The South American Adventure - Day 9!!
Day 9 - On the Bus Again and a Haunted Hotel
We've confirmed several times. Today's bus ride is only 7 hours. I say only, because it is what we expected. 7 hours is doable when you know it's happening. 16 is hard when you think it is half the amount of time. I can get through a book, play some Rummy on the iPad...totally doable.
We are on our way back to Lima. The Peruvian journey is almost at an end. This doesn't mean we are done with Peru, but the rest of our time in the country will be spent only in Lima. Though right now, Lima is only a stopping off point for the day before we hit the "3" of our Big 3 (Machu Picchu, Nazca and Easter Island). It will be nice to get back to Lima, since we really haven't had time to explore. Though really, the big time Lima exploration (and shopping) will happen when we get back from Easter Island next week.
We're at the point in the trip where I don't entirely know what day it is. I know where we are going or what we are doing, but the actual day/date is a little foggy. Thank god for the phone. It helps out when I lose my mind. Though I'm still not entirely sure what time zone we are in compared to Chicago. Then again, I'm sure it doesn't matter.
I've had several things I've wanted to remember about this trip and I can't seem to find time/space. Since we're past the halfway point and there's only so much that can be said about the bus ride ("and then, they changed the movie"), I figured this might be the time to share. I didn't want to forget the little things.
More Observations About Peru -
The funniest thing we've been witnessing has been the world-wide conquering of Facebook. When you hear people in other countries talk about Facebook, you know it's everywhere. On the train to Aguas Callientes a few days ago, we heard a group from El Salvador talking about posting their pictures on Facebook later. And I know that many of the people taking pictures the other day at Machu Picchu will be changing their profile pictures in the next few days. It's funny, but a little scary. When we're without WiFi for too long, it's amazing how we just go into a frenzy once WiFi is available again. It should probably be sad, but I don't think it truly is.
Space bags are lifesavers. We are packing and repacking every few days and without the space bags, we would be seriously screwed. Best $20 I spent on this trip.
The thing I keep forgetting to mention is about the bathrooms. Toilet paper is usually thrown in the garbage and not down the toilet. Yep. Apparently, the septic systems aren't able to handle the toilet paper, so the best thing they've come up with is the TP in the garbage. It's an interesting concept and one that's hard to consistently remember.
Also, on the bus, they mentioned that only liquids can go down the toilet. Just think about that for a minute or two. (heh...two...) Now since...other things...can't go down the toilet, it's amazing how you can't stop thinking about that bodily function and what would happen if you had to go. It does make for a long trip. This time though, I was mentally prepared.
I've mentioned the iPad before, but I do want to stop for a minute to sing it's praises a little bit. This piece of technology is just freaking amazing. We have been tag teaming the iPad at nights, both updating the blog and posting pictures on Facebook. Plus, my books are all on the Kindle app (I do miss my Kindle dreadfully), so it's the all around wonderful toy. I will say, however...if you decide to download a movie for rental on iTunes, do it at home and not at the airport/hotel. That movie will never download and you might not be able to watch The Hangover on a flight. Sad.
The bus ride seemed to go better this time versus last. We were in about the same seats, but it was not as nice a bus. The first one, we were in first class seats (thank god). This time, there was no first class section. Though the seats felt about the same. Our section only had 4 of us. Adele, me and a possible mother/daughter combo. The mother was very old and needed help on the bus. But I guess everyone needs to take a trip every once in a while. Adele seems to be dealing better with the motion sickness, though. She's medicated for several things, so as long as there are no drug interactions, we should be good to go. Though, we're only 1.5 hours into the journey and haven't stopped in Ica yet.
There's nothing like the end of a bus ride. Especially when you know you don't have to get on another one during a trip. Whew. We made our way to the hotel and had no real idea what to expect. It was crazy cheap, but it was reported to be very regal and something that may had seen better days. I think one report even said it was haunted. We only needed it for one night, so what was the harm??
The hotel (Gran Bolivar) is gorgeous. I thought it seemed very Palmer House Hilton. The detail is amazing, but it has definitely seen better days. The bed...hard as a rock. But fun. I don't think we needed to stay too long, but I'm glad we are here.
We made a quick stop at a sports bar (was hoping to find cider, but no luck) for some nibblies, but soon enough, it was time to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. There's some Lima exploring and the first leg of our Easter Island flight. Fun!!
