GAP Adventures, Part 2

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Friday 7th

This is the tour that I am joining: Southern Cross

Well, that was a refreshing night´s sleep - not! Didn´t get any sleep at all, so now just got to make myself stay awake all day! Got dressed 4am, was out waiting for the taxi by 4.40am - we had some miscommunication when it wasn´t clear if he was waiting for me or someone else, but we got there in the end. Was at the airport soon after 5am, for an 8.35am flight - bit early, but guess that´s better than not at all?! Easy check-in, and my bag is still only at 18kg, which is not bad for the amount of extra toiletries stuffed into it... Wandered around for a bit, bought a book (expensive, but it´s in English!), sat and read for ages. Onto the plane, OK breakfast, 3.5 hour flight (but clocks go back another 2 hours, now 5 hours behind the UK), finished reading Alistair Maclean war story before heading onto my new book ´The Historian´by Elizabeth Kostanova.

Landed, through immigration/customs easy enough. Get to cashpoint - no idea what to get out - the numbers are meaningless! Check out the exchange rate then I have some idea, but it´ll take a couple of days. Head out to find a taxi - all guidebooks, etc recommend you get these inside the airport to avoid dangers of kidnap, etc. and GAP had said $27. First one I asked was $34, but found one that was $19, yes, inside the airport! Just as I´d paid, Linda arrives - we later find out we´re to be roommates. We say we´ll share a cab, but the controller won´t let us, even when we say we´re happy to pay again, so we drive along waving at each other. Funny! Get to hotel - nice enough - room smells a bit damp, but just great to think no more bunk-beds! Check in - have a big debate about where to securely store stuff (recommended not to carry it!), then meet Mark in the lobby - reading our GAP leader information. We head out into the city, find supermarket first for water (yes, it´s back to no tap water!), then just wander. We all have guidebooks - but none of us have remembered to bring them. I´d grabbed a map from reception so we find our way through to central area, takes a while to work out what we want to eat. Nice lunch, down to the seafront, back to the Ártisan area´(aka tourist-shops!), before finding a couple of things we need. Back to hotel, shower to wake-up. 6.30pm, meet the group. Rod (Peruvian), our guide to La Paz, goes through everything, then we head off to a restaurant. Nice food, nice group (full group of 15). I´m struggling quite a lot now as have now been awake for over 40 hours. Head back to hotel - group are going out dancing. I am not - fall asleep almost straight away (11ish) and don´t remember anything until 8.30am, although Linda says I had a conversation with her when she got in, which is quite freaky!

We´re then off to Pisco tomorrow, then Nazca by Sunday, so that should be a good birthday. Nazca Lines Sunday.

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Photos

Linda and Mark in tourist shops
... one of the few times I´ve been unable to find my cloth badge!

Comments

[insanet]

Building with title "Britanico"
hehe, i just want to mention that the building that has the name "Britanico" in one of your photos , is a teaching center, they teach British English, and now you know =)