Lima, Pollution, and Lost Luggage

As promised by the airline, we have arrived in Lima. Unfortunately, our bags have not. Therein lay all my phone numbers and email addresses so I shall rely on this blog to keep you all informed for the time being. It will be updated by Dave, Mark or I on an ongoing basis. Please let us know if we are:

1. Talking utter drivel
2. Being plain offensive, in title or entry
3. Making you feel jealous

The flight over was pretty fraught. We were surprised at check in in Dublin- the woman behind the counter (makeup, blonde hair, scowling, bitter, incompetent) informed us that the "plastic bag rule" still applied and that we were not allowed to bring hand luggage with us. We argued to the contrary, she was adamant, so the plastic bags were duly packed with passport, money, and credit cards and we boarded the plane. We checked our luggage through to Lima, said our prayers and jumped on the plane.

On arrival at Heathrow, EVERYONE had carry-on luggage. It was fucking carry-on city! So we ran for our transatlantic flight muttering curses and ruing the loss of books, mp3 players etc. Thankfully, British Airways had a good selection of films, including the Wind That Shakes The Barley. I watched four films in all, but fell asleep right before Ethan Hunt willingly electrocuted himself in Mission Impossible 3. Boo.

Miami was a bit stressful, as we had little time to get to our connecting filght. Another run, more swearing, and an excruciating wait at check in behind a Peruvian family who were at a loss to understand why their tickets from the 10th didn´t still entitle them to a flight on the 15th. Regardless, we made the flight, on which Mark was propositioned by a sixteen year old- "I know a bar we could go to, Irish boy".

At Lima, no luggage. More cursing, less running. We arrived at the hotel (Hotel Espana, Jiron Azangaro 105, Lima 1 Phone (511) 4285546) at 1am. In all, we´d been travelling for about 24 hours, and slept accordingly.

The next day, we picked ourselves up and were heartened by the news that one of the bags had been found and would be delivered by cab later that day. We got "shittered up" (bought local currency) and went walkabout around Lima. An old woman dressed in a hospital scrub top shouted "putas gringos!" at us within five minutes. We were a little paranoid for a while thereafter, but on the whole the people seem friendly and the no-go areas clearly marked, so we should be fine. There is a very heavy police presence in the city centre, which is reassuring but disquieting. they look like hey are waiting around for a coup d´etat.

So far we´ve see the Plaza des Armes, Plaza san Martin, the Cathedral, some of the govermental and administrative quarter, and a pretty impressive market with brilliant looking produce (meat and fish). I wish my luggage would arrive so I could be reunited with my knives, frying pan, and portable stove.

Otherwise, I´m not madly keen on Lima so far. There doesn´t appear to be a lot to see, it´s constantly overcast, and the pollution is pretty woeful. We plan to head north as soon as our bags arrive. In addition, we want to get way from Steve, who is the quintessential English tourist- has been everywhere, has done everything, knows everything- and doesn´t mind talking about it ad nauseum. I shall look out for this peculiar breed on my travels. "Situation´s changed Canney; take my llama gun and hand me my bore rifle¨.

Muiris