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Simon Ross-Gill from Brodick has wanted to go to South America since he was a child and now the 22-year-old is living his dream in the Peruvian capital of Lima.
He moved to Peru in August this year after completing a degree in history and politics at the University of Aberdeen.
‘I’ve wanted to go to South America since I was at Arran High School and I've always had a fascination with the politics and culture of the continent,’ said Simon. ‘I guess this was the reason I studied the Incas at university and why I became so interested in Peruvian history.’
Working for the travel agency ‘Peru for Less’ based in Lima, Simon spends most days writing content for the website and planning tours to visit the vast Peruvian jungle or famous sites like Machu Picchu.
As Peru is a Spanish speaking country Simon has spent the major part of his first four months learning to speak to the language.
‘The best thing about living abroad is learning a foreign language every day,’ he said.
Lima is the capital of Peru and also one of the largest cities in the world. Located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, the city is sprawled along the Pacific coast.
Founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, it became the most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.
The country has had a troubled relationship with its Spanish conquerors and despite gaining independence in the 1820s many still resent this colonial past.
Today around one-third of the Peruvian population lives in the area.
For Simon the best thing about Lima is the food. Known as the Gastronomical Capital of the Americas, Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world.
Thanks to its pre-Inca and Inca heritage combined with the Spanish, Basque, African, Japanese, French, Italian and British immigration throughout the 19th century, Peruvian cuisine combines the flavours of four continents.
One of Simon’s favourites is the national dish cerviche, which is a combination of raw seafood marinated in limejuice and chilli.
‘I miss so many things from home though,’ said Simon. ‘Irn Bru, Neighbours, Guinness, tattie scones, the list goes on. I also miss good coffee, Peru exports almost all of it's coffee.’
Simon is planning to spend another six months in Peru before moving onto another South American country.
‘I’m going to travel around Peru with money I save from working, and then I want to go to Bolivia and Ecuador too. Eventually I'm going to go to the USA to see my brother. After that, who knows!’
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