Arrive in Lima enroute to Cusco, Peru

(SORRY NO PHOTOGRAPHS - NO CAMERA)

Sitting in an airport lounge at 2am waiting for a flight to Cuzco. My temporary papers arrived this morning. Purchased the tickets and was on my way.

I arrive at 7.50am and Shirley arrives at 9am. Hope to surprise her again.

The bike is still in Nicaragua at the hotel. A one way ticket cost the same as a return ticket so I will go back in ten days time and ride the bike to Panama then ship it on from there.

Added later -

Lima has a beautiful, huge and brand new airport. The staff are all young and helpful with a basic knowledge of English. My flight to Cuzco was delayed because the city being high in the Andes mountains was fogged in. My flight was cancelled and everyone was allocated another flight. Being one of the lucky ones to get an early flight, 8.30am, I didn´t have much longer to wait or so I thought.

Rang Shirley and her situation was much worse than mine. The only flight out of Arequipa was cancelled and the tour group had to source a bus and self fund a ten hour journey to Cuzco. My arrival will no longer be a surprise. She is not now expected to arrive until 7pm or later.

My 8.30am flight became a 9.30am flight. We dropped through the clouds to land but had to abort the landing when the weather closed in again. The pilot advised that we would circle the airfield for fifteen minutes and land if it cleared or return to Lima.

Catching glimpses of snow capped Andes mountains and rugged mountainous countryside when the clouds cleared from time to time. We landed eventually and five other planes landed after us making the small airport very busy for a short time. My luggage and that of others did not arrive however and those of us without luggage were told it would arrive on later planes. No advantage of getting onto an earlier flight after all.

Poor Shirley bouncing along mountain roads in a bus. Everyone in her tour group was suffering from altitude sickness. Fortunately Shirley only had a touch with symptoms of feeling fuzzy headed.

The hotel had hot water - that is something of note because for the last two weeks I have been having cold showers. In Gautamala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua the hotels don´t have hot water taps. No need it so hot and humid a cold shower is good but somehow I don´t feel clean without hot water.

Did some laundry and got myself tidied up.

Shirley group arrived late. They were exhausted and one needed the attention of a doctor. All starving hungry so we headed out for dinner. First red wine for quite a while and the meal was very tasty. Early to bed after a couple of wines and slept well. Great to be able to snuggle up to Shirley.