Right, ok, I´ll set the scene for you. At this precise moment (12.13pm in Lima, 6.13pm in England) I am sat in a fairly clinical internet cafe (I say cafe, but there´s no tea or coffe for sale!) looking at cloudy Lima sky and looking absurdly red because I got sunburnt yesterday. Humph. How annoying. Also, I guess Peruvians aren´t used to seeing sunburnt people because I keep getting funny looks. Dear oh dear, before I got sunburnt I kept getting whistled at and commented on in the streets. It was awesomely flattering (although yes, I do realise they probably do that to all gringo girls.... still enjoyable though...).
I´ve just spent the last two hours doing internet-ish errands, researching possible flat-shares, uploading photos, messaging people on facebook, helping Kate decide what modules to choose... So I feel a bit dazed and over-technologied. But for you, dear loved ones, for you, I shall struggle on and write this blog!!
I arrived in Quito on Tuesday. I stayed with Tory and Nick, and an australian couch surfer called Jo. On Wednesday Jo and I bathed in hot springs in a place called Papallacto. It was a really beautiful place; because it was in the mountains your head and shoulders were pleasantly cool and mist-enshrouded, but the rest of you was immersed in warm water. And of course the view was amazing.
On Thursday, Nick took me around Quito, and we ended up at his friend Andrew´s flat. Andrew´s flat has a balcony that looks over the whole of the city, so we stayed up there drinking beer, singing songs and generally having a lovely time. I felt really happy, and that I´d totally landed on my feet and was very lucky to be relaxing with nice guys in an amazing place, and generally pretty smug with myself for leaving all you suckers behind in England. Yes, alright, I´d had some beer and whisky which may have added to the warm, all-over glow of contentment.
Look, there they are ^^^Then we decided to go out dancing. We went to a nice club called Bungalow, which does a mix of salsa and american pop. I danced madly like I usually do when the pop was on and Andrew attempted to salsa with me when the more latina music was played.
Friday was spent mostly being hungover and eventually buying a bus ticket to Lima. I can´t remember what happened on Saturday, I did write it down but don´t have my diary on me. Bugger.
On Sunday Tory took Jo and me to a market in a town about an hour´s bus ride away from the house. This was the usual bright clash of fruit and cheaply made clothes, clay trinkets and pots and people shouting at you. I bought a watermelon. However, we spent most of our time in the animal section ($2 ducklings and live chickens held in canvas sacks!) because Tory is animal mad. She already has Blackie, Phoebe, Mrs Pugley, Herman Penelope and four unnamed geese. We left the market with a ginger tom kitten and the cutest sharpei-boxer mix puppy. The reason we got the puppy was because it´s paw was hideously infected, and the owners had just left it in a box on the side of the market. We rescued her and took her straight to the vet!
Isn´t she GORGEOUS!!^^^On Monday, Jo and I went for a walk along a nearby canyon to tire ourselves out before the mammoth coach journey. It was impressive, and quite interesting because there was some sort of tunnel dug into the otherside that we couldn´t figure out a purpose for. Unfortunately it wasn´t beautiful, because forest fires have ravaged the plantlife. It was mostly scarred and brooding, as perhaps all canyons should be. And then we had a farewell dinner, gave Nick and Tory some thank you presents, cuddled the injured puppy one last time and got in a taxi at midnight to the bus station. And I will recount the fable of the epic journey in a new blog, because this one is quite long enough and I don´t wish to over-tax your little brains.
Until next time,
xoxo, gossip girl...... (just a little pop-culture reference for anyone who watches trashy US tv. You know who you are!)
Ps. here is a photo of Tory and Nick, with Mrs Pugley and unnamed Sharp-pei boxer rescue puppy.
See, I told you they were mad ^^^
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