Lima is for lovers.

No offense to Ecuador but I couldn´t have gotten to Peru soon enough.

Contrary to much of the advice Andrea and I received, we decided to leave Ecuador behind and head for Lima. Most of our plans for Ecuador had spiraled out of control and, to top it off, university students had begun rallying in every major city to protest President Correa´s new education laws. Major streets and highways were closed off as students marched in protest and police blockades of the students were inciting violence in some places.

I´m glad we went to Ecuador, I´m pleased with my experiences on the Neverland farm (where Andrea and I survived our first Earthquake, a tarantula in our room, and a mountain fire evacuation that turned out to be nothing much at all), and I will never forget the kindness of the Valenzuela family for taking Andrea and I in when everything was falling apart... but there is something about Lima that captivates me in a way Ecuador never did.

The peruvian coastline is blinding in the afternoon sun. Mountainous sand dunes cascade into the ocean. Lima´s traffic is wretched and all day long swarms of people crowd the sidewalks so much so that you often find yourself forced into the streets dodging buses and taxis. But there is a vibrance to this city that resonates in the jubilance of the people. I am in love with the colors, the architecture, the climate, the music, the food. We´ve taken a tour of the catacombs of the Catedral San Fransisco, celebrated ¨Semana de Lima¨ with live music and dancing in the Plaza de Armas, and toured the city´s bus routes on our way to and from Miraflores and the boardwalk. Last night our new friends from the hostel took us clubbing for Halloween (oh the eighties music...) and we partied with the best of Peru haha!

Tomorrow we head south to a beachtown that is most popular for sandboarding in the dunes. Then we will travel to Cusco for Machu Picchu and a trip into the Amazon. Hopefully we will return to Lima before leaving for Argentina. I really do love this city.

More updates soon. Until then, all my love.