Lima -it's growing on me...

I know it's sprawling, chaotic & polluted, but never the less, I've had a really nice couple of days here. It's great to be staying in the one place for a few days after being on the go for a while. It was luxury being able to sleep-in this morning & not have to get up to catch a bus! This is the first place that has actually felt like winter however. From April to December a melancholy coastal fog blankets the whole city, making everything dull & grey. I had to break out a thermal today for the first time this trip. I can't wait till it's cold enough to wear my new down jacket! There is a bit of colour on the streets however, with preparations beginning for Independence day on July 28th. Red & white flags & bunting are going up everywhere, & you can't walk down the street without someone trying to sell you a badge or rosette.

I've enjoyed walking around the streets. I've explored Miraflores fairly extensively, but have no desire to travel into central Lima. This is a really safe feeling area, you can't go more than a couple of hundred metres or so without coming across a policeman or security guard. My favourite place so far is the fantastic Indian market. It is over two blocks of arts & crafts, & the prices are excellent. I bought a few little bits & pieces yesterday, but I'm tempted to get so much. They have awesome big woollen wall hangings for 20USD that would be lovely in our new house... I'll drag Will there tomorrow & we can chose one together, since he's now going to be living there as well...

I also enjoyed Larcomar which is an ultra-modern shopping mall set into the steep cliffs overlooking the Pacific. There were lots of flash souvenir shops there, selling similar things for 5 or 6 times the price of the market. I was amused by the sign at the entrance to the mall saying 'no food, no drinks, no guns'

A bit further along the coastal road I came across Parque del Amor, named for fairly obvious reasons! It had really nice curved mosaic walls which reminded me of Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona.

I also managed to find the LAN office to reconfirm our Friday flights. The Lima-Cusco flight is notorious for being overbooked & having to bump people off. While there the lady told me I could check-in on her computer, so I did, meaning we only have to be at the airport an hour before our 9:55am flight on Friday.

Not long now till Will arrives!!! He gets in around 10pm & I've sorted a taxi through the hostel which should be here in 4 hours. Taxis are pretty dodgy here. They were quite well regulated in Ecuador, but here anybody wanting to make some extra cash can call themselves a taxi. Street-vendors sell the stickers & plastic taxi sign which goes on top of the car! You can telephone for official taxis which cost up to 50% more than the unofficial ones. Official or not, none of them have meters, so you have to negotiate the fare before you go.

I'm really looking forward to catching up with Will & showing him the sights tomorrow, then Friday it's off to Cusco!