After impulsively deciding to request a career break on a dull winter morning in January, the following three months passed in a blur of planning and decision making. Where to go; around the world and end up in New Zealand in the middle of winter, across land on the Trans Siberian railway, or teaching English in China? Decisions, decisions. Eventually, for no real reason other than it would help me relearn my shockingly bad Spanish, and it was somewhere a bit different, I decided upon South America. A plan ensued, and after driving Matt at the Gap Year for Grown Up company mad with my frequent changes, I decided upon Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Isles, Honduras, and the States. After weeks of boring anyone who would listen with tales of my plans, suddenly I was leaving work, and was faced with an empty backpack, piles of clothes on my bedroom floor which were never going to fit, and an itinerary which included twelve flights, a mean feat for someone who hates flying to the same extent she loves wine and chocolate... Suddenly the fearless conquer the world bravado had vanished, and following a week of tearful goodbyes, I was heading to Heathrow thinking what on earth have I done.

Following a ten hour flight to Houston (where immigration was much less scary and the customs officers much more flirtatious than immagined) and a further bumpy six and a half hours to Peru, I spent a sleepless night in a hotel in la Mira Flores district of Lima. The drive through Lima was an experience in itself, with taxi`s combi´s and all manner of beaten up cars honking and swerving, paying no heed to any rules of the road if any so exist. The driver informed me Lima is a "ciudad sin regulation" so it was each man for his own so to speak. We made it to the hotel in one piece, passing through the casino district where drunken revellers combined with the traffic and the stray dogs to add more mayhem to the already chaotic roads. After finding some earplugs, and a couple of hours sleep, I was awake and filled with adrenalin and the urge to explore.

Following a breakfast of Cafe con Leche, pan y una zuma de naranja, I left the hotel with a map of Lima, and a morning to fill. Walking down to la playa, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of complete liberation, and the urge to smile. Despite those last minute wobbles, I had done it, and now the world was mine to explore. The sight of the Pacific lifted my spirits even more when it appeared at the end of la calle. I wandered through the Parque de Amor, where a huge stone statue of two lovers embracing presides over curving stone benches inscribed with mosaics of spanish quotes and proverbs, all about life and love. After a trip back to the hotel for my note book, I sat and watched surfers waiting for waves in the calm pacific surf, and began my journal with a quote from the garden; Abre tu ochos y abre tu mundo.

After a walk through the park along the sea front I sat and people watched for a while, enjoying the sunshine. The park was filled with walkers, joggers, families and dog walkers. A man nearby was playing pallota with his bouncy spaniel, and before long we ended up chatting in broken spanish for a while about the city, travelling and life in general. He didn´t speak a word of English, but somehow we managed, which made the conversation all the more worth while.

Reluctantly, I left the pacific coast for my flight to Cusco, and following a last minute dash to the gate, found myself sitting between an American guy and a Canadian guy, who kept me entertained throughout the flight. Complete opposites, the American tried to get me to teach him English swear words and wanted to talk about disaster movies, while the quiet, thoughtful canadian tried to distract me from the bumps (and the american!) with talks about travels and books to read. The flight passed quickly, and when I was brave enough to look out of the window, I was rewarded with a magnificent view of the snow capped Andes.

Arriving in Cusco, I was met at the airport by Ellana, whose house I will stay in for three weeks, along with her children Jonathan, Jennifer and Christian, whilst I take spanish lessons and volunteer with homeless children. Open and warm, I immediately felt welcome, and spent the journey through Cusco getting to know Ellana though a mixture of Spanish and English. The altitude in Cusco is high and the air thin, so Ellana warned me to be `mas tranquil`and to take it easy for a couple of day whilst acclimatising. The evening was spent getting to know the family and Katarina, another volunteer, followed by an early night.

After a long luxurious sleep, I was ready for a typical peruvian breakfast of yoghurt with a grain like cereal, fruit, bread and tea. The morning was spent exploring Cusco and watching the Santa Domingo festivities in the Plaza de Armas. From a view point high in the city, I could see Cuzco spread before me, nestling in a basin surrounded by mountains. Inscribed in the mountain face were the giant words Viva Peru Glorioso. Hearing a catholic Mass in Spanish in the main cathedral was amazing, as whilst I`m not catholic (or religious) I could understand parts of the service, and had the opportunity to watch the fellow church goers. The people are how I imagined Peruvians to look, with beautiful sculpted faces, hooded dark oval eyes, and shining black hair. Some were dressed in typical Peruvian wear, with brightly coloured shawls with Aztec looking patterns draped around their shoulders.

Lunch was a family affair at a local restaurant, where much fun was had teaching me the different words needed in a restaurant. A lazy late afternoon followed, writiing my travel journal and listening to music, and the evening was spent talking to Eliana. I have found I can understand much more spanish than I can speak, so Eliana talks to me in spanish, and I reply in whatever words I can, which Eliana then translates for me. Spanish classes start in the morning, so I am hoping to see an improvement soon.

I am lucky to have an internet connection in the room next to my bedroom, so I´m writing this before I head off to bed and prepare to hablar espanol para quatro horas manana! Hasta Luega...