It's been a busy week since landing in Lima on the 26th so lots to update you with in little instalments.

On my first night in Lima we decided to go out in the district of Miraflores. This is a very nice new area where most tourists end up and is rather European filled with nice shops and upmarket restaurants. On my arrival I went on a wander nod was very excited to stumble across the Peruvian version of House of Fraser. It had a Clarins, Clinique and even a Warehouse! Now if I had found the " John Lewis" that would of been even better! Our Peruvian guide for the first 21 days is a real foodie which suits me. He suggested we try one of Lima's best restaurants which was near the hotel. The chef was the Peruvian version of Gordon R and the food was fantastic!

Our time in Lima was short and sweet o the next day we headed to the coast, to Pisco, famous as the home of the Pisco Sour. Given the apparent shortage of gin in South America, I am becoming quite accustomed to this cocktail. That night I tried ceviche, a raw seafood dish where the seafood is essentially cooked in lime juice and a like chilli. It was really amazing. The following day and a boat trip out to the Ballestas Islands also known as the poor mans Galapagos. Having been lucky enough to visit the G ISlands, it is fair to say they are no match but still really nice to see more sealions and penguins which I hadn't seen last week.

That afternoon was a jam packed adrenaline junkies dream, sand boarding and moon buggies in the sand dunes of the Nazca desert. Now I wasn't too sure about the sand boarding at first but following Lou's advice to try everything, I actually quite enjoyed it albeit we all found the heat of the midday sun tough on the skin so quickly retreated to the moon buggy where the Jenson Button of Nazca took us on a hair raising tour around the sand dunes at about 70 mph. It was fantastic fun and I literally screamed most of the way round as we hurtled up and down the dunes. Another experience to tick off the list!

The next day we opted for a light aircraft flight over the desert to see the Nazca Lines. These are one if the worlds archaeological mysteries, created by the Nazca people who predate the incas. No one knows how they managed to crest these symbols and lines but they are quite something to see. The pilots were keen to ensure we saw each and every symbol which meant some manoeuvring up in the air and some very green faces when we landed. Fortunately it was only 40 mins so I survived it without feeling too unwell and even had a chance to man the plane ( sadly only from the Tarmac).

After that and time to meet some Nazca mummies in the cemetery site in the desert called Chauchilla. Some of the mummies were in near perfect condition despite being 1500 years old and it was quite fascinating to learn a bit more about the Nazca people as we toured around their various tombs. After that and given the extreme desert heat it was time to head to the pool to cool off!