My South American Story - Darwen, Lancashire to Lima, Peru - Chapter 1

Introduction

I decided to go on a 5 month trip to South America in the winter of 2004 starting in Peru, Lima. It probably sounds like I come from a rich family being able to do something like this at 23 years old but I don't. It's a loving family, as lovingly as a cat and dog sometimes but still very lovingly.

This was my first solo trip outside of Europe and all I knew of South America was, there's football in Brazil, cocaine and problems in Colombia and a species of flamingo called James in the Andes mountains which was only rediscovered recently as it was officially extinct in the 1960's. I only knew that because I had read it in a magazine only a few weeks earlier.

I had all the confidence in the world when I was ready to leave. I had friends saying things like, "You're crazy, you are never going to come back". Thinking I would be kidnapped and killed or something. Excellent, I love that, kick a man while he's down, but that's the whole point of travelling to such a place for me.

For many years I saw all the wonderful and positive news stations like BBC World, The News at 10 and CNN broadcasting really happy things about South America. Yeh right, they just batter our heads day after day with very negative images. I took it on myself to see past that and go and have a look for myself.

Chapter 1.
Manchester Airport. Destination: Lima via New York and Miami.

The first person I was to encounter I was a big girl I sat next to on the six hour flight to New York. I was happy reading my book with a couple of beers and I tryed making small talk with her but she managed to sit the whole way without drinking, moving, reading or anything.

When I got up to go to the toilet, I had noticed she had malted on me, I had a clean white t-shirt on and she had one of those black furry girl's jumpers on, I don't know the name of the material but I was certainly getting familiar to it. My whole t-shirt was covered on one side and that's all she did was stare at the seat in front and malt on me the whole way there.

New York, JFK Airport

I was delayed at the airport a long time and five hours later I was eventually on the plane next to a big American guy about my age. We had a good chat as we headed towards the runway and BANG darkness, a few screams inside the plane and the backup lights came on. All of a sudden my mate had got into a right panic and he's not the only one, there's loads of them at it through out the plane. He waves for assistance to the flight attendant and the back up lights go out.

The lights come on again, and I told him "They aren't going to set off if it's not safe".

"I wish I was as strong as you", he replied.

The next thing he was guided off the plane, I counted 14 passengers all together who got off. I couldn't believe it, it was funny to see but obviously something to do with 9/11 must have still haunted them but the man should of got an Oscar for his carry ons and the best thing was I got two seats to myself, God Bless America, yeeha.

Miami Airport

The contrasts from the three flights were so different, but I really enjoyed the baseball commentry on in New York to Miami flight, everybody were in good spirits. Then I went onto a plane which was waiting for our delayed flight with sleepy, small Peruvians on it. I slept the whole way.

5am Lima Airport, Peru

First thing first in a new country, I found an ATM and drew some money out. I love the first sight of new money when you go some where new. You look at it, turn it over, try to read it, then think that must be the king of the country then see how much it's worth then wonder a bit more and keep turning it over before putting it into your pocket again.

I stayed in a guest house that night and awoke starving hungry. I ventured out onto the badly lit back streets of Lima looking for some food.

I could see a TV with football on through a window of a cafe/restaurant and I went in and took a seat in the middle of the room. I don't speak any Spanish so I know I was going to have a struggle with the language. I took one look at the menu and saw the word 'carne', thinking of chilli con carne and I decided I wanted that.

The lady was looking at me as if I came from space or some thing, I hadn't, I'd come from Darwen, Lancashire. She was tryed to help with a few polite giggles and basically ordered for me. I hope it was going to be a Sunday Roast or something, I hadn't eaten for 24 hours.

I received a cloudy looking soup with bits in the bottom. Next up was the main course served with a drink, it was a big plate full of chopped up meat and rice in a mound. The food was fine and I washed it down with my beverage. I took a huge mouthful of the drink and it tasted like a warm sarsaparilla cross lager mix with aniseed after taste.It was disgusting, I wrenched once and my eyes watered and was very nearly sick.

36 hours in the Peru, Lima and........

I found out there was a football match on tonight at the National Stadium and decided I had to go. I was advised not to take a camera or any valuables apart from a little money. I wondered how bad crime must be here?

I got the best taxi driver, he couldn't speak a word of English so I just kept saying football or fotbol, he replied Liverpool, Manchester United, brilliant. I'm a million miles away from home and they mention the 2 closest cities from my home town.

We start curb crawling as my taxi-driver mate starts shouting out of the window of his bubble shaped tiny yellow taxi. He was shouting for black market tickets and after some haggling he got me one. Really close to where we got the ticket he leaned out of the window again and shouted to some police men. The next thing I was escorted in by the police into the stadium. Quality.

And there I was, a local derby between St. Martin vs Alianza Lima. I took a seat in the St. Martin stand and bought some pop-corn from the huge clear bags they were sold in. There were 5,000 people in a 40,000 seater stadium but they still had all the drums, banners, face paints and singing. It was a great experience and the game finished 3-1 to Alianza Lima.

My South American Story - Pisco, Sechura Desert and Nazca Lines - Chapter 2