Lima, Miraflores

---

Day 2 started far too early for my liking, with my body clock still on uk time i was wide awake by 4am. however i did manage to lay in for a few hours before having breakfast at 8. breakfast consisted of freshly baked bread with jam, juice and coffee which later gave me the shakes. i forgot my body doesn't take kindly to caffiene.

my exploring started at the beach today. it's pretty strange as the whole coast line is dominated by cliffs and at the bottom is a road and small pebble beaches. there are lovely parks at the top of the cliffs which are really well looked after. there was only one way down to the beach, down some steep, uneven cobbled steps. i though walking down was hard work but walking back up later was even worse. when i woke up this morning it was grey, appeared to be raining and looked cold. so i foolishly went off in my fleece and packed my jacket in my bag. little did i realise it was actually going to be warm, humid and very very sweaty in what i was wearing. i could have collapsed when i walked back up the hill.

there are lots and lots of tennis courts here. i have taken a pic of one of the complexes which is on the way back up the hill. i watched a few people play and the standard looked really good. some crazxy people also opted to jump off the cliffs with a parachute attached and had a tour of the coast, looked fun but really not my cup of tea. and not sure my insurance covered such activities. judging by how close one of them went to a high rise building i thought i would need it!

there is a really nice shopping complex built into the cliffs, from memory i think its called larcomar. had nice bars, restaurants shops etc. i then walked along the main streets in miraflores. one thing that really stands out is the number of casinos here, its incredible. you would almost thing you were in vegas. another annoying thing is the taxi's, they constantly beeb people on the side of the road trying to get business. its almost as if people aren't allowed to walk in lima and the taxi drivers are telling you off for being healthy. not that you can be healthy while walking in the town, as the heavy traffic does leave a bad smell of exhaust gasses around. i have noticed that every single building has its own security and there are lots of random security men scattered around the streets. but i must admit, although it does look dangerous i have felt relatively safe today. i think the fact i am well over a foot above the average height here they are leaving me alone. so the bad vibe i got yesterday is slowly being erased.

for lunch today i went to a typical peruvian restaurant and had local delicacy. anyone fancy taking a guess what i had? yes you guessed it i went to macdonalds and had a double quarter pounder with cheese meal. the beef tasted so much better than back home, it was almost as if it was a beef burger and not some patty which kind of resembles beef which you get back home. and the fact it was 2 quid cheaper than back home made me a very happy shopper. following this, i have just got back from Norky's. Norky's is kind of like Nandos but is more of a grill restaurant that grills all kind of meats and fish, not just chicken. i treated myself to 2 beers, half a chicken, a massive portion of fries, salad and lemon pie, all for under a tenner. how good is that! a bottle of beer costs a quid, i'm in heaven. although i must admit dining alone isnt that exciting. really looking forward to joining up with the tour tomorrow to meet some people.

moving on to the tour, my itinerey said that i was supposed to check out of my hotel today and move to one a few blocks away. so i packed all my bags, went to check out and they told me my room is booked for 2 nights. i was quite relieved as i intended on walking to the next hotel with my full pack on. seeming as though my thighs hurt from walking through heathrow with it on, i was very relieved. for all those that tried my pack on at the bbq, we weighed it at heathrow and it was 15% heavier than the bbq night, god knows what i put in it but when i start trekking on my own round argentina i guarantee some of it will be binned as its just too heavy. anyway, i'm hoping that i get picked up from this hotel tomorrow morning. its an early start with a 9.45 flight to cuzco. so being picked up at 7.30 to be taken to the airport. doing my research on cuzco today, its over 3300 metres above sea level. now when i was lamding yesterday and coming in over the andes, we weren't even 2000 metres above sea level so i cant imagine just how high this is going to be. i've read the warning of headaches, nausia etc which will probably occur due to a lack in oxygen. god knows how the inca trail will be as we get up to over 4500 metres at some stages. but really looking forward to it, i think it will be the highlight of my trip.

anyway, i hope you enjoy the few pictures i've attached so far. hopefully i'll have net access in cizco so i can provide machu pichu pics asap. hope everyone is well at home. actually it wont let me attach pics but hopefully i'll be able to add some soon, sorry.

---

Comments

[Clare]

I would be pleased to be staying in that room, it has to be more comfortable than the tent is going to be! The tennis courts look a bit professional think I would have walked on too! It sounds like your having a good time though already, glad you have found some home comforts of McDonalds! I went out with the olds last night, im keeping them entertained for you we went to Wildwood and sat in the window the parents were highly amused by some of the outfits (or lack of) that can be seen in maidstone on a saturday night! Well I must get back to work now, enjoy the start of your trek, make sure you drink lots of water! Have fun and take care, Clare x