(no subject)
My first chance to update in Peru! I'll just put e-mail extracts as time is limited.
The flights were fine, and Madrid was as awful as expected, maybe slightly worse. What alleviated the long flight and the stupid Madrid officials was making a friend, a nice young Belgian lady called Femke. We managed to swap seats with someone and sit next to each other, and had some good conversations.
The views once we got to South America were superb, from the stunning Amazon (saw the jungle and the river) to a gorgeous sunset at Lima on landing. The Andes look pretty wild from up there, too.
At Lima I met the people sent to collect me, and they took me to a different hotel to the one David suggested, as that one's in an area of town which has worsened lately. This one's very nice, but I didn't much time/energy to do much except pay and sign, then collapse in bed at 2230 (0330 for my body clock).
When I got up, I realised just how humid it is here. Around the 90% mark. It's only about 25 degrees, but draining. There's also a lot of sea mist, and everything's muggy.
After breakfast (fig preserve and sweet biscocho type things), I headed out for a stroll and tried to ring you. I also rang Tom, and arranged lunch.
The most distinctive thing about Lima is the appalling traffic. There are no lanes, no indicators and apparently no rules. People back into main roads, do u-turns and have one hand permanently on the horn. It is not a tame city.
Miraflores is, however, a beautiful place in many ways. Colourfully painted houses mix with friendly restaurants. There are, as the name suggests, flowers in every front garden, of every colour imaginable. There are also lots of cacti, to my delight, and the odd Inca ruins lurking between blocks.
I met Tom in his bachelor pad/school and he took me for lunch. He's a good man, like an honest version of Robert. We went to a vegetarian restaurant (Peruvians are more aware of it than Spanish people, it seems!) which I paid for. 3-course menu for 2, with extra drinks, cost about 4 quid. This in Lima, the biggest city in Peru.
We then went to the dodgy part of town (La Victoria) to get my bus ticket. The streets are littered with rubbish, there are stands everywhere with fruit and clothes, and every street corner doubles as a urinal. I got the ticket, and we found out to both our reliefs that there is another bus terminal, elsewhere in town, where there are fewer people.
I'm now on my way back to the hotel, just popped by this InCaf (2 soles for 2 hours - about 40p).
Ok, there's been a lot more since but no time left. Will update again soon.
CDB
The flights were fine, and Madrid was as awful as expected, maybe slightly worse. What alleviated the long flight and the stupid Madrid officials was making a friend, a nice young Belgian lady called Femke. We managed to swap seats with someone and sit next to each other, and had some good conversations.
The views once we got to South America were superb, from the stunning Amazon (saw the jungle and the river) to a gorgeous sunset at Lima on landing. The Andes look pretty wild from up there, too.
At Lima I met the people sent to collect me, and they took me to a different hotel to the one David suggested, as that one's in an area of town which has worsened lately. This one's very nice, but I didn't much time/energy to do much except pay and sign, then collapse in bed at 2230 (0330 for my body clock).
When I got up, I realised just how humid it is here. Around the 90% mark. It's only about 25 degrees, but draining. There's also a lot of sea mist, and everything's muggy.
After breakfast (fig preserve and sweet biscocho type things), I headed out for a stroll and tried to ring you. I also rang Tom, and arranged lunch.
The most distinctive thing about Lima is the appalling traffic. There are no lanes, no indicators and apparently no rules. People back into main roads, do u-turns and have one hand permanently on the horn. It is not a tame city.
Miraflores is, however, a beautiful place in many ways. Colourfully painted houses mix with friendly restaurants. There are, as the name suggests, flowers in every front garden, of every colour imaginable. There are also lots of cacti, to my delight, and the odd Inca ruins lurking between blocks.
I met Tom in his bachelor pad/school and he took me for lunch. He's a good man, like an honest version of Robert. We went to a vegetarian restaurant (Peruvians are more aware of it than Spanish people, it seems!) which I paid for. 3-course menu for 2, with extra drinks, cost about 4 quid. This in Lima, the biggest city in Peru.
We then went to the dodgy part of town (La Victoria) to get my bus ticket. The streets are littered with rubbish, there are stands everywhere with fruit and clothes, and every street corner doubles as a urinal. I got the ticket, and we found out to both our reliefs that there is another bus terminal, elsewhere in town, where there are fewer people.
I'm now on my way back to the hotel, just popped by this InCaf (2 soles for 2 hours - about 40p).
Ok, there's been a lot more since but no time left. Will update again soon.
CDB