Hola amigos,

The trip has finally begun. Ten years discussing it, two years saving for it, six months planning it and 24 hours getting here. We nearly didn´t make it at all as it turned out that we were meant to have applied for an `esta´, essentially a permit to enter America, before we arrived at the airport. No `esta` no travel. Who knew?! Not half the flight that´s for sure as we all scrambled to apply online at the terminal and held our breath to find out if we were accepted immediately or would need to wait 72 hours for permission. We passed! All this (and 20 pounds) to spend six hours in Miami airport before flying on to Peru.

Other than this mild panic we´ve passed the first few days relatively unscathed. It´s all rather overwhelming but mainly in an exciting adventurous way rather than a run home and hide under the covers way!

So, travelling is meant to expand the mind and educate you - to date we´ve learnt the following:

1/

It is possible to learn a language via CD in 15 minute segments to and from work.

And thank god for that as there´s not much English spoken around here.

2/

What it feels like to sleep in the open air on a clifftop.

We arrived at the hostel at 6am and the room was available until midday. We were so tired from the flight that we found a beautiful view overlooking the crashing rolling sea below and fell fast asleep into one of the deepest sleeps I´ve had.

3/

That nowhere in Lima sells English adaptors for love nor money.

Yes, dad I know you offered us one but I didn´t realize we´d packed the wrong one! We covered miles and went from shop to shop my Spanish improving with every desperate conversation. After about 5 hours and 100 miles we finally found one in a small supermarket only to work out through various hand signals that it wasn´t for sale and could only be purchased through the equivalent of nectar points! Luckily, when we got back to the hostel it turned out that the adaptor did work just in a different socket.

4/

That Starbucks tastes the same and pretty much costs the same everywhere in the world.

5/

That Peruvians love their dogs and cats.

There´s a local park which has around 30 – 40 stray cats, they´re all really well cared for and are fed by officials every day. They stroll around all over the place and have no fear of dogs which is luck as we´ve never seen so many beautifully coiffed tiny pups anywhere we´ve been.

6/

What it feels like to spend our first weekend away sober.

It turns out that this is election weekend in Peru (corrupt right wing woman versus corrupt socialist man – the better of a bad bunch won, take from that what you will…). Anyway, ever year over election weekend ´La Ley Sec` comes into force. Literally translated as `The dry law´ and all booze is banned from Friday lunchtime until Monday! Imagine trying to work that out in pidgin Spanish!

7/

The city itself is brash, smoggy and the driving is crazy. The girls (who aren´t very big) are bigger than the boys and people seem to find us hilariously funny for some reason. We'll report back more findings after a few glasses of pisco sour tonight.

8/

That you can take the boy out of bethnal green but you can´t take bethnal green out of the boy!

See photos for evidence.

Hope you´re all well. Look forward to hearing your news and more updates to follow when we´ve moved out of the city and onto some more nature-y places. At the moment we´re just having a lot of fun wandering around and watching the world go by.

Lots of love,

Anna (and Phil) xxx