City Tour

Saturday we went on a tour of Lima. We went to a nice little park that had a whole bunch of olive trees. Apparently Spanish conquistadors brought 20 or so trees to Lima. Over the ensuing 400 years they have grown to over 3000 trees. After that we stopped by what looked like a big pile of mud bricks. This a big Inca pyramid that people have been digging up for a long time. What is really surprising just how many bricks there are. But the pyramid wasn't a burial pyramid like the Egyptians, it was more like a platform. At the top there were huts. So you could say it was just a big pile of dirt. Impressive. After that we drove around and say a bunch of old Spanish government buildings in San Isidro. The Palace of Justice was big and fancy looking. The tour guide said something about the tallest building in Lima is an apartment complex and that there was something significant about the Sheraton here too. Eventually we found our way to the center of Lima and Peruvian government. The yellow building of the city government and the big royal palace of the president. Interestingly, the president doesn't live in the royal palace. Imagine if Obama lived in a big mansion in Martha's Vineyard or some place where the super rich live.

The hardest part to get used to is all of the police walking around with loaded AK-47s and riot shields. The general impression is that if these guys left, the city would slowly turn into anarchy. Back in the 1980s, the country was struggling with gang warfare and subversive groups trying to over throw the government. The president at the time (a Japanese born man) basically gave the police free reign to root out the problem. A lot the buildings reflect these times. Wealthy people have tall walls with barb wire or electric fences on top. The really wealthy have guards and the neighborhoods close their gates at night. Yet most Peruvians think Americans are running around with guns shooting the heck out of everyone. Strange.

At night we went to the Magical Water Circus. It is 13 water fountains. In the center of the park is a huge fountain that they do a Pink Floyd-esque laser light show. The fountain mists water into the air and green lasers do different shapes or show video scenes. Definitely the highlight of the trip so far.

Next post will be about the church.