Simple breakfasts again - white rolls, jam, juice & coffee. Because we are now in 'high' season tourist-speaking, breakfast comes with the price of the room. Thank goodness!
Made arrangements to go on a Lima City Tour. We were picked up by a Lima-Vision van, and driven to Miraflores, a posh area of Lima. 30 of us were on the tour, in a large bus. (Bruce & I hate this sort of tour, but we will persevere!)
Drove briefly through the Miraflores and the San Isidro areas - both posh suburb areas, considered the upper middle class areas of Lima. We were instructed to observe the attractive Spanish-style homes. Frankly, there was not much else to see.
Miraflores is the 'hotel' district of Lima, so it also has restaurant and shops for tourists, unlike the area we are staying in. As most districts of Lima are considered working class or poor, these posh neighbourhoods are the highlights of city tours. Shanty-towns exist on the outskirts of the city, in all directions. We've seen these shanty-towns before, on our bus trip toParacas; Bruce and I were shocked at the living conditions of the people. Nothing but mud-adobe brick walled rooms, 8x10 perhaps, oftentimes without roof-tops, with no plumbing or electricity to speak of. Terrible...
Our tour took is to the centre of Lima, through areas that we are already familiar with. The cedar balconies of the main buildings and the colonial architecture were emphasized.
Visited an Inca art museum, which exhibited some exquisite pieces of art, and also the catacombs beneath the Iglesia San Francisco. Yuk!!! Bruce and I will return on our own to revist the art museum, as today's visit was just a run through.
Before dropping us off in Miraflores, we toured the cliffs where paragliders were enjoying their adventures. Saw Lovers' Park and the main attraction, a sculpture of lovers kissing. Every Feb. 14, a kissing contest is held here, and the winning couple holds this kissing position for as long as they can. The record so far is 50 minutes.
After the tour, Bruce & I browsed Miraflores on our own, again. Returned to our hotel, rested up, then went out for dinner, enjoying a 'chifa', Chinese-Peruvian food.
The pollution in Lima is high. We have to hold our breath sometimes to get away from the deisel fumes of vehicles. Crossing city streets in Lima is much like any other city in Peru - we take our life in our hands. God help us if we tripped!
Weather-wise in Lima, skies are overcast, the air is misty, the humidity is high. June - It's winter in Lima. Fortunately, the temperature is not that low, so sightseeing is a pleasant activity. We're now looking forward to going home...
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