First proper night in South America. I say ‘proper night’ because on our first night we got into our Lima hotel in a jet-lagged induced daze and then last night we only got into our tiny AirBnB apartment at midnight (still in aforementioned daze) and spent the first 30′ trying to figure out how to silence the alarm.
This morning, after a good night’s sleep we took a leisurely walk down Av Santa Isabella to go find the young Aussie couple whom we bought the car from. Yes we bought a car. More details on how to buy a car and pictures of the car coming soon.
Suffice to say that it took us all day to find a mechanic, have the car checked, negotiate with the mechanic in broken spanish on which of the long list of repairs (totalling £2,000) we would actually go ahead with, patiently wait in a nearby cafe for the agreed-to fixes to take place, and then find a place to safely park our new prized possession. But alas it’s all done, we are the proud owners of a green 4×4 which is surprisingly clean and well maintained given that in the last 4 months it has been driven through Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, down Argentina and then over to Chile again. Name for the car is still TBC – I am sure separate post with full details of its christening ceremony will follow.
We are now finally back in the place we will call home for the next week. Not able to figure out how the TV works, we are following the Chile – Uruguay Word Cup qualifier game by the loud cheers and unbelievable noise that penetrates the windows and walls every time either team scores or, I guess, any time anyone makes an attempt to score. The whole city is at a standstill, this is clearly a life-or-death situation. [Update: Andy has now figured out the TV situation. We are now in sync with the rest of the country. Chile won 3-1].
The day feels long and I am drained. I don’t know if it’s the jetlag, the long drives through Santiago traffic to find a mechanic, the cognitive load of having to speak a language I don’t actually speak or the fact that I am way out of my comfort zone buying a car in which we will spend a considerable amount of our time here. But I cannot wait for a hot meal and a movie. And maybe for the partying in the streets to stop.
Tomorrow we are off sightseeing.
Glad to hear that you are there and finding your feet
Come off it, where are the pictures of the 4×4. I am expecting it to be a maroon poojo with a lift kit.
Paul – check out Photo page for first sight of the car. Thank god it’s not a maroon poojo [clearly this is Daphne talking]