Surprise - Doc and I Are in Lima!
I can hardly believe we're here, or that we took off from London like that - at the drop of a hat, in the middle of shooting Barry! Not that our presence is all that important at the moment - Marleen spends more time ranting and raving than shooting, and I think not seeing us about for a bit might improve her disposition - at least I hope so....
Doc and I arrived in Lima this morning - after our twelve hour flight! - and the sun was just beginning to come up as the plane began its descent - but it was hard to see the city we were approaching, shrouded as it was in its usual misty coastal fog and pollution.... Still, I found myself clutching Doc's hand in excitement at actually being here, and being able to see it with him...
Once we managed to leave the airport - and I still don't understand the strange looks we received from the officials there, just because we had no luggage - I think they made Doc undergo every strip search they could think of, and a few more besides! But he took it all in good stride, which only left them even more confused, I think... especially when he asked one of the guards if he could wear his hat..... chuckles
The first thing one notices as one enters the city is there an incredible amount of poor people here - I am afraid that poverty seems to be rampant - but the people themselves are very nice, and pleasant.... they have made us feel quite welcome..... My multilinguicity is certainly coming in handy, for we have no problems in communicating with them....
The weather at the moment is a pleasant 63 degrees, albeit overcast. The people we talked to are still talking about last Sunday's match of the South American World Cup, in which Peru drew 0-0 with Venezuela - lot of arguing about that match, I must say, and a few choice words for Venezuelan soccer star Angelucci....
I think we will stay here for today, look around a bit, and decide our plan of attack - but we definitely cannot leave without popping into the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in the Plaza Bolivar - they are said to have a superb collection of pottery and textiles which I am dying to see, the plaza of course being named after the country's national hero, Simon Bolivar - but of course everyone knows about him. Doc said something about visiting the Museum of the Inquisition, where supposedly generations of alleged heretics were tortured and tied. Sounds fascinating...
Just a new notes of general interest concerning Peru, for those who are not familiar with it:
< In area, it is slightly smaller than the state of Alaska
< The terrain of Peru ranges from the western coastal plain to the rugged Andes in the center of the country to the lowland jungles of the Amazon basin
< Natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides and mild volcanic activity
< Current environmental issues include deforestation, overgrazing of the slopes, desertification, air pollution in Lima and pollution of the rivers and coastal waters from munipal and mining wastes
< 90% of the people are Roman Catholic
< Spanish and Quechua are the offical languages
< 90% of the population is literate
looks up at Doc, smiling, watching as he plays with the small child of one of the local women with whom they have been speaking, before she began her update on her laptop, playing peekaboo with her - a game that is apparently universal - and making the toddler squeal with laughter.
More later, but for now am just going to enjoy Peru and these lovely people..... and Doc.......
Doc and I arrived in Lima this morning - after our twelve hour flight! - and the sun was just beginning to come up as the plane began its descent - but it was hard to see the city we were approaching, shrouded as it was in its usual misty coastal fog and pollution.... Still, I found myself clutching Doc's hand in excitement at actually being here, and being able to see it with him...
Once we managed to leave the airport - and I still don't understand the strange looks we received from the officials there, just because we had no luggage - I think they made Doc undergo every strip search they could think of, and a few more besides! But he took it all in good stride, which only left them even more confused, I think... especially when he asked one of the guards if he could wear his hat..... chuckles
The first thing one notices as one enters the city is there an incredible amount of poor people here - I am afraid that poverty seems to be rampant - but the people themselves are very nice, and pleasant.... they have made us feel quite welcome..... My multilinguicity is certainly coming in handy, for we have no problems in communicating with them....
The weather at the moment is a pleasant 63 degrees, albeit overcast. The people we talked to are still talking about last Sunday's match of the South American World Cup, in which Peru drew 0-0 with Venezuela - lot of arguing about that match, I must say, and a few choice words for Venezuelan soccer star Angelucci....
I think we will stay here for today, look around a bit, and decide our plan of attack - but we definitely cannot leave without popping into the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in the Plaza Bolivar - they are said to have a superb collection of pottery and textiles which I am dying to see, the plaza of course being named after the country's national hero, Simon Bolivar - but of course everyone knows about him. Doc said something about visiting the Museum of the Inquisition, where supposedly generations of alleged heretics were tortured and tied. Sounds fascinating...
Just a new notes of general interest concerning Peru, for those who are not familiar with it:
< In area, it is slightly smaller than the state of Alaska
< The terrain of Peru ranges from the western coastal plain to the rugged Andes in the center of the country to the lowland jungles of the Amazon basin
< Natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides and mild volcanic activity
< Current environmental issues include deforestation, overgrazing of the slopes, desertification, air pollution in Lima and pollution of the rivers and coastal waters from munipal and mining wastes
< 90% of the people are Roman Catholic
< Spanish and Quechua are the offical languages
< 90% of the population is literate
looks up at Doc, smiling, watching as he plays with the small child of one of the local women with whom they have been speaking, before she began her update on her laptop, playing peekaboo with her - a game that is apparently universal - and making the toddler squeal with laughter.
More later, but for now am just going to enjoy Peru and these lovely people..... and Doc.......