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Published: January 6th 2008
Iberia 6651
Us in a plane (never one to miss a photo opportunity Henry strapped himself to the tail!)The first few days in Lima have been a mixture of experiences - the highs of a bustling city full of friendly and enthusiastic people and the lows of a poor and desperate society reaching out for any bit of help they can get.
We have been staying in the Miraflores district where the well-off frequent. Very comfortable vibe throughout with the pacific on the doorstep and cliffs home to many stylish bars and restaurants. Our first steak out here has been pretty damn good (it was worth fighting the jetlag on our first night for that feast!).
The first couple of days we explored some of the more well known sites - The Franciscan church was impressive, mainly for the catacombs under the church where 25000 people are believed to have been buried with the richest benefactors getting the best spots (we couldnt figure out which ones they were though!) It was a bit indiana jones though with all the skulls and femurs laying about. Another historical site was Huaca Pucllana, an adobe temple completed in 400 AD and until 20 years ago it was only a mound of clay and stone before being discoved by archaeologists. Who would have
Beauty and the beast
Katy and the Peruvian wildlife! thought that a mound of mud could be so interesting and the way they laid bricks to resist earthquake tremors - the recently renovated walls had to be re-renovated as they got a couple of bricks wrong and it all went pear shaped during last years earthquake! They are learning more and more about the communities as last year 10 mummies were discovered and a couple of human sacrifices (differentiated by being face down with no possessions and not wrapped up in a nice piece of skin...)
We were fortunate enough to have Monica, a friend of a friend (thanks Julieee!), acting as our part time tour guide and security advisor. On day two we were led to a huge door alongside a busy street where she rigourously banged the doorknocker which eventually produced a small Peruvian man! He subsequently showed us around the 3 story colonial house (the tallest building in 1821), which was at one stage frequented by Jose de st Martin after he gained independence for Peru.
She also introduced us to anticuchos (ox hearts) which were freshly grilled for us in the local market and surprisingly delicious! On the last night she escorted us to
Parque del Amor
The park of love in Miraflores her house for a fried chicken take away (which is the predomimant smell in Lima, bar petrol fumes when driving along the streets!) Thereafter we visited a peña which produced a fantastic night of local dancing, music and entertainment....enhanced by the copious amounts of pisco sours that were consumed!
We have already veered from our itinerary as a visit to Pisco seems a must! Thats where we are heading next, providing our Spanish is up to scratch on the local buses (may end up in Chile!). H&Kx
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Martin, Alet & Marette
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Lovely Lima
Great to get an update. Photos look lovely. Keep them coming. x