Long journey to Lima

26.10. We are a bit 'Lost in Translation', stranded at the Fort Lauderdale airport, because we have to kill almost 12 hours of waiting time before our flight to Lima. We make ourselves as comfortable as possible at the gate, sometimes on the seats, sometimes on the carpet. I use the time to call family and friends. Roman eventually goes to inquire whether our NAAT test is valid for entry into Peru. It quickly becomes clear that we need to take another test because our document says Naat and not RT-PCR. Fun fact: an RT-PCR test IS a NAAT test, but few people know that. (We had to read up on it ourselves...) So we go out again to the test center in the baggage hall, $320 later we have the test in the bag and 30 minutes later the result. At least the testing here is a bit cheaper - in Denver we would have paid $500 at the airport...!!

Eventually, the time comes and the journey continues. After 6 hours of flying, we arrive in Lima. Passport control and everything else goes very smoothly. Before we leave the airport, we quickly google how much a taxi ride in Peru costs. The taxis don't have meters, which means the price has to be negotiated in advance. And we, as tourist rookies, are naturally "easy prey". A taxi driver who wants to drive us at the stated price is quickly found. In the taxi itself, a few more soles are added "suddenly"... but well, in the end we pay about 17 francs for a 30-minute drive.

We are simply happy and satisfied to lie in a warm bed after this first half of our travel odyssey and enjoy at least 6 hours of sleep.

27.10. After a good but rather short night at the hotel, we have breakfast and then take a taxi to the Inka Market in the Miraflores district. This is supposed to be particularly beautiful in Lima. We stroll through the market and inspect beautiful ponchos and blankets made of alpaca wool. We then proceed through Kennedy Park and arrive at Largomar Mall, which was built directly on the cliffs by the sea. Here we treat ourselves to our first Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru. We especially like the Maracuja Sour, but we probably won't drink it too often...too much alcohol.

We continue through Amor Park towards the archaeological site. On the way, we indulge in a Lomo Saltado, another national dish of Peru. When we arrive at the archaeological site, we can hardly believe our eyes: the temple is huge and located in the middle of the city. Unfortunately, we are 10 minutes too late and can no longer visit the site. Instead, we walk around it and admire the exterior. In the trattoria next to the ruins, we quench our thirst with a Chicha Morada, the non-alcoholic national lemonade. Oh, and how it tastes! Purple corn is cooked with fruits and spices, then sweetened. Once strained, the Chicha is served cold with apple pieces soaked in lime juice.

We take a taxi back to the hotel and later in the evening we go to the restaurant next door for dinner. We have more Peruvian culinary adventures ahead of us: Anticuchos and Causas de Limeña - wow, so versatile, colorful, and indescribably delicious! After the States, it feels like our taste buds are being awakened from a deep sleep. ;)

We collect our luggage and go to the bus station. Everything happens very quickly there: backpacks are weighed and checked-in, and then we can board the bus. Oops, this is a different category of bus: big adjustable leather seats, movies for entertainment. However, we don't sleep particularly well and it's rather cold because of the ventilation. But somehow the 8.5-hour drive also passes by.