This moring I woke up and knew that I would have to try and juggle my time, as I had many things today that I wanted to do as well as fit in with other peoples plans
The hostel I was staying in was in a rather Industrial part of town and not the best to take a wander, and was far from Lima centre and Miraflores, thus being no good for going anywhere with friends either. I wasted a little too much time being lazy in the morning and watching morning TV and drafting up emails before I went down to the reception area where the wifi signal was and found that I had many semi-urgent messages that it would have been much better to reply to first thing rather than an hour before midday.
The news was all good though, as my friend from Madrid had been in contact with her family back in Lima and together they had agreed and arranged for me to stay with them for a couple of nights, a treat that further went to show their open and friendly hospitality, and would not only save me money but give me the chance to spend some quality time with real Peruvians and share their daily lives.
I also had to try and rearrange the next few hostels and cities, as I did not really think that it was making the best use of my time to spend over a week in Lima and then only one day or two in each of the next few cities as was originally planned, at least not now that I was in Lima four days earlier than originally planned.
After a few hurried emails back and forth we arranged for me to catch a taxi over to my friends house where we would have a meal before heading over to where I would be staying for the next couple of nights. The area around where my friend lives was very pretty and filled with public gardens and parks, and the local government was clearly trying their best to modernise it also as the roads in almost every direction had construction men working on them, much to the distress of the taxi driver who was not on a meter but a fixed price to my destination.
Once there I met all my friends immediate family, including her grandmother who was a true gem and could speak also the Ketchuan language, in addition to Catillian Spanish, and I guess I never before appreciated the difference between Castillian and Catalunian Spanish til I met people that knew both and could explain in English some of the differences.
After the meal we looked at some family photos and I was a little embarrased and dissapointed in myself that I had not saved more of my own family photos onto my laptop, but then I had to remind myself that my main PC had not been working for most of my trip preparation time and also that my laptop was brand new only a month of so before I left the UK. I also got a chance to recharge my cellphone for the first time in weeks, and this was a relief as trying to organise to meet people purely by email is very hit and miss as it is frustrating in having to wait for them to get around to reading the emails and replying.
After the meail we headed on over to where I was staying for a few nights, also in a nice part of Lima, and here we dropped off my stuff and looked at a few more photos before we took a bus ride into Lima. All of my Limean friends had been going on at me to take a bus ride for ages and once I was in one I understood why. At only PES 2 a fare they would take you on a journey to the city limits if you required it, although the buses were nothing more than large minivans converted to holding passengers, with one employee doing the driving and another as both ticket seller and advertiser as he would bellow out the destinations and try to drum up business at every lull in traffic.
They don't really have bus stops in Lima, just roads that are frequented by buses and you never have to wait too long for a bus although there doesn't seem to be a proper organised timetable and I could not quite figure out if the buses were all privately owned or rather all a part of a larger firm that sort of subcontracted or franchised out the running of the each bus.
After a few phone calls, which to be honest I just handed my phone over to one Limean friend to call and arrange with the other a time and place, we all met in in Lima and I was glad to see that as soon as they met the two friends got on well enough for me to feel the outsider, but happy that I had brought these two nice people together as friends. I do hope they continue to keep in contact with each other after I leave, and I am sure they will as one is a dance teacher and the other wants to learn.
I tried to eat a toffee apple that was on sale in one of the stalls in the central park, however my lip was still pretty cracked and sore from the dehydration and so this only helped in stripping me of my lower lip skin and I had to give up halfway despite it being yummy and the first sweet indulgence in many a week.
Together we all took a trip to a nice area called Barranca, that I was reliably informed was very much like Andalucia, however my memory of the time I visited this regoin of southern Spain was many years old and I could not quite picture it as well as they could. One thing I did spot, in amoung all the street performers was an artist who was using spray cans and a lighter to make some very incredible artwork right in front of out eyes, and at only PES 20 each I saw one and instantly knew that I had found a perfect gift for a friend back home who will go mental when they see it.
I do nor normally make a habit of buying things for people, as this can get very expensive and time consuming, plus it leads can often lead to a few people asking why someone else got one and not them, but the second I saw this I knew that it was just absolutely perfect and the price was so fair that I could not resist.
One of my friends had to go and meet her other friends around seven, which left me alone with the other friend very near Miraflores centre, so we returned there for another drink and another movie, this time my choice before getting a taxi home again. We saw a proper action flick this time, Max Payne, and it was pretty good even if it did sort of get all arty and play on a devil and angels theme a bit too much for my liking, though tastefully done. The story was basic and you could tell what was going to happen from the start, but in an action flick this is never really a surprise and you go for the fight sequences and dialgoure rather than final plot twists.
Finally home I had a chance to get some rest and plan in my head the next few days.
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