And...we're off!

Today our adventure in South America began. We arrived in Lima around 4:30 AM, but didn't leave the airport till around 6. After meeting our tour director and our group, we got on the bus and headed to our hotel, the Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores. Upon checking into the hotel, we were escorted to a delicious buffet breakfast. There were chocolate pastries, fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, French toast, etc.

We had the rest of our morning to relax and refresh ourselves (nap time!) from the eight hour plane ride. At 1 PM, we took at city tour of Lima. Our first stop was the Parque del Amor, a beautiful park overlooking the beach and the Pacific Ocean. The main attraction here is a large statue of a couple in love. The colorful mosaic designs around the park were also interesting to see. We could not have asked for better weather--75 degrees and sunny! :)

From the park, we drove to a pre-Inca temple, Huaca Pucllana, located right in the middle of the city! We were not allowed to get off the bus, but did stop in front of it to take pictures. The temple was built almost 2,000 years ago and has a pyramid shape. Many of the bricks were placed vertically to give the structure more stability from earthquakes. It has worked so far!

We drove around the city of Lima and learned some interesting facts:

 • Lima means "noisy" in Quechua and "lime" in Spanish.

 • Peru's independence from Spain is celebrated on July 28 (1821).

 • Lima has almost 9 million people living there, about a third of Peru's total population.

 • 75-80% of Peru's population is Catholic, the rest are mostly Protestant.

 • The word "Inca" technically only referred to the kings in the Quechua language.

After much driving, we arrived at St. Francis (of Assisi) Monastery. It was a gorgeous building, both inside and out. Outside, there were pigeons EVERYWHERE! Once inside, we were not allowed to take pictures. That was too bad, because the monastery was filled with amazing sights! We did purchase post cards, though.

The monastery was built in the 17th or 18th century and most of the original mosaic tiles remain today. There was a grand staircase with a large, wooden dome ceiling. The ceiling was intricately carved with stars. There were also several paintings of saints hanging on the walls.

We visited the library, which was so amazingly preserved! The books were hundreds of years old, and there were 2 spiral staircases on either side of the library. Monks could only read using natural light (no candles, etc.), so the ceiling had well placed sky lights that allowed shafts of light to gleam through. It was such a fantastical place! Immediately upon entering, I was struck by how the library seemed to step out of the pages of a Harry Potter novel!

From the library, we went to a truly creepy place--the catacombs. They would bury priests and citizens under the monastery. So, we walked through these tunnels under the ground that had pits of human bones piled on each side.....yes, real human bones! Most were femurs and skulls. The other bones in the body are not strong enough to survive the chemicals used for burial. It was so crazy to see! (Bryan was itching to capture everything on camera, but sadly, we could not)

After leaving the monastery, we walked to the main plaza in Lima. In the square was a very old fountain (still working). The square was surrounded by a cathedral (to represent God), the Presidential Palace (to represent the king), and residences of the King's friends (to represent the people of Peru). It was a beautiful place. Again, we saw many pigeons, but also several vultures flying around.

Our last stop was the Larco history museum. We spent about a half an hour here viewing several interesting Inca artifacts. The highlight of the place for most of our group was the erotic art gallery. Very unique pieces were on display!

We got back to our hotel around 6 PM. I was tired and very cranky! We hadn't eaten since breakfast and the Diamox medicine we started taking to help with the altitude in Cusco was making my head hurt. Mostly though, I just wanted to eat!

Luckily, we went to dinner at 7. La Fonda was a small, cramped restaurant that served traditional Peruvian food. We had mashed potatoes stuffed with chicken, marinated beef, vegetables, French fries, marinated chicken. There was also ceviche (a raw fish dish that Peru is known for) and octopus...we weren't adventurous enough to try those. For dessert, there was a yummy passion fruit mousse and el clasico, purple corn on one half and rice pudding on the other.

After a good dinner, we went back to our hotel room and crashed for the night. What an interesting, yet busy first day in South America!

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Part of trip: Adventures in South America

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