We have made it to Lima and my, what a city it has turned out to be. It was eerily quiet at the airport. There was no mad rush for customs and immigration. Everyone went about their business in a calm and orderly fashion and stood quietly in line waiting to get their passports checked.

I happened to bump in to a few people on the same tour who were all heading to the Kamana Hotel. We all piled in to the minivan and set off. As we got closer towards the city I felt that sensation of calm and peacefulness quickly being demolished by an overwhelming sense of chaos. The traffic was horrendous! Everyone seemed to be oblivious of any courtesy or drivers etiquette. I found myself gripping on to the door handle as the minivan hurtled towards the city centre, weaving in and out of the other cars with no real lanes that could easily be distinguished. It seemed there was only one road rule: honk your horn as loud as you can and hope any other traffic gets out of your way.

I took a short trip up to the Shanty Town today to get a bird’s eye view of the city. This involved a trip in a minivan up a very steep mountain with a sheer drop on either side. We passed through a small town populated with 25,000 extremely impoverished people. It was sad to see the conditions they were leaving in; dilapidated houses, broken roads and no electricity- yet they still looked happy. It gave me some hope that you do not need material possessions and wealth to be content in life.

We went to Miraflores for dinner. I was a little shocked to see that it was so touristy and commercialised. It felt like we had passed into another world when we went from the cultural, historical Lima to the glitz and glam side of Peru. The main promenade overlooks the ocean and is quite pretty at night with all the shops illuminated.

Tomorrow we drive to Paracas and disembark for a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands. Then on to Pisco where I will indulge in many Pisco Sours no doubt.

Peace and Love

Louisa