I could/should have expected it. The last day of the year, many people take a day of to extend the weekend. Peruvian custom employees are no different. Thus there was a shortage of personnel  today and nobody was available to inspect the crate….    very disappointing but understandable. The fact that the Dakar Rally is starting from Lima soon, also puts a strain on customs, and this in fact makes things slightly worse for me….

All my hope is on wednesday now… a week after arrival in Peru.

Every downside has an upside though: I have a little more time now to figure out the best way to create routes in my Garmin GPS. Realistically planning is quite the challenge. I need to keep in mind that I most likely need an extra day to get used to the altitude around Machu Picchu and Lake Titikaka…… I have been told that chewing Coca leaves really helps against symptoms of altitude sickness… Advice well taken…  😉

Just arrived in Lima. On the way from the airport, I observed traffic. Note to myself: CHANGE YOUR MINDSET ABOUT TRAFFIC !!!! What a huge chaos. I’m sure all will be fine, once I actually start riding the bike, but it’s good to observe beforehand….

After settling in the hostel Casa Ana, I took a taxi to the area called Miraflores at 10 am. This is where the shipping agency resides. Once I told them why I was there, they asked me to come back at 3 pm, so they could draw up some papers I needed to sign for the notary. Miraflores is quite big when you walk around for 5 hours… 😉

Back at 3 pm, I asked them how long they expect it would take to get my bike cleared through customs and delivered to the hostel. Due to holidays and new years, it would take about 2 weeks they said…..
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…. Quite upset I told them that I can’t spend/loose 2 weeks waiting. I specifically chose this agency because they promised to do what was needed to speed up the process…
After a fruitful discussion, we agreed upon trying to get customs to speed up the process, by me attending personally first thing in the morning, at the customs office and explaining how important it is that I would get my bike a.s.a.p. !!

I will go to bed early tonight to have a clear head tomorrow morning…… 😉