Lima... 2. Day

Hello and here we are again, after a night in my Hotel there was a breakfast I really liked but to soon comes one of the waiter to give me a paper with questions about the breakfast... well I do answer those question always, but I had just began to eat... that did not delight my day much, but otherwise... The walk through San Isidro and Miraflores could start.... Both are part of the same District, and it's really a good place where my hotel stands, right to me there is the old olive grove and behind a shopping street. The Olive grove is very long and is in San Isidro. Since 1959 this park is under conservation. Antonio de Rivera, a former mayor of Lima invited the olive 1560. It is said that just three of the many plants he put on this place survived. 1730 there was already 2000 olive trees on this place... Today it is said, there are about 1500 trees and many of them are hundreds of years old. Of course there are a lot of birds to find and it's a famous place for weeding pictures, and a park to take a walk in fresh air and it's a quiet place.

Well my walk was just like my feet took me. I did not plan anything and just wanted to see as much as I could from the live of people in Lima and the architecture, to see the people who work and to smell the air- well it stinks... smog.. big big smog...
So I was talkin' to strangers, like a security man who really was nice and to woman in stores like we have here to.. Those little stores/ shops, where you can find everything you need.. o.k. next to everything. After seeing the part with poor living... here in Miraflores is really the better part and the more successfully living. And guess what... remember what I wrote about the flight to here, when I saw down to the earth? Sweden...yes.. while I was walkin' between the shopping street and the olive grove I suddenly stood in front of the swedish consulate- general! Is this a sign? Far far away and here I stood next to my second home... Jesus!

Guanahani street

But if you think you could shop much in the morning...No no no... they start very late, like it used to be on southern countries... the same in Spain, Italy or ..just name it... shopping is better after siesta... also, after three or four o' clock. So I went up and down the streets, was in the church of Santa Maria, which closed exact 12.00 o'clock, like they do here everywhere..so attention dear Tourist... wanna see a church from the inside, go inside before it is 12:00 and lunch time!

You know, away from it's traditional background, people here are catholic. So Maria and Jesus have a big part in the live here, but the Pope in Rome is not so important... the people here listen more to bishops of Peru. The pic by the way shows the view from the top of my hotel and the church St. Maria.

On the top of the hotel we had also a swimming Pool but because the weather and the environment I decided not to go in... No idea to swim.
As a blond haired man, it is absolutely clear that no one things I am from Peru, but sometimes they think I am from USA or England... but maybe because I smile next to all the time, people on the street used to greet me, say hello...
The peruvian are mostly not very tall... So it's obviously that I am a tourist. An other thing you see is, the better job they have the bigger they grow and the more they seem to take care of hair and teeth and modern clothes. Otherwise they wear the traditional cloths and do any kind of work, from selling food to newspapers, to fruits on little cars, selling self made things you can wear or eat.
Lookin' at the cars who makes the air really unfresh... you see all, from new, to old, very old, Mercedes, VW, Volvo and also beetle, the old once... Cars you cannot really drive, but they do... You wonder how... But when you want to drive a taxi... their are so many... official they have three different classes. The cheap in which you will not really like to drive as a tourist, cos these cars are falling apart, then the middle class, which is the one you should take- but be sure to call them fro a hotel or airport- because there're a lot of illegal taxis- and then we have the luxury version... expensive, with leather and air condition... Aren't they no busses? Oh yes there are but oh so small, fast and different to catch, old and new and I did not get it how to pay, only that they stop everywhere if needed... full of people are they, that is not to oversee.... Jumping in and out of those busses... Well this is my first time, I decided not to try.. next time maybe with a little Spain in my luggage. Yes spanish lesson is a very big advantage! Learn it before you come here! Your guide may speak german or english, but the most will not be that good and if you want to take some steps of your own.. you better speak spanish.
But one thing I must absolutely confess.... after all this writing of dirt... the streets are very clean... it's so clean! Everywhere you are... no matter rich, middle class or poor area...part of the town.. it's clean. That is a good thing in a town which has about 8,5 mill to 10 mill. people living inside...No one really knows the true number, but it never felt to big for me...

view on my hotel from the side... 

view from the top of my hotel on the olive grove and behind

And after I took a break at lunchtime I took a walk to... the Pacific Ocean... How could a man not want to walk to the beach! I went to west and past churches, parks, houses and a lot of little stores to finally see water, surfer, waves, to smell the salty air and feel the wind breeze...

church on the Av. Santa Cruz

Park Blume

So I went about an half hour from my hotel to come to see green and blue.. and my favorite flower growing on the cliffs next to the beach... and then of course I had to take the stairs down- which do not have nowhere an banister, which makes it a bit of an adventure, but maybe just for us in old Europe. ;-)
I was so happy that when I went down the stairs and saw the beach... I had to laugh... not because I was soooo happy, it was because some kids did some things... like kids sometimes do... cld be teenager too who've done this but to see a big penis down there was like: " Don't take it too seriously!"

morning star- my favorite flower

Highway and tsunami escape routes

..... and here it comes.... the big fella ;-)

What now then? Sitting on the stones and saying hello to Japan?!
Well, like this exactly and a walk on the beach and then back up the stairs into the town, to the hotel...
Walkin' along the shopping street Av. Conquistadores, but did not buy anything, just little food and water and tea on a little shop for everything... On the beach they have made big walking areas and also with irrigation, they planed flowers, grass and trees... cos like I said before.. it nearly never really rains so it is enough for the flowers, plants and trees... just raindrops... and a lot of fog... 

keeping or makin' a wave?

flowerbeds are made like the pics of Nazca

Back in the hotel I had Indiana Jones in Mexico.... accident? No! But nice...smile...:-)
The room service is very nice here, because she disturbed me at lunchtime, she came back and gave me a chocolate. To be true, I had no problem with getting disturbed. She just wanted to do her job... And what I never had before, there is a bell on the door from my room.. this is really luxury.. or? But I had to pack my things myself. 
Oh and for all the smokers in the world... smokin' is forbidden in the hotels... The law number 28705 says that every hotel had to be smoke free. So if you smoke inside then you gotta pay a minimum of 200,- Dollars to the hotel extra, so they can rearrange the room to non smokin'.
Otherwise... I did not see much people smokin' at all and in the stores I even did not see much cigarettes. 
At least, I dedicate this blog to my friends in Sweden.. I may be far away, but I think of you... Love.. 

LOVE & LIGHT