Have Itch, Will Travel

275 days away from home. 99 major towns and sites. 30 beaches. 15 archaeological sites. 7 wonders. 30 times on a boat. 48 bus trips longer than six hours. 32 USD spent on a cab to a $25-night hostel. 40 USD price of a nice nearby hotel with all creature comforts. 9 volcanoes. 6 crimes witnessed. 10 lakes and lagoons. 15 days I couldn't shower. 4 times underground. 12 nights without a bed, excluding overnight buses. 40 cents per hour, the cheapest internet rate. 10 USD per hour, the most expensive. 7 times I thought of eating guinea pig but backed down. 75 places of accommodation. 5 times wet by waterfalls. 7 days affected by rain. 20 border crossings. 3 pairs of flip flops. 4 times I combed my hair. 75 hours on one bus. 45 percent of the trip spent in Perú. 2 postcards sent home.

It was time to go. After about ten months overseas, I was ready to go home and see my family again, though probably not quite ready to get back to the grind. It had been a fantastic experience; I had seen and done quite a bit, and more than I had my entire life. After a few sad days anticipating the goodbye to Joe and then, finally sharing one last day together, I was alone with Lima. I had my last meals at the usual places I ate, and said goodbye and thank you like I usually would do after paying, but it was difficult to ignore the sadness I felt. I wondered if they would wonder why I would stop coming. I strolled about the old city again, walked the now so familiar streets and sat on the steps of the church at the Plaza de Armas where Joe and I would talk and people-watch as we ate pizza and drank sweet coffee. I already missed Lima. I missed the large Plaza and its beautiful old buildings, the free concerts that entertained us there, the walks in Miraflores, the parks and malls,...

There is an excellent new resource on the web by a Dutch expat living in Peru and it's all about combi routes through Lima , including tips and jargon. If you're looking at spending time in Lima, Rutas Recomendables might be worth a look at; certainly, getting around Lima by combi or micro is something to experience if you've never done anything like it, it's easy and also very cheap!

While I was in Lima for the last part of my trip, Joe and I went clubbing, did our walks in Centro, watched movies and played a lot of foosball. We also went for a trip to Parque de las Leyendas in the middle of Lima . It is touted as a " zoo ", but it is no zoo I've ever visited before. Sure, there are some displays of African animals, seals and birds, that kind of thing, but it is not only the animal enclosures that draw the crowds (though the baby hippo and baby zebra that were there when I was were certainly cute). The park is a crazy mix of everything. Apart from the zoo, a decent part of it is parkland , complete with manicured gardens around a fake lake that you can cross in a rented pedal boat. There is also a section for jumping trampolines, rock climbing towers and mini slingshot rides, not to mention small museums around the place and massive adobe ruins too! The place demands a whole day of exploration and taste-testing the Peruvian snacks along the way. The...