Blogs from Lima, Peru, South America - page 173

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 ... read more

So I am here, the final destination: Peru. Spent the first day in Lima, walking around the financial district with a group of Israelis. Tomorrow I head down to the desert, and in a few days will celebrate my birthday in the Andes in Arequipa. I will finish my trip in Cuzco, probably won't hike machu picchu, but will visit for sure. I am so excited to be here. Already it has such a different feel, part of which is probably just my mindset, but already the people, their faces, mannerisms, etc. are different. And the crafts are incredible. There'll be a lot of night buses, rushing around, fighting against the altitude sickness, and then taking in a whole new culture and land, all meaning complete exhaustion by the end, but oh so worth it. Can't ... read more

Lima is as you will know the capital of Peru. It was once the seat of the Viceroy of Peru the most powerful man in South America. He was representative of the Spanish king in South America during the colonial era. My guide book didn’t give me much hope as it described the city as big and overcrowded but also mentioned that it has its nice sites. I started wandering around the streets without much expectation but I have to say that I liked the city in the end. There is not heaps to do but the buildings, which were mostly build 1800 and 1900 look quite nice and give the city something. The only sightseeing I did was to go to the Monastery of San Francisco. They have apart from the usual paintings, tiled walls ... read more

Lima is as you will know the capital of Peru. It was once the seat of the Viceroy of Peru the most powerful man in South America. He was representative of the Spanish king in South America during the colonial era. My guide book didn’t give me much hope as it described the city as big and overcrowded but also mentioned that it has its nice sites. I started wandering around the streets without much expectation but I have to say that I liked the city in the end. There is not heaps to do but the buildings, which were mostly build 1800 and 1900 look quite nice and give the city something. The only sightseeing I did was to go to the Monastery of San Francisco. They have apart from the usual paintings, tiled ... read more

What a great last night in Lima!! Gracias Diego for being my 'night guide' in Lima!! :) I'm gonna miss you guys! Well, my horseriding guide from Cuzco, who accompanied me to the Colca Canyon, was not understanding the fact that I was not interested in returning to his family in Lima and, I think marry him and live happily ever after! He told me AFTER we´d hopped on the bus to Arequipa (after pleading to accompany me... as a friend!) that his mother had only sent him S/. 50 - not nearly enough to pay me back - and that he would call as soon as we got there so that she could send him more (there were conveniently no banks in the town we were going to). My good heart couldn´t leave him stranded ... read more