This morning Kay and I reached Lima, Peru. We came the long way from Seattle via New York with American Airlines. Though this was a long detour it was by far the cheapest alternative at this time. We made the most of it by extending the NY transit to 5 hours, and jumping downtown for a great dinner at a nice restaurant. Took some pictures to prove that we actually did it. The journey from NY to Lima was uneventful.
When we arrived at 6:30am at the international airport we picked up our bags, and took an "official" taxi to our hotel (an outrageous US$27). We had been warned to not pick a taxi from the stand or off the road, but to engage one of the companies with booths in the main arrival hall.
Since we arrive to our hotel (Sheraton Lima) well before check in time, we had to add $20 (yes US dollars) to get an early checkin. Which was needed to take a shower and get a couple of hours of sleep.
The rest of the day we have spent doing a sightseeing tour of Lima, to get our bearings and to better understand the city. It was very educational, in particular visiting the Monastery of Saint Francis (Monasterio de San Francisco) with its underground bone-filled crypts (called the Catacombs). There is also a fantastic library with books dating back to the early colonization. On the last, I find it hard to believe that such antique books are stored without any protection against pollution and humidity as these are. Photography wasnt allowed in the Monastery…
We end the day early, exhausted but happy.
Check out http://hakansoderbom.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!26238E197BFD0B01!408 for some select pictures!