the space for all clichés I’ve been saving up and as I’d hate to disappoint, I’ll say list a few things that have made me think.

I am incredibly lucky to be born in the UK.

The generosity of strangers can be overwhelming.



Jumping onto moving vehicles carrying a huge backpack is not a skill easily perfected.



Travelling isn't something you can just 'get out of your system'. It's like a drug; the more you take, the more you need.



Rice pudding, eaten from a bag, on a chicken bus going 80mph, is surprisingly delicious



And a final sum up:



Size zero: As you've probably guessed, I haven't actually come home a size zero! Instead, my former musuclar frame has disappeared into a much flabbier version of my former self. On the up, my giant shoulders have reduce

Latino Lover: Without sounding racist, it was quickly apparent that Latino men were not where it is out for me. I'll never complain about the calibre of men in the UK again.

Mishaps: It's really quite incredible I managed to not lose my phone or camera for 7 months! Yes you may think that a purse, 6 pairs of sunglasses, a bikini, 2 t shirts, leggings, 2 ipods, camera charger, a fleece and a sandal is a long list of lost/broken items - but it's probably less than I'd get through in 7 months in the UK.

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