And thats a wrap...

Well, it is for now and for South America anyway. And to mark the occasion, I thought I would make sure I didnt disappoint those of you who "believe" that I have a tendancy to remark on the negative things in life... So that means no mention of the crystal blue, shimmering, high-altitude waters of Lake Titicaca, its islands and its history; no mention of the extreme altitude and surprising beauty of La Paz; no mention of the endearing attitude and bright colours of the Bolivian people; no (re)mention of the splendour and energy of Machu Picchu and the Incan dynasty; no mention of the unending beauty of the highlands with snow-capped peak aftert snow-capped peak; no mention of the sheer beauty in white volcanic stone of Arequipa and its two imposing guardian Volcanoes; no mention of any of that. No.

Lets rather have a look at, and summarise, my experiences and observations of the counry of Peru, with its constantly breathtaking scenery... What I will remember is (and trust me, this is the cut-down parent/Peruvian friendly version):

• How I really enjoyed my cancelled flight to Cusco because they forgot to order an aeroplane...
• ...although enjoyed the 8 hour wait in the airport for details on rescheduling, hotels and taxis even more...
• ...and that in the end it took me longer to fly there than it would have taking the 24hr bus
• That the words "is it a single, direct, no-change, bus?" obviously do not translate into Spanish. Now, Im not saying that they are liars, but they sure do have some trouble in telling you the truth...
• That some little scrounger s***bag (apologies) thought it was sociably acceptable to put his hand into MY bag and remove MY camera as if I had offered to him as a gift
• That some more Ive-got-nothing-better-to-do-with-my-time "student" lowlifes thought it would be fun to fill the road with rocks and walk around shouting silly things about a doubtlessly pointless and self-absorbed cause, delaying my 15 hour bus ride by another 3 hours in the middle of a hot day
• That even if you buy the most expensive bus ticket, from the "best" bus company in the country, dont expect that when you (eventually!!) arrive at your destination 18 hours later, that your bag will have followed you all of the 1100km, or any distance at all
• That when you challenge a conartist/taxi driver over his clearly exorbatant price quote, he says matter-of-factly "pero, esta muy barato para ti, amigo" (but its cheap for you, friend). Firstly, your "friends" dont try screw you for money, amigo and secondly, it isnt cheap if you dont have a job and get ripped off every day. Can anyone spell "Robin Hood" in Spanish?
• That to top it all off (although this one isnt the people´s fault for a change), it rained all day on my only day at Machu Picchu :-(

Thanks for the good times chaps. Ok ok, the list isnt comprehensive and some good things did happen. Of the photos I do have left (and eventually get round to posting) will hopefully show those things off.

Tomorrow I will be in a country (pending further Peruvian travel, erm, delicacies) where when the s*** hits the fan, I can argue, in English. And boooooooooy do I have some arguments backed up... Good luck to the first taxi driver in Miami tomorrow - although, he will probably speak Spanish!

Oh, and one more thing... Cant wait to flush it ALL down the toilet tomorrow.

¡Hasta luego amigos!