Lima, Peru - Day 1

I am in Peru right now and this country is absolutely crazy! This trip and everything associated with it is absolutely crazy. Here's Dias Uno.

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Today, I walked through downtown Lima (or as they colloquially call it Centrale Lima). Filled with rich history and culture, I instantly fell in love with the place. Acute angled roads, circular paths, bright yellow and red buildings, it was as different and exotic to me as I'd imagined. I think the best way to soak in the the distinct culture is to walk around the city. You might run into a local arts and crafts fair. Or end up at a Cafe drinking Pisco Sour at noon.

I visited the Church of San Francisco which had catacombs. Unlike the ones in Rome, these were used for burial purposes only. They were situated just below the church because people wanted to be close to god. No pictures were allowed here. It was a cool, quiet and dark place. Rather peaceful actually. That is until you see the mass skeletons collected in shelves. There were a total of 50,000 people buried here, the guide told me. 50,000 skulls, 50,000 femurs.

In the church, everything was covered with giant christian paintings. But at one part, they had removed the paintings only to discover frescoes on the wall. These frescoes were post-colonial but the heads of the priests were missing. This is a very recent discovery and no one knows the reason for the missing heads. Staring at the headless paintings, gave me an eerie uneasy feeling.

And then, there was the library. Books that ranged from 15th - 20th century covered the walls. The 18th, 19th and 20th century books could be accessed. But the earlier 15-17th century books had not been accessed in years. The paper disintegrates, the guide explained. So no one was allowed to touch them. The Peru government does not have money for restoration (or perhaps it doesn't think its important enough). The whole time I was listening to this thinking that it is such a tragedy. Knowledge contained and existent that cannot be attained. What a waste of knowledge! What a terrible paradox!


Afterwards, at night, I went to the Fountains. Absolutely lovely. From watching a hologram ballerina dance to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, to the Fountain of Surprise where unexpected spurts of water will soak you, the night and the lights created a glorious combination. We were then led to a dinner. A buffet extravaganza with Peru's specialities. Pisco Sour, Black corn cola, ceviche, peruvian local dances...I watched and soaked in all. The whole thing lasted 4 hours and an extremely enjoyable evening.

What a wonderful day!

Looking forward to Cuzco tomorrow...