April 16th – Cusco to Lima
Early wake up call again. This time at 0515 for 0630 pick up. This time, not for a wonderful exotic destination, but for return flight to Lima. Flight time one hour.
Lima has to be the dirtiest, most malodorous place in the world, except maybe Cairo! In places, there are piles of garbage 2-3 feet high on the street intersection, rotting and stinking so badly you hold your breath as long as possible. The signs of poverty are ubiquitous, the air thick with pollution.
And everywhere there are cars, the sounds of their horns drowning out conversation. Many drivers have installed police-type sirens in place of their horns, so that the unaccustomed traveler is constantly trying to avoid the emergency vehicle that is not there! I never saw a woman driving a car, and the required position for driving is with one hand on the wheel and one on the horn/siren. If there is a passenger, his job is to lean out the window, yell, and gesture wildly at the other drivers. Here there are no rules. I thought that Mexico and Venezuela were wild. I was wrong. They are sane and reserved compared to those drivers of Lima. The rule of the jungle reigns here! It’s like bumper cars and all the cars were dented, scrapped and scraped. Return to Quito will be welcomed in the AM!
One item of note is Mike’s exit from the Sheraton. Upon checking in, we all agreed to meet on ground floor in the lobby to go to the Indian market. Our room was on the eighth floor and the elevator being very slow, Mike decided to take the stairs. With some consternation, we found no exit from the stairwell to the lobby. The only egress was to the outside through the emergency exit which opened onto a large grassy area and garden enclosed by a very high iron fence. Much to our surprise, alarms sounded shrilly as soon as the door opened and I started fussing loudly for Mike to close the door. He responded by stepping OUTSIDE and closing the door. I had little choice but to follow. Imagine the gardener’s surprise when we emerged to the loud shrill scream of the exit alarm. He just stared mutely and simply raised an arm to point when Mike asked loudly, “donde esta la puerta?”
By this time I was laughing hysterically, the mirth increasing as we acquired 2 security guard tails when we emerged from a gate where we should not have been. The guards followed us to the front door, didn’t find nearly as much humor in the situation as we did!
Spent the rest of the day looking at 400 year-old cathedrals and homes. Interesting, but long and hot. The Museo do Oro was our final stop, and well worth the trip. It’s a private collection of gold and precious/
semiprecious gems from all cultures, all countries of South America, and especially Peru. Most artifacts are Inca. Also several intact mummies in the condition in which they were found. Other floors contained textiles and huge arms collections from all over the world. One could easily spend 3 days here and still not see everything. There was one necklace with emeralds as big as eggs! Made my eyes just as large!
Too tired to party, or even to eat. We snacked on fruit and nuts in Walter’s room, then off to bed.
