Roller coasters, clown horns, and dust
Gina: Lima, Peru
We arrived safely in Lima Tuesday night after a very long day of plane rides. The TACA planes were very nice and clean. They played a movie and a tv show on shared screens and we even got a little omelet breakfast on the first flight to San Salvador that was surprisingly good. We both slept most of the flight, except for two occassions when roller coaster like turbulence woke us up. We´re both so cute–we each thought the other one was sleeping and didn´t want to wake them, so we both were freaked out for a while! I finally decided that Steve comforting me was more important than him sleeping, so I grabbed his hand and we cuddled in our seats. It was fine, just not a good way to be woken up on your first flight on a S. American airline that you´re not very familiar with. There was more turbulence later on, but this time we were awake and it was light outside. We literally watched the plane fly into a giant tower of a cloud. Personally, I think we should have taken evasive maneuvers, but I guess that´s not really practical. I got friendly with the guy beside me as we both grabbed for the armrest and briefly held hands. I felt like I was on the Phoenix at Knoebles Grove in Pennsylvania (an old wodden roller coaster), I literally flew out of my seat a little since my seatbelt was loosened. But, we got through the cloud safely and all was well.
The second flight was uneventful except for the incredibly disgusting lunch they served. It brought new shame to the stereotype of airline food being bad. I wanted the chicken, but we were sitting in the back of the plane and by the time they got to us all they had left was pasta. Or at least it looked like pasta in the little dish. As soon as it got in my mouth it turned into an undistinguishable paste. Steve couldn´t eat his, but I finished all of mine mostly because I was hungry and if I go too long without getting food I turn into an evil beast woman.
Steve was very stressed about the first couple of days, so he was a bit of a wreck in the airport. I, on the other hand, was just sort of calm and excited. Everything went smoothly–getting our bags, going through customs, and meeting our ride. Our driver was a very friendly older gentleman named Juan. Steve bonded with him over their both driving small Toyotas, and he told us about different things to see around the center of Lima. I was surprisingly calm during the car ride as well. I think mostly because I sat in the back and refused to look at the road. Instead I looked around at the dark streets, people and buildings. I noticed that a lot of the buildings´ top floors looked unfinished. I have no idea why, but Steve remembered that in Mexico someone told us that only completed buildings are taxed, so often people leave them unfinished to cheat the system. But who knows if that was true or if it applies here.
The drivers here are definitely crazy for American standards, but there is also a sort of order in the chaos. Drivers use their horns to alert pedestrians and other cars of their erratic change of lanes. All the horns sound like little clown horns which makes all the racket almost comical. Steve´s Tercel´s little clown horn would fit right in here. We´ve found that by following the street lights and crossing with locals helps when navigating the streets. It´s also good to be really aware of the parking lots as cars will zip across lanes to pull into them. I think being so familiar with San Francisco is really helping us out here. We´re used to big cities enough that the common ´big city´aspects of Lima don´t bother us. The exhaust fumes, on the other hand, are awful. I think that so far my man-kerchief (an old man style white handkerchief that I´ve fondly renamed) is my most useful packed item. But I have sinus issues in smelly places.
We´re staying at Hotel España right near the San Francisco Cathedral. It´s a lovely hostel that is cheap (12 dollars US or about 30 soles a night for a private room with a double bed and a shared bathroom). The first night we had a room right next to the front door that was very musty. We discovered in the morning that they are also in the process of doing massive restorations in the hostel, and the floor in the room next door was being sanded. It was very loud and very dusty. After we showered and got cleaned up I got the nerve to go ask the desk clerk if we could move to a quieter room. And now we have a lovely room on the roof of the hostel that has a pretty view of San Francisco Cathedral. I would highly recommend this hostel, but maybe check first if the renovations are complete. All of the dust and floor polish are only adding to the assault on my nose. I´d also suggest bringing your own sleeping bag or sleep sheet as the sheets and blankets are very musty-mildewy. They seem clean, just a little damp.
We´re both hungry and my hour at the internet cafe is up. We´re off in the morning to Ica, a little desert town south of Lima and on our way to Cusco. It looks very relaxing, complete with a lake oasis and sandboarding down dunes!
Tags: hotel españa, lima, Peru
montarsig
Sounds wonderful………except for the near death plane experience! But I guess that is to be expected on long plane trips. Hope you are taking lots of pictures, too.
Love you.