Lima
How many times have I told my kids not to talk to strangers? Do I follow my own advice? Obviously not……I became an “opfer” yesterday in peru – a car stopped and there were 3 people in it. An oldish lady and two men, one of which was the driver. They asked me if I had 2 ten Sole notes in exchange for a 20 (which is only about 5 or 6 euros). As the sun was shining and I’d read a lot on New Yorks acts of human kindness, I got my purse out and had a look but I didn’t have change. The woman saw I had a 100 sole note (ca. 30-35 euro) and asked if I would change it for 2 X 50 notes – which I did and then they drove off and I suddenly thought OMG they are false notes. Later when I go to pay in Starbucks they said “these are fake notes” – so I was conned – stupid blonde going on grey tourist 👵🏼😏
So then Dani and I go to a policeman (at the risk of getting arrested again – this time for money laundering) and show him the money and the security guy standing next to him sniffed the notes and said “yip fake notes) and the policeman said I now have 2 nice souvenirs 😂😂😂😂
Now last night as my brain and I were fighting about getting to sleep, my brain said “if that guy can smell fake notes, surely the sniffer dogs at the airport will smell them too!!”. I said to my brain, “go to sleep” meanwhile conjuring images of being arrested at Lima airport for money laundering……
This travelling business does not get easier……
Barranco
Barranco is one of 43 districts in Lima, Peru.
The district is considered to be the city’s most romantic and bohemian, being the home and working place of many of Peru’s leading artists, musicians, designers and photographers. Barranco’s beaches are among the most popular within the worldwide surfing community.
There are many houses in the colonial and Republican style (called “casonas”), flower-filled parks and streets, and appealing beachfront areas.
The Museo Pedro de Osma, which hosts one of the best collections of colonial art and is a superbly maintained late 19th century building. We were fortunate that the Italian Fashion designers were hosting a temporary collection of retro creations – amazing 😄
Images of the coast
Cuzco
The day we arrived was festival day – a packed out town….
Pay these women and you can take a photo….the more you pay,the more they smile – I obviously didn’t pay enough 😬
More on Cuzco later…..
Inca Trail
We move to a hostel today to start the Inca Trail tomorrow. Due to time limitations we cannot do the whole walking trail and will proceed at first by train – YIPEEEEE
I was reading some really some really interesting “stuff” in our lovely B&B last night and I loved the way it was written and therefore I have condensed it and changed it so as not to get arrested for plagiarism. (along with my other potential situations for getting arrested!!).
All civilizations on Earth try to explain the world surrounding them, as well as the mysteries of the cosmos and nature. The great civilizations like the Greek, Hindu and Chinese have the same search for the divine, but with particular interpretation of their specific reality about the heavenly and the worldly issues. The mystery of the mountains was an important element to such search in the Andean view of the world.
Almost all people from the Peruvian community’s have a mountain considered as their Apus, their sacred being. Ceremonies and sacrifices were commonplace.
Today there are less people living around the mountains. Only old shepherds remain in the high Andean plateaus, youngsters migrated or share globalized cultural models through modern communication system.
More on the Inca trial to follow….