Dinner was great, thanks for asking... Now to the go in Lima...
With the passing of time, I no longer feel the need to slag off the bus trip from Guayaquil to Lima.. I was originally going to spend a bit of time banging on about how the "hostess" hated my guts. Then how she got her comeupance when she tried to argue with me about my needing a visa to enter Peru- she thought Australia was in Europe (no, not AUSTRIA!) And how it is suspected that she had something to do with the disappearance of the iPod belonging to Jeremy (the American bloke on the bus).. But I'm kinda over it now!
So eventually we arrived (I say WE, because Jeremy and I spent nearly the whole 28 hours on the bus yakking, and he decided to stay at the same hostel) in Lima. The hostel wasn't downtown, but in a swanky suburb called Miraflores, which is right by the ocean, and also has some Inca ruins there too. That just blows my mind!! In a city as big as Lima, there are still some original Inca ruins- which are amazing, by the way!
Jez and I took a walk along the path that separates the ocean from the town, which also happens to have lots of parks along it. We stopped to watch the sun set at a particular park that had some interesting sculpture (ie- a couple in bed together). He was constantly harrassed by people selling flowers urging him to buy me some, and eventually someone filled us in that it was Parque del Amor! Hence the flowers! Hilarious!!
As I outlined earlier, I went and saw the ruins (which were ace). And also spent some valuable time getting my laundry organised!!.. With that all done, I was ready for a night out... And who should be geared up but Mariela (a Scottish lass who has been living in Spain for 7 years)- funny that a Scot would fancy a drink!? And Pedro (one of the guys working at the hostel) made us his secret recipe pisco sours! Top start! We moved from club to club before settling on one that played western rock. It was kinda nice to have a break from South American music...... Although secretly I was hoping for some reggaeton!!!!.. Unfortunately I made the decision to take my camera out with us...... And ended up leaving it in a taxi!.. BOO!!!!!!! I was devastated to have lost a whole heap of photos, but so be it.. We had a great night! And as the blokes from the company I went to the Amazon with told me- you'll have to come back and take more photos! TOO TRUE!!!
Arequipa!!!...
So once I had sorted out getting a police report re- the camera(many thanks go out to Christian the manager of the hostel in Lima for his help!), I was off to Arequipa on a cushy overnight bus- it was pretty swish, and the hostess even organised a game of bingo!
In Arequipa I stayed at a hostel where there was only one staff member who spoke English! (And her English wasn't all that flash, either!) But it was kinda good for me to have to really try and use Spanish, without resorting to English. Plus it kinda showed me how my comprehension of Spanish has come along really well! First up, I bought a new camera- and I LOVE IT! The city of Arequipa is gorgeous! There is a lovely old monestary (which in reality is a convent), a stunning cathedral, and other amazing buildings. I happened to be there for Palm Sunday, and despite the fact that I'm a non-practising Catholic, I got swept up and headed to church. There were traditionally dressed Peruvian women weaving palms into crosses and adding pictures of Jesus, flowers, herbs etc to them. They sold these, and the congregation wave them at appropriate times. Amazing!
I was convinced to stay an extra night (I was only going stay for one), by John who runs the hostel (who despite the English name, no speaka the English), which I did. I went out for dinner with Rob, a German medical student.. And we wondered why the waiter looked at us strangely when we ordered the same thing each. When they arrived, we found out why- each serve was enough to feed three people quite easily! And we had one each! As you can imagine, we didn't really make a dent in the meals, and we hurriedly paid the bill and ran!! (BTW- it cost me around $2 Australian). Instead of going out (as we had planned), it was a quiet night in just chatting with the other backpackers staying there..
Titicaca and Puno... Yes, it's a great name!!
Then I headed off to Puno, on Lake Titicaca. I got in (after my chicken bus trip) at around 10pm, and it was sooooooooooooo bloody cold!!!! I slept in several layers of clothes, and had to rug up if I was out after the sun had set! I did a boat trip of the lake, and saw the floating islands (which, contrary to what I had thought, aren't really islands- the native people construct them out of reeds!).. Then we headed off to Taquile island. There we hiked up the side of the island to reach the town square. The way up was lined with gum trees which made me feel a touch nostalgic towards home!.. We had a sticky beak around, then went to a local restaurant to have yummy quinoa soap and grilled lake trout for lunch! We headed across the island to the other side and descended the 500 stone steps. On the way down there were heaps of locals- most with babies or supplies strapped to their backs, walking up the steps! Unbelievable! It was a very pleasant cruise back to Puno.. And it was then that I decided to make La Paz my next stop!..
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