Getting In 

On the way to the bus terminal in Arequipa, I had a good convo with my uber driver about climbing the Arequipa volcanos and about the high cost of shrimp (chupe de camarones strike back). He goes fishing for shrimp with his friends to make it cheaper to cook at home. He was telling me all about the local spots that he goes. My bus left Arequipa a little after 6pm and a short 18 hour ride later and I made it to Lima, my final stop of part one of my trip. Right back to where I started. It was good practice for the long bus rides I will have ahead in Brazil. I caught up on the blog, started my Portuguese lessons, slept, and researched Salvador. It actually went surprisingly fast. Starting Portuguese from scratch made me realize how far my Spanish has come these past few years. I don’t expect to get anywhere close to that level with my Portuguese but I would like to at least learn the basics to have better interactions with locals in Brazil and show that I am trying to learn their language. I got into Lima a little after 12:30pm and had a few hours to kill before Camille arrived.

Lodging 

Camille and I booked a nice hotel for two nights on the outskirts of the Miraflores neighborhood by the boardwalk. It had a massive king bed, small couch, table with two chairs, and great shower. Figured we would treat ourselves. Then on my final night I booked a cheap motel by the airport because my flight was at 6:30am and I didn’t want to deal with having a long commute to the airport. 

Wandering around Town

Even thought it’s not my favorite city, I have spent more than a week of my life in Lima between my last trip and this one. At least it’s a great place to eat. The first night we wanted fresh seafood and went out for sushi dinner at Edo Sushi Bar. Then we got ice cream and went out to a bar in Miraflores to soak in the Saturday night Lima scene. The streets were quite lively and it was fun to sit at an outdoor table and people watch. We drank a few 9% beers that got us a bit buzzed. As the night wore on people were dressed more fancy and looked more ready for a night on the town. However we are old people and went back around 11. 

The next day I showed Camille the classic Lima boardwalk walk from Miraflores to Barranco as we enjoyed the various parks and sights along the way. We stopped for a late lunch in Barranco at El Muelle Cevicheria and shared a delicious ceviche and grilled fish. Then we walked around the colorful artsy neighborhood enjoying the different murals and going to a few art studios. Then we walked all the way back to our hotel in Miraflores with an ice cream pit stop. We got in a lot of steps that day. That evening we were tired from all the walking and still full from lunch so we went out for chifa in the neighborhood and called it an early night. 

On my final day of part one of my trip, we went to Museo Larco; which has an impressive collection of archaeological artifacts from throughout Peruvian history. There were lots of amazing ceramics, vases, jewelry, headdresses, fabrics, and more. 

The museum landscape was also very beautiful with an incredible garden full of gorgeous flowers. The final exhibit of the museum was dedicated to eroticism in arts and statues so that’s always fun. 

Afterwards we went to Panchita for my final lomo saltado for lunch with a side of three different potato dishes covered in sauce (the side dish was enough to feed six people). Then we walked around some of the artesenal markets before going back to the hotel to chill. That evening we shared ceviche and a fish sandwich. As usual the food in Lima was the real highlight of the city. 

American Detour – California Dreaming

My first trip back to the U.S. was for my college friend Sam King’s wedding in Chico, California. There was a group of us Tulane guys going so it was going to be a good throw back to the past.

But first I flew from Lima > Miami > San Francisco and spent a night in SF. My buddy Evan from Denver happened to be in SF for work and let me stay at his room in the Downtown W hotel. Let’s just say it was a bit of an upgrade from my accommodations in Bolivia and Peru. It was nice to see a familiar face on my first day back in the States. I don’t think about it when backpacking but Evan was the first person I saw in the last eight weeks that I actually knew before hand. Wild thought. 

When meeting backpackers, it immediately feels like you’ve known them forever. We got an amazing pizza for dinner (I didn’t even realize how much I missed a good American pizza until now) in North Beach then went out for some drinks chatting it up about my travels, what’s been going on in Denver, and just random nonsense. I missed shooting the shit with Evan so it was nice to catch up. Even on a Tuesday night, SF had a lot of liveliness with so many restaurants open and people out at the bars. The city is full of business professionals and wacky characters on the streets. It’s very multicultural and you hear lots of languages spoken in the streets. 

The next morning I walked through Chinatown past North Beach to Fisherman’s Wharf to see the sea lions at Pier 39. Then I walked to the famous windy road Lombard Street. On my way back to the W, I ate an incredible General Tso’s chicken in China Town. It was good to be an American tourist in a cool city with lots of unique neighborhoods and lively activity. I miss the American luxuries like free public bathrooms with a supply of toilet paper.

I had to walk from the W to the San Francisco bus station to catch a bus to Sacramento. People probably thought I was homeless with my double backpack setup..and I guess they really aren’t too far off. I’m just a different type of homeless than your average SF panhandler. The greyhound was quite the experience. American buses are shittier than Bolivia and Peru. The seats are horrible, the clientele is sketchy, and the stench is rough. At least it wasn’t full so I grabbed a seat to myself, but it was far from a luxury experience.

I met Sumner at the Sacramento bus station and we drove the 1.5 hours to Chico catching up about everything. Paul Nadasi showed up later that evening and the 15+ year old jokes began. Some things never change.

The wedding had three full days of events and it was a great way to get everyone to know each other better! By the time wedding day rolled around I was already friends with people I hadn’t known just a few days before. 

The first day we tubed down the river drinking beers and breaking the ice with strangers. Stypa showed up that afternoon so it was great to see him and that evening was welcome drinks. I also got to see Pat and meet his girlfriend Riley. The jokes were flowing faster than the beers.

The next day Scotty showed up and our house was complete. There was a “field day competition” where the wedding guests were split up into teams of 7-8 people and we performed a number of competitive games. Sam even gave a personalized introduction for each competitor. Mine was something of the likes of “hitchhiking here from South America.” It was a lot of fun and another way to grow the bond between the guests. That night was a cowboy themed rehearsal dinner at Taylor’s parents’ beautiful home along the river followed by more drinks out on the town. 

After multiple days of events, Saturday was wedding day. The Tulane squad went to Sierra Nevada Brewing for lunch and to kick back some day time beers. Then it was showtime. There was a shuttle that took the wedding guests to a beautiful location along the river. It was a gorgeous venue! Sam and Taylor’s vows had the whole party in tears. After a delicious dinner, hours flew by on the dance floor and before you know it we were all back at the bar from the night before. The entire event was a great time!

The hangover was real that Sunday after four straight days of drinking with college friends and new wedding guest friends. I rode with Paul to Sacramento where he dropped me off at my motel and I watched movies and slept the rest of the day.

The next day it was back on the bus to SF with my other smelly homeless friends. The guy sitting next to me really had an odor. I got into SF around lunch time and luckily the hotel let me check in early. That afternoon I went to Dolores Park > Haight Ashbury > Golden Gate Park (a small section) before heading home. I was considering going to a Giants game that night but was still recovering from my wedding hangover and decided to go out for Thai food for dinner and watch the NBA finals in my bed.

My last day in SF I was conditioning myself to rejoin travel life. My flight(s) to Brazil didn’t leave until 12:45am so I had all day to kill. I had a slow start to my day. After my hotel check out I got a pastrami sandwich for an early lunch. Then I rode the bus to Land’s End and sat at a cafe enjoying an ice coffee before hiking along the coast to Baker Beach. I forgot how beautiful the SF coast was with its rocky formations along the Pacific Ocean. The views of the Golden Gate Bridge kept getting better and better as I approached Baker Beach. Afterwards I did a few minor shopping errands, ate dinner in Chinatown, and headed to the airport way too early because I didn’t really have much else to do.