Peru part 1

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Ok so i have not been too good at updating my blog and therefore I have now been in Peru for 13 days and have soooo much to write. Ok....so left Buenos Aires on 4th October and flew to Lima in Peru but via Santiago in Chile and with delays the trip ended up taking me the whole day. Arrived to my hotel in Lima 30 minutes before I was supposed to meet the group that I am touring with to La Paz in Bolivia. The taxi drive from the airport was interesting, the driver obviously thought my Spanish was better than it is and was chatting away to me, understood some of what he was saying and the bits that I didn´t I just smiled and said "si"! The drivers in Peru are crazy and I thought Buenos Aires was bad, they just beep their horns every five seconds and cut each other up to an inch of their lives!! At the hotel met most of the group (was sharing a room with 2 other girls) and was suprised at the variety of ages. The youngest girl was 26 and the oldest member of the group is Mike from Australia who is 72 and then a variety of ages in between! Had a "briefing" from our guide Emma who is English and I have to admit was feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole tour thing!! Was concerned i would not get to use my Spanish much and that has proved true, but was also worried about being taken around to various places, having to eat at certain times and in certain places and having everything done for me!!!! Has actually not been too bad, the group are really nice and good fun and I suppose i should appreciate the convenience for now as will be on my own in Bolivia and Brazil (although Dave will be with me for most of my time in Brazil, v excited!)

So left Lima on sunday 5th October heading south to Pisco. Stopped off around midday to head off in a boat to the Ballestas Islands which turned out to be covered in birds and sealions. The islands are inhabited by humans other than when people come onto the islands to collect the bird poo which they have been doing for centuries!!!! The smell is pretty bad as you get close to the islands but luckily no one got pooed on! Spent an hour on the boat in cloudy cold weather before heading back to shore where it was beautiful sunshine and sat outside for lunch, thinking this is the life!!!!

Arrived in Pisco for the night, small town where the cocktail Pisco sour was invented was thought better have one as I was there.....sour was right, it took a while for me to drink it!!!!

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