Tuesday, May 8 - Lima

We landed at around 2am local time and waited a long time for Larry's and Cathy's bags ( mine was one of the first off) [ Larry and Cathy were rewarded for heavy luggage !! ].  That gave us a chance to pick up some soles (SO-LAYS), the Peruvian currency, from an ATM.  Customs and Immigration were uneventful and, once out of the customs area, we were quickly spotted by our escort ( thanks to those suitcase straps ).  Her name is Maritza Tarezona and she's very nice and efficient.  On our way to the hotel she outlined our itinerary and gave us some advice.  

The Hotel Melia Lima is gorgeous and we were greeted very warmly.  Larry upgraded our room to one that included high-speed internet and it is really a luxurious suite.   

  Very nice - like a honeymoon suite.Very nice, like a Honeymoon suite.  Of course, we discovered ( at 7am after 3 hours sleep ) that the internet connection was not yet functional. By 8 we were in a different suite.  We went to the buffet for a very nice breakfast and our first real chance to practice Spanish.  Then we decided to go for a walk and got advice at the desk.  Lovely area, obviously upper-middle class, but crazy busy streets.  Found a bodega and bought some bottled water, coke and mystery booze -- looks like rum, but who knows??  Cathy suggests it's a local brandy.  She slept in and we make plans to meet just before we go on our tour this afternoon.
The afternoon tour of the city of Lima was very impressive.  We began at the Plaza Major, after a bus tour of several other parks and public buildings.    We walked across the Plaza, meeting a few vendors and watching Cathy negotiate with some of them.  From the plaza we could see city and federal buildings as well as the cathedral and commercial areas.  Lima is wonderfully clean and open.  We then entered the cathedral, which is amazing.  We saw Pizzaro's tomb and many works of art.  We then headed through several side and back streets to the Franciscan Monastery of San Francisco.  It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Lima and still has a small cadre of monks.  I found the library particularly interesting.  We toured the beautifully tiled cloisters, and descended into the crypt, known as the catacombs.  Quite claustrophobic and grisly, but impressive and thought-provoking. .  We then took the express highway to the Love Park on the edge of the Pacific. 

It's beautiful, with mosaic walls and a large statue of a kissing couple.  Finally, we went to a large supermarket and then back to the hotel, cocktails and dinner, over which we lingered until after 11pm.  A lovely day.   
Photos of 8 May Lima