Some exciting travels happen without any wishlist, expectations or planning.

Not in my wildest dreams was I heading off to South America in the middle of the year for a quick holiday. It’s the other end of the world, after all. But an employment offer for Souvik was too good to pass by. We had some difficult decisions to take, at the end of which Souvik is going to work for a while in Lima, Peru, and I’m staying back in Jakarta to carry on the business here, but not without extracting my pound of flesh, er… two week vacation in Peru.

Just tossing names like Peru and Machu Pichu in the air make me want to sling my camera over the shoulder and take off to parts unknown. Only, there’s a small matter of the visa. There are only 2-3 countries in the world that don’t demand a visa from Indians, and Peru certainly isn’t one of them. We found our way to the Peruvian embassy in Jakarta, and went through a major soul-searching, gut-wrenching process to get that precious stamp on the passport. Then came a few weeks of illness, maid-less-ness, intensive housekeeping, that left us no time to plan the travel. Apparently it’s the high season for travel, and Machu Pichu gets sold out months in advance. I was a little disappointed.

A couple of days back, I had a relaxing mani-pedi session, and a quick read-through of the Lonely Planet Peru, to put me back in the mood. A few hours of intensive online research and I know that all is not lost yet. There are some spots available for Machu Pichu, and train bookings, plus a few more scenic routes to travel through. Bags packed, warm woolies in, and the quick introductory blog post almost done.

On the ultra long flight, there’s an agenda to speed-learn some useful Spanish phrases, and to get the accent right. I already have visions of paragliding off the cliff in Lima, gawking at Inca ruins, day-tripping from one hot spot to another, admiring herds of llamas. Can’t wait to get going, but that will only happen once I pack up the laptop.

So, hasta mañana, amigos! Watch this space for more.