Our time in the Sacred Valley was up. Early on Sunday morning we headed to the Cusco airport to catch our flight to Lima. We managed to somehow not pay the departure tax. (Just another bribe anyways.)
Lima looked like it apparently always does in winter - foggy or overcast. There is little to no sunshine. They call it La Garua and it's more than fog but less than rain. We had an issue getting to our hotel. Even though we showed the taxi driver the address and the location on a map, he was pretty incompetent. Eventually we arrived at Second Home Peru, our hotel/art gallery. (More on that later.) We pet the resident dogs, dropped off our stuff, then headed to lunch.
The restaurant was recommended in the guidebook and somehow had three names.
Guidebook = Mi Causa
Building Sign = Cesar
Menu = Belar
Whatever the name, their specialty is the causa, Peru's version of potato salad. Really closer to mashed potatoes with toppings, served hot or cold. We got one inspired by ceviche (fried fish with onions and marinade) and one vegetarian (spinach potatoes with corn, cheese, artichoke, avocado). Both delicious.
Another taxi ride brought us to Lima's Plaza de Armas. Beautiful colonial architecture.
Plenty of guards outside the president's house. They were very friendly and fun to talk with.
We walked to the Monasterio de San Francisco where we had a great tour. Once again, no photos. I did get a few, though.
Hand-painted original tiles.
A very old library in desperate need of restoration. No climate control and the windows were open to the air!
They had the most amazing catacombs. No photos from down there, sadly. The city used the catacombs as a public cemetery in the 17th through 19th centuries. Scientists estimate about 25,000 people are buried there. They sorted the larger bones when counting the bodies (femurs, skulls, etc) and left then in interesting formations. In the walls, in circular patterns.
Next we walked to the Parque de la Muralla (Park of the City Wall). They built a park around the remnants of the original Lima city wall.
There's a kids' amusement park there with what I'm sure are licensed characters.
There is also a statue of a conquistador most people believe is Pizarro. But apparently it's not!
Our walk took us down to La Merced Church where people come to touch the silver cross in hopes of a miracle.
Random thing: In Lima the stoplights count down on both green and red.
On this statue, the Mother of Peru is supposed to wearing a flaming hat. But due to a error in translation, she has a llama on her head.
We sat in a plaza and watch clowns give free hugs and a guy feed a stray dog a churro. Then another churro to try to get him to leave him alone. (Didn't work. If you give a dog a churro...)
That night we checked out the Circuito Magico del Agua. Colorful fountains lit up by lights. Some are synced to music. It was packed with locals and tourists alike.
The next morning we took our time getting ready so we could enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean.
We were served breakfast in their kitchen. Just us two. There are only 5 or 6 rooms in the hotel, but we didn't see other guests.
We were then given a tour of the house, art and studio where the owner's father still works. We got to meet him as well.
We took another taxi back to Lima Central and took a tour of the Cathedral where we saw Pizarro's remains.
His body is in the tomb.
His head was found separately in this box. (It's now in the tomb.)
The cathedral has catacombs as well as tombs of wealthy churchgoers.
Skulls!
Lunch was a cooking class at Sky Kitchen which is the chef's top-floor apartment.
We made Papas a la Huacachina, Ceviche and Aji de Gallina (chicken in pepper sauce). All very delicious.
After lunch we did a self-tour of the Museo Larco. They have tens of thousands of artifacts. Most are in the storeroom, which you can also tour.
Here we finally found some Inca gold the Spanish had not melted down.
Museo Larco is famous for its erotic pottery section. If you're not interested, skip the next two photos. It was very interesting. There were pieces of animals, couples, and also dead people.
On the way out, we finally spotted a native Peruvian hairless dog!
Our flight wasn't until almost midnight, so we got dinner and hung out in one of the neighborhood parks for a while. While we were sitting in the park, three Policia Turistico walked right towards us. I'll admit: For a second, I was worried. But they just asked if we could let one of them practice his English with us. It was a fun conversation. They told us they prefer to talk to Americans because we are nicer than Europeans.
Then the time had finally come - time to head home.
I hope our trip has inspired you to visit this amazing, intriguing country. There's so much to see and do.
