So goodbye then Peru

That's it then....I'm back in the UK, touched down on Wednesday and have been adapting, reacquainting myself with "normal" life here.

But perhaps not quite it. Towards the end of my time in Peru, I started to think about those things that I've enjoyed and those I haven't and those things I missed from home and those I didn't. So here they are in no order of priority....

Top 5....things I missed the most

- The Archers. Yes it's true, and what's worse after two months I gave in and subscribed to a daily email to tell me what was going on! However, I cannot begin to describe the joy of coming home and hearing it live again!

- My garden in the summer. Not all the time, but every now and then I'd see some lovely plant and I'd think, I wonder what's in flower in my garden at the moment. And I missed messing about with plants

- My clothes and shoes. I know it's shallow but 5 months with 3 tops to choose from that are vaguely suitable for a city, and a choice between walking boots and trainers is a hard thing for a girl to cope with. Especially when you're going to nightclubs and watching petite Peruvian girls swan past in their weekend best.

- The sea. Every time I got to the sea (which was only twice) I did some extended deep breathing to try and fix the smell of salt air in my lungs until the next time. The mountains made up for it, almost!

- Films. I love going to the cinema and I've missed it.

Top 5....things I didn't miss

- Earl Grey tea. Odd this, because I'd have thought it would have been in the previous list but in fact not, although now I'm home I'm drinking buckets! Manzanilla (camomile) y Canela y Claro (cinnamon and clove) were good substitutes.

- TV. Not at all

- Hello, Ok, Heat etc and the whole focus on celebrity gossip

- The Royal Family

- The British summer


Top 5 things I found hard

- Spitting in the street, sorry it's just yucky

- Tripe and heart as regular items on the menu

- So much poverty and unemployment

- Being stared at a lot

- Having continual stomach problems for the last month! It really brings you down at times but would never stop me going back!

Top 5 things I loved in Peru

- Music, both the traditional and the latin. The depth and range of music across the country is incredible and everyone seems to know lots of different types and be really interested in it. The sound walking down the street is incredible with every shop blaring out latin music on the radio or CD player. Life here is quieter and feels a bit dull in comparison.

- Processions, see previous posts for paeons of praise to processions in Cusco, but every time I saw one I felt that I was getting a little insight to Peruvians and their culture and it was always fascinating.

- Colours, the colours of the clothes, vivid hues against the ochres of the dry landscape. The intense blues of the mountain skies. The range of greens in the rainforest. All of it fabulous.

- Making new friends, both Peruanos and Gringos, I have been so lucky in the people I have met and have added new friends all over the world. It was an unexpected bonus and just shows how many nice people there are out there if you just talk to them.

- The archaeology, it's a dream, there's so much of so much variety and I'm just getting the hang of the timeline!

- A cheat...a sixth, but I couldn't leave them out - Pisco Sours and Ceviche! To die for....

And this blog. Now I'm back should I stop or carry on? I don't know. I've enjoyed writing it, but I'm not sure that every day life in the UK will need quite the same level of writing up. Although perhaps I should write in Spanish for my Peruvian friends! I'll let you know and if you have strong opinions let me know.

What all Gringos always need

I think after almost five months in Peru and Ecuador I am in a position to comment authoritatively on what traders feel that a Gringo or Gringa must always need, here's my top 5 in reverse order of popularity:

5) Dollars
Money changers don't seem to have realised yet that ATMs give Soles and Dollars and therefore it is just possible that a gringo might have the right currency already and not need to change any!

4) Jumpers
"Amiga, amiga - it's baby alpaca!" Apparently every item of clothing in Peru that's made of alpaca is from baby alpacas....which makes you wonder what they do with the wool from the adults. Surely no one's embellishing the truth!

3) Finger puppets and postcards...... And it's no good saying things like "I'm too big", quickly you'll find that the seller has a response "Buy them as a present then". Just say No and keep walking.

