Yet another very pleasant experience of internal air travel in Peru. When I first booked my flight from Cusco to Lima I’d paid for one 23kg checked bag – but when I changed the flight, I was given a credit for the baggage fees (which I can use against a future flight booking with Latam) but didn’t pay to add the bag onto the new booking. So I was fully expecting to have to pay at the airport. I turned up at the airport, used the self check machine to print out a baggage tag and attempted to drop the bag at the self-bag drop, but the machine told me my baggage was over allowance and that I needed to go to the assistance counter. The lady at the counter asked if I’d paid for baggage and I explained that I’d paid on the original booking but hadn’t paid again when changing the dates, at which she just said “okay”, took the bag and wished me a pleasant flight!

Once on the flight, I noticed a lady across the aisle from me scrolling through photos of herself at Machu Picchu. Every one of them showed her posing against a backdrop of heavy cloud, with the citadel visible below the cloud but only tiny parts of the mountain poking through. On yesterday’s trip to Maras and Moray I had got talking to a young Swiss girl who had just completed the Inca Trail – she said when her group reached Machu Picchu it was raining and they also hadn’t been able to see the mountain at all. She was trying to mask her disappointment but it made me realise just how lucky our group was to get the views we did.

We landed on time and despite being warned that the baggage may be delayed, didn’t wait very long at all for bags to start arriving. Took a taxi to the hotel – I’m staying at the same hotel as I did last time as I really liked both the hotel and the location. It was too early to check in so I left my suitcase and wandered out in search of lunch – having eaten nothing but Ritz crackers and granola bars yesterday due to my dodgy stomach, I was suddenly hungry for some proper food. And with it being my last day in Peru, I was determined to find some ceviche!

I spotted a restaurant called Terminal Pescero which had the word “cevicheria” on its sign so figured that was a good bet. But when the menu arrived I struggled to make sense of it – the word “ceviche” appeared in numerous options and I was still trying to get my head round the different options when a waitress appeared and put down a bowl of spicy corn and a bowl of what looked like broth, saying something in rapid-fire Spanish that I couldn’t interpret at all. I asked if it was to drink and she looked like she didn’t understand but said “sopa” which I know means soup so I smiled and thanked her. It was delicious!

I was just getting back to the menu when another waitress appeared to take my order. She didn’t speak a word of English and I couldn’t get her to understand that I just needed a few minutes to read the menu; the staff at this restaurant are clearly well used to customers not understanding the menu and she showed me pictures on her tablet to try to help me decide. I somehow tried to explain that I wanted ceviche to start and I also liked the look of a paella-like dish that the gentleman next to me was eating and would like that for a main. It turned out I could have both as a “duo” which meant they turned up at the same time, but worked out much cheaper than I was expecting!

Even ordering a drink proved more complicated than usual – I couldn’t see any fruit juices on the menu and didn’t fancy a beer, a coke or a water which the waitress was suggesting, so asked for a lemonade to which she responded “Chicha? Is traditional”. I’ve had chicha (or chicha morada to give it its full name) before, and like it, so accepted. It’s a sweet fruity-tasting juice made from a deep purple corn, for those unfamiliar with it.

All in all a delicious meal, and very reasonably priced at about £12 – just incredibly stressful to try to order! The restaurant filled up within minutes of my arrival and the service was rapid – quick table turnover is clearly part of their business model so they can’t do with customers such as me taking time to slowly read the whole menu!

Once checked into the hotel I spent the rest of the afternoon making plans for my extra time in Argentina. Still mulling over options but planning to head to Mendoza and Salta, as well as possibly Cordoba. More research needed though, to figure out how long to spend in each!

A few pictures of Miraflores by night to end this post on a colourful note.