Made it to Lima!

Hello from south of the Equator!

Any time you get to visit a new place (especially in a different country/culture) it's special but for several reasons this trip feels particularly fascinating. After hearing so much about Peru for so many years and getting to know the culture from a proxy point of view it is so amazing and strange (in a good way) to actually be here. 

After leaving Fort Lauderdale 3 hours late I arrived in Lima at 1:30am and what a fantastic sight it was to see my dear friend Angela and her aunt Marisol waiting for me as I came out of customs. Leaving the airport terminal there were at least 12 different taxi drivers (the majority unlicensed) who immediately swarmed us, undercutting each other's prices and each bragging about how his car was the newest. In the middle of the chaos Angela turns around to me with a half smile and says sheepishly "Welcome to Peru". We (I should say Angela and her aunt) negotiated a good price with a nice man and we were off. Whizzing through Lima I got to experience first-hand what it's like to be a passenger in a Formula 1 racing car. We arrived safely, of course, and after a little chatting it was certainly time for me to go to bed. 

The morning has been fun, walking around a bit, getting Soles from the local ATM, and doing some grocery shopping. More than once I've gotten the inquisitive (but friendly) "De dónde eres?" which translates as "Who is this gringo who talks like a Spaniard and is here in this area that is not part of the tourist track?". All in all, great first impressions and more fun and adventures to come this afternoon. 

Until the next time!