Laughing in Lima

---

So...onwards to Peru´s capital city. We stayed pretty close to the Plaza de Armas in the centre of the city, but Lima is a massive place with almost 10 million inhabitants and many varied districts. Wandering round the main square, which includes the presidential palace, it was very reassuring to see a myriad of riot police equipped with shields and tear gas guns, and there was even a tank peering round the corner. Great. At the time, Peru was gearing up for the election run-off between Alan Garcia Perez (former president from 1985-90, his term characterised by hyperinflation, devaluation of the economy and resurgence of the Sendero Luminoso - Shining Path) and Ollanta Tasso (radical nationalist, who by all accounts is a bit of a nutcase...promises to release the Shining Path leader if elected etc.). So a great wealth of choice there, but may explain the military presence in the centre of Lima, unless of course there is always a tank floating around the Plaza de Armas.
The colonial legacy of Lima is very apparent with many beautiful 16th/17th century buildings evident (well, those that have survived various earthquakes). A visit to the San Francisco monastery revealed its famous library and crypt, both macabre and fascinating.
Lima was also the place that we said goodbye to almost half of the group that had been travelling with me from Santiago, so it was only right and proper that we sampled Lima´s nightlife in the district of Miraflores, a wealthy coastal suburb with many restaurants and bars.

---