The first bus trip in a luxurious 180 degree reclining seat didn't go too bad and I managed to get a few hours proper sleep. I was a bit ill on the bus but otherwise arrived in Lima about 8.30am without any problems. The Cruz del Sur bus station was just a few hundred metres down the road and I was surprised how smart it was. I bought my next bus ticket and otherwise sat in the cafe enjoying the free wifi.

The next bus was not so comfy but mostly in daylight and the coastal scenery was impressive. I got a taxi to the hostel and went straight to bed - not in my proper room as the bed had not been made up. The sun was shining the next day and I moved into my next room and then took a stroll around town for breakfast and a cashpoint. After lunch I returned to the hostel to chill on the verandah. I was going to head out to grab some food for breakfast but got waylaid by the rest of my dorm - an Irish girl, Jennifer, and her French boyfriend, Pierre (no really!) and young British Polly. I started drinking with them and then the owner Richie and his cousin Eamon, and another guest Owen (all Irish) joined us and we had a couple of cocktails before heading for a burger and another beer. We lost Eamon at some stage and returned to the hostel to find one of the other staff sweeping up Eamon's sick - not popular.

The next day we all chilled in the morning and then Pierre, Jennifer and I went to Chan Chan. This was the largest pre-Columbian city in South American and was home to the Chimor empire before they were taken over by the Incas. We hired Harold the guide who was excellent and very enthusiastic - not the case with all guides we found out. We learnt a lot about the worship of the moon and the significance of the number 4 (seasons, tides in a day, etc) and how much they loved a human sacrifice - children of course as they are young and innocent! We also saw our first hairless dog - a local breed - very weird!

By the evening I had taken a turn for the worse and had to go to bed, up all night for trips to the toilet. Unfortunately the next day was spent in bed with kind people in the hostel getting me water, chamomile tea, letting me sleep on their bed while I had to change room and generally checking I wasn't dead!

My last day here I was feeling better and managed breakfast, lunch and dinner! Otherwise it was cloudy and I caught up on my blog and booked the next hostel with Laura who was coming to Guayaquil on the same bus.