So here we are, stranded in Lima, without Pepe.
Well, "stranded" with good old friends Gustavo and Julie, and their 3 months old puppy Lucas, in their lovely apartment with wonderful Pacific Ocean views: quite the silver lining to Lima's steadily grey and cloudy spring skies :) Our misfortune instantly appears less gloomy after some home-made Lima Mules and a warm (wet!) welcome from Lucas. After spending some relaxing days in his charming company, "it's a dog's life" suddenly gets a totally different meaning.
In the blink of an eye, we have turned Gustavo's terrace into our HQ for working out Plan B. We become active members of all South American travellers/expat forums, research complicated customs regulations in Peru and beyond, send Facebook messages across the globe... in search of the so badly wanted flujometro! Meanwhile, Gustavo's dad (mechanical engineer and VW expert, what are the odds!) is also on a mission to find the precious part on Lima's dodgy car cemeteries...
And so the days go by... while the evenings and nights are being well spent exploring the lovely hipster hoods of Barranco and Miraflores. Once our pioneer friends Pieter and Marco arrive in Lima after an exhausting 72 hours bus ride all the way from the Uyuni desert, Pisco Sours and Chilcanos are more than in order! Though after multiple attempts from Gustavo and Julie ("you really gotta see more than the ten blocks around our house!"), we also make it to Centro for some serious Lima sightseeing.
Yes, we are settling in pretty well here, and crazy business ideas start seeing the light (selling Pisco Sour popsicles in Lima, anyone? :) to the utter desperation of our hosts, who begin to fear that our entire sabbatical will be spent on their terrace...
