DAY #2, Entry #4 - Afternoon journey

Wow, what a day. I am having a wonderful time. After my last post, I set off to find a couple of specific things, namely the Iglesia de San Francisco. Under this church, which was built in the late 1600's, are the graves of nearly 25,000 people. Their bones have been arranged and displayed in catacombs to celebrate their death.

I'll start with good news. I have located a McDonalds, so the chances of me shrivling away to nothing are slim to none :) You can rest easy now.

Along the way, I also discovered the Plaza San Martin and the Plaza de Armas. Both were beautiful and filled with people. Across from the Plaza San Martin, I discovered my hotel for tomorrow night! It is a beautiful looking hotel, and located right in the middle of the action. I love it, and I can't wait! Tomorrow after checkout, I will make the 5 block walk to the new hotel and enjoy my new surroundings.

The shopping center I passed through, lining the block on each side, must have been 14 blocks long and had a shoe store every 40 feet. The people on the street are wonderful, and only a few have pestered me with literature or inappropriate stuff (and they do perster). Panhandlers are few and far between, even though you can tell that much of this city sits in and is surrounded by extreme poor.

Upon arriving at the San Francisco, I toured the church as I had done about 4 other times today (once during mass). The church was beautiful, and the displays in the halls surrounding it depicted many awe inspiring scenes. Next door was the entrance to the catacombs, so I decided to go in. I paid the 5 soles, which I assumed was an entrance fee. It turns out, this was the price of the tour, so I was the one and only participant in the English tour for the hour (possibly the week). The tour was great, the guide was decent with english, the sights were amazing given how old they were, but no pictures were allowed. I will have to do some follow-up and learn more about some specific dates and events. I thought the emaculate conception was when Jesus was concieved, but they celebrate that on December 8th and that would mean Jesus was in the womb for 12 plus months. Is that true? They also had beautiful paintings, one room filled with paintings of each of the apostles and an item that represented them (cross, bible, knife, etc.). Another wall was painted with the Peruvian version of the last supper, including children, guinea pigs, and the devil. The tour was worthwhile!

I have taken note that the majority of people in Peru, who I assume are native Peruvians, are fairly short. It is very seldom that I have seen anyone near my hiegth, which makes taking pictures very easy.

I am going to grab some dinner now, a sandwhich downstairs. I might venture out again this evening to sit in the park near my hotel. Although I am sure there is crime here like there is in any big city, and I will take the appropriate precautions, the people have all been very welcoming. One boy in a shoe shop I stopped in must not have seen white people very much because he stared at me the entire time I was there. I stared right back. Just kidding, I smiled at him and he smiled back. :)