2) Pizza This is particularly true in major tourist destinations like Cusco and Arequipa. It turns walking round some plazas and alleys into a real test as you are bombarded on all sides by people trying to persuade you that their restaurant is best. What you really need is a neon side above your head saying "This is the shortest route to the place I am going and I have already eaten. Thank you for your attention!

1) Taxis
All taxis always think that a Gringo walking down the street must want a taxi, the low level version of asking is a subtle beep to let you know they're free and there's a gradual scale up to drawing up to a halt by you, winding the window down and saying "Taxi?". To which I'd love to reply one day, "Yes I know you're a taxi because the car is the right shape and colour, you have a taxi sign on the top and I HAVE EYES!"

Confused or Confundida?

The good news for me is that my return visit to language school in Cusco has seen my teachers telling me how much I've improved while I've been away and how pleased they are with my progress. It's a pleasant contrast to my memories of learning French at school where I never enjoyed it and always felt I was rubbish at it.

However all the nice words don't mean that I'm anywhere near perfect and increased speed of speech has led me into some interesting situations recently where I've used the wrong word....for example the Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish phrase book warns you against false friends such as thinking that "Embarassed" is "Embarazada", actually it means pregnant. However, I've got some more to add for any learner Spanish speakers out there.

Despierta / Abierta - Awake / Open. How they laughed when I described the time I woke up, as the time that I opened....

Peine / Pene - the first one is a comb, the second one penis. Quite important not to muddle them up but at least it amuses the teacher when you inadvertently use the second instead of the first

Tomar - to take a drink or to take a bus or other form of transport. But I've learnt the hard way that you cannot use it in Peru to describe taking a person, as it means something rather more sexual! Fortunately the response of the person I was talking to, was to fall about laughing and some time later when they could breathe again, they explained my little mistake!

Fortunately my mind has blanked out any other recent incidents but as a public service if more occur I'll let you know.

Another Sunday another procession

Ahh, aren't they sweet. It's a fair bet that if you go to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco on a Sunday morning, there will be something going on. I can´t work out if processions are such a way of life here because everyone wants a chance to demonstrate their marching, dancing and singing ability or if the fact that there are so many processions drives the continued vitality of traditional music and dance.

One fact is certain as a Peruvian you learn to march. To my eyes there's something faintly surreal about seeing a very smart 12 year old girl in knee high white socks, kilt, red jumper and matching red hair ribbon, with her white glove clad hands proudly holding the school banner.....goosestepping. But it's the smartest form of marching here and much appreciated by the local audience.

So on Saturday we saw a religious procession for San Pedro Nolasco y la Merced. The best bits of the procession for me were the little angels above, the army band playing out of tune at the back and ambling along with little discipline and the overall sense of community with people calling to their friends and chatting and waving as they liked.

On Sunday it was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Salesiano, the foremost private boys school in town. The whole town seemed to be taking part, another excuse to march and wave at your friends?
- Attendance ranged from Peru Rail to the Ministery of Agriculture with their machines and trees! The female driver of the tractor and plough decked out in white and green ribbons was especially popular

- For onlookers it was a chance support their friends and children and to call out insults, this last one particularly favoured by groups of male onlookers

- Then the groups of students in order of the year they finished school. First was 1937, just the one gentleman with his sash proudly round him and supported by his daughter. He received huge applause. Then a jump to 1952 and every year thereafter. 1962 had a group of dancers with them which the crowd loved, especially the men with huge energy, flashing cowboy style costumes and great skill

We watched until 1970 but after two hours slipped away to other pursuits. I know they finished because last Sunday we were passing through the Plaza de Armas on our way to Sacsayhuaman and were waylaid by the procession to celebrate Tourism Day. Every company involved in tourism took part and there were lots of incredible indigenous dance displays.

Sadly I'll miss this Sunday's activity as we're off to the Sacred Valley to nose around the Inca sites there, but I'm sure if you're in town there'll be something to see!

More photos

As I have access to a CD drive at the moment here is a photo I'm really pleased with. Just in case you don't know it's a condor, taken at the Colca Canon a week or so ago.