Babies, flying and heat

I had forgotten just what a long way it was to get here (over 24 hours from my front door to my hotel in Lima) and was forcibly reminded why babies and flying don´t really mix! There was one about four rows in front of me (a baby that is) and it cried for nine hours, or that´s what it felt like!

However, I was collected from Lima airport by the dapper Senor Gonzalez, who had everything under control and delivered me safely to my hotel. Then after a much needed sleep, it was up at 5:30am to go back to the airport to get the flight to Puerto Maldonado. The flight was spectacular with clear views of the Andes, which was great. Then the start of the rainforest, stretching away, it seems like for ever. Lots of cumulus cloud over it, formed by evaporation from the forest, it forms a cycle, evaporates, forms cloud, falls as rain and so on.

Puerto Maldonado is a very poor town and so the culture shock has hit home a bit. I met up with one of the others on the trip a Catalan called Pere and he has it worse I think, as he´s not been to Peru before. He asked if this was the poorest place I´ve ever been and I think for a big town it may be but I have seen similar before. Most of the roads are dirt and the houses are mostly built from wood. The children in their school uniforms are inevitably spotless. As you´d expect it´s hot and humid and I´m therefore sitting in the Internet cafe (which is full of Peruvians and no other tourists) and sweating (I´m sure they´re all mightily unimpressed by la gringa). But I´m sure the parrots are going to be worth it! One more day here and then off to base camp on Sunday.