Day 0: Boulder -> Lima, Peru

Truth be told, we had planned to be honeymooning in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), but an outbreak of Dengue Fever (Wikipedia link says: "2008 Health officials say an outbreak of dengue fever has infected more than 110,000 people in Rio de Janeiro state and claimed at least 95 lives since January 1.") left us certain that we would rather not risk death so early in our marriage. With South America on the brain we decided that Peru would make an excellent alternative (weighted heavily by the prospect of being able to visit Machu Picchu, which if you aren't sure what it is, check out the link...you probably already do).

The plan was: drive (be driven actually) from Boulder to Denver, hop on a plane to Dallas, hop on a plane to Miami, hop on a plane to Lima (actually, only a 5 1/2 hour flight), get in a cab and drive to B&B Tradiciones in Miraflores (the tourist district of Lima) unannounced, hoping they would have a room for us.

We urged our driver, the gracious Ms. Katy Plath to take the toll road to the Denver airport, which would guarantee no traffic. It also reminded us that for some inexplicable reason, the employees along 470/Northwest Parkway are the happiest toll booth operators you have ever seen. Each happier than the last. It's quite remarkable.

Nothing noteworthy about our flights except for a fantastic lightning storm while flying across Texas:



And before we knew it, we had arrived in Lima. First time for either of us in South America.

One of my favorite 'little things' about traveling abroad is the signage - which is always so much more...vivid than what you would find in the US. Exhibit A:

And in case you need a larger version:


Despite all my best intentions, I got a little jumpy and accepted the first offer from a non-official taxi driver (apparently the "official" ones that are waiting right outside the airport overcharge significantly, so the cool kids walk past them into the outer parking lots). Sadly, this would become emblematic of the trip...getting a decent deal, but not bothering to shave off a few extra soles here and there (1 sole is worth about $0.35 US). And since Janet spoke a total of about 3 words in Spanish, I was always the designated asker/negotiator. (My friend Kip probably has a stupid grin on his face right now, because the roles were reversed while we traveled in Thailand...I was always bitching about how he didn't try and save us 50 cents every time we took a taxi!)

Anyway the ride through Lima was shocking to say the least. The airport is outside of town 20km west of where we would end up. Things never quite look right at 5am on a Sunday. As it turns out, there are several ways to drive through town, and as though trying to instantly kill any enthusiasm we might come to have for Lima, our driver picked the sketchiest.

Hardly any lighting. Roads that went from dirt to paved and back again. Shanties built on top of shanties. All of it looking like an urban wasteland. The ruins of a once thriving brick and mud metropolis. No people or cars anywhere.

Mouths still agape (or aghast...or both?), we arrived at B&B Tradiciones, which was really more of a house than anything else. Dark and still, we decided rather than wake the proprietor, we would have our cabbie drive us elsewhere (not relishing the thought of wander around alone looking for another option). Enter the nearby Lion Backpacker, shown here:



Sorry about the quiet audio, I had to keep my voice down while mocking the place. For just under $25, this would be our refuge, at least till the sun came up. Despite the puddled water, moldy pillows, and thin walls (the room was adjacent to the lobby area), we were able to get a few hours sleep before tackling 5 weeks in Peru.

Welcome to our honeymoon!