Prancing around in Peru....Part I

So here I am tap tap tapping away at another update for the blog! Today im pleased to report in about the adventures had in Peru, ive had to split Peru into 2 portions though so theres still more to come! So I arrived into Lima on the 15th of Feb to an airport mobbed with every peruvian and his 8 person family and spotted a sign with PALMWYN TUTTY scribbled on it, I figured that had to be bm, smart cookie I know! Anyway turns out that the owner of the hostel was at the airport to collect me! Talk about silver service!! That was just the start of things to come, the hostel was amazing, run by a wonderfully kind, helpful and amazing dude by the name of Eric (plug here for http://www.paypurix.com/). Also in the hostel live Erics family, big score there as I love the family buzz! An amazing place to stay and a family ambience to boot, I cant stress enough just how nice they were to me, incredibly humbling! I spent a couple of days hooning around Lima checking out tourists sights and being taken to lunch by randoms, another couple of days trying to head north but failing miserably due to strikes, road closures and riots, two days spent in Miraflores; a town an hour from Lima where I chewed time while awaiting the arrival of my Swedish mate from Cordoba, Argentina - Anna, hung out with a 60 year old spiritual dude who had many interesting things to tell me (love that stuff!!), came down with the flu and horrendous sinusitus so got whisked off to the doctors and back at the hostel was fussed over by Family Hostel and my wonderful Swedish mate (just secretly, love that stuff too!!) and recouperated for our trip north. From there it was time to shoot the gap so Ms Sweden and I headed 17 hours north to Mancora where Perus lush beaches can be found and spent 4 days kicking back, doing nothing much more than chilling out with walks on the beach, drinking fresh fruit juices, painting, catching some waves along with a few rays, laughing with Anna and talking about the meaning of life and all that interesting stuff that girls can spend hours talking about! Practising spanish with the local sales-children and busting out a bit of a detox from all the booze and rubbish consumed over the past 6 or so months! Once the beach liasion was over with we headed back south another 17 hours by bus to Lima then another gruelling 22 hour bus ride to Cusco. By which stage my Swedish mate was sick with a 40deg temp and we both came down with a touch of altitude sickness (by the way, thats a really good line to use for any stuff ups in the heights of South America too, you can blame so much on the altitude)! Come for a stroll with me and check out some of the pics of Peru Part I.......

Family Pay Purix and the farewell photo

Eric, the most helpful and kind hostel operator in South America!

Yes youre seeing right, this is Black Corn - the Peruvians have a healthy corn market

A typical day in Lima, complete with a tank and armed officers patrolling the main square

Backdrop of Central Lima, Peru

San Martin, the main square of Central Lima

Parque Reserva, park full of fountains in Lima, families flock for hours of entertainment watching the fountains dancing to synchronized music

Look closely and check out this dudes Safety Shoes!!

Melting away the stresses in the hammock outside our room in Mancora at Punta Sal beach....G & T on the rocks please Anna, oh and a slice of Lime

Beach mates, Julio, Junior and their mate, these dudes were 12 and 13, theyre so tiny!

Forcing the gang to take a shot with me

Punta Sal by night

Punta Sal by daylight, Anna Banana is down on the sand somewhere here soaking up the rays, apparently the sun dont shine so much in Sweden

Anna Banana and I after the come down of altitude sickness and a hideous 40 hours of bussing it from the north of Peru to the south....not to mention the need to fight off the sickness of the upset stomach variety, bus toilets are no good for upset stomachs! Sorry, too much information.

That brings us to the end of Part 1, scroll on and check out some snaps the build your excitement up for Peru part 2 where we met up with the lovely Sarah Pausina also from Brisbane! Coming soon to a computer near you....