Lima, Peru

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Lima marked our last few days in South America.

We arrived in Lima on our last bus ride of the trip...what a relief! After extreme taxi rides which caused much grief for our group, we finally made it to our hostel and settled in. Scott (Escott if you will) was available immediately to help us feel comfortable and welcome in his cozy hostel home. We were introduced to Dia, the "cutest" dog on the planet and informed of Flee, the illtempered, fanged monkey living in the attic. To say the least our hostel was quite interesting. Being the starving travellers that we were our immediate thought was to find food! We all separated and found delicious treats to eat which included arabian falafels and gelato at our new favorite shop called Dolve Vai. Our first day in Lima was spent getting to know the city which would become our home for the last week of our journey. As a group we toured a historic museum and gained a wealh of information about Peru's past. Afterwards, the fellas stayed back to enjoy peruvian screwdrivers while the ladies made our way to Miraflores, compliments of Maria, which is a wonderful city and full of unique entertainment. We experienced VIP treatment while shopping at private boutiques and found fabolous outfits for the upcoming night! We returned to our hostel, gathered the crew and headed out on the town to a salsa discoteca. Carlos showed off his talented skills for the ladies of Lima and Shannon almost won a dance contest on stage! Mara found a new "boyfriend", we pathetically sang karaoke and finished the night with peruvian food which included chicken sandwiches from a duffel bag. The next day we all woke up excited to perfect our non-existent surfing skills with our world champion instructor, Magoo of Billabong. Our group headed out to Punta Hermosa, worked our way into wetsuits and began learning the techniques of professionals. The water was cold as we paddled out to the ocean only to learn exactly how difficult surfing could possibly be. The waves were larger than expected and to put into the words of Magoo, they "kicked our ass." Laura and Sean were able to stand briefly while the rest of us gave it our best shot! Impressively, this was Laura's first time seeing the ocean as well so we all know where her true calling is! We called it a day around 5 and piled back into the van to head home while officially calling ourselves Surfers. Day 3 in Lima was once again spent touring the city. Mara and I thought it would be a brilliant idea to remember South America through tattoos, so a small group of us went to the tattoo parlor which would inevitably take about an hour which I am fully to blame for my pathetic, nervous nature. After tattoos we ran into Mara's "boyfriend" for the 5th time and ate gelato yet again (for anyone interested the Encanta flavor is by far the best!). That night a large part of our group met up with one of the surfers and had a grand night out on the town stuffing into a jeep, touring the rest of Lima, and drinking Pisco by the ocean! Our last day in Lima was bitter sweet. Half of the group volunteered with Maria at a school just outside of the city. The group split up and helped out in the classrooms by entertaining the kids and helping with their studies. The remaining part of our group went out on the town and experienced the rest of what Lima had to offer. We all met back for our last dinner which was a traditional ceviche meal and was absolutely delicious! The night was spent remembering our trip, looking back on memories and sharing stories of eachother. We bonded for our last time and attempted to make the last few hours as best as they could possibly be! After a long meal we headed back to the hostel, gathered our belongings and said farewell to South America and Jen (and Escott of course).

This trip was a life changing experience for many and a well spent 40 days with amazing people. We have all made friendships to last a lifetime and will never forget the memories we created with those we have come to love. Thank you so much to all of you. I loved every second spent and would do it all over in a heartbeat if the chance was given to me! Jennifer and Stephanie, thank you for all of your hardwork to pull this off. Without your dreams and ambitions none of us would be sharing our story today. Vanessa, all of your students are grateful that you were on this trip as well. Without you, a few of them may not have came and our trip would not have been the same. The rest of you, thank you for your positive attitudes, your EXTREME sense of adventure and your willingness to take on anything! South America holds a new place in my heart along with each and every one of you. I hope you all made it home safely and are enjoying your time with loved ones. Good luck Jenny in your travels and please keep us informed of your new adventures!

Muchas Gracias y buena suerte con todos (hope that was right haha)

Jess

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