Lima and paragliding

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30th August 2009
Lima, Peru
KOKOPELLI Hostel

Hi all,

i've still not made it to Arequipa, but it's all good! we got the flight the next day from Sao Paulo to Lima and i had the intention to get the bus straight to Arequipa.... but.... my new friend Tomek told me he was going to only stay for one night in Lima and then travel down to Arequipa today (Sunday) so i thought i may as well do the same so we could travel together. we got picked up at the airport after saying goodbye to our new amigos - if you think our ordeal sounded bad, our friends Fabienne and Axel from Germany arrived with us but their luggage was still in Frankfurt, they did Frankfurt - Heathrow - (diverted to Rio) - Sao Paulo - Lima, yet they were still smiling.... amazing!

we got picked up by our kamikaze taxi driver, i can't really go into the scary-arse journey to the hostel as it will panic Helen and Sarah... and maybe my mum, but it's probably the most dangerous, insane and unbelieveable car journey i've been on. quite a thrill.

one of the first things i saw was a couple of kids on stunningly beautiful horses wearing wonderful brightly coloured ponchos. our hostel is great, the best beds i've ever slept on in a hostel, but then again it's only been open a month! we were shattered last night, so after walking about, trying some Inka Kola (mmm), eating and seeing the sunset we sorted our coach to arequipa for today (at 18.30, arriving 08.30ish), i managed to get mine free (after a lot of confusion) as my dad let them know i wasn't gonna make it the other day.
we came back and ate some more, had a pisco sour (ergh), walked around a bit more, walked in to a (smoky) nightclub, watched a man dance funny for a couple of minutes, came back to the hostel bar, had a caphirinha and flaked out.

this morning we woke up at 7.30ish (bodyclock all over the place) and got breakfast and it was lush! i then somehow let Tomek persuade me to go Paragliding with him, i point blank refused at first as he told me it involved "running off a cliff" 'No Thanks!' I thought, but after i saw him do it I couldn't help myself.
IT WAS AMAZING, it was surprisingly OK running towards the end as the parachute is already up in the air, and to be honest, there's no bloody going back after that, so i ran harder than ever before and we were up and away, Tomek said everyone 'proper gasped' as apparently we went up and straight down (think it's all the food i've been eating!) but then up again, i didn't notice with all the adrenaline and it was instantly peaceful, I videoed the whole thing and will get pics up soon.

after, we ate some more (it's shocking, i know) and got some food for the bus in case we're hungry even though they feed us haha! it's a festival today of Santa Rosa who was a girl that was so pious that she mutilated herself for Jesus, when Tomek was in the air he saw the parade - his pilot guy was 'muy loco' - very crazy - and flew Tomek within inches of the Marriot hotel before 'about-turning' suddenly....how he didn't poop himself i don't know!

so now we are off to the bus station, and to Arequipa, my final destination (for a good few weeks anyway)

hasta luego xxxxxxx

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Photos

My pilot
The paragliding guy

Little Peruanos
Children on parade in Lima during the Santa Rosa parade

purple sweetcorn anyone?
They make this into a drink here, I like it