Old Lima

A trip to see old Lima. I like Old Lima, it seems strange to me that it's somewhat out on a limb from the rest of the city. Big main square, colonial buildings, you know how it works. President's palace, massive cathedral. Fountain in the middle of the square, plenty of pigeons, lots of tourists.

We went to see the monastery of San Francisco and the catacombs which was pretty impressive - very old. The library was my favourite part. Our guide was a bit of a strange woman. We were accompanied by quite a camp and extremely grumpy guy who aptly described the interior of the monastery as 'macabre.'

We ate an enormous buffet lunch in Chinatown and looked around the markets at all the endless Asian cheap gadgets and plastic tack. A scary indoor market (the butchers section, I'm very squeamish, but really I think it's the smell of meat that I can't bear, the smell of carcass). It seems strange to me that all you need to do is cross the road and you go from Spanish Imperial wealth to bargain basement markets. Pre Fujimori this part of town was plagued by terrorist attacks and pretty much a no go zone, so I guess it makes sense.

On another occasion I met a girl who lives in Lima who I had travelled with in Brazil and we had a mega feed and a walk around another of the large squares. The architecture was decidedly French, grassy square, people having drinks, she and I sharing tales of bad romance and career ambition. Smell of fresh grass, the rising water from the fountain and the stars above, exploring a new city which a friend and having a touching personal conversation was a nice sensation of familiar and foreign, enchanting. This is what I love about travelling. Those moments.

Years ago when I first came to Peru, the family I stayed with bought me to Old Lima and we walked around an artisan market, failed to find it this time around. Left the big open spaces and big colonial buildings of old Lima to go back to flirt with the bar man in the hostel. Very nice blue eyes....

Very much into Peruvian balconies