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After 9 years of yearning...
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As the title of this entry suggests, the idea of a Peruvian experience has been infiltrating my thoughts for the last nine years. I blame my first year university class, ARKY 205, for this craving. Ever since I encountered a picture of Machu Picchu in the required textbook, I´ve been smitten with everything that is Perú. Opportunity finally arose to make the long trip down here, and I capitalized.
I arrived in Lima early this morning... about 1:30 a.m. Fortunately I made it quickly out of customs and was able to pick up my backpack right away. Now the part I hate most about travelling is when I arrive in an alien country and am required to negotiate my way to my hotel. (I blame Bangkok for this. Having a cabbie stop in the middle of Bangkok, nowhere near my hotel, and tell me to "walk, walk, walk" was a traumatizing experience.) As a result, I made sure I had a prearranged ride to the hotel. Like a beacon of light, my name - quite literally - arose from the crowd when I exited the gate. I have never been more happy in my life to see a complete stranger. With a minor amount of fright, I made it to my hotel, ready to sleep the rest of the morning away.
Beep beep... siren siren.... rev rev...
That´s all I heard this morning. The volume of traffic whizzing past my room kept me from sleeping in too long. As a result, I forced myself up and decided to take Lima on.
After getting advice and maps from the front desk clerk, I decided to mosey on down to central Miraflores (which is the more affluent part of Lima). But to tell you the truth, I was so concerned about potential pickpockets, I never really took the time to take in what I was seeing. I had read enough accounts of robbery in Lima that I didn´t want to become one more victim. However, and maybe because it is Miraflores, I didn´t see one sketchy character. Everyone just went about their business.
Later that afternoon, I was picked up at my hotel for a "City Tour". Although the colonial buildings were fascinating, I haven´t been overly enthralled with Lima. Maybe it´s because I don´t actually feel like I´m in Peru. Or maybe it´s because after so many years of wanting to come down here, I´ve built up my expectations and subsequently put Peru on a pedestal. But at this point, to me, Peru is Lima... and Lima is just another big city.
With that said, I look forward to seeing more of Peru outside of Lima. Tomorrow, I meet my GAP Adventures tour group in the evening. And then the following day, we head to Pisco that afternoon.
Hasta luego!
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| 1. | After 9 years of yearning... - Lima, Peru Aug 01, 2006 |
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