"If you put lime on the octupus, it tastes better"

IM IN PERU!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok. just had to get that out of my system. we flew into Arica (the Chile side of the border) yetsterday and taxied over the border with a super nice man who took care of all the paper work and made sure we knew where we were and what we were doing, and gave us some helpful tips on not getting attacked or stolen from while we´re here. He was Chilean, and one can pretty much draw the conclusion from his opinions that most Chileans are not super fond of the Peruvians, partly because they had a war with them a century ago and some of those old tensions still flare up, but also because the Peruvians are poor and mostly of indigenous blood. if you tell a Chilean this, they will of course deny it, but I have heard entirely too many "I´m not racsit, but those Peruvians....¨comments to not believe that they come from a real place inside them where they believe they are better.
anyway, needless to say we had a bit of aprehension coming into this foreign place from another foreign place where there only say bad things about it. but from what we have seen, Peruvians are the loveliest most helpful people ever. yes, there is obviously a lot more poverty here, it´s dirtier and all that, but it seems as thought the whole country has come together to watch out for us, give us advice, and make sure we know what´s going on. taxi drivers, waiters, possibly shady man who got us a sweet discount on our bus tickets, people on the bus...all very kind and helpful.
anyway, back to events. crossed the border bought our pasajes for Nazca, went to the plaza, ate some kinda crazy good seafood soup(from which came the title of this blog - yes, i ate octopus soup my first afternoon in peru and it was really good!) wandered a little, watched small children play with pigeons and taxied back to the bus terminal. i then had the most AWFUL 20 minutes of my life during which i used more profanities than i have my entire life combined because i thought i had lost my wallet with EVERYTHING in it(except my passport). i was just about to call my dad to cancel the credit cards when my wallet fell out. it just fell. from the heavens. as a gift from the lord. it was actually stuck in between my butt and my backpack and had stayed wedged in there while we walked along a very bust street and through the bus terminal. if it had fallen out any sooner it surely would have been a gonner. luckily it turned out to be a really mean joke form God to teach me to keep up with my crap better. i think it worked. anyway, much laughter and joyful squealing and almost tears ensued. we finally got on a bus to ride for 12 hours to Nasca, our current location. we found a nice hostal which seems to be run by lovely 15-year olds and we will stay there tonight and head out for Puquio and then Cabana (where kim is) in the morning.
all in all, Peru is amazing. I can´t wait to get to know it´s quirks, street foods, heritage, and of course people. more to come soon!
Quick list of fun things:

*people thing we´re Chilean! it´s so fun! i guess its the accent!!! yaaaay! i have succeeded!!!
*the more purple the octopus meat, the less like rubber and therefore more tasty it is
*keep your wallet VERY close at all times!!!
*always note the number on the taxi to make sure it´s a legit taxi, but also in case you get attacked or something, you can say whose taxi you were in
*the customs office for entering Peru by car is actually an hour or so past the border town. kinda weird.
*Peruvians really do speak quite well and clearly and are easy to undrstand. well at least easier than it was to understand Chileans when we first got there.

ok that´s all for now! pray for our safety, and that our hearts will be open to whatever it is Peru has to teach us. BESOS!!!