hola peru...

So, to make a long story short. My dad worked for Delta Airlines for over twenty years and as a result I have the amazing privledge of flying for free, anywhere in the world that Delta flies. This might sound amazing, but believe me it has its disadvantages. One being I fly standby, so I don't ever have a confirmed seat on a flight. This has left me stranded in places such as Atlanta on a flight to Nashville or in Austin a few more days than anticipated. In addition, up until a few years ago I always had to dress up when I planned on flying: closed toe shoes, khakis and all. Unfortunately, my flight benefits disappear once I turn 23, which happens on January 7th. So I decided that a last minute trip was in order. The problem: late December to early January is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and most flights are booked. The solution: decide where to go the night before based on the flight availability. Which leaves me here, in Lima, Peru, with Dan (someone just as nuts as I am).




After spending an entire day at the airport, flying from New York to Atlanta to Lima, Peru, we arrived at midnight to South America. With no plans, except a hostel for the night. Upon exiting the airport, we were overwhelmed by hundreds of Peruvian taxi drivers, behind ropes, holding signs with different names. I felt like a celebrity walking out of the terminal. Luckily, Dan and I booked a hostel the night before and we spotted a man holding our sign. We followed him to his car and he took us to our hostel, in the little town of San Miguel, a fifteen minute drive outside downtown Lima. Luis, our driver and the owner of the hostel, was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He spent a few years living in Canada and spoke English very well. He recommended some places to visit and food to try during our stay. Eventually, we arrived to the hostel exhausted from our long day of traveling and went to bed.

The next morning Dan and I woke up around 8:30am and explored the area around our hostel. We walked about a mile to the nearest mall and realized that most things don't open up here until after 11am. We exchanged some money over and went to the grocery store to get some breakfast. Everything here is really cheap. The numerical prices are about the same as the United States, but the US dollar is worth 2.8 soles. Our lunch was 6 soles which is equivalent to about $2.25! We successfully purchased Dan a cell phone and found an adapter

for the outlets here. Both of which were difficult tasks considering the fact that no one here speaks English. I am having fun using the few Spanish phrases I learned in high school to try and communicate. It's like solving a puzzle trying to figure out the best way to get across the things I am trying to say.

The weather is beautiful, despite the humidity and I managed to get a little color already, although just on my right side of my body. We found an authentic Peruvian place for lunch-

seafood and meats are really popular here and delicious! After lunch we headed back to the hostel. From our window we could see a group of young boys playing around with a soccer

ball. After a few minutes, I could no longer stand to watch and decided to go outside and join them. I was a bit hesitant approaching them at first and I think they were a bit frightened by my blonde hair and pale white skin. I asked them if I could play soccer with them and they all giggled at me- must have been my terrible American accent.




Me: Puedes jugar futbol contigo?

Peruvian boys: (giggle)

Me: No?

Me: Yo quiero jugar un partido de futbol contigo.

Peruvian boys: No

Me: Porque?

Finally, after a while of asking me how to say certain things in English and laughing uncontrollably each time I said something, they finally agreed to start a game with me. We played soccer for a little bit and Dan came out and joined. I felt like I was in a movie, playing soccer with Peruvian children in the middle of the street amid glass and stones. I became known as "Dia" to the boys, since they had trouble pronouncing my name. Once the game was finished Dan and I returned to our hostel to shower, as the boys called up to our room for us to come out and continue playing.

Later that night we headed to Miraflores. Miraflores is the touristy part of Lima, with a central square, restaurants and tons of salsa clubs. We ate cebichi for dinner, which is raw seafood marinated in a lime sauce- a common dish. We probably ate at one of the most expensive restaurants in the entire city and our bill came to about $15! We spent the remainder of the night in the center of the town, surrounded by Peruvian men serenading couples with their music, stray cats wandering around (I guess cats are the Peruvian squirrel?), and young children approaching us trying to sell things (of which I could not help but buy from them).




One thing that is very different in Peru compared to America is the cab service. The price is negotiated before you get in the cab, and since we are tourists, the drivers of course try to take advantage of us. Also, cab drivers will take you in the car, even if they have no idea where the place you want to go is located, and will proceed to yell out the window to other cars and passerbys along the drive asking for directions. During our ride home, our cab driver got lost and Dan and I had to attempt to direct him in the little Spanish that I know (Dan has already learned a few words, that he repeats constantly).

Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store...