I Am Still Alive.

Friends and Family, I have been in Lima now for four days, and so far I very much enjoy just about everything I’ve been to.  Lunch so far has been bugeted to a total of 2 soles, which all in all comes out to about 77 cents.  You can get a decently sized sandwich that is delicious for that amount, and it has either fries or potato chips with it (or in it) and some green sauce that is absolutely delicious despite the fact that I have no idea what’s in it. This place is absolutely full of Canadians.  It’s almost as if I’ve brought a piece of home along with me for the ride.  There were the two Canadian girls that I was with for a day and a bit, the two Quebecois girls that I was with the next day and the Canadian I’m rooming with now. The first day in town, we left the small district we were in and made our way to Miraflores along with a very nice guide by the name of Julio.  He was very patient with my massacred Spanish (compared to his at any rate) and as the day went buy, we started getting into economics, and I am proud to say that I held my own in terms of conversation on my side, explaining the main exports of Canada fairly well despite the fact that this was the first time I’d done so.  Essentially all Julio did for the Miraflores trip was show us how to navigate the public transit system, called el Metropolitano, which is like a subway but with a bus, and it runs along the main highway of Lina, which is very loud to say the least.  Still doesn’t compare to the noise we experienced in Cairo though.  The two Canadian girls left to go to Cuzco, so I walked around a bit before coming back and doing another walking tour with Julio, this time to the Center of Lima, sort of the capital district of the city (There are over 30 districts in Lima).  This tour was a bit more interesting, and Julio actually showed us around the district, and over to the bridge that separated Central Lima from the poorer, lesser known district of Chorillos (I think), that was visibly different from the colonial houses, palaces and hospedajes in the central district.  All the same, I’m glad he showed us the area, it very much undersquored the innequal distribution of wealth in the area. In terms of food, Lima is certainly the place to be.  The local favourite and special, Ceviche, a mixture of a lime sauce with either specific or unknown pieces of seafood.  If you’re not in a seafood kind of mood, you can elect to go for the second favourite of the region, which is either chicken or cuy (guinea pig).  I haven’t tried the cuy yet, I’m waiting until I’m further inland because they do it better out there (I’m told). Yesterday, I took the Metropolitano for just under an hour to get to one of the further districts, called Barrancos, which in itself is a beautiful entity.  Just about every building is coloured differently in rich and vibrant colours, and the beach (when the highway right next to it is not under construction) is probably beautiful, if not just a tad polluted.  I walked all the way until I came to the next district, then came back given the fact that the construction had blocked off access to that district by foot, and I didn’t feel like dealing with a cab driver to take me up to the point, where a big (but not generally imposing) statue of Jesus Christ stood, and where I probably could have seen a good part of the city.  I probably would have also felt like an idiot hailing a cab on a highway that was only going in the opposite direction. For now, that’s all I have.  I move to my next city tomorrow, heading inland to get used to the altitude of 3200 meters.  Never mind the fact that the bus ride is 7 hours…