Lima, Peru... the city of 7 Million honking cars

Trip Start Sep 05, 2008
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Trip End Sep 27, 2008


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Where I stayed
(Lima hotels)

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

So we got to Lima last night and didn't do much but get to the hotel. It was 00:30 local time and we were still hungry so we ran around to the market and grabbed some snacks. We woke up somewhat late after not actually getting to bed until after 2 and started our day. We selected a few places to go see, including the Monestery de San Francisco with it's ancient Catacombas, the the house of the president, an interesting restuarnt where the food is prepared and served by nuns (LŽeau Vive) and the house of the arch bishop. It was a great day though we didn't quite make it to the bishop's house because of improper directions. :-)

All in all, it is quite a culture shock coming here. The poverty is striking and omnipresent. However, there are a lot of hard working people and growing industry. The driving is insane and I don't think you could pay me to drive in Lima. No one seems to obey any traffic laws that I can perceive. Everyone honks at each other just as a matter of course. There is a pedestrian walk way going from the Plaza Mayor down to the the Plaza San Martin in Lima Central that we were walking along that had a sign at an intersecting street that said no honking. As we walked by, 3 taxis were sitting in traffic honking at each other. I would have loved a picture but I'd need video and a good mic to capture the moment.

Peru suffered a devestating earthquake in August of 2007 and we see signs of rebuilding everyone. Our tour guide says that the top stories of buildings often collapsed and so everywhere there are people trying to rebuild the tops of theirs houses and shops.

I had forgotten how much leaded gas which they still use here gives me a headache. The fumes gave me a great one so I spent the afternoon lying in bed trying to recover. It was quite awful actually. But some meds and a little rest later and I was all right.

This was our first day here and our last day on our own for 3 weeks. Our last day when we fly back through Lima will be on our own as well. We finished off the day with an enchanted evening out for dinner at Huaca Pucllana. Huaca apparently means pyramid, or ruin or some such. There are several Pre-Columbian civilization pyramids that have been unearthed right here in Lima. They stretch a few hundred feet tall and I think are fascinating. At Huaca Pucllana there is a fantastic restaurant with the lighted Huaca as a backdrop to small fires for heat and candelit tables. The food was incredible and though I was still banishing the last vestiges of a headache so that I could not imbibe it was the perfect end to the first day that really started off our trip!
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