Holed up in deepest Peru!

The awesome Monasterio de San Francisco in central, downtown Lima ...















Our hotel in Pisco was still showing signs of the earthquake that hit 6 months before we arrived ...















This was one of the Islas Ballestas and I loved this shot more than the wildlife I saw! Very Uncharted: Drakes Fortune Rich?!













Mad Max eat your heart out ... dune buggying Peruvian style ... and you and I thought it only had Machu Picchu ...













One of the mysterious Nazca lines from under the tip of a Cessna aircraft ... you´ll need to enlarge this shot by clicking on it to appreicate the lines of the Humming Bird ...













Day 71 - Saturday 22 March 2008

Hello again blog fans and greetings from Cuzco and the heart of the Inka empire (I believe that´s the South American spelling if you´re wondering)

Well I've found a super fast internet connection here but judging from the layer of ever-present South American dust atop the inside of the CD drive of the computer it's probably not best to attach my camera to the USB port ... that I can't even find! And such is life here in South America

Ill post photos back here at a later date (so print the book deal copy out later Dad!) and test out my real newshound skills

Although that´s actually quite difficult because compared to the ´'easy peasy lemon squeezy´' USA, Peru and South America wear you out a bit!

So in a change of style I´ll try and catch up the last 10 days in a bulleted style chronological series of comments =

1
LAN flights are awesome - on demand latest and archived movies and TV in every seat with a huge widescreen - and plenty of Japanese Peruvians 'cos their previous President was Japanese born

2
Coming past the glass doors into a rammed waiting area at Lima airport to work out that your difficult name will never be found on a scrap of paper in a stranger´s hand is scary and thrilling - a newly planned, officially found taxi ride later (and reminding the driver who´s saying it´s much longer than you expected and that you´re being waited up for!) and hostels' security here is brilliant

3
A once in a lifetime reeling at the sites and sounds of the developing world for the first few hours you walk round a city like Lima - loved that, loved it! - it´s worn off now but wasn´t it a treat - a freaking tetchy, quirky, cacky feeling in your stomach treat!

4
'Quisiera irr a dos-siette-ocho Elias Aguieres en Miraflores, Lima por favour senor' is rattled off by me now like Sally Elliott whispering sweet nothings in Italian to Nick after a hard day at work! - she´s a Language Teacher for those who haven´t met Sally - and maybe you should ...

5
I´m used to dodging speeding cars with horns blazing like a bull fighter

6
Jeez these place gives you a constant sheen of dust and diesel - the Daewoos have given Korea (?!) a financial shot in the arm and global warming a shot in the foot

7
But what can they do - I´m already twice as humble as when I left the UK - we have so much of everything in comparison to here - it's mind blowing - if I ever complain about a dirty stain on my sofa again (and I will!) remind me of this post and Peru ...

8
The Monasterio de San Francisco in Lima was unbelievable - 9 Passions of the Christ frescoes by Rubens (all 4 metres by 3 metres) hung in one room - and catacombs of the early dead Limoans and monks - the dank, musty, decaying smell was on your tongue!

9
The diversity of Peru is amazing - in the Larco Mar shopping mall in Lima you could have been in Santa Monica (glitzy, westernised shopping mall, cinema and restaurants) - we dined out before heading down the coast ...

10
On a public bus to Pisco where you could have been in Beirut in the 1980s - it was hit by a 6/7 on the Richter scale earthquake in August 2007 - and people are living in tents and sheds while working for tiny earning from the government to clear things up - the church roof collapsed mid-service in the quake and the only survivor was the priest who jumped underneath the ancient, sturdy altar (sounds a bit urban-myth like to be true?!) - the church bit - the devastation and the feeling of wanting to help/sorrow was definitely real

11
A sweet boat trip to the Islas Ballestas - 'the poor man's Galapagos Islands' - penguins, sea lions, Peruvian boobies (spelling and content!), gull things, etc - add them again Swifty - you are keeping count right?

12
I´m always getting up at 6-7am these days to explore with Intrepid - Elaine will be mightily impressed when 10am used to be my start time ...

13
The best fun with your clothes on is dune buggying and sand boarding at Huachachina - near vertical drops, sand dunes that look like the Sahara and stretch for as far as you can see and are backed by the Andes - sweeeeet!

14
I kid you not - a 30 minute flight in a Cessna small aircraft over the Nazcan cultures mysterious lines in Nazca - check them out here for all the gen =
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines
For 30 pounds here in lovely, fabulous Peru! Numerous theories and the most likely about praying to their Gods for water but the best about proof of pre-homo sapiens alien exchanges!

15
2 days in bed in Arequipa with Peru-backside! A Doctor, a jab (brand new needle!), plenty of antibiotics and fighting fit again - the first mental thing of the trip came into it! 'I will get better ready for the Lares Trek and Macchu Picchu'

16
And that brings us bang up to date - we´ve just got into very chic, very Inkan, very hippy hang out, very backpacker-central Cuzco ready to visit the Sacred Valley tomorrow and attack the Lares Trek the day after - yep - I´m not doing the Inka Trail - but a less travelled, less well known, hopefully more remote and probably better-story in the future trainer bash - and still do Macchu Picchu the day it´s done - both are just wonderful I´m sure

So - on your marks, get set, go - 'where do you find your Andes?' ... who´ll be first to comment with the right answer for another prize from Jezdiana ...

Asta luego amigos!