Lima, Peru

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And so we are three!


Stuart arrived at the airport bang on time on Monday afternoon and we were diligently waiting at Arrivals for him. So for the next three weeks we will be... The Three Amigos! (we´ve been waiting for three weeks to get that out.) He kindly offered to pay for the taxi back to the hostel but we had to refuse because he had the wrong money. In his defense he says that the lady in Wigston Post Office assured him that US dollars are the currency in Lima. The taxi driver preferred Soles though as this is the legal currency throughout Peru!


Lima.
Lima is the capital of Peru and home to eight million people. We decided to stay in the Miraflores area of the city, a few miles south of the centre, because it is the new trendy area (kind of like Wigston is to Leicester) but you wouldn´t know it was new and trendy for all the smog and traffic fumes. It is the first place any of us have ever been to that gives you a sore throat, headache, and black bogeys within the first half hour of arriving.

Our first full day in Lima started with another interesting bus ride. Similar to the minibus that we had in Huanchaco except the volume of traffic increased by about 600%. The minibuses have little mirrors on the front so the driver can get as close as possible to the car in front (literally millimetres) to stop other vehicles getting in front!

We arrived in the centre of Lima just in time to see the Changing of the Guard at the Government Palace. All the ingredients were present - men in bright uniforms with pointy caps playing trumpets, tubas, and drums, armed guards looking menacing in case a Japanese tourist tried to storm the Palace, and of course the soldiers doing silly walks that Basil Fawlty would die for. We´re talking a fully-extended thrusting kick in the air with the right leg followed by a camp shimmy with the left. All this funny walk business prolonged the ceremony to over half an hour, giving the band plenty of time to entertain us with their jazz-influenced military tunes. An odd combination but very enjoyable.


After Stuart discovered that in Peru tortilla means omelette at lunchtime (and we both had the set meal - two courses for 80p) we visited the Cathedral, including the art museum (quite enjoyable but how many different pictures of the Last Supper do you need in one place?) and another church (San Francisco) where we went down into the catacombs and saw hundreds of old bones of Peruvians who were buried down there. Spooky! Bridget didn´t like it in case there was an earthquake and her gringo bones became part of the collection.


We had quite a posh dinner at the modern shopping centre in Lima which is, aparently, built into the side of the cliff. The views over the Pacific were really great (see picture.)


As a taster for the next exciting installment, here´s a picture of the moon that we took tonight on arrival at Nazca. Bridget would like to dedicate this picture to her mum (aaaah!) because Phil loves the moon and Stuart would like to dediate it to Nigel (aaaaaaaah!) because "it´s a bloody good shot of the moon".

We are going up in a little Cessna tomorrow morning to see the Nazca Lines so some stunning aerial photography (if Jez can keep his breakfast down) tomorrow!

Stuart says - "mum, I´ve got enough tissues so I´m going to be fine. Lisa, I managed to get on the right plane, loving my own work. Paula and Jamie, we will dine out one night on my birthday money and send you a picture".

Bye for now
J and B and S.
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Photos

Central Lima
Stuart really was pleased to see us after his long journey!

The Moon.
What more can we say?

Comments

[Gina and Rachel]

What a Surprise...
Stuart, a likely story! What are you like?! At least you got on the right plane! We are both loving your Lima work as we drink tea in sunny Kilburn on Gina's birthday! Hope you enjoyed the condors and canyons. Bye for now. xx