ABC...Easy as 123...? First Day: Alarm set for 7am; slowly got ready; bag carefully and neatly packed with a pen of every colour; allowed 20 minutes for the 10 minute walk to main road; arrived at 7.45am at main road to catch bus with husband and mentor; carefully chose safest looking bus; rehearsed in head how to ask for a ticket to destination; held tightly to bag in case of robbery; attempted to memorise every landmark outside the window; stood up and awaited...

Beware of the Dog... It was 9.30pm on a cool Wednesday night. The usual mist had descended on the shanty-town of La Tablada, the drops of rain suspended in mid-air as is customary in these parts. The discipleship course at church had just finished and Mark was beginning his normal hour and a half bus trip home. Stepping onto the dimly-lit dirt tracks outside church, he had no idea of the terror about to unfold... enter the dogs. Some guy had draped a blue tarpol...

Where the Streets Have No Name During the 1980s and early '90s, Peru was plagued by a paramilitary group called the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), which terrorised many parts of the country, especially the vast mountainous zones known as the 'sierra'. They were an armed left-wing group based on maoist principles, who aimed to overthrow the white, elitist ruling class in Peru. As a result, many foreigners had to leave the country. The sierra was often the battl...

The Horn on the Bus Goes Honk Honk Honnnnk...All Day Long! Public transport in Lima is... interesting. Neither of us would drive here for love nor money. With over 8 million inhabitants, roads are nearly always choc-a-bloc with vehicles that think they own them. And the worst perpetrator of all...the bus; a common fixture on the Latin American landscape. And it just so happens we are completely at its mercy to get anywhere! Buses come in 3 basic forms: the comb...

Life in Lima Hola from Lima, Thanks for checking out our latest news from South America, and to those who have left messages or comments. Especially those who've found the last entry's use of ¨dessert¨ instead of desert irresistibly hilarious! Since last time, los Robbos have been settling in a little more to this strange climate, culture and culinary cuisine. We are learning many lessons in Lima: - toilet paper only goes in the bin, not down the loo - combis...