Lima, Peru

July 30-Aug 2

PERU! A new country, a whole new continent! Exciting times.

Just about everyone I've met who's been to Lima has said it's pretty average, so I gave myself two days to see the city. Turns out that was just the right amount of time.

On my first day I went on a free walking tour which took me into downtown Lima. The first stop was Plaza de Armas, which is essentially the main square. In the middle of the square there is a fountain, infront of which there are continuously police...in case of protests! Always prepared. The fountain is the oldest standing 'thing' in Lima, as most buildings are regularly ruined by the earthquakes. Lima experiences earthquakes roughly every 30-40 years, as this part of Peru sits in the Ring of Fire.

We arrived just in time for changing of the guards at the president's palace. I giggled a little when they played the song from Carlton Draught's "It's a Big Ad!" 

The other notable buildings around the square were the president's palace, the cathedral and the mayor's home - all of which have been rebuilt 6+ times due to earthquake damage. Other stops included the market (SO full of colour! Amazing!) and Parque de la Muralla, where we got a view of a mountain covered in beautifully colourful houses! Apparently a very dangerous neighbourhood, so best viewed from a distance.

After the tour I went with one of the guys I had met to explore San Fransisco church. Pretty stunning from the outside, but absolutely incredible from the inside! 

One of the rooms they took us to was like something out of Harry Potter. It had all kinds of strange and wonderful books, apparently 25,000 of them, and gorgeous little spiral staircases on either side. No pictures allowed, unfortunately. 

Walking around the courtyard areas there were an array of beautiful tiles, all different but tied together by the blue and yellow theme.

However by far the coolest part of the church was the catacombs lying beneath it!! This was where they used to bury Catholics. The guide's English was hard to understand at times but from what I gather... Only the biggest bones were still left because others had deteriorated. I'm not sure why they arranged them so carefully, but it looks pretty sweet! 

My second day in Lima I spent mostly shopping. I successfully bought myself a new backpack (day pack, not the big bag) which is nice and colourful!! 

I also went for a run in the park that follows the coast, which was covered in lovely mosaic murals. The park was on a cliff edge and actual beach is quite far down. It was a dreary day so I didn't bother going down to the water.

In the evening I met the people on my tour and we all went out for a dinner.