We've confirmed several times. Today's bus ride is only 7 hours. I say only, because it is what we expected. 7 hours is doable when you know it's happening. 16 is hard when you think it is half the amount of time. I can get through a book, play some Rummy on the iPad...totally doable.
We are on our way back to Lima. The Peruvian journey is almost at an end. This doesn't mean we are done with Peru, but the rest of our time in the country will be spent only in Lima. Though right now, Lima is only a stopping off point for the day before we hit the "3" of our Big 3 (Machu Picchu, Nazca and Easter Island). It will be nice to get back to Lima, since we really haven't had time to explore. Though really, the big time Lima exploration (and shopping) will happen when we get back from Easter Island next week.
We're at the point in the trip where I don't entirely know what day it is. I know where we are going or what we are doing, but the actual day/date is a little foggy. Thank god for the phone. It helps out when I lose my mind. Though I'm still not entirely sure what time zone we are in compared to Chicago. Then again, I'm sure it doesn't matter.
I've had several things I've wanted to remember about this trip and I can't seem to find time/space. Since we're past the halfway point and there's only so much that can be said about the bus ride ("and then, they changed the movie"), I figured this might be the time to share. I didn't want to forget the little things.
More Observations About Peru -
The funniest thing we've been witnessing has been the world-wide conquering of Facebook. When you hear people in other countries talk about Facebook, you know it's everywhere. On the train to Aguas Callientes a few days ago, we heard a group from El Salvador talking about posting their pictures on Facebook later. And I know that many of the people taking pictures the other day at Machu Picchu will be changing their profile pictures in the next few days. It's funny, but a little scary. When we're without WiFi for too long, it's amazing how we just go into a frenzy once WiFi is available again. It should probably be sad, but I don't think it truly is.
Space bags are lifesavers. We are packing and repacking every few days and without the space bags, we would be seriously screwed. Best $20 I spent on this trip.
The thing I keep forgetting to mention is about the bathrooms. Toilet paper is usually thrown in the garbage and not down the toilet. Yep. Apparently, the septic systems aren't able to handle the toilet paper, so the best thing they've come up with is the TP in the garbage. It's an interesting concept and one that's hard to consistently remember.
Also, on the bus, they mentioned that only liquids can go down the toilet. Just think about that for a minute or two. (heh...two...) Now since...other things...can't go down the toilet, it's amazing how you can't stop thinking about that bodily function and what would happen if you had to go. It does make for a long trip. This time though, I was mentally prepared.
I've mentioned the iPad before, but I do want to stop for a minute to sing it's praises a little bit. This piece of technology is just freaking amazing. We have been tag teaming the iPad at nights, both updating the blog and posting pictures on Facebook. Plus, my books are all on the Kindle app (I do miss my Kindle dreadfully), so it's the all around wonderful toy. I will say, however...if you decide to download a movie for rental on iTunes, do it at home and not at the airport/hotel. That movie will never download and you might not be able to watch The Hangover on a flight. Sad.
The bus ride seemed to go better this time versus last. We were in about the same seats, but it was not as nice a bus. The first one, we were in first class seats (thank god). This time, there was no first class section. Though the seats felt about the same. Our section only had 4 of us. Adele, me and a possible mother/daughter combo. The mother was very old and needed help on the bus. But I guess everyone needs to take a trip every once in a while. Adele seems to be dealing better with the motion sickness, though. She's medicated for several things, so as long as there are no drug interactions, we should be good to go. Though, we're only 1.5 hours into the journey and haven't stopped in Ica yet.
There's nothing like the end of a bus ride. Especially when you know you don't have to get on another one during a trip. Whew. We made our way to the hotel and had no real idea what to expect. It was crazy cheap, but it was reported to be very regal and something that may had seen better days. I think one report even said it was haunted. We only needed it for one night, so what was the harm??
The hotel (Gran Bolivar) is gorgeous. I thought it seemed very Palmer House Hilton. The detail is amazing, but it has definitely seen better days. The bed...hard as a rock. But fun. I don't think we needed to stay too long, but I'm glad we are here.
We made a quick stop at a sports bar (was hoping to find cider, but no luck) for some nibblies, but soon enough, it was time to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. There's some Lima exploring and the first leg of our Easter Island flight. Fun!!
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