Lima is a dirty great big (did I mention dirty?) city. So after 2 days of walking around it, breathing in the smoke. I’m leaving.
It’s an easy descision really. I saw the size of the Andes from the plane near Santiego, and I haven’t walked up a single hill yet. To be honest I’m a little scared at the prospect of riding up them, but I’ve still got to get a bike in any case (so it’s not a forgone conclusion that I’ll be riding anywhere).
I made it through customs. And there was much rejoicing (quietly, so as not to attract attention)
Jet lag being jet lag means its after midday and I am now up and ready to see Lima. The sky is grey, but I think that is just sea fog and pollution. I´m being talked at by a tout right now, so I´ll have to make my escape. Exit stage left.
Well here we go. In the plane at last. The last few hours have been an exercise in stress. Where to begin? Well, it turns out that you should read the restrictions on one way tickets… I must admit that I expected a problem at the airport, but was really quite lucky in the end. For once the plane was late and this was to my benefit.
At Adelaide, I bumped into Dan (what are the chances) and was denied a ticket to South America, as I didn’t have an onward or return ticket. So I took the flight to Sydney, and had to sort it out there.
Despite being friendly, the check-in staff were useless, and after running all over the airport, and having to catch the public bus between the terminals (thank goodness I didn’t take my bike), I ended up at the Qantas ticket counter. Again the staff were useless, but I got onto a guy on the phone who worked out a way to help be beat the system (ie buy a ticket to LA, with the intention of getting a refund as soon as I get through customs). It turns out the airlines, and possibly the customs officials don’t really like backpackers who want to get around using one way tickets. Mental note…
But I got there. As I knew I would. I even got a bonus stopover in Aukland. No-one told me about that!
And I’ve met my first traveler. A lovely lady from Hobart, Michele. Swaped emails. I now have some recommendations in the lonely planet (I gave in and bought one in Sydney). But I’ve noticed that I must have packed my pen elsewhere, the only place I can write of here, in the PDA. Not a lot of help for filling out immigration forms.
Soon, a long lay-over in Santiego, and then Peru!
Current stressors: finally realising that I have utterly failed to prepare a plan (she’ll be right!), and by grasp of Spanish leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing I can’t handle. (I hope)
A map was requested. Let’s see if I can keep it up to date.
For someone who is deliberately not planning very far ahead, you’d think I’d have nothing to do, except maybe cool my heels before I left. Right? Well, I seem to be busy doing stuff every day. Ok, it’s not much stuff, but at least I’m keeping busy.
Otherwise I might have to entertain myself. In this weather that could get very chilly (it is really really cold here – after Queensland I’m wearing a beanie, two woollen shirts, jeans, etc, and the heater is on).
Now I have travel insurance. For 9 months (seems like a good starting point, I expect to be extending the policy). I have been rejected in a credit card application (it looked good with no fees, but the application was lacking a certain ‘oomph’ when I had to say I was unemployed 
). I have new cards from the accounts I regularly use. Tonight I noticed that my backup credit card is going to run out of date this month… New one will have to be ordered tonight. (doh!)
Vaccinations sorted. International drivers license sorted. Talked to the banks a few times (they like to know what you are doing in more detail than I want to know right now).
When I look at the list of things I’ve done (and still have to do), I probably could knock it over quicker than I have, but then… What else would I do for the next week? Sit outside in the cold?
Only 11 days until I fly out. Still plenty to do.
Kev convinced me to fly home a day early and race in his X-terra (a kind of off road duathalon). He’d set the date for his birthday, and spent all morning in the cold wind putting out arrows and setting up the course for the rest of us. Which was good of him. There was a fairly small turn out – only seven people/teams raced. I thought I was at least guaranteed a top ten finish with those odds!
I haven’t trained, well… at all in the last month or so – busy trying to get work wrapped up. So I wasn’t expecting to beat Kev, but I like to be able to keep up.
I got thrashed (by Kev). Oh well. Next time. Kev won and everyone had a good time, so success I guess.
Maybe Catherine will email me a nice photo I can put on the site. Maybe even the one that I was in the same frame as Kev, to make it look like I was keeping up. No-one need know it was right at the start of the race.
And my Bro’ managed to break his arm last night while riding the mountain bike around his back yard before I put it in the car. What can you say…?
The end of work countdown was a bit of an anti climax. I was able to finish the job quicker that expected, and have since flown back to Adelaide to spend some time with family and friends before leaving for South America.
This weekend has been the first time I have been unemployed in my adult life. Well, no – I didn’t work for all of the final year of my degree. But other than that.
So that is that. No more work for me until I get sick of travelling. And with careful financial management, that may be a while 
Hopefully a year.
Oh goodness, dial up is slow when you get used to (even slow) broadband.
Just watched The Motorcycle Diaries. Story about Che Guevara and a trip with a friend across Latin America (on a motorcycle). It made me realise that I didn’t know anything about the man, and have since spent a few hours on the Internet. Now I feel much more informed. I’m going to miss the instant on knowledge that the Internet can provide.
One scene in the movie (especially) made me think. A couple were basically fleeing for their life to find work and food, and encountered Che travelling. They asked why he was travelling. After giving their account, Che had no answer. I guess I’m going to be in a similar situation. I’m about to go travelling because I can – there is no government stopping me, or starvation to deal with. All it takes is a flash of inspiration or desire and I can go, where so many others have to break their backs every day to simply survive.
<delete rant on the inequity of the world. also delete rant on capitalism. – it’s too late (at night) for me to make any kind of sense on these issues>
Walk today, up Mt Barney, 1360m. Surprising that there is a hill that big so close to the city.
10hrs walking. Slowed down a lot by my walking companions.
Got to sleep in the Hammock on Saturday. Very comfy, but I got a bit cold. After getting in the sleeping bag it was ok again.
There is a rogaine on tomorrow only a few hours drive up the road. Not surprising since it is a full moon. I don’t have a partner, and haven’t entered. How Slack! Bugger, too late to sort it out now.
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