Well I finally arrived at about 11pm local time last night. I had layovers in Sydney..4hr, Auckland..1hr, Santiago..5hr, and Buenos Aires..1hr. Flying time was a total of 23 hours so all up it made a total of about 36 hours and it felt every bit of it. All the flights were full so I couldn't get a seat to stretch out on and had to sleep sitting up, I dont know where the global recession is. I had to clear customs and imigration in Sydney but that worked out OK even without my bag which they checked all the way through from Perth. I have never seen such big luggage as I saw in Sydney. The South Americans getting on with huge bags and everyone had at least 2 and 3or 4 hand luggage. They were amazing, and after they got on the plane they wanted to rearrange everyone elses luggage so they could fit all there stuff in the overhead locker. Santiago was fun. You fly in through the mountains and down a valley to the airport. Turn right then hard left then land . It was quite a spectacular airport cos it is in the mountains and is surrounded by mountains some even with a little snow on top even this late in the season. Transit passengers got off and went down a dark corridor and into a room to line up to go through a scanner so we could board the next flight. I dont know where they thought we would get some contraband in that dark corridor but they had one scanner and they were going to use it. The line was the longest line I have had to use at any airport I have ever been to. Everthing looked expensive at the airport but I dont know cos I dont know the exchange rate. Can Coke $800, Bottle juice $950 T shirt $21000. I arrived in Lima at about 10.30pm local time. Surprisingley so did my back pack. There must have been a few flights arrived just before us so we had to join the newest longest line I have ever had. My imigration card was wrong cos the writing was soo small I couldnt read it and guessed the answers so I was born in truckdriver and my occupation was australian etc. So I had to fill out a new one and join the back of the line behind all the people with good eysight who had filled out there forms on the plane. When I was about half way toward imigration another couple of flighs arrived and they had to join the newest longest line I have seen at an airport. Luckily Jorge was here to pick me up, I had arranged for the hotel to pick me up for $12us. Driving in the place looked like any other 3rd world country. I dont mean that in a bad way jus that it looked like any city in India, Nepal and most of Asia, the only difference was the signs are all in Spanish. All the cars are wrecks, they look like they use them in smash up derbys on the weekend. I havnt seen one without a dent and most dont have a straight panel on them. They look like old Suzuki Alto's and Toyota Corolla's but I have seen some with Chev badges. The Hotel Espana is nice. It is clean and only 2 blocks from the Plaza De Armas. I got the penthouse..... Well it is OK room but at the top of the stairs. I dont know why but I always seem to get the highest room in the building. I woke up early, still dark, and felt OK but went back to sleep and woke up feeling like ****. I had a cold shower and went for a walk to get my bearings. 10 Minutes from the hotel and I was in trouble from the cops. I was walking behind the Parliment building and he grabed me and said I couldnt go that way. He didnt speak english and I dont speak spanish so I had to guess what he was saying but it gave me a chance to use some of the spanish I have learned...both swear words. I walked around the Plaza de Armas which is an amazing place. It is surrounded by old ornate buildings most of which are over 300 years old. I got some photos of them today but I will go back tonight to get some at night, the place is amazing when it is all lit up. There are police everywhere cos some Cardinal is making a visit and they are all cronically Catholic here so it is a big deal. They bought out a marching band and closed the square to traffic for the event. On the way back to the hotel I went to the Franciscan Monastery or Museo san Francisco. This is an smazing old church built about 1640 and is still used as a monastery today. They say there are as many as 70000 people buried under the church in what is called the catacomes. It is like a series of interconected caves stacked full of bones. The only ones that survived to today are the major bones, scull, femur, pelvis etc. For 5 soles I got a private tour of the place co I was early and the only one on the first english tour. You are not allowed to take photos but I snuck one and you will see it when I get to upload them later tonight. I gotta go now to see if I can find some transport to Arequipa cos I'm supposed to be going tomorrow. Just been to dinner at Amulls in a mall just off the Plaza. I had Anticucho (beef on a stick like a kebab) and Cusquenta (local beer) all for 13 soles, thats dirt cheap. I´m booked on the bus tomorrow (cruz del Sur) to Arequipa. They are supposed to be the best, I leave at 6.30 pm for the 15 hr trip. Im looking forward to it cos I will get to see heaps in the mountains in the morning.