From There to Hear and Now to Where Again?

From Punta Arenas in Chile I flew North to Lima, Peru.
Lima is the largest city in Peru and sits on the Central Coast of Peru.

In Lima I spent several days adjusting to non tent and outdoor life. I also got some of my clothes washed. Should taken before and after pictures. They even smelled clean possibly even cleaner than new if that´s possible. Audios back pack funk for a tad.

Lima has some amazing museos. Including El Museo de la Nación, El Museo de Arte de Lima and another on the anthropology and archeology of Peru´s ancient cultures. Spending a few days wandering Lima was fun but reaffirmed in my mind that I´m not much of a city person.

A highlight of Lima was deffinately meeting up with one of my best friends Eva. Eva has been traveling Peru from three months studying anthropology and was in Lima for her flight home. A friend of hers from traveling, Eva and I spent a day or so in the Barrenco district where we were staying.

Was unbelievably nice to see a familiar face from home. Although it seemed oddly out of context but fantastic. We´ve now been to three contries together first in India, then the States and now Peru.

We found a fantastic hole in the wall of an alley where we ate dinner and lunch the next day. The place as far as I could tell was signless and is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. The entrance to the resturant features the extremely smokey grill, and a long table spread with examples of their entire menu and the tasty desserts with samples. Ceviche to die for along with everything else. The deccor consisted of plastic lawn furniture and as we later discovered a balcony with a spectacular view. The ladys who ran it were very kind and full of laughter. One periodically picked up a giant floor standing fan possibly larger than her to hold it up to the grill to redirect the smoke. Best meal in a while by far.

We spent a good chunk of time with some street artists they had met. Eva´s friend Riley spins poi and spent some time spinning and juggling with some of the street vendors.

Eva and I set up my slack line in a quiet residential area with ocean views. Was so good to finally set my line up and catch up with Eva. Riley came and met us with the street artists and two friends of theirs. One was a older woman who I think is one of their´s exes or something. She was very nice at first and then started raving in Spanish: ` I´m going to cut your line, don´t come to my country to make money, do this on the main plaza, they´ll treat you like trash, they´re going to take your money(her friends) and on and on and on´. For at least ten minuets despite explaining to her that we were not asking for any money, hence setting up in a quiet street etc. that we slack just for us because it is fun and that if anyone else wanted to try it we would gladly help them for free. Her friends insisted that she was crazy. She left, and then came back a few minuets later to continue as we were walking away. All the while we had an audience of several children from their windows cheering, a few passing cars, and the few current park inhabitants an old man and his newspaper, and extreemely elderly lader and her nurse, a family and a ton of pigeons.

The street artists were nice and all but was a little odd having them follow us arround for having nothing else to do as it was Sunday and they were not working. Eventually they left.

After spending the day with Eva and Riley I caught a bus to Arequipa where I am now waiting for another bus. Arequipa I believe is the seccond largest city in Peru and is almost 20hs South East of Lima.

For two days I wandered Arequipa´s streets and museums. A very pretty city that on clear days has spectacular views of several volcanoes. Definitely city wearly I´m off to Cabanaconde in an hour to hike in the second deepest canyon in the world, Colca Canyon.

So far Peru has been fun, I think I´m still a little shocked to be back in civilization post three months of near exclusive tent life. The one problem here is everything is so far away so by the time I get to Ecuador on the 24th or so I will have spent over 4 days entirely in busses. Conclusion 20ish days in Peru is NOT sufficient unless you are a bus afficionato. Granted they are the nicest buses I´ve ever been on. Akin to flying first class sans the plane including food, blankes, pillows, and stunning views.

No pictures. Sorry. Soonish. I hope.