Bones y bebidas

So, many things have happened since I last posted. All of them are very exciting. Let's stick to chronological order, more or less.

I visited the center of Lima last Saturday and it was amazing!! La Plaza de Armas is the central governmental plaza and it is beautiful.

First things first, we went on an amazing tour of the Cathedral on the plaza. The tour was fascinating. Did you know that the robes of a catholic priest were sometimes decorated with real gold and silver and could weigh up to 10 kilos! I did not. The cathedral was choc full of Jesus on the cross and Virgen Mary, and also the Peruvian Saints, whoser names escape me. Every display was more colorful and gilded than the last. Absolutely gorgeous!

A view from in front of the cathedral.

And one from inside

Another awesome inside view

This is the front of the cathedral, and some of the other people in the program, looking enthralled.

Also, this guy. Why is he holding the heart and standing on the head of some other guy? Damn good question.

After the cathedral we went to the Barrio China (Chinatown, basically) and had chifa for lunch. Chifu is Chinese food with a Peruvian twist. Better than Americanized Chinese food, but still not my favorite. I also got to try Inka-Cola for the first time. It's pretty good, but does in fact taste like bubblegum. Then we went to the Monastery of San Francisco, which I loved!!! It had the most amazing library with  enormous skylights, beautiful winding staircases to the second floor balcony, incredible old books, and some fantastic old hymnals that were at least three feet tall. It was the best library I've ever seen and it smelled just the way a musty, old library should. But it got even better. The tour continued down into the catacombs where hundreds of old bones are arranged in full view. Skulls stared down from the walls while femurs and humeri formed patterns in deep pits. I loved every minute. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside, but feast your eyes on this one of the outside. Also, there were a hell of a lot of pigeons outside. Apparently if you hold food in your hand they will land on you and eat it. Gross.

After our final tour we were set loose in the city. I went with a few others from the group to the bar that claims to have invented the Pisco sour to try one out. Newsflash: they are delicious. No wonder these are the national beverage of Peru. They are made with Pisco (a clear brandy made from grapes), lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites. Yum!!

Once again my thanks to google. But mine did look just like this.

One more very important thing to report. I went swimming in the Pacific Ocean!! It was amazing. I walked to the beach on Sunday afternoon and was undeterred by the clouds that covered the sun as we arrived, unlike my fellow beach-goers. I sat on the beach with two other girls from the program for a while. However, we soon discovered that sitting too close to the edge can be dangerous. There we were sitting on an entirely dry area waiting for the waves to reach our feet, when out of nowhere a wave crashed down over our heads and drenched us. So obviously it was time to go swimming. The beaches in Miraflores are actually made up of stones as opposed to sand and there is a steep incline as you approach the water, so walking in was a struggle. Not to mention, the waves break pretty close to the beach and as they wash in they bombard your legs with rocks. But I finally made it through and it was absolutely worth it. Swimming in the sea without feeling like you might at any moment turn into a block of ice was a pleasant change, although the water close to Lima is a bit dirty. After I managed to climb back out of the water, another struggle with the strength of the waves. Of course, the Atlantic Ocean off of Drumnacriag Beach will always be foremost in my heart but there is nothing better than feeling the rise and fall of waves all around you. I will most assuredly be taking advantage of the fact that I can walk to the ocean in 45 minutes. Thats's all for now! ¡Un abrazo grande!

I don't have any photos of me in the water, so here's one of a kick-ass beach view.