A life in Colombia
“Where are we going to have lunch?” I asked my housemate Julian, as we stepped off the bus. The question was framed in my usual schoolgirl Spanish. “Um, I need to tell you something about the way you speak Spanish,” he replied, ignoring what was clearly an important question. “Okay,” I groaned. Julian is adept […]
MoreI’ll admit it. I was feeling a bit guilty when our plane skidded to a halt at Bogota airport. It’s not that I like to take advantage of the average Colombian customs’ official and his weakness for women. But I’ve been through customs a few times in Colombia now and this time I actually wanted […]
MoreLatin men always ask the same question. “How old are you honey?” Well, I’m 28 and I refuse to lie. “Too old for you sweetheart,” I should probably reply, because I’ve noticed a rather disturbing trend in my trip around Peru and Bolivia. You may remember the tale of my 24-year-old tour guide. He almost […]
More“And who was President before that?” I repeated. It was a brilliantly sunny day but I was weak, hungover and slightly sad. It was my last day in Cusco and I had spent the afternoon saying inwardly emotional goodbyes to this gorgeous city whilst lazing in the square with my book. Except a dirty, skinny […]
MoreI was about to climb into the shower when I heard the knock at my hotel room. “For goodness sake,” I grumbled. It had taken us three hours to climb out of the Colca Canyon, near Arequipa. I was cold, tired and more than a little damp from the drizzle. I yanked the door open […]
More“Where are you girls going?” a woman asked. The bus was packed and rattling along in the velvet darkness of the Sacred Valley. “Chinchero,” Isabel replied confidently. There was a loud cry and the bus lurched to a halt. “We’ve just passed it,” the woman said, looking worried. “You’re the only people going there. The […]
More“That animal is spooky,” I muttered to my friend Isabel, as we climbed a narrow cobbled street behind Cusco’s main plaza. It was early and the dog was a skinny brown-and-white stray. He had attached himself to us in the square, tail wagging furiously. He had walked beside us until we reached the road, where […]
More“Stay there, I’m going to ask them this time,” the taxi driver instructed, as we parked outside our fourth hostel in Miraflores, Lima. I slumped in the back seat. I was so shattered from the overnight bus, I hadn’t thought Peru’s capital would be so full of pre-Christmas travellers. The driver returned. “No rooms there,” […]
More“Why don’t you sit next to me?” the middle-aged bus driver grinned as I hauled my rucksac onto the Huanchaco bus destined for Trujillo. I looked at him. I looked at the deserted bus. “Fine,” I agreed, climbing into the conductor’s seat. There was no point arguing. I had to take this bus to the […]
More“You say you’re a writer,” a rude Colombian once sniffed at me. “But you never write anything.” Hmmph. I rarely claim to be a writer and anyway, sometimes you’re too busy living life to describe it – does that explain my mere two entries on Peru? I may have fallen in love with this country, […]
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Banana Skin Flip Flops 