THREE DAYS IN LIMA
The taxi driver who picked me up at the airport in Lima offered to take me to Miraflores – a district which according to him is best fitted for tourists and where I could easily find a place to stay. He was right – the area was nice and I quickly found a cheap guesthouse. It was past lunchtime and my plan for the day was to go for a walk in the area in the afternoon and for the evening I chose a park with a beautiful flower garden and singing fountains.
Lima turned out to be a beautiful and modern city with broad boulevards and impressive buildings, or at least the part where I was. The alley I took led me straight to a beautiful viewpoint looking over the Pacific Ocean with several shops and cafes scattered all along the way. I ate, enjoyed the views, and returned to my hotel. In the evening I visited the park with the fountains where for the first time in my life I saw a laser show on top of erupting water.
Miraflores was the modern part of the city, but unfortunately, that’s not where the landmarks were. I needed some excitement, so I decided to dive into the big unknown city without even checking the map. All in all, for the most part, I had no idea where I was. Indeed, I was lost and I constantly had to ask the locals for directions.
Somewhere in the central part of the city I came to a huge cathedral so I went inside. It turned out to be the famous monastery of San Francisco. It was completed in 1774 and even though it had been seriously damaged by an earthquake two centuries prior, it had remained an impressive example of the Spanish Baroque architecture. About 25 book volumes can be found in the monastery library, including a bible from 1571 and a copy of an early Spanish dictionary. There are also many catacombs in the monastery with human skeletons in them. It has been discovered that in the past more than 25 thousand bodies had been laid down there.
I spent a lot of time in the monastery, so I realized it was late afternoon when I exited. I found the building of the Parliament and also a beautiful green park with grazing lamas. On my way back the bus drove through a very poor neighborhood, and that made me think about the contrast which could be observed in the Peruvian capital and that maybe it would have been more fun if I had stayed in this area instead of Miraflores.
The last day in Lima I spent with Ed, a young Peruvian who looked like an ancient tribe chief from the time of Inca civilization, except he was wearing jeans and a shirt and worked at a tourist agency. I needed his services because I was trying to get to an area located about 40 km south of Lima called Pachacamac. Pachacamac is an ancient ceremonial center with streets, temples, and murals, founded in the distant 200 BC. It flourished in the span of 1300 years, at the end of which period got attacked by the Spanish.
Right from the start as Ed was walking me into the 400-hectare area, I got the sense of a Deja vu. That sense persisted so I slowly started “remembering” where I was. I caught myself speaking Ed’s mind and many times finished his sentences in the stories about the Sun and the Moon gods.
Ed came to the conclusion that I was a very strange client, but so did I. We agreed that I should continue my walk on my own. The place emitted really powerful energy so I decided to take a seat and close my eyes for a moment. What happened next was especially interesting. I felt as if I was coming home from a long journey and it seemed like I was being greeted with a warm welcome by my friends and family. I opened my eyes, filled with a pleasant feeling, and enjoyed the pretty view overlooking the ocean for a little longer. Ed came and informed me it was time to go.
I was starting to fall in love with Peru. Somehow I felt quite comfortable here. I felt like nothing bad could happen. I found all people on the streets to be exotic and beautiful. Or maybe it wasn’t the place and in fact, falling in love is not a process that goes from inside out, but rather the opposite. Maybe the reason was that for the first time in a long time, I felt at peace with myself.
