Ugh! Our flight leaves at 3:15 am tomorrow morning!! This truly is an uncivilized time! So we made the most of the day by going to the Centro to see the sites. 

First stop top was the Cathedral in the Plaza Mayor, formerly called the Plaza de Armas. This is where Francisco Pizarro founded Lima. Many important buildings were built here and now form the historic city centre. These include the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishops Palace and the Town Hall. The Plaza has been the centre of many significant events such as the first bullfight, the Spanish Inquisition executions and the declaration of Peru's independence in 1821. The bronze fountain (which was undergoing maintenance when we were there) is the Plazas oldest feature. 

The Cathedral is magnificent. It was built in 1535 under the direction of Francisco Pizarro and had adobe walls and a straw roof. The work was delayed due to lack of funds and devastating earthquakes. It was finally reconstructed in 1758 but had to be rebuilt again after another earthquake in 1940. It has 10 amazing side chapels and 5 naves. The John the Baptist chapel has a carving of Jesus which is said to be the most beautiful in the Americas. The remains of Francisco Pizarro are in the chapel with the mosaics. The spectacular choir stalls, carved by Pedro Noguera, a famous Spanish sculptor, are also incredible. There were many beautiful pictures in the Museum as well. I've put a picture of one that particularly caught my eye as being a bit out of place. 

We had lunch at a restaurant that is run by a French order of nuns, called L'Eau Vive. All proceeds go to charity. It might have been the meal I enjoyed the most during the trip. 

We were told that the San Francisco complex was a must see so we made our way there to check it out. The building is a bright mustard yellow and consists of a church and a monastery, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. It also contains a library which has more than 20,000 books from the 15th century onwards. It is the second largest library in South America. Unfortunately, the books are in bad shape due to the humidity in Lima and there are no funds to restore them. The high alter was carved by a renowned Spanish architect, Presbitero Matias Maestro, in neo-classical style with a Mudejar ceiling. Of course, there are also some creepy catacombs used as a cemetery during the Colonial period where there are femur bones and skulls on display. The other bones have long disintegrated. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed anywhere in the building. In addition, there is a Peruvian Last Supper painting (dated 1656) featuring roasted Guinea pig with the Apostles drinking from Inca cups. There are also blue tiles in the cloister, from Seville, which date back to 1620. Ya, it was another "church" but It was facinating to take the tour. In it's day there were 300 monks who lived there. Now there are 35. It was sad that many areas were in disrepair due to lack of funds. It's a shame to see this happen. 

We decided we'd had enough of site seeing so we went back to the hotel to get ready for our 3:15am flight home. 
 
This trip has been an eye opening trip. Here are some things I've learned:

• Peru is the land of carbs. You have potatoes at pretty much every meal and sometimes rice too. They have over 3,600 varieties of potatoes and over 2,000 types of corn.   
• Peruvians are proud people who live simply and are family oriented.  They are immersed in their culture and are proud of their heritage. More people should be like them.   They celebrate their culture through art, music, dance, textiles, and are excited to talk about it. And they celebrate often!
• Peruvians are happy people. No-one seemed unhappy with their situation. They seem to be able to live fulfilling lives and be generous and welcoming to those around them, even foreigners.
• Peruvians are poor. I was forced to think about how much better the average living conditions of Canadians are in comparison. Poverty in Peru is most noticeable among indigenous people living in remote rural areas. In fact, the national rural poverty rate is over 50 percent, with 20 percent of people in the Andean region considered extremely poor. This was evident in the villages in the mountains we passed through; they looked almost abandoned, with people living in huts, little modern technology and often no electricity.
• Everything is cheap. A great meal with a nice bottle of wine averages less than $70 Canadian.
• People are desperate. Every time we would visit a notable tourist site, we were swarmed by locals selling knock-off goods, badly reproduced “Peruvian artifacts” and women dressed in traditional garb with llamas or lambs, trying to charge money to take a photo with them. It seemed all fun and games at first, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that these were the actions of desperate people. Clearly these individuals are in need, as they are making a mockery of their own culture in order to make a couple sols – usually just a dollar or less.
• People are helpful despite their poverty. I did not feel like I was lied to or cheated at any time on my trip. On the contrary, everyone I encountered was extremely willing to help me. From the hotel staff who gave me restaurant suggestions to the cab driver who we asked directions. We were met with incredible kindness from everyone.
• Peru has many flora & fauna.
• Most Peruvians are eco friendly.
• Peru has bad roads, crazy traffic & even crazier drivers. Driving in Peru should be added to a list that notes the most dangerous places to drive in the world. There are vague traffic regulations (no one pays attention to stop signs or traffic cops), and honking is a god given right that is used to indicate get out of the way, stop, I'm coming, you're an idiot etc. etc. You have to figure out which one they mean. There is no such thing as pedestrian's right of way.
• Peru has great food. We didn't have a bad meal the whole time we were there. This was a surprise.
• Incans were ingenious. You just have to go to Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins to come to this conclusion.
• Peruvians in general are short. At 5’8″, I tower over most people. But their stairs are tall.
• Tourism is huge. Without Machu Picchu as a destination, they'd be very poor.
• The colonial buildings here are incredible. The old churches, monasteries, government buildings, and restaurants are beautiful. It’s amazing to see all the detail they put into these old buildings.
• Be grateful for the things I take for granted - water, electricity, toilets, toilet paper, sanitation, air conditioning, heating & nice homes to name only a few things.  
• Air is important. High altitudes can do crazy things to your body - dryness, dizziness, appetite loss, headaches, dehydration, altitude sleep apnea.....
• Carpe diem (seize the moment). Flexibility is key. Things change and sometimes there just isn’t anything I can do about it.
• Stay positive. Positivity spreads and it’s much more enjoyable to be around people who shake off the bad stuff and focus on the good stuff. Negativity really makes you feel yucky, so why not make yourself feel good and focus on the great things your life has to offer you?
• Visit Peru; you won’t understand it until you experience it. 

This will be my last post. Thanks to everyone who followed me on my journey. And thanks to those of you who posted comments. It was nice to hear from you.
 
Peruvians never say goodbye. They say "See you later" or "See you soon" (whether in this life or the next) so....

See you soon.....