Lima is a city that gets a pretty bad rap from the guide books and other travelers due to pollution, crime, and other problems you find anywhere in a city with over 8 million people. Over one third of the country lives just in this city! For me, it is more of an undiscovered jewel that I actually find quite pleasant. The historic center plaza, Plaza Mayor, is probably the most beautiful and interesting I've seen so far... and considering that every single central and south american city has one and I've seen a lot of them... that's quite a compliment.

So I've celebrated another birthday and Thanksgiving on the road and I'm still working in the hostel in exchange for a free bed and a lunch each afternoon and I am saving a small fortune compared to the paying customers . It's actually kinda fun and I get to meet everybody that comes through. Some come for only a day...others just think they will stay for a day... until one of my co-workers and I take them out, introduce them to some of the local girls, party all night, etc etc... they end up staying for a lot longer. This pleases the hostel owner, of course, as we suck more money out of them than they expected to budget for Lima. In the end, everyone leaves pretty damn happy from here.

I am looking forward to my first visitor.. one of my old college roommates is coming down for a three week vacation in mid December. Three weeks???? this is a blink to me... we will have to move fast, which I am not used to doing. Regardless, I'm sure we will have a great time and I hope to introduce him not just to taking a trip but a totally different lifestyle... one that most Americans will never know.

I am posting a LOT of pictures here. Many will have their own stories within the photo. With so much activity here, I've met a lot of people and had a lot of fun. Check em out.......