General updates...

We continue to survive our travels, though internet has been making it difficult to update. I will give you all the shortest version possible to try to update before we embark upon the Inca Trail TOMORROW at 5 am (disaster...).

Jan 7 - We sadly had to leave Pucón, so our amazing new Uruguayan friend who worked at the hostel walked us to the bus and we had our first day bus trip so far - 9 hours to Santiago. We arrived in Santiago at about 6 and pretty quickly ditched our initial plan to stay up at a bar until it was time for the airport when we were discouraged by the lack of enthusiasm for the nightlife on a Wednesday. So instead we had a good dinner and enjoyed the comparable (to Buenos Aires) cleanliness of the city and booked a hostel so we could shower and sleep for a few hours.

Jan 8 - Waking up at 3 is not something I advise and something that frankly we've had to do too much of on this trip. But we survived Santiago airport with some Dunkin Donuts and were off to Arica, the beach border town in the north of Chile. I thought the most fascinating part of this town was the billboard-sized instructions written on the seawall about how to clean seafood and advice that lemon juice does not kill bacteria. We walked about, took advantage of all the fruit juice, and got to bed early in the largest hostel dorm room I've ever seen.

Jan 9 - On to Peru! We boarded our train to cross the border into Tacna, Peru. It was just one train car and an hour ride through the desert. We were greated by colorful signs boasting that Tacna is the first region free of fruit flies! Also they are free of a certain fever, which was advertised about town. They are a proud people. We bought bus tickets to Arequipa, and asked 4 separate people (including the driver and the girl who collects tickets) if we were, in fact, on the ten o'clock to Arequipa. Which we assuredly were until 10:30 when someone got on the bus and claimed out seats. At which point the mistake was unearthed and confusion ensued, and we had to wait 2 hours. It was not a good first impression of Peru.

In Arequipa, we tried out couchsurfing for the first time (the website you can use to make a profile and stay at local's houses for free). Yvan, our host, picked us up at the station with 3 friends and took us to his comfortable house in the hills surrounding the city. He taught us how to make Pisco sours, the official drink of Peru, which involve pisco (grape alcohol), lime juice, and raw egg whites. We taught them how to play Kelly's amazing drinking game and a good time was had by all.

Jan 10 - We were served breakfast by our wonderful hosts, then taken into the city center to have a look around. Plaze de Armas of Arequipa is the most beautiful central plaza I have ever seen in all my wordly adventures, highly recommended if you have a chance. We also wandered around a giant monestary, then met up again with our host to eat guinea pig, at which point a rather non-discreet photoshoot ensued. The guinea pig, called cuy, was deep fried and to be eaten with fingers. Not very meaty, but low in cholesterol we're told. Then we went to fix our backs with some $5 per hour massages and were off on our sleeper bus, which we were unpleasantly surprised to discover doesn't come close to Argentine standards (though the dinner was delicious).

Jan 11 - Kelly and I arrived several hours late on the 16 hour bus from Arequipa. Relaxed in our amazing hostel in Miraflores neighborhood, called Backpacker Family House. We tried to relax in the common room but some tool put Lost on TV, an important plot episode that Kelly hadn't reached and he refused to change the channel. We were saved by Pedro, the hostel owner, trying to gather people together to go to some park that was described as having 'fountains with synchronized lights and music.' Since we are not 8 years old, this didn't enthuse us, but agreed to go anyway to get away from the revealing twists and turns of the Sun and Jin Season 4 plot line (Alison, I know you know what I'm talking about). We went with 2 Swedish boys, a Brazilian girl and an Argentine boy and ended up enjoying ourselves by getting the whole crew into swirling through the park to classical music and soaking each other in the fountains, much to the bemusement to the swarms of Peruvian families out for a family Sunday night. We were greated at the hostel with Pedro's pisco sours and were all ready for Phil Alexander to arrive from his flight - and so the group travel began.

Jan 12 - Went to lunch and some Liman ruins (pre-Inca), then a juicebar. I visited a chiropracter and fell ill to Peruvian stomach. Went to Tio Mario's for dinner in Barrancas neighborhood at night where Kelly downed a plate of cow hearts on skewers (called anticuchos, very traditional).

Jan 13 - Toured downtown Lima all morning with a guide. Beautiful colonial city with ancient wooden balconies and cheery yellow plazas. Kelly napped while dad and I walked down the cliff that runs above the beach, filled with manicured parks with tiled benches reminiscent of Gaudi's Parque Guell in Barcelona. Sat in a restaurant in the mall built into the cliff and had a fruit juice while dad downed 3 pisco sours. Walked back to discover Pedro, the hostel owner, was making Pisco sours for the group, so dad gathered everyone around then tipsily rallied the group to a dinner in Parque Kennedy, where I had the best club sandwich of my life.

Jan 14 - Fly from Lima to Cusco. Wanted to try oxygenshots in airport, but too intimidated by lady at counter. Our hostel, LOKI, has 138 beds and a really nice bar and cheap, delicious food. Kelly and I are in a marital suite, kind of awkward. Our friend Zara, who we know from BsAs, is working here, so it's been good to see her. Took her out to a delicious dinner, I had osso bucco in dark beer sauce with pumpkin ravioli with mint seasoning. Phil Alexander agrees that this is probably one of the top 20 restaurants he's been to ever, so we went back for lunch today.

With that, I'll let Kelly take it!