After meeting Pat and Irene on our return train from Machu Picchu, we took them up on their offer to stay with them for New Year's in Miraflores, Lima. We arrived extraordinarily early again (thanks speeding bus driver!) and didn't have the apartment number, so we convinced concierge to find it for us and let us up. The apartment was incredible. It was literally on the Malecon of Miraflores, overlooking the ocean/sea/water. We had coffee and eggs and a joint and ...

Aside from chatting with people, buying Pringles and water for the bus journey, and stamps for postcards, the only thing of note that we did today was sort out our bus tickets. Apparently the Exclusiva bus system does not appreciate that we have two first names and only one surname, so after arriving at the Terminal Terrestre, we had to change over to the other terminal to fix our tickets. Turns out we were leaving from the Terrapuerta anyway, and Exclusiva has a...

Another hangover morning. Most of the guys from the bar last night were still drunk/still drinking - and that's all we did for the rest of the day. Drink, pool, bombing competitions, repeat. A hilarious moment is when we took off to 'shower' and Louis and the Irish-girl were in the bathroom with apparently the same idea...we found another bathroom instead. Christmas dinner was interesting. First of all, we nearly missed it by sleeping too later, then there was so...

We all woke with massive hangovers and decided the stale bread and jam for breakfast was an insufficient excuse for food, so in search of coffee we went. On the other side of the plaza is a tiny (three tables kind of tiny) coffee shop and bean roastery owned by a very happy and excited Elmer. For two hours we sat in his shop, tasting his incredible coffees, learning about the roasting process, and chatting to both he and Jonathan, and then talked to an older coup...

For lunch we found ourselves a traditional Peruvian picanteria on the other side of the river. Jeremy ordered a monstrous plate full of meat - an 'Americano' apparently, while I opted for the Ocopa, a baked potato and a huge hunk of cheese. In addition to this mammoth amount of food, we ordered a jug of Chicha - fermented red corn juice. And, afterwards we had to roll out of our seats to leave the restaurant. Our next stop was the Mundo Alpaca museum we had seen ...