Publisert: 09.05.2019
After my flight from Montevideo to Lima, I spent only two days in the capital. When I landed, I had no idea how to get to my hostel because I didn't want to order one of the expensive taxis online. However, in retrospect, it was also the best thing I could do because I talked to two French people at the airport who shared a taxi with me. So instead of paying 60-80 soles, I only paid 20 soles. Even during the taxi ride, I noticed big differences compared to the southern countries. The streets were even more chaotic, drink vendors were running between the cars dressed like bottles, and there was a lot of honking.
After arriving at the hostel, I met up with my friend Leo, whom I had already met in Uruguay. Since he used to live in Lima, he could show me the most important and beautiful places in the city. So we went to the city center, Miraflores, shopping streets, and the main squares. We also ate at a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant. To order typical Peruvian dishes, Leo decided what I should eat. So we had appetizers, main course, dessert, and a large bottle of Inca Kola for only 6 USD each. Inca Kola is comparable to the Mate of Argentinians, which must not be missing anywhere and is a kind of national drink. In Peru, it is even more popular than Coca Cola. I found it okay myself, but way too sweet.
I spent my second day in Lima in Barranco, an equally popular tourist district on the coast, which is incredibly colorful and has beautiful pedestrian passages. Unfortunately, on this day, I had some problems with the bus traffic because the only street whose bus lines I more or less knew and which is one of the most heavily frequented was closed. Don't ask me how, but sooner or later, after a lot of unnecessary walking and accidentally getting off one of the buses too early, I also arrived at each of my destinations.
However, since I planned to work as a bartender in the Peruvian desert oasis of Huacachina, near the city of Ica, for the next four weeks, I had to leave Lima on the same day. In the afternoon, my bus to Ica finally left, which should take about 4 hours and was incredibly modern. The seats could be converted into half-beds, the legroom was huge, everyone had their own screen on which they could watch movies, read books, or play games, and everyone got blankets, pillows, headphones, and something to eat.
Upon arrival in Ica, I was picked up by Victoria, a staff member, in a taxi and we drove together to Huacachina, which is no more than 15 minutes away. At the Wild Rover Hostel, I finally met my boss Daniel, who introduced me to the rest of the staff. The only person I had a little conversation with that night was Danna, who, as I later found out, had arrived on the same day, was supposed to work the morning shift, and had her bed right next to mine. However, that night I went to bed early because I had a lot of sleep to catch up on.