And They're Off!

Our first few days have been spent in the capital of Peru, Lima. Getting here was a piece of cake with a connection in Bogota that was so quick it would put Richard Branson to shame! We were both very excited to see our bags come off the carousel, so much so that we immediately agreed to a pricey shuttle bus to take us to our hostel in Miraflores. Ah, so naive...

Our hostel room is pretty basic but cheerful enough. The one thing that'll be difficult to get used to is the no-toilet-roll-down-the-toilet rule. Instead you have to throw it away in a bin next to the toilet - luckily, not quite as stinky as you might imagine! We've wandered around Miraflores, which is a pretty nice touristy area right on the coast a few miles from the city centre. Apparently, all gringos like to eat is pizza - the amount of people accosting us with pizza menus is crazy! Our first Peruvian delicacy was a couple of 'sandwichs' at Miguels. Jim wasn't feeling so hungry so he just settled for a light snacklet consisting of: one hamburger, one hotdog, one fried egg, cheese and matchstick fries, all housed in one bun. Cost about one pound, so no complaints! Food is super cheap if you opt for a local place serving a menu of the day or special combo.

Day two was spent in central Lima, which was reached via a hair-raising taxi ride. Apparently, if you have a car and can press a few pedals you can become a taxi driver. Most taxis are tiny Daewoo Ticos, much like a Fiat Cinqecento - small and cardboardy. There are a million cabs all wanting your fare and honking their horns at both people, cars and inanimate objects. Getting a breath of fresh air is somewhat challenging... Still, who needs breathing when you can admire the advertisements planted along the dual carriageway - personal favourites included 'Champions of Public Cleaning' and 'Sit Down With Your Family'. Walking about, you realise what it feels like to be a minority. Despite the number of tourists Lima must receive, plenty of people like to have a good look at you. Some of them are probably wondering where you've stashed your money, but generally speaking people are friendly and polite.

We visited the Franciscan Monastery, which has both the tomb of the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro and a catacomb housing the remians of 25,000 people! Quite an interesting tour, but slightly creepy in a musty old bones kind of a way. With our appetites obviously roused by all those skeletons, we headed to a football-themed restaurant (obviously) where we were seated with Pele of all people. We weren't expecting to see him there and he looks quite good for his age, but he's a bit quiet. Got a finger missing too, poor chap. Having spotted Arsenal and Deportivo La Coruña scarves, we left Pele to his thoughts. Dinner wasn't quite as eventful, but we had it seated in a restaurant perched on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Sounds romantic, but it was dark so we couldn't see much!

Moving onto Huacachina next and have booked bus tickets with the supposedly luxury company Cruz del Sur - with only National Express and Wallace Arnold as reference points, it can't be bad!