For the last couple of months or so, from the comfort of my own ICT desk in Slough, Berkshire, I�ve been checking out all of the places people have been travelling to on this site because it got me out of the mundane lifestyle that a 9-5 job brings, allbeit just for a few minutes at a time in between lessons,�and transported me�to many weird and wonderful places. I�ve noticed some people start their blogs�at the moment�just before�they�re about to set foot on their first plane or sometimes even earlier; one guy started his from the day of his first injection for something or other. Although�a long time in the planning, mine�begins on Day 2 of my three month long�trip. I�m sitting in front of a computer behind my hostel�s�- The Point, in an area called Berranco, along the coast, in central Lima - bar.

Despite my lunatic taxi driver�s protestations, I�m finding this place to be where�lots of�stuff goes on. He assured me, after charging me a whopping 25 dollars�for 30 minute hair-raising journey from the airport, that I�should stay in another hostel in upmarket Miraflores, which is a little along the coast from here and a nice walk as I�ve just discovered, but I�ve since come to the conclusion that this guy had some kind of hidden agenda in the advice he offered. This is a relatively poor country remember.�Though pretty basic, this hostel has�lots going for it, but mainly it�s very cheap and the people here are very friendly. To demonstrate,�upon arrival and after what seemed like a few days worth of travelling on aeroplanes,�I expected to get in, maybe have something to eat and a drink, and then hit the sack. However,� I ended up meeting a few English people and a yank from Philadelphia�in the bar, and after a few drinks in the garden we hit a couple of places in Berranco, the names of which escape me at the minute, for a few more and a bit of a dance.� Subsequently, bar the steady walk earlier, we�ve taken it pretty easy today.

So, what�s being on a different continent like? Perhaps not as much of a culture shock as one might have�expected. Granted, I did nearly soil myself in the taxi,�and the place does seem to have a big divide between its lower and upper classes, but from the little I�ve so far seen of this�country,�Peru�s normality and its largely�conventional�population, leaves me feeling quite relaxed when I�m out and about. Of course, having said this, I expect to see a more �real�Peru, if that�s the right word, when I get on the road. The tour starts on Friday�and takes us first down the coast to a place called Pisco, from where I shall try and catch up with you all soon.