Trains, Planes and Peruvian Taxis

4am, 27th September ... and so it begins. My very sleepy bezzy friend Sarah offers up an extra big hug and tells me to stay safe. This is the last of what has been a week packed full of heartbreaking goodbyes, but I've done it. I've quit my life for 4 whole months and all I have to worry about now is the bag on my back and where my next adventure will take me. I feel 10 times lighter :)

I've had 2hrs broken sleep but I'm fully alert and ready for anything. I check in without a hitch and head to Security Control, confidently whipping off my belt, removing my shoes and grabbing a tray. I bundle everything in and turn towards the beeping doorway just in time to catch a glimpse of my passport being launched skywards as the security handler flips my rucksack gives it a shove. Slow-mo scenes ensue; I watch as my passport lands on the rollers, bounces, spins and elegantly slides between the gaps onto the machine's conveyer belt below to be whisked away at lightening speed into the belly of the beast. O.M.Fing.G! I haven't even made it out of the UK yet and already it's all over. I won't be getting very far with a chewed up passport now will I?! 20mins of watching a lot of security men in tight trousers crawl about on their hands and knees whilst I breathe deeply and try not to cry and its recovered unscathed. Big Sigh of Relief!

After a flight to Madrid and 1.5hrs of hanging about, tiredness is setting in and I can't wait to get on my connecting flight to Lima. I rummage in my bag for that free Daily Telegraph I got with my bottle of water and flick through. I land on page 10 and there it is ... a photo of my sister Helen picking cider apples from an National Trust orchard in Devon. On a journey that will fling me far far away from my motherland is an image of home. A warm feeling wells up inside me like a hug from my big sis herself. I rip out the article and tuck it in the back of my book as a little remedy for when I next feel in need of another one.

Boarding the final flight I look forward to settling in; a few movies, a nice comfy seat, a slug of medicinal wine and a good snooze is all I need. But alas, the plane is a relic from the 1970s. Burnt out ashtrays are inset along every nicotine stained arm rest and the only source of entertainment is a tiny beige monitor suspended above the heads of the passengers 1734 rows in front of me. My seat is full of lumpy springs but it's on the end so at least that's good .... actually it's less good. Cue elbow and face getting knocked, smacked and trolley carted for the full 12hr flight. Around 8hrs in I suffer a serious attack of cabin fever but this is quickly cured by the torrential turbulence that causes the nuns a few rows in front to clasp their hands and cross their hearts.

Zero Zzzs later and I've landed on solid Lima ground :D Shuffling through arrivals I spot Ledge, bright eyed and rosy cheeked sporting a beaming beautiful smile. Her welcoming healing hug instantly melts away the last 20hrs of treacherous traveling. None of that matters now; we're here, we made it ... The Ledge and Treb's adventure has finally begun!

We found Leanne´s Peruvian Twin!