I didn't really want to get off the bus and into Lima at midnight, especially after my friend Lourdes (whom I was staying with) telling me to be careful. It was straight into the deep end, as I had arrived at the biggest city in Peru (it is an absolute monster), in a random street (there is no central bus terminal) and had absolutely no clue how to get to where I needed to be. Relying on an overly friendly taxi driver's city knowledge, together we cruised through town to Lourdes's house, on the outskirts.

Safe and sound, I had made it and was welcomed by a huge black Labrador and also a smiling Lourdes. I was stoked to be there. Its an amazing feeling to have a home to stay in, with a real family after a long period of hostels, floors and other strange places. The next morning I was given a lesson on the public transport system and set out for the historical centre of Lima. A minivan (combi) to the Metro Bus, and then the bus to centro and I was in the frantic Lima centre. The journey took around an hour, giving me a serious idea of how big the city was. There are almost 9 million people in Lima, and it seems to go on forever. Obviously I got lost for a while, but then found my bearings and enjoyed a full day of exploration. The city soon became relatively easy to navigate, I visited the main square, congress, government house (there was a fully naked woman walking, yelling obscenities), a few churches, parks and Chinatown, where I enjoyed a huge plate of stir fry (it had been a long time since!).

I was keen to head to the upper class neighbourhood of Miraflores the next day, and after writing out a few quick postcards for the fans, I was back into the tiny combi (packed out with as many people as possible, like a Guiness World Record Attempt) and on my way. I had my first date with ceviche that day for lunch. This is a dish you cannot leave Lima without trying, most famous in Peru, but also found in Ecuador and Bolivia (as far as I know). Raw fish isn't really my favourite food, but I absolutely loved the stuff. Marinated in lime juice and served with onions, herbs, chilis and potato, it is a flavour explosion and comes in a vairety of ways: mixed (with octopus, shrimp, fish, mussels etc) or just fish or shrimp or shells etc. It ended up becoming one of my favourite things about Lima, and it is everywhere due to its proximity to the ocean (I wouldn't reccommend trying it further inland though, unless your're near a river).

Miraflores turned out to be starkly different to the rest of Lima, and to me, it almost felt like it didnt belong. Very posh and clean, with fancy restaurants, coffee shops and hotels in abundance, I felt more inclined to return to the historic centre, as I took more of a liking to it than Miraflores. Having said that, it is quite a pretty suburb and there are loads of tourists and Peruvian holidaymakers in sight, having a great time and shopping spree among other things. There is a huge, ritzy mall on the Cliffs of Miraflores, where I went to hang out with friends made in Cusco. We enjoyed a few pisco sours, tapas plates and watched the sunset at a waterfront bar. There were also heaps of laughs and eventually we walked to one of the friends houses for more drinks, which were extremely potent.

My ultimate day in Lima was spent at the local market with Lourdes, buying various fruits and vegetables. We also made time for one more stop at a ceviche restaurant, where I stepped up my ceviche game to a new level and tried a few more, slightly adventurous items. The tiger milk wasn't really my favourite (sour milk with fish), however the other plates were delicious. I also made a long walk from Barranco (another pretty suburb) to Miraflores down the cliff and along the beachfront. By that time it was almost dark, and I took the final combi trip (phew) back to the house where it was time to say goodbye (sadly). Enjoyed one last meal with the family and hopped on a bus to the north coast. Staying with a local family is one of the best experiences I have had in South America, everything is so different to what you know, yet it is great fun and makes your time in a city so much more interesting. The family I stayed with are full of generousity, constantly offering food, drink and anything else I may have felt like. If you can get through the language barrier, there are always great stories to tell.