We woke around 4am local time so not much if a sleep - about 4.5 hours. However we felt ok, had an early breakfast at the hotel and stepped out to find a spermarket to get some bottled water. It was already warm around 20 degs and a touch humid as well. Nice to be back in the heat though!
We were collected at 9 by Carlos and his driver Johnny in a minibus with only 2 others on board, Americans Patricia and her daughter Julia. A drive around the local area, Millaflores and neighbouring San Isidro, the posh part and embassy area of this huge city. Surprisingly, only a short drive from our hotel we were shown Huaca Pucllana, an enormous archeological site dating from 200-700 AD. Such a surprise to see something so enormous right in the middle of the city.
This doesn’t really show it’s enormity!
We then drove into the historical centre of Lima, to see the oldest standing church (earthquakes have meant older building did not survive)....
and then to Lima Cathedral, completed in 1649. It is built not with bricks but with bamboo, wood and plaster walls, in order to withstand earthquakes. There was a little problem as the whole of this central district was closed to the public because of a state visit by Trump next week. Police cordons everywhere. However by getting into the Catherdral it seemed we could by pass the cordons!
We then had a quick visit to an old traditional busimans house, now a medical museum. The curator was very happy to take out and handle (without gloves) a very old and rare printed medical tome from 1566.
And that was that. A bit short we thought. However all 4 of us were keen to go to Museo Larco, so instead of being dropped back at our hotel we were taken there. Museo Larco houses an impressive collection of Peruvian objects, detailing at least 25 different cultures before the Incas. They lasted a mere 150 years before the Spanish came. This museum showed just how sophisticated the culture had been for the last 4000 years.
They had a HUGE (30,000) collection of artifacts. Photo doesn’t come close to showing the rows and rows of pottery
We wandered down into the gardens afterwards to check out their world reknowned collection of Peruvian eroctic pottery (some weird stuff there!) and then decided to have lunch in their very beautiful restaurant. We sat outside under the shady roof, with beautiful bouganvillia all around, feeling very relaxed. A couple of local beers and a 2 course late lunch meant that jetlag was quickly catching up with us.
An illadvised taxi ride off the street (no meter or AC and the driver not exactly sure where he was going) did finally get us back to Huaca Pucllana, where we bought our OAP tickets(!) and waited in the shade for our tour of this huge area. They are controversally reconstructing the site while trying to demonstrate the full majesty of the place, and its various stages of construction. There was no gold or silver buried with bodies here, so although some graves were ransacked, much was left undisturbed.
After an hours tour, taking us to 5.30 pm, we walked the 10 minutes or so back to the hotel, had a coffee and decded we had done enough for one day! The trick then was to stay awake. I must have caved at 8pm, Howard until about 9!
