Lima

Fully rested we are off again, arriving in our 9th country of this trip, Peru. We're starting in the Capital, Lima. At 10 Million people (and one fictional bear) it is a lot bigger than the cities in Ecuador, and we already noticed how crazy the traffic is again! Technically Lima is a coastal town with a really long beach running along its western edge, but unfortunately there is also huge cliffs which climb up from the beach about 100 meters or so, and there aren't many places to get down there so it isn't super accessible. They have created a promande which runs along the top of the cliffs and is mainly parks so you can take a nice walk and have a good view out to sea.

We stopped off at a shopping center built into the side of the cliffs but due to their mask policy we weren't able to go into some of the shops, here some places require you to wear two masks and be vaccinated to enter! Its been interesting seeing the different approaches the counties take and how they've changed over time, from Thailand where a mask was mandatory all day long, to America where it was optional on flights to Peru where only two will do. We ditched the shops and walked along the cliffs finally finding a route down to see the beach. There are a lot of waves here and thus a lot of surfers, but the water is very cold so not worth a dip without a wetsuit.

We're staying in the Miraflores district which is a little bit upmarket and geared to tourism but the local parks still feel quite authentic, there are mini ampitheatres where locals play music and have a dance, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The parks also all seem to have a permenent population of cats who will happily come and sit with strangers when they want a cuddle or some warmth.

Next day and its time to hit the museums and churches to learn some Peruvian history. Most people have heard of the Incas, made famous by Machu Picchu and the stories from the conquering Spanish, what we didn't know is that the Inca civilisation only represents about 200 years of their history from around 1350 - 1530. Peru is actual one of the cradles of civilisation with achological sites dating back over 8000 years. There have been lots of different civilations since then across all the different geographies and climates of the countries from the fisherman along the southern coast to the Llamas Farmers up in the Andean mountains. All had their own unique pottery traditions and some were expert engineers. The Incas eventually conquered most of these and took the best from all of them creating a unique culture full of arts and towns which had almost modern plumbing with incredible aquaduct systems. We're looking forward to exploring this country, steeped in history and discovering what's left of these ancient civilisations.Read more