A day in the lives of two tight wanderers

Ay up,

Its a change of pace for todays update. It kinda of has to be really as nothing has happened.

We are still in Lima and we will be until Monday solely for the purpose of being able to watch the rugby final on Saturday. Before England triumphantly gubbed the french we were planning to leave for Huarez tomorrow (Thursday), but what with their being a english pub on our doorstep here we thought it might be worth hanging around a little longer. The only problem is there is nothing, or at least very little to do here. Well i´m sure there´s probably plenty to do but we have no money to do any of it, so that is why todays blog is aptly titled, A day in the lives of two tight wanderers.

The title does lie slightly as it will actually be two days in the lives of skint wanderers, but that is a mere techniacl point that i´m sure all you kind people will forgive me for. The day starts in our hostel. Which is a good sign; i´m not too fond of that panic awakening you get when you realise you have no idea where you are or how you got here. Thankfully that hasn´t occured in a while hence why i was aware of where i woke up the past two mornings to be described in this blog. So as i was saying the day begins in our hostel. A reasonable place that is actually quite useful at helping us to pass the time as it has its own internet, pool table and even a collection of dvd´s that you can freely watch on a big telly as and when you please. Facilities that will be mentioned later after we have been to the cafe below to claim our free (or at least included in the price of the room) breakfast which consists of egg on toast, tea or coffee and the juice of the day, which was pineapple today and yesterday. All in all its a sufficient start to a meaningless day.

From there, we left at about 9.30am. Not a bad time i reckon for two dossers with nothing to do. We even showered and everything before we left just to keep up appearences. Our main task for yesterday was to accomplish a laundry. Clean clothes had ran out long ago. Doing a luandry simply meant finding a launderette, haggling for a reasonable price, then leaving it in their capable hands and hoping for the best. A task that was accomplished by 10am, meaning we had a free day until roughly 6.30pm when we needed to back to pick up our clean clothes.

So what to do we ask each other.
"What do fancy today doing chucka", said Rob to his beloved, Maya. To which she replied "I don´t mind chucky, what do you fancy doing¨. "I don´t really know" said Rob, "What do you reckon we should do" and so it goes on and on and on and on, until we have passed at least 30 mins sat in the cafe (where we ate breakfast, for those of you struggling to keep with the break neck speed of events). Eventually we came to the grand decision we should walk somewhere. "where do you fancy walking" said Maya. "I don´t mind, where do you fancy wlaking" said Rob. And you see how things go from there.

Anyhow, all funny jokes aside, eventually we walked about 5km along the coast of Lima, to another area called Barrancho. This is actually quite a picturesque area with lots of colourful houses and a famous wooden pedestrian bridge. It is lovely, but there is nothing to do there but sit in the square and watch the world go by. Which we did until the time came where we had to have the great converstaion once again, "What do you fancy doing now then chucks", said Rob to his beloved, Maya. "I don´t mind", she replied. "What do you fancy doing". And so it goes. Eventually the great plan is to walk back. Which we did. And a lovely walk it was to.

On the way back we stopped at a cookie type sandwich place and each picked up lunch, which was to be a salami and cheese sandwich and a cookie each, and a shared bottle of Inca Kola, which is bright yellow in colour but tastes abit like Dandelion and Burdoch and Vimto combined. Despite its description it is actually quite nice.

So, we are back in Miraflores (where are hostel is), and the time on the clock is reading roughly 3pm. So far we´re doing pretty well. Thats half a day past already, but we are now entering the dangerous hours. Late afternoon to early evening is always the hardest time to fill as the easiest and most tempting thing to do is just to go to the pub for a few early drinks. The problem is not only expense, but also the fact that two drinks inevitably becomes three and when you drink with Maya, three swiftly becomes six and the night disintegrates from there.

So to avoid temptation we swiftly head for the most depressing of modern institutions, the internet cafe. We have become quite adapt at killing time in these darkened rooms, me with this kind of drivel (God knows why), and Maya does what ever she does for so long on bebo and the likes.

After an hour or so we decide to head back out to the living world and re-enter the darkening streets of Lima, making sure to stare only at the pavement or each other on the 50metre walk back to the hostel which is laid with tempting drinks offers from lively bars all the way to the hostels front door.

This time we make it safe and sound. The hours of 4 to 6/7 have become nap time and reading hour. I tell you this, travelling lifestyle can really take it out of you. For those of you who like details, I´m currently reading a really good thriller called Firewall by a swedish author, whilst Maya is reading The Alchemist, by Paulo Couello. In 12 weeks of travelling we have probably read at least 10 books each, so you can see we have a lot of time to kill.

At some point we have to venture back out onto the streets to find some supper. There isn´t really any take-aways as such and we havent yet found any kitchen facilities in the hostel, facts which combine to mean we have to do one thing; eat at a restaurant. We fancy pasta so find a wee Italian called Glorietta´s on a street known as pizza street because of all the italian restaurants that exist in the one place. Its kind of the South American way in that you get a whole cities quota of Italians all sitting next to each other in the one street, competing for the same custom. Why not just spread out a little. But its just the same with all other outlets. Just as a you get a street with off-licences, printers, shops selling solely light bulbs, whatever it may be. Their motto is stick together.

So we find a nice place anyhow, get some free manky Sangria and enjoy a nice meal with little to say other than comment on the passers by that are of interest. As time passes we decide to leave and head for the English bar, just for one mind, and then we make it back home for about 9pm. We enjoy a quick game of pool and then decide between a film or reading time once again. As i currently have a good one, i choose reading for an hour or two before bed. Plus there are people sat on the sofas by the dvd collection and neither of us can be bothered socialising. I know you´ll all be reading this and tutting, but believe me we do a hell of a lot of scoialising with some very lovely people as well as some very bizarre people; we do not discrimate. But when you are in the situation every night there are inevitably occasions when we just look at each and go "i can´t be arsed tonight luv, can you?".

And that is it my friends. The exciting lives of two skint wanderers in its sheer beauty. I´m only joking at how mundane it can all be at times. I wouldn´t swap it for anything just now.

Today it is much the same, only i had the misfortune of seeing England effectively elimate themselves from the European Championships with a dismal performance against the ruskies. I at least have the consolation of seeing that Scotland are currently 1-0 down as i type. From here, back in the internet cafe, todays task is solely going to the nearest supermarket to buy fruit. I miss good fruit.

After that who knows what wil adventures we will encounter. Rest assured i let you know what happens in every pain staking detail i can muster. Although i can probably save both of us the bother and tell you that we will return to the hostel after the supermarket. Read a little. Maybe have a game of pool and then snooze a little. Then re-check internet then find soime cheap grub for tea. Read a little more then go to the land of nod early in preparartion for another hectic day tomorrow. Which actually, i just remembered, is going to be slightly eventful. I´m probably going to try and get a haircut that is different from the seemingly óne size fits all´mentality that appears to exist here. I will do my best to avoid a short back and sides but a feel my fate is inevitable.

Anyhow, be sure to check out here again soon for a humerous picture of me proudly displaying my fabulous new barnet. I here they love it in the army.

Chau for now amigos.
Rob