Lima

Went shopping the other day. Hailed a cab from our hotel. About 20 mins later we´re in the main shopping area, jumping in and out, moving from place to place, shopping as we go. After a successful hour and a half we arrive back at our hotel, a little worried about a possible sizy taxi fare. Our taxidriver daringly quotes an apparently "highish" price, as usual expecting to have to barter a little, but she´s pleasantly surprised to find no contest. At a price equivalent to (sterling) 1.50 each (there was two of us) we couldn´t possibly bring ourselves to argue. I am definitely getting used to this - we live like kings!

Phone calls aren´t too bad either. With a phone card it works out at about a pound for an hour to a british landline. Privacy, on the other hand, doesn´t come so cheap. I found myself wishing Lizzie a Happy Birthday from inside a tiny yet busy and bustling shop, while an impatient Peruvian lady breathed down my neck. Apparently no other phone would do.

The rest of my expedition group have now arrived. They´re such a great bunch. Quite coincidentally the group is split pretty much evenly between danish and english students. Very random - those danes get everywhere! ;-) Has worked out really well for me though, as I now get to practise both my spanish and my danish; both of which are improving rapidly. I even had a rather successful 10 min conversation with a taxi driver about what sights were unmissable in his city... I think. I said stuff. He said stuff. Was all very refreshing!

Arrival

Arrived yesterday by plane into Lima. All the passengers applauded and cheered the pilot as the plane landed safely; I can only assume such a landing is a rare and unexpected occurrence.

For anyone thinking travelling alone is lonely, you´d be pleasantly surprised. Before even landing in Lima I had met two lads from Leeds, an australian journalist, two girls from London and an English school boy travelling to meet his girlfriend in Santiago, Chile.

After swapping email addresses with a few of them I jumped into a cab with a guy who introduced himself as "the Crazy taxi driver." He wasn´t bluffing! Right of way, red traffic lights or even oncoming traffic did little to deter his foot from the accelerator. He only slowed once in order to watch the car infront nearly swerve off the road as a stray dog launched itself, teeth poised, at the drivers window.

Arriving in one piece, I met a group of glaswegian students while checking into my hotel so joined them to hit the town in order to sample the local night life.

Today I´m off to the British embassy with a girl from my expedition group, Freya. She had her passport and credit cards stolen on her first night in Peru. After that we´re going to jump off a cliff. I´ve been told they provide parachutes...

(This is my gorgeous little hotel)