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…In down town, there are a few museums and churches to tour, so we went in there. I was surprised to see paintings of each of the signs of the Zodiac in the first church we went into. There were a million pigeons everywhere. Leif had to ride in the backy back of the station wagon cab because there were five of us. They don’t charge per person, they charge per ride, and there is no meter, so you have to barter. He only charged us 12 soles which is $4 US dollars total for five people for 20 miles. Anyways, after that we walked around some more. There was a square there and all the school children were in there in their little uniforms. We walked through the square and got mobbed by the kids. They wanted our AUTOGRAPHS. I stood there in the middle of a hundred kids and signed my name. I felt like a celebrity! But I was scared they were trying to pick-pocket me.
But there were police everywhere and I asked (in Spanish) why they wanted my autograph and they just said it was for a remembrance, or just for fun. So, after that we toured the San Francisco church where Pizarro is buried and his head is not attached. He’s the guy who conquered the Incas and tore down all their buildings and brought Catholicism to Peru. We kept touring and touring this BORING church and I was mad that I wasted the dollar it cost to get in, but then they brought us into the basement.
There were catacombs down there. The ceilings were low, there were too many people down there and I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. Not to mention that there were millions of dead people bones around just laying in bins. Leg bones in this bin, arm bones in this bin, skulls in this bin. It was gross, but the dead people didn’t bother me. It was the 5.5 foot ceilings and the closeness of everybody and the claustrophobia. I was happy to get out of there.
We walked some more and then cabbed back to the hotel but this time it only cost 7 soles, $2 US. And we all crammed into the back seat. I sat on Leif’s lap and felt very fat.
P.S. if you ever wondered what happened to Abercrombie clothes after they don’t sell at the store, the outlet, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, wonder no more. They get sold in Lima at a store called Quinta’s for $3 per shirt. I didn’t buy anything there though because I didn’t feel like digging through piles and piles of clothes.
Then we ate at a place called Norky’s and they brought out my dinner and on the plate was tripe. Cows intestines. Yuck. Also there was beef heart. I just ate the French fries and chicken. Then we went to a movie called Godsend and it was stupid but it really scared me. I was so scared even last night from the stupid movie that I layed awake in bed until 3:30am, terrified. I tried holding onto Willie’s tail for comfort, but it didn’t work.
(Willie is my cat).
After that we just shopped more and ate dinner and left for the airport at 10:30.
We got to Dallas and our flight was cancelled so we walked around trying to get help and I lost my sweatshirt. We flew standby on Northwest and got home at 5pm Saturday.
So anyways, that is my trip. I had a great time. Love Kady