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Published: March 19th 2007
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Plaza Mayor
An empty Plaza Mayor with lovely colonial architecture all around. Having exhausted our exploration of the Miraflores area, we wanted to try and see a bit more of Lima but weren't sure where was safe to go. Our guesthouse hosts suggested we give Central Lima a try and kindly printed out a map for us of 'the safety zone' which quite literally involved staying on the right side of certain streets.
We booked a taxi and made our way to the Plaza Mayor, a 30 minute journey through some of the real city streets with adults and children alike hoping to earn a quick Sole by selling sweets, drinks, newspapers and calculators to the passing traffic. I can't imagine how hard life must be for some of these people.
Arriving in the centre of Lima, the first thing that struck us was just how many police and security officers were milling around. More unnerving was seeing small groups of riot police equipped with shields, stab vests and helmets patrolling alongside the occasional armoured car. That said, taking a look around the plaza, it was clear we were also in a place of architectural beauty. Flanking every side of the square was an ornate and stately building of some description
Yellow Fever
Another beautiful yellow building but there are other colours in Lima,honest! including the Presidential Palace, which probably explained the armoured cars parked at every corner. The cathedral looked equally impressive but before we got too carried away, we decided to take a walk along a pedestrianised shopping street and partake in a spot of window shopping.
There were lots of touts around mostly from tattoo parlours and we did check out a few of these stores to see if we could find Glynn a new Batman tongue bar. In one shop I found some cool looking elbow-length fingerless gloves for next to nothing so picked up a pair in both black and red. That was the extent of our shopping success so we continued to meander along the street to the Plaza San Martin, which is very pretty. There are white buildings all around and the wide open space around the central statue was like a breath of fresh air amongst the smoggy air.
There were a few unsavoury characters loitering around the square and it wasn't long before we were offered a variety of drugs for sale so we made to move swiftly on. Just as we were about to go though, we heard the curious sound of
Holy House
Outside the cardinal´s HQ. drumming approaching. Suddenly the reason for all the riot police became clear as a huge crowd of protesters came marching past the square carrying banners and chanting angrily. It seemed like a peaceful protest however and from my limited Spanish, I managed to work out that this was some kind of worker's union demonstration. We watched the march go by standing mere feet away from the water-cannon bedecked military vehicles bringing up the rear.
Once the procession had passed, we made our way back to the Plaza Mayor to take in the sights properly. We wandered over to the steps of the cathedral where a group of riot police were taking refuge in the shade. In a moment of daring, I went over to the most senior looking guy and asked if I could have my photo taken with them all. They happily obliged and even shuffled around so that I could stand right in the middle of them. Talk about a massive uniform fetish! Glynn also got invited to have a picture with them and I think the officers enjoyed meeting us as much as we did them. Cool!
We popped our heads inside the cathedral but
March of the Peruvians
Apparently Peruvians do a lot of protesting and with good cause. the interior didn't look too exciting so we didn't bother paying to go further. Instead we headed over to the San Francisco monastary, a beautiful yellow and white Spanish-influenced building with a courtyard full of pigeons that wouldn't have been out of place at Trafalgar Square. We took a tour of the monastery for only 2.50 Soles each (about 40p) with the discount from our student cards but alas it was all in Spanish so we didn't understand a word. The tour led us through the various quarters and into an antique looking library full of dusty old medieval manuscripts and crooked bookcases. It looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie and although we couldn't wander round and we didn't understand the commentary about it, it was quite an inspiring place to visit.
Next we headed into the most famous part of the San Francisco monastery, the catacombs. We were taken into the dark and dank vaults below ground where we threaded our way around the centuries old brick pillars, ducking our heads as we passed through the tiny doorways. The main attraction of the catacmobs is the piles of human bones on display made from the
Uniform Fetish no.11
Another multiple fetish for Jude, this time with a gang of rather burly but very friendly riot police! burials of monks over the course of the last 400 years or so. Some had been arranged into patterns which was a bit weird although the eeriest part for me had to be the collection of human skulls staring empty-eyed at us as we shuffled past. Even though we didn't benefit from the commentary, it was certainly a worthwhile tour to take.
As we left the monastery building, we were surprised to find ourselves back in the courtyard surrounded by all the protesters from the earlier demonstration. Bullhorns had appeared and speakers stepped up to a makeshift podium to perform their passionate oratories. We decided to leave quickly just in case the seemingly peaceful protest turned nasty and made our way along one of the streets we had been advised not to go down. This was because I had my heart set on visiting the Museum of the Spanish Inquisition but we never made it. We had only taken a few steps along the street when we heard the suspicious whistle and cry of a street gang member signalling that tourists were coming. We may have been overly paranoid here but rather than take any chances, we returned to
Presidential Palace
Peru´s answer to Buckingham Palace. the safety of the Plaza Mayor instead.
After a bite to eat from one of the empanada stands around the square, we strolled around the back of the Presidential Palace to check out the view of the San Cristobel Hill topped by a giant cross. We found a nice little market area full of tacky souvenirs and then made our way back to the hostel in the back of a clapped out taxi that sped through the city streets like its wheels were on fire. It was a thrill-a-minute ride but we were both relieved to jump out safe and sound when we made it back to Miraflores. Phew, what a day!
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Ness & Bedders
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SAD NEWS
Unfortunately Timmy passed away on Sunday last week. I hope you will pay your respects to the Moggfather.