We had an early 4 am start.  We are not yet streamlined geriatric backpackers.  Walking boots size 49 (rather like canoes) together with daintier 38 (I won’t mention my excess of underwear etc.) plus sleeping bags needed for the Inca Trail,  including a comprehensive first aid kit take lots of luggage space!  The stop in Caracas required a lot of patience over the luggage transfer. After an hour of discussion and persuasion on our part, the various officials agreed with us that it made more sense to send our cases in the same plane to Lima as ourselves. The threat of loosing our luggage on day one was not a good omen for the start of a 7 weeks trip.  One officer suggested that we could walk over the custom’s line, collect our cases ourselves, re-enter the custom check and pay  $57 each in airport tax for the pleasure. In the end the problem was resolved satisfactorily and we spend a good day’s work at the computer waiting for our plane to Peru.

The  4 hrs flight was excellent and we were soon  driven (should say bumped and thrown about) in an elderly BMW by an equally elderly overweight Dirk Bogard look alike with a rather sexy deep voice ( pity we could not understand a word he said) and we reached our hotel by 1.30 am. tired but very relieved to have arrived safely without to much trouble.