The long drive to Lima and a farewell to Latin America

Day 175 – Sunday 19^th September  –>  Day 177 – Tuesday 21^st, September 2010

On the afternoon of 19/09 we left Cuzco to the predicted 22 hours bus ride to Lima. Our bus company was called TEPSA and was recommended to us by some locals. The long drive is notorious for accidents and that is why we informed us in advance. Some companies enter the long drive with a single driver, then tapping the serpentine 22 hours in the night to drive. This naturally increases the probability of an enormous accident.

The bus was of good quality and there was even a film in English. We were provided with a light snack dinner and for breakfast we stopped at a real restaurant to get…fried chicken and rice! The ride was pretty intense, however, as Lorenz was constantly woken by the extreme centrifugal forces in the turns, I a bit less. Any curve seemed to be a bit dangerous. Lorenz had caught cold after the exhausting motorbike ride and the crossing of the Andes continue to put extreme pressure on his ears. He could not make his ears pop and so was more or less numb. After “only” twenty hour drive, we arrived at about three o’clock in afternoon in Lima. There we were staying the night with our friend Elena, who we had met on the Colca Trek. By taxi, we drove to her apartment and there was a joyful reunion. We explored the city with her and drove by bus to the fancier area of Miraflores. To judge the prying eyes of the other guests went to Gringos rarely in public buses. I bought a little medicine to finally hear something and we finally went to bed relatively early because our flight to Bogota and on to Miami was already at 5:50 a.m. (!).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We spent 5 ½ months in Latin America after we arrived in Mexico in April and thus much longer than planned and yet we have not looked back. There were noticeable differences in every country we have been to, especially between Central and South America alone. Hopefully we can write later some regional summaries of our impressions!

 

Now it was time for four weeks in the U.S.!

Elena, Lorenz and me in Miraflores

Center of Lima

Ossi burgers for the east Germans

Lorenz and me in Miraflores

Miraflores

Center of Lima