First Blog From Peru!

I write this, my first blog from Peru, sitting in a Starbucks in the airport. My watch, now that I have changed it to local time, tells me that is its 1:45am, however my body, which I have not been able to so serrundipitiously placate, tells me that it is 7:45, 24 hours since I woke from a comfortable bed in Chester.

So far my trip has been eventful to say the least. I had origonally plannd to sort my self out with a taxi and a bus to make my way to Arequipa, but was fortnate to be offered a collect from the airport and a drive to a hostel and then to Arequipa the next day. In the back of my mind though I was always thinking "This is Peru. Nothing will be that simple."

Having traversed customs and collected my luggage with suprising expedience I emerged into the arrival lounge prepared to look for the board "Adam. CIESCU" that would indicate my contact. However no such board was present. I went back and checked four times over the next hour so I would know.

Rummaging through my papers I found Jose's number and finally managed to contact him around 12:30, over an hour after we had arranged to meet. My Spanish is not that great, especially when stressed, and Jose didn't appear to speak much English. From the few words I was able to glean I belive his reason for not meeting me was that he "didn't have time" and he suggested taking a taxi, although to where I was not even sure. (My first thought was that he meant he was busy, but after talking with my mum some hours later she suggest the more likely explination that my arrival time had not been passed on to him successfully and so he did not know what time to expect me.)

Having no experience of translating aural Peruvian place names to paper I promptly hung up on Jose declairing that "I have an idea." It took me a further twenty minutes to find somone who was able to ring Jose on my behalf and get more details. Fortunatly the airport is 24 hours so that fact that it was by now 1am was no great hinderence past the ordinary.

Jose was able to give my new found friend, who worked at the telephone cabina in thairport, the directions and he was then able to write them down on a peice of paper which, or so I am told, should be understood by a taxi driver. The address, all things being well, will take me to a hostel where I will be able to grab a few hours sleep before Jose picks me up, or doesn't -we shall see-, in the morning.

Part of me wonders if I should stay in the familiar confines of the airpor for another 6 hours and then make my way across in the morning. It would certainly be easier. Hmm that plan is now growing on me. As much as I like the idea of the adventure of traversing the city under the cloak of darkness I think a I would prefer it better after the break of dawn. If I could garentee that the hostel would be easy to find, that i would be cheap and convinient i would jump at the chance. But this is Peru, and if I did not know before I certainly do now, nothing is ever that simple.