After an OK night it was up and at 'em this morning for a half day tour of Lima. We got picked up at 9am so I was expecting to be back by lunch time. The traffic was terrible so I think we must have got to the 1st place late. It was a museum of mainly pre-inca artifacts. Here's what I learned:
- When they died the body got folded up and wrapped up with their personal possessions in each layer
.
- If an important person died all their associates were sacrificed
- They whipped themselves into a drug induced frenzy using an extract from a cactus before a human sacrifice took place
- They bound their heads from a young age to change the shape of their skulls
- They preserved their textiles using a combination of salt, vinegar and urine
- They carried out brain surgery - using the cactus gear as an anaesthetic. They patched up the skull with metal and if the hair didn't grow back you got a wig made of Guinea pig hair
- Incas were warriors and loved a bit of gold for their sun worshipping
After that it was off for a bit of Catholic culture. This involved a trip to the Church of San Francisco. All pretty standard until we got to the catacombs. Millions of bones - and I do mean millions - all sorted out into types. So femurs in one bit, skulks in another etc. The skulls were in a pit about 3 metres wide and we were told it was 10 metres deep
. We only saw one but tgere are another 9 just like it. That's a lot of skulls. No photos allowed but I have to say I wouldn't have taken any. It was the stuff of nightmares.
Back in the day light it was off again to see a bit more of Lima. By now it was passed 2pm and I was hungry and thirsty. I was not alone in this. The guide offered to drop us at a shopping centre. Err... No. I'm in bloody Peru with the Pacific Ocean on the doorstep I certainly do not want some fast food nonsense from a food court. I got back to the hotel and was soon off to the sea. By now (3.30pm) I was ready to eat a Guinea pig sandwich but instead I went for fish - ceviche to be precise. A Latin American speciality. It's raw fish soaked in lemon juice, garlic, chili and salt. Corrr ... It was gorgeous. Made even better by the glass if white wine I had with it.
After that it was time for a visit to the supermarket. I'm not a fan of supermarkets at home but abroad - I can't get enough of them. I am fascinated by the weird stuff you can get in foreign supermarkets. I know it's strange but it makes me happy.
Tomorrow I'm off to Cusco. There's a 5.30am wake up call, flying out at 9.45am. There's another half day tour there - afternoon this time. God knows what time that will finish if today was anything to go by!
Longest half day tour ever
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Lima, Lima Province, Peru
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