Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) - Lima (Peru); about 2800 kilometers, 4 hours flight with Tam-Lan, direct.
Arriving late in Lima, 10 pm, landing and relief. I usually am not scared in planes but flying above the Andes, by night, in a violent thunderstorm that beautifully lightens the whole sky and makes us go through more than one hour of turbulences, is not a nice experience. Although, once the thunderstorm passed, the show is absolutely fabulous, with big lightnings lightening up the mountains while flying under a beautiful and starry sky.
One of the first sensation in Lima is the marine air and the strong smell of the sea that takes the noze.
My first night in Lima won't stick as my best memory... After a problem with my hostel, I end up in the first hostel reserved on the internet 10 minutes before leaving to the airport. After negotiating a more or less decent price with a taxi, I arrive at 11pm at the hostel, the worst I have ever seen. I have nothing with me to have diner and no breakfast is served, in the first hour I pack up my stuff and run to another hostel that seems much better. And indeed, arriving there I feel like in a four stars hotel in comparison !
I spend the morning visiting the ruins that are in the middle of the neighborhood of Miraflores. They were built and used by three succeeding civilizations between the years 300 and 900 after christ. I am indeed in Peru, this country full of a captivating history and strong culture.
I then spend the afternoon sending a box to France to try and get a bit lighter. I also take to opportunity to send Peruvian sweaters to my brothers and sisters. I spent quite some time in a small shop with Maria Jesus, adorable seller who will end up offering me earrings, sharing a passion fruit juice because the warmth is almost unbearable and calls me "mi amor"... We talk a little bit, I understand her perfectly but I still have some troubles to express myself in Spanish. She asks me if I am married and have kids, and tells me she is from the north of Peru, from the amazonian region of the country, that she got married at 13 years old with a man that was more than 30 and was mistreating her, and that she ended up divorcing him around her 30's with five children... These kind of incredible life stories that we don't hear in our developed countries, and always this will of sharing and this pleasure to receive that we don't find very often "at home". She asked me to come by and say hi when I will be back in Lima in a month. I will go back with great pleasure, as long as I manage to find again her shop in the middle of the market!
I end my day walking to the coast, to watch a beautiful sun set on top of the Pacific Ocean that I see for the first time in my life. There I met a Peruvian guy directly descendant of the Incas! He teached me a few words in Quechua to get me ready for Cusco where some of the locals still use this language. It is a funny meeting: probably the only Peruvian around that knows some Swedish and has already lived three years between Finland and Sweden. I don't want to speak english so we find a balance with him speaking in Spanish and I in Portuguese that I arrange from time to time when he doesn't get a word.
My last day in Lima goes by quite fast as I need to be going to the bus station before 3pm. I take my breakfast with a really cool Uruguayan girl who gives me quite a few tips for the rest of my trip towards Bolivia, and two equatorian guys that just took a 47 hours bus ride from Quito to come to Lima a few days. We go have lunch together to try out a good ceviche in the market, Lima's specialty.
And here I am, writing from the luxury bus that is taking me to Cusco in 22 hours. But in comparison with european buses I think these 22 hours will actually be nice considering the exceptional comfort of the bus: seats extra soft, very large (3 instead of 4 per row), that can lie down almost completely, small table disponible and cushon, cover and meals included !
The next news will be about the discovery of Cusco, the acclimatization at 3400m of altitude and the so expected Machu Picchu !
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