Last day in Lima

We started off the day yesterday by going to Museo Larco, a museum showing the history of Peru dating back thousands of years. Within the beautiful grounds, there are over 45 thousand pieces of archaeological proof of Peru's history. Their extensive collection along with the in depth descriptions of each object made the museum very interesting for both of us.

Second, we went to The National museum of Archeology, another museum very similar to Museo Larco, with many artifacts from thousands of years ago. It was swarming with school tours.

Next we went to the Franciscan Monastery and Museum in order to see the catacombs, an underground burial ground that was used less than 200 years ago. The entry included a tour of the church, which we did not expect. Various carvings, tiles, and elaborate dome ceilings adorned the building. They even had a bone from San Fransisco (it looked a little bit like a fingernail to me). Probably the best part of the monastery was the library, and impressive room with an upper balcony for for extra book storage, some dating back to the time of the 1600s when it was built.

Finally, we descended into an area smelling of dirt. After passing through a dangerously low doorway, we were in the catacombs, home to about 25,000 skeletons. It seemed similar to the catacombs that we had visited in Paris. There were low ceilings and dim lighting, as well as humongous mass graves (sometimes over eight feet deep) containing thousands of skulks, femurs, and many other bones. We were told that benefactors and friars had individual graves, but that wasn't part of the tour. It taught us more about the history of Peru after the coming of the Spaniards.

Speaking of the Spaniards, the World Cup game today was quite popular. Tons of people listened to it on the radio, and a very large screen had been erected in La Plaza de Armas for the Cup. Soccer is very important to Peruvians and many people, including adults, are in leagues.

For dinner, we went to Huaca Pucllana, a ruin from the fifth century. There is a nice restaurant that has been constructed overlooking the site. It had a nice atmosphere, with interesting lighting and many outdoor fires. We both tried cuy, or guinea pig. My mom didn't like it a ton, but I thought it was interesting. I also had duck risotto. Yum.

Ceviche and (pre)history

Today, on our way to the National Museum, we stopped at a restaurant that a taxi driver recommend for its cebiche, a raw fish dish that is common in Peru. In order to make it safe to eat, small slices of meat are mixed with salts and spicy spices. Next, that is mixed with lime juice and viola! You have cebiche. We had the pleasure of watching a chef prepare our meal. My mom says that it was probably one of the best foods that she has ever eaten and I am in full agreement. After the wonderful meal, including a great purple drink flavored with blue corn, called chicha, we went to the National Museum. The huge building was quite impressive. The entire building (inside and out) can only be compared with the main government building in the movie "Brazil" due to its use of gargantuan concrete slabs. We went on an hour-long tour and then proceded onto an intriging exhibibition of photography regarding the terrorists from The Shining Path who made Peru a very unsafe place for two decades rather recently. Having had little knowledge regarding this matter, I found it deeply interesting along with the exhibits about Peru's history and prehistory. Had we more time, we could have easily spent an entire day there. It was a very good day.


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Location:Lima

For photos of our adventures, just visit the following link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wanderingkayaks/

Dinner

Last night we went to L'eau Vive, a small restaurant run by nuns. Despite that we aren't religious people, the restaurant, housed in an old building with vaulted ceilings, had a very friendly feel. A French nun (in charge of the place) greeted us with a kind squeeze of the hand and took our orders. I had rabbit and my mom had a form of fish. At the end of the meal, the nuns sang Ave Maria. We learned that the proceeds go to los pobres, or to poor people. We are curious about guinea pig, a traditional Peruvian dish that we have not had yet.



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Location:Lima

In Lima

Miraflores is a part of Lima that is favored by tourists. Our hotel, La Paz Hotel, is in the aforementioned area. After two longish flights, we got into Lima last night at about 11 pm and passed through several if the city's districts via taxi. It is winter here, and rather cold at night. There is also a fair amount of fog/ light rain here, somewhat like in various places in the Pacific Northwest.
This morning we shall do some walking around and touring of Lima.



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Location:Miraflores

Off to Peru Tomorrow

During our trip to Peru, one of our main goals is to improve our Spanish through instense immersion over the course of several weeks. In addition, we would like to gain the perspective and cultural awareness that comes with visiting another country with an open mind. Finally, our extended trip wil be a vacation, away from usual schedules, familiar foods, and home.

My mom, Jenny, and I will be gone for a month, and my dad, Marcel, will join us for the last ten days of the trip. Tomorrow, we will depart from PDX at the crack of dawn, have a short layover in Atlanta, then continue on to Lima, the capital of Peru.