June 10, 2008
Well, the sky is a brilliant blue, the air is crisp and cool, cars are swerving
every which way, old women are walking down the street wearing giant hats and 4 millon different colors…..I am in Peru!! After months of planning and dreaming, I really can’t believe that I am here!
Late yesterday, my friend Deb, (known to most of you as Silver Lining) and
I flew into Lima. The flight was 6.5 hours, but felt like 37! My favorite part
of the flight is when they stopped doing the English announcements first, and started doing them in Spanish and Quechuan first, English second. That is when you know that your trip has truly begun! 
As we waited to get our luggage, Deb, who speaks fantastic Spanish, spoke to
a grandmotherly woman in front of us. Before we knew what was happening, she was pressing her phone number into our hands and telling us to call her if we needed anything. She left in a flurry of kisses and Deb and I just grinned at each other.
We had only been in the country for 15 minutes and we already had a friend!
We headed for the hotel after jumping through several touristic hoops. There is a lot of crime in Lima…. a seriously lot…so in order to be safe, you have know who to approach for taxis and such. Lucky for us, Deb and I did all of our research, and between the two of us, can handle anything.
Because of the safety issue, I booked our room for the night at the downtown Sheraton. It is verrryyy fancy and not the kind of place I would usually stay! But we agreed that it was worth it and that we all deserve to be treated like royalty every now and then.
After a trecherous cab ride…red lights aren’t even a suggestion in this
city and there is absolutely no center line concept…we found ourselves in our
hotel room. It is midnight and what is a girl to do after a long day of travel?
Go to the lounge for her first Pisco sour, of course!! A Pisco Sour is the national Peruvian drink and it is wonderful!! We settled into deep arm chairs, toasted to each other, and took sips of this sour, light beverage. Mmmmmmm…..life is good!
Seconds later, the three men at the table next to us introduced themselves and we all started talking. They were my fathers age and were so nice! Within the hour, we had three more friends! Unfortunately, it was almost 2 am at this point, so amid offers of more Pisoc Sours and tales of Macchu Pichu, we headed for bed.
Did I mention that I am in Peru?
Love, Anna aka Mud Butt