in this episode: octopus, R2D2, and shady bus ticket deals

My first blog from Peru.

I left Santiago on a plane yesterday morning and arrived 3 short hours later in Arica, the northernmost city in Chile. It was amazing, like out of a dream. The tan sand and the pale blue sky approach each other towards the infinity of the horizon, only distrubed by the black rocks of the coast to one side. I expected R2D2 to come out from behind a rock at any moment. We took a taxi from there to cross the border, the driver was very helpful in telling us what to do and what not to do. Crossing the border was kind of a joke -- we filled out some paper, put our backpacks through a scanner (although i´m quite certain they didnt even look at the scren as they went through) then went on our way. In the place where we changed our chilean pesos to peruvian soles I felt all the warnings i´ve heard about how dangerous Peru is for the past month whirling through my mind, magnified by dozens of pairs of eyes focused on my gringa-ness. i just knew that at any minute i would be pickpocketed or assaulted or something. but none of these things happened. When we went to buy the bus tickets, the man standing outside the office said he could cut us a deal, and not quite sure what we were agreeing to we got the tickets. we got them for 30 soles less than we had thought, which he reminded us to thank him for with a propina (tip) later. only slightly shady. so we went exploring and to find food in the centro, stopping at a small restaurant recommended by our taxi driver. we ordered something whose name we didnt recognize, hoping for our taste buds to be welcomed to the typical flavors of Peru. Turns out we ordered some kind of seafood soup with octopus. The waiter asked if that´s really what we wanted, and in the spirit of adventures we shrugged our shoulders and said "sure". much to our delight, it was delicious, and we had a good laugh at the ridiculousness of us eating octopus in Peru. The waiter was eager to answer our questions about Peru, explaining the statues and fountains out in the plaza, even throwing in a bit of Peruvian history.

Back at the bus station we had bit of a scare when we thought Molly had lost her wallet (complete with all her money, credit cards, and bus ticket), but we realized after much cursing and almost-tears that it was, in fact, wedged between her butt and backpack. See molly´s blog for a more detailed description. http://blogitademollita.blogspot.com

the 13 hour bus ride was not bad at all, except that my ears have still not popped and the adjustment to pressure is causing them to hurt. but no tummy problems, the octopus went down well. we have been blessed already with several people who are looking out for us... The taxi driver, the guy sitting in front of us on the bus who we chatted with, the lady behind us on the bus who loaned us her sweater to use as a blanket as we slept, and the woman in Nasca who helped get us to the centro and point us in the direction of a hostel. God is looking after us, and my stomach is filled with butterflies and re-remembering this sensation Chile was the unknown, when we didn´t know what "alfajores" were, or couldnt understand the chliean accent. Now several people here have asked if we ourselves are Chilean. I´m loving this country, and am excited to get to know it more. AAAAAND i´m excited that tomorrow we´re going to see KIM!!!! it will be a sweet reunion.

so, for now we´re going in search of some food and adventure, then resting up before another day of travel tomorrow.
please comment to let me know we´re not traveling alone!!! i love bringing you guys along with me everywhere i go.

much much love,
catie