Day'4

---

Day 4 was slow and I'm glad dad felt as exhausted as I did... As I needed to just do nothing for a few hours. We woke at 5.30am to fly 4hrs internationally to Lima, the capital city of Peru. The flight was scenic with a dramatic view of the Andes almost the entire flight.
I am glad we began the trip in Santiago to ease us into South American culture as our first impressions of Lima gave us an incredible culture shock. The poverty is far worse than in Chile; their is a much larger socioeconomic gap (between the poor and the wealthy) and it seems there is no 'middle' class as their is in Australia. It is one extreme or the other. Also, there are 30 million people in Peru, with 10 million living in Lima alone! We found a no frills side street vego cafe for lunch which is how we prefer it. Unlike most tourists, dad and I run the other way when we see tourists in restaurants and instead opt for hidden gems buzzing with locals to get a true experience. We have worked out to avoid wherever the locals suggest... They all think we want western food like burgers or pasta! Dad and I look out of place in these restaurants and love the astonished looks we receive from locals, but they usually volunteer their services to help us decode the Spanish menu's. Next we briefly wandered around the city centre. Impoverished Peruvians crowded the streets and I had mothers sneakily getting their children to beg me for money. Apparently more than half of the population of Peru is below the poverty line which simply reiterates how blessed we are to live in Australia where our government at least tries to close the socioeconomic gap.Soon after we relaxed back at the hotel for a few hours, then went in search of food once again. To be honest I'm grateful we are only here two nights as I cannot wait to escape to the serenity of the Amazon and Andes mountains.

---