Eight o’clock and I am awake like a shot. Somebody just went to the toilet loudly. The toilet, and from the noise, the shower too, are right next door.
Breakfast was a multi-national affair. Three Brits homeward bound, a Dutch girl in the middle of a big tour of South America and a German girl about to spend time in Ecuador to learn Spanish. Producing my jar of Marmite was my method of saying "Hello". The Brits were instantly my friends and suprisingly the Dutch girl. For those that don’t know, Marmite is a something you spread on bread or toast and either tastes fantastic or tastes like something the eternal damnation of hell would serve to you at breakfast.
Hostel Home Peru is well placed on Av. Arequipa in the Miaflora area. Leaving the hostel, I realied two things; 1) everybody knew I was a gringo, every taxi honked their horn touting for business and street hawkers making a be-line towards me. 2) I’m not the tallest bloke in the world, but here I look down on practically everyone.
I tuned back to the hostel, weaving through the vertically challenged hawkers and ignoring enthusiastic taxis.
Hostel Home Peru staff suggest where I can buy some less obvouis clouths. Written directions, map pointing, detailed instructions for use the extremely frequent buses and I was back on the road – literaly.
Several buses passed by, until the one I wanted arrived. I had waited about one minute. I ended sitting up-front with the driver and several other passengers. These buses, I call them collectivos, are the life-blood of the transportation in Lima.
Hitting the shops around Ovalo Hijuerata, I spent two hours browing everything including computer kit, eye wear, cloths, shoes, even skateboards.
By the time I arrived back at the hostel, by way of an Internet café that would allow me to plug my laptop in for only 2.5 soles an hour, I had used up most of the day.
The local supermarket provided my evening meal, a chicken curry with special fried rice that turned out to be fantastic. All I had to do was re-heat and serve. The German girl joined me for dinner, she had instant noodles and wasn't impressed. In sympathy, I let her share the bottle of Peruvian wine I had bought.
My early morning arrival, lack of sleep and most of a bottle of wine knocked me out as effectively as swift blow to head with a blunt object.
