Month: June 2012

Lima to Arequipa to Cuzco

We’ve been waking up somewhere new for our first 3 mornings in Peru which has been exciting. We’ve been on the move pretty much since we landed which included 2 over night buses on the trot. The buses are really nice and actually good fun although the motion sickness got to Tul. Peru is a nation of world class snorers as well it seems so the ear-plugs have come in handy. You’re also not allowed to take a number two on the buses so the Imodium has come in handy too :-o. The drivers are properly mental here as well and we found it best not to look out of the front window to see how they’re driving.

We’ve settled in Cuzco now for a few days to acclimatise before the Inca trail. Cuzco is just what I was hoping for, although it’s been far colder than we were expecting once the sun’s gone down.

It’s Inti Raymi (the festival of the Sun) here in Cuzco so the locals are in especially good spirits.

Goodbye Lima

Our hostel room’s only ventilation has been a window covered by a wall hanging which goes through to the only ground floor toilet. On top of that it’s next door to the kitchen where people were drinking and playing music until 3am. Even so we were in bed at 9pm last night with jet lag and slept like logs. Was a buzz waking up in Peru this morning and we were both excited to see if each other were awake. Lima isn’t the nicest city but we had a great day walking along the sea front and I tried ceviche for the first time today in a restaurant where the locals eat which was delicious and cheap.

Waiting in the hostel now before going to the bus for Arequipa and one of the barmen just gave us his own speciality of pisco infused with coca leaves :)

We have take-off!

Iberia airlines is the pits. I’ve mentally prepared myself for all kinds of horrors in the Amazon jungle and all sorts of hard work climbing Machu Picchu, but I am totally unprepared for this… an 11 hour flight with no movies on demand. The Misterious Island (The Rock’s best work since Tooth Fairy film) followed by Love’s Kitchen (Gordon Ramsey’s acting debut – yes really) on a shared screen is a different flying experience to what I was looking forward to. I’m too excited to sleep though, unlike Tul who’s sleeping through both of them (a smart cookie that one). Thanks to Tul’s Dad we have seats together however, and it is impossible to spoil our mood. Looking forward to our first stop – Lima.