Lima

We made it! At about one in the morning, we walked through the customs gate to look for our taxi driver, Sr. Sanchez, holding a sign with our name on a white board. We looked, and looked, and even waited out a fight that had to be broken up by the police. But no Sr. Sanchez. We finally agreed to go with a randomn taxi driver who called our hotel to get directions. But suspicously there were no rooms available at the hotel! I spoke with the lady on the phone and told her we had reservations, unfortunately, this is the week of their Independence Day (Fiesta de la Patria) so there is ¨mucho turismo¨ according to the taxi driver and reservations in peru are only ¨chicha.¨ Don´t worry, he said, I know a place that is safe and cheap. Sure enough, he drove us to a little hostal near the Parque Central and woke up the owner (his friend) to give us a room. I was just glad to have a bed, pillow, and blanket. I called this morning to clarify things with our original accommodations...she accidentally reserved our room for the 28 and 29th of august, not july! Luckily they have a room for us tonight so we are on our way...Cusco tomorrow!

Ray Goes to Chicago

This is Ray.

This is Ray's foot...

...after he busted in the Austin airport running over to tell me that they were closing the doors to our gate, even though the monitors in the airport said our flight was delayed 23 minutes. So much for breakfast. We picked up our stuff and ran (I ran, Ray limped) to the plane. Phew!

This is Ray in Chicago, riding the "L" for the first time.


Ray and I meet up with my cousin Melanie for brunch/lunch and drinks. Hmmmm bloody mary.


Pleasantly full, Ray and I start our sight-seeing in the beautiful city of Chicago. We first stopped by the Billy Goat tavern.

Then we hopped on a skyline boat tour of the river and Lake Michigan.



There are a lot more pictures, so I'll have to add them later...on our way out the door to a Cubs game!

Tastes like chicken

I am very excited to try Peruvian food, mainly because I have never had it before and therefore have no expectations. There's supposedly good ceviche and seafood in Mancora, which I love. The one delicacy I will not eat, but which Ray has sworn to try, is guinea pig. Yup, the same furry creature every 7 year old has as a pet (except for me...my parents gave me little sea turtles because I have a fear of rodents):



I consider myself gastronomically brave...I've eaten octupus, squid, sea urchin, goat (several anatomical parts - the Greeks love their goat), lamb, duck, shark, alligator...But the thought of this furry little creature on a plate in front of me is enough to make me a vegetarian.

Layers

I'm trying to pack in layers. The places we are visiting range from 70 to 85 degrees during the day, and down to 20-30 at night (in Cusco). It's basically two trips combined into one: mountain/hiking and beach/laying out. One of the guidebooks had some smart advice: "Bring half as much clothes as you think you need, and bring twice as much money." I guess if there's something I really need I can find it there...

It's so much easier for men to pack, and I don't think it's because women have more clothes, but rather that we need more clothes. Point #1: bras. Trust me, if I didn't need to wear one, I wouldn't. But I do, and they range from sports bras to strapless bras to bras without seams. So which ones do I bring? One of each? I'm certain a good bra is one thing I cannot find in Peru.

Point #2: overgarments. I am more easily affected by changes in weather: I can experience the shivers to a hotflash then back to feeling cold again all within several minutes. I can't wait for menopause. So should I pack front opening things over pull-overs for the convenience? A scarf or a wrap?

Point #3: shoes. Shoes ARE a necessity...who wants to walk around barefoot? The dilemma is which types of footwear to pack...Flip-flops, sandals or both? Boots, tennis shoes or both? Nice shoes for an evening out? Bathroom shoes? Black? Brown? Tan? Leather or rubber? Open toe vs close toe? Compromise and bring a peep toe?

Did I mention everything has to fit into this, which fits in an overhead compartment:

Packing and planning

Ray and I are leaving for vacation on Saturday. We've finalized most of our trip, which is a big relief (for me). Here's a brief itinerary of what we have so far:

July 26 Fly to Chicago (My kind of town...)

July 27 CUBS game at Wrigley Field


July 28 Fly to Toronto to fly down to Lima (ridiculous, but hey it's free)

July 29 Explore Lima. We're tentatively staying at Casa de Baraybar , a "Bed & Breakfast" one block from the Pacific Ocean.

July 30 Fly to Cusco. We'll be staying at the Hostal Balcon, which was originally built in 1630 as a house for a Portuguese merchant and overlooks the city. I'm excited about seeing Cusco and have heard only great things from people who have already travelled there. It was established as the capital of the Inca Empire prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

August 3 Train to Aguas Calientes, the pueblo near Machu Picchu. We're staying at Hotel Inti Orquideas for one night. By staying closer to the ruins, we can watch the sunset and be there for the sunrise the next day. More importantly, we miss all those horrendous tour groups.

August 4 Spend one more night in Cusco at El Balcon - our flight to the northern beaches leaves the next day

August 5 Fly from Lima to Piura, on the northern coast near the Peru-Ecuador border. Then we taxi to Mancora. We reserved a bungalow at Soleil Bungalows on the remote end of the beach. We will be here until August 10.

August 10 Fly back to Lima. We'll stay one night at Hostal El Patio .

August 12 Back in Austin! (Hopefully)