Our First Day in Lima

---

Thursday, July 7 - Friday, July 8, 2005

We arrived yesterday and I already have so much to say that I can´t believe it´s only been 24 hours!

I MUST start this blog by saying that our plane trip to Lima was the best one ever! We flew out of Miami at 1pm on Thursday, July 7 on Delta and we changed planes in Atlanta. Delta´s services were phenomenal and we were really impressed. We arrived in Lima right on time at 10:30PM, Peruvian time (we´re an hour ahead in Florida). At once we could tell how much more modern the airport was than last time we were here. They have remodeled and everything looks so clean and beautiful. In addition, there are more security measures and taxi drivers and other people selling things cannot enter the lobby. Immigration and Customs was super fast- here if you have a little one they give you "Special Treatment" and we got into a special line. We were out of there within 45 minutes. Once we got out into the airport lobby, William´s uncle Oscar Manrique and cousin Memo Millones (Guillermo) were waiting for us. We drove over to Oscar´s house where we got to see the rest of his family- his wife, Rosa, and their kids (17, 21, 24). They came to Orlando to stay with us in March and it was so nice to see them again. Here we are: Amanda, William, me, Alex, Denisse, Jonathon, Guissepe, and Anthony.

The family has a beautiful home- there are 3 stories, with lots of space, and on the roof there´s a turkey that's getting ´ready´ for Christmas! Once we were settled in, we had a toast with some great wine and the family officially welcomed us to Peru and their home. We had a very late dinner (rotisserie chicken and fries- YUM!). We slept SO WELL. It´s winter here (about 68 degrees) and it´s nice to be under those cozy Peruvian wool blankets!

Today we woke up around 10 and had the best bread ever for breakfast! I absolutely LOVE Peruvian bread- I know you´re thinking, "Bread is bread" but it´s really wonderful! The streets smell like this brad in the morning because it´s sold fresh daily. We decided to go today to a park called, El Parque de las Leyendas" and it´s like a zoo and musem all in one. Outside of the entrance we ran into Alex´s favorite character- BARNEY! Except this Barney was a little different...he sings the Barney song in Spanish...and as you walk away after the photo, he says in Spanish¨, "Colaboracion, por favor...." In other words, hand over some coins!! I was glad to do so as I am sure it´s not too easy being Barney all day!

Once inside the park, we ran into some Incas that may look familiar to you, if you know us in real life!!. Anthony was too cool to try dressing up. but here we are all together:.




.We saw animals native to Peru from all three geographical areas- coast, mountains, and jungle. Perhaps what most impressed us though were the preseved insects, butterflies, and spiders on display at a little museum:

There was also some construction going on and of course William had to stop and watch. It really is interesting to see the similarities and differences between cultures, even in things such as building...I am sure if William were writing this he would expand on this, but since he´s not, you will have to settle for the picture.

After going to the park, we walked back home ( about a block and a half.) The house where we´re staying is wonderful but now I have to tell you the best part; there is HOT water and 3 bathrooms and they all have showers!!.

While Alex and I rested, Anthony and Amanda went to Plaza Can Miguel with Denisse- this Plaza is a HUGE shopping and entertainment center that rivals any I have seen in America. There are department stores (saga fallabella and ripley), restaurants (McDonald´s and KFC), Blockbuster, Ace hardware (with a store that looks a lot like Hope Depot), a little area called Coney Park with rides and games. Anyway,they went there to exchange money and then went bowling. William went with his buddy, Merardo, to a business meeting (sounds good, huh?). After Alex and I were not so grouchy anymore (ha,ha), we went to pick up William´s sister, Elena, from her hotel. We even convinved her to spend the night with us and go home to Salaverry tomorrow. In the evening, we all met up and went to downtown Lima to go shopping. Shopping was awesome and everything is cheap!!! We also drove by many historical buildings, but we did not get to take photos because we left our bags at home. We were told to carry as little as possible to avoind being targeted by a pickpocket.

Lima is the capital and largest city in Peru and it seems to be truly overpopulated. People from all over Peru come here looking for work- sometimes they find it, and sometimes the don´t. In the end, most who come here, stay. There are about 8 or 9 million inhabitants and between the shanty towns on the outskirts of Lima and the large number of public transportation vehivles, this ancient colonial town is dirty and full of smog. There are pockets here and there where all the buildings and houses are breathtaking, but for me it is sad to see so much pollution and grime. There have been improvements, however, so I hope this will continue to progress to make this city as great as it really could be. Perhaps I am a little spoiled, however, because my favorite city in Peru (from previous visits) is Trujillo- the city of spring. It is beautiful, and once we get there next week, I will post photos.

Two more photos to finish our day, and I think they´re self explantory:



PS FORGIVE THE TYPOS- THE KEYBOARD IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, AND I AM SQUEEzING THESE ENTRIES IN WHEN I CAN, IN A HURRY!

---