My journey to Peru began using pretty much every form of modern transportation available. It started by bus early in the morning, and gave way to the subway at a more respectable hour. By noon I was on a plane, which (fortunately) was the prefered mode of transport for the remainder of the day. After debarking in Lima, I was relegated to using my feet for a while, as the line for customs streched out to infinity. Or so it seemed. I actually had to go through line twice because I didn't have the proper form with me. Since I had slept through the majority of the plane ride, it's hardly suprising I missed something. In any case, my friend Alonso's brother (thanks Alonso!) picked me up at the airport and drove me to Alonso's apartment (thanks again!) so I didn't have to deal with taxis in my groggy and ignorant state. Lucky me :->
The next day, I planned to explore Lima for a bit. See some museums and shop around, and in the evening check out the salsa scene! My wonderful, generous friend Alonso had hooked me up, yet again, with some of his friends in Lima. We went out for breakfast at a nice little cafe and then toured the Museum of the Nation, which was really cool. They had artifacts from all sorts of different nations, some of which dated back way before the Incas. There was a lot of very well crafted ceramics... one cup I liked a lot depicted a llama smelling something funny with his nose; it was very cute. There were also a lot of textiles and replicas of entire walls. The most complete exhibit was a complete diarama of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan.
If you're interested in visiting the Museum of the Nation, the address is: Av Javier Prado Este 2465, San Borja. I was unable to find a website for the Museum. Anyway, after the educational morning, I went to the Incan Markets to shop for a bit. It was more of a scouting trip than anything else, which was actually a good plan because everything was a bit overwelming. I love the alpaca ponchos, and other clothing items. The jewelry was also very pretty. I ended up meeting a few nice salespeople (who suffered through my horrendous spanish) and picked out a few things to get for my family later. I also ended up finding a chinese restraunt to get some lunch at... only they also served this delicious strawberry and milk drink
In the evening I hooked back up with Alonso's friends and we went dancing! In the picture to the right, you can see us posing, dancing, and the band playing in the corner. The band was pretty funny, they had their own little dance routines they'd go into during the songs and all of their music was danceable. The club ended up getting started pretty late, though, and I had to leave to catch my flight to Cusco about halfway through many of the patron's evenings. I think it was more of a music club then a dance club, though, because people were really only dancing with thier friends. It was a nice location, however, with good music.
The Journey Continues: Cusco
Only Thoughts Can Return: Peru
Enter the Wood Between the Worlds |
