Adios Sud America

Well my time here in this fantastic continent has unfortunately come to an end.  Have absolutely loved it here and Peru has to be my favourite country so far.  Think this is possibly because I've stayed here for 5 weeks in Cusco and it's like my home from home. The people, country, lifestyle...everything is fantastic. Was going to write a long list of what I'd miss but I'd be here until Christmas.  I'll definitely be back again. Ideally I would love to stay here and learn Spanish and become just that wee bit more fluent than I already am (?!) and who knows, I'm sure there are teachers needed over here.

Spent last night out in Cusco with my friends.  Even though I don't want to go, most of the people who I've met are now leaving or have left, so our wee group is dwindling down, so maybe it's a good time to go.  New friendships have been formed and I'll be keeping in contact with a good few of them.

Just have my bag to pack. Back to living out of a rucksack for the next while then. Have stocked up on all the essentials I need for New Zealand in the form of toiletries etc.  Things are so cheap over here, I'll get some shock when I arrive in NZ and Oz.  The wig has been dyed, eyebrows waxed, (for the same price as my haircut..which tells you how shite my haircut was if it was that cheap!) laundry washed..even 'junior', my sleeping bag (who Liza has so affectionately named) has been washed and ready for a month sleeping in a tent in NZ.  Haven't actually checked 'junior' but knowing my luck, the laundrette has probably shrunk it even more than it already is and no doubt I'll be freezing in my little tent!

I leave on Monday flying from Cusco to Lima, where I wait for 7 hours for my connecting flight to Santiago, Chile. I arrive at stupid o'clock in the morning and then have to wait another 20 hours for my flight to New Zealand.  Looks like I'll be sharing a floor somewhere in Santiago airport with the down and outs - no changes there then. Then it's a 14 hour flight to Auckland..I arrive on Thursday at 4am local time.  No doubt I'll be knackered, talking jibberish and completely exhausted from all the travelling..but hey, it has to be done!  The next month in NZ will be spent hiking and cycling the north and south islands with optional excursions added in.  Was hoping Ireland would have beaten Wales, so I could have been around for the semi-finals..but since they lost that aint gonna happen now. Can't wear my Irish jersey with pride now!

Ok, that's it from me...sad to leave here but looking forward to my next adventure in New Zealand..I wonder what awaits me there!!

Oh and the blog comments seem to be disappearing for people..no worries. It's a bit tempremental (like myself). Hoping my phone will have reception too by the time I hit NZ.

Beautiful Sacred Valley outside Cusco

View walking down from Cristo Blanco - Cusco city

A friendly llama near Cusco