The Plan B Adventure

Entering South America we had been warned of one thing…..watch out for the long bus rides. Well being that we were in tiny Ecuador for a few weeks we got spoiled. The Welcome to Peru bus ride initiated us in flawless South American fashion…..22 hours of pure, unadultered, bus riding fun with a capital F. We boarded the bus in the sleepy border town of Tumbes, just through the miles and miles of banana plantations from Ecuador, and headed off to Lima. The trip was scheduled to take 16 hours but at 3AM (yes that´s the morning folks) after a full day of sitting and listening to badly pirated DVDs of American movies in Spanish, we all heard a pop. Can anyone guess what that POP was? Yep….one of the 75-year old tires. After an hour of fussing, pounding, and not moving an inch we began to roll again. We use the term, roll, because it appears the new tire would only allow us 1/4 of the speed that we were previously travelling at. Oh well….on to Lima!!

After all we´ve read about long S. American bus rides we feel a mental picture description is in order since that is never included…..(During this description please keep in mind that we UPGRADED so we weren´t taking the usual backpacker Economico bus but the Business Class bus.) The bus is nice looking at first…double decker, plush seats, on-board washrooms, uniformed attendant donning a big smile….that´s at the beginning! Now picture the end….22 hours later….garbage from meals scattered across the cabin; your legs numb because they have been just inches from fully extended (damn short people) the entire trip; your nostrils accustomed to the people-ly stench that has developed from lack of proper ventilation; your eyes bright red from lack of any meaningful sleep; and your ears so sick of the combination of Spanish voiceovers and people in definite need of deviated septum operation….that you are just about to your breaking point. Brings back memories of that hellish Guangzhou – Yangshuo bus ride that you all experienced second hand with us almost seven months ago. All we can say is that we actually had smiles on our face this time as we de-bussed and headed for the hotel. What a difference seven months of travelling experience makes!

Heading towards Lima we were told by many travellers not to expect much and watch your wallet. For that reason, in combination with the 22 hour bus ride, we decided to upgrade to the comfy confines on the Inka Lodge and stay in the swanky Miraflores area…..kind of a Lincoln Park (or Bell Town) part of this giant city. Nice call Becca!! Our first of two days in Lima was spent enjoying the modern areas of Miraflores and Larco Mar; frequenting the local pollerias (South American Chicken Huts!!); laughing at the drunk American service men (we use that term loosely) on shore leave; and taking the next step towards conquering Jeff’s fear of heights…..paragliding!! That’s right, the cliffs that drop off from the parks of Miraflores to the Pacific Ocean and roadway below provide an ample climate of wind and weather for submitting yourself to running off a cliff with a parachute fully-inflated above your head. Even for those with no fear of heights it is still quite a trip to run towards a 200 meter cliff and just jump off with nothing but a Peruvian “expert” and a parachute strapped to your back. All we can say after the experience is DO IT! Not only do you get to sail hundred of meters above the surfers and drivers below but as the wind takes you higher you glide like a condor ten stories up between the magnificent Marriott and other skyscraping buildings. WOW!! After our Mountain Dew (get it?!) day we decided to take it easy the next day and get to know the colonial sights of Lima. The public transport is not for the faint of heart but it works very efficiently (still not at rush hour) and is very cheap. The sights of central Lima are like many of colonial cities conquered South America…churches, more churches and governmental buildings. Although the buildings are beautiful we are a bit “churched out” so we poked our heads in a few but we must say DO NOT MISS the Monasterio de San Francisco. The “Worth It Factor” on this one is a 10+! As you might be able to glean from the name it was home to Franciscan Monks dating back to the Conquistador invasion. The 3 soles ($1) English guided tour takes you by gorgeous halls lined with frescoes, a 17th century library complete with authentic books and spiral staircases; the monk’s chanting room; multiple Moorish influenced rooms from the 17th century Spanish influence; and finally the underground catacombs that stretch the length of the building and hold the bones to many of the Peruvian’s that made Lima their final resting place. Check it out…well worth it!

Leaving Lima we headed south to the middle coast of the country and yet another extreme sport experience. Really!…we aren’t searching for them but Peru is full of fun-filled, action-packed day trips. After an easier bus than the 22 hour debacle..only 12 this time we arrived in the quaint desert oasis of Huacachina. The town (if you can call it that) is basically an oasis set in the middle of giant sund dunes surrounded by backpacker hostels. The reason to go here…..sandboarding and dune buggy rides. We chose the sunset option and after an hour of sandboarding (not easy at all!!) and an hour of dune buggying (crazy drivers!) we settled back in the buggy to watch an amazing sunset over the gorgeous sand hills of coastal Peru. A little out of the way but worth the novelty experience and beautiful views. After Huacachina we were determined to continue south and get our “trek” on. We were a little worried how to catch our bus south to Arequipa, that was until we met the Grandpa Mafia. These Peruvian 60-70 year olds run a fleet of pieced together Chevy Malibu which for the uninitiated are termed ‘collectivos’. Grandpa Jorge collectively finds six to eight people, shoves ’em in his Malibu and steps on it. As long as you are ready for it (four to five deep in the back of a Malibu), it is a great way to travel and fun way to meet a few of the locals that obivously do this everyday. Onwards and upwards (explained in next blog post) to Arequipa!!