Lima - Pisco

Why is it that no matter which hotel you pick in Lima, they always promise to pick you up at the airport, and when you get off the plane, there's nobody waiting there for you but some scam artist taxi cab drivers wanting to charge you five times the price it should cost?

rule 1: always ask to see the room before committing. Would it have been that difficult to put an opaque curtain at the (glass) entry door to the room? Did they really have to start setting up breakfast at 6:30 am in the space directly above us? (note to travelers: do NOT stay in room 16 at Hostal El Patio in Miraflores.)

rule 2: do not listen to the advice on restaurants in your guidebook. We arrived in Pisco expecting to find "nothing special" to eat (per Moon and Frommers), but ended up getting some great anticuchos (cow heart on a skewer - I know, sounds nasty but trust me on this) at a local street restaurant. There are a number of restaurants open to the street on Dr. Zúñiga where they just set up the grill on the sidewalk and start cooking anticuchos and various other skewered meats, served up with a spicy yellow sauce and some yuca.

rule 3: bring some sort of alarm clock with you. Otherwise you may end up buying some big clunky puke green plastic box in order to catch your morning bus ride.

Arrived in Pisco this afternoon. We're off to our first "Video Pub" experience tonight, and then over to the Islas Ballestas tomorrow.