We survived Peru! Our 10 day Trip...(Instalment One)

22 May

And who thought we wouldn't?

To say it was brilliant and amazing would not be enough. Life-changing? I'm not sure I'd go that far. Life-refreshing certainly.

To go back to the start, we left on May 3rd, a teary goodbye to the children and my parents as we embarked on ten whole, entire kid-free days, (mostly) paid for by my winning 25 words.

Overnight at an airport hotel in Sydney, I wanted to order room service. It’s a novelty for those of us who rarely travel, but for the business-travel-weary like my travel companion, who preferred to have a real dinner that was actually hot and served at a table, not on your bed. So hotel restaurant it was and I have to say, room service would have been on par if we were judging on temperature alone…

An early start on May 4th only to discover the flight was already delayed by four hours. This would cost us our connecting flight from Santiago to Lima. Without kids to wrangle, I didn’t really care. Although, given I'd been deprived of a rare sleep-in there may have been some swearing under my breath – couldn’t the airline alert all passengers to the delay so we weren’t busting our cracks to check-in early?

I read a book. An entire novel. I had a hot cup of tea, and then another. Nobody asked me for food, to go to the toilet, or tugged on my jumper telling me they were bored. No-one! Not even my husband.

The epic journey finally embarked: Sydney to Auckland. Auckland to Santiago. Seven painful hours in Santiago airport and finally we were on a plane to our destination: Lima.

Met at the airport at one am by a cheerful chap, we were driven down the dark and deserted streets of Lima to our first hotel, Miraflores Park Hotel. Greeted by effervescent staff (who the hell is that bubbly at 2am?) and led to our room, we were limp, lifeless and covered in airplane funk courtesy of too many hours in transit. A quick shower, call home and off to bed in the universe’s biggest bed!