Lima, Peru

Well, we made it! I am officially in Lima, Peru. The flight was approximately 7 hours and 21 minutes and surprisingly my knees are feeling pretty good right now. (As opposed to how they felt after my 1 hour and 54 minute flight from Orlando last week!) It is quite different than I imagined it. Even at night it is beautiful. The airport is the most beautiful airport (and clean) I have ever seen. It is a very modern building with all glass architecture. The customs and baggage area run smoothly and efficiently. We met up with our tour guide, Edwin, from EF Tours directly outside and made our way to our tour bus. The buses here are amazing. Most of the vehicles here are Mercedes (even the buses) but there are also Toyotas, Kias, and Daewoos. After a bit of a drive, we arrived at our hotel which is approximately 5 minutes from the beaches along the Pacific Ocean. I am hoping we will have time to see it tomorrow before we head out to Cuzco Saturday morning. From the bus window I was surprised to see how much an impact the American culture is here. There are signs everywhere for our movies, including I Am Legend and National Treasure. There are KFC's, Papa John's, Pizza Hut's, and Burger Kings. But then you look around at the buildings and you see the strong influence of Spanish architecture. The Catholic faith is also prominent. There is a large lighted cross right at the edge where the ocean meets the land and crosses dominate much of the architectural elements on doors and gates. The hotel is quite nice. Downstairs in the lobby I had my first glance at Inca artifacts which are even more amazing than the pictures I poured over before leaving. The room is a little on the musty side, but it is much more impressive than some of the rooms I've had in the States as of recently. (Let's just say in America, I'd rather pop up a tent and lay out a sleeping bag.) Plus, you can't beat the free internet. It is 1:00 a.m. now and I have to be up by at least 7:00 a.m. to eat and meet the tour group. Until tomorrow, goodnight.

Me, just happy to be on the ground!