Lima

Dale and I arrived in Lima, Peru late this morning.  The city is massive - 8.5 million.  Compare that to Vancouver's 600,000. It is loud with the honking of horns and traffic is chaotic.  There were a lot of vehicles that were old and rusty and beat-up looking, especially a lot of taxis. We had a ride in a taxi this afternoon that one could only describe as a death trap. I am not sure what was holding it together.  The interior was dirty, the seats were torn, and when I sat down I thought I was going to land on the ground. We chose better the next time. 

We checked into a beautiful room at a B&B that opens out onto an enclosed courtyard and I am very happy to call it home for a few days. 

I think I should have spent more time learning Spanish.  Every other place I have been I tried to learn some of the language only to find English widely spoken.  I was surprised at how little "Inglis" was spoken today but we managed to get by, thanks mostly to Dale. 

We spent the afternoon going to the Historic Centre of Lima and looking at the buildings, marveling at the cathedrals and taking a guided tour of the San Francisco Monastery and it's catacombs. The photo shows skulls and bones laid to rest at the bottom of a "well".  

We did the usual North wandering through parks and plazas. There is a Parque Kennedy, that is in the Miraflores district that we are staying in, that is home to about 80 cats that roam the park.  They are taken care of by volunteers and look healthy and happy. This evening we found many of them sitting by  lights, possibly for the warmth.  This was also the park that featured a lot of artists selling their paintings. I am sure I shall own a new piece of art before the end of my trip. 

The weather is perfect with temperatures hovering in the mid to high teens. Cool enough to be great for endless walking and warm enough for outside eating. Time to get a good nights sleep as last night was spent on the plane. 

BLou