Lima

I was a little worried about Lima after reading the guide books and warnings of pickpockets, muggings and dodgy taxis... especially as I was arriving at 11pm. But I`ve been pleasantly surprised, and are quite enjoying my stay here, and would definitely say I think its more interesting than Buenos Aires. There are dodgy areas for sure (which I`ve seen from mini buses) but I`m staying in Miraflores which is a upmarket seaside suburb, and the colonial centre also feels safe enough. And the locals are really friendly and helpful - keen to have a chat if you look at all lost or puzzled.

The centre really is stunning with its colonial buildings, and what sets it apart from anywhere else I`ve seen is the covered wooden balconies that stick out... kind of odd but very distinctive. The central plaza de armas is a beautiful pigeon filled square, with a fountain and gardens surrounded by the cathedral, the palace and grand yellow buildings.

I`ve visited the cathedral which houses the remains of Pizarro, the Spanish conqueror. And I`ve also toured some of the other churches and convents which have beautiful cloisters, impressive old libraries, and kind of creepy catacombs with bones of thousands all directly beneath the cathedral... (imagine the smell?!)

To get around I`ve been using the network of mini-buseswhich is pretty extensive but chaotic... with next to no information on what goes where its a matter of asking, and being pointed in the right direction. (And not forgetting to remind someone to tell you when to get off - I missed hopping off at my stop completely coming home on the first day and went for a mystery tour of some not so nice suburb, but some of my helpful co-passengers told me where to hop off and which bus to catch back!)

There`s some pretty good museums here too, so I`ve been studying up on Peruvian cultures (and there`s definitely more than just the incas), peering at beautiful metalwork, bizarre pottery, models of ruins, stonework and more.


And today I decided to venture to Pachacamac, about 30k south of Lima, to visit some ruins. My minivan trip took me thru some dodgier market parts of town, out along the freeway past depressing little houses huddled on hillsides (definitely more like mexico or central america than anything I saw in argentina), and to the ruins which are by the seaside. They are the most desolate ruins I´ve seen... being partly covered by dirty sanddunes, with not a tree, shrub or any grass in site. They`re stone and adobe, with the most impressive being pyramids with temples. Anyway the site predates the incas by 1000 years, and was a ceremonial centre. But during the spanish conquest Pizarros brother visited and stayed there looking for gold...