From the Mountains to the Jungle

My legs still sore from the hike, I decided it was time to get moving. I saw what I wanted to see in Huaraz, and there is a lot more to do here. So, off to a fun 8 hour bus ride to Lima- then to catch a flight to Iquitos. Incidently, the largest city in the world that can not be reached by road.

I stayed the night in Lima in order to catch a flight the next day. I ended up getting some really cool pictures of the plaza de armas in central Lima, which happen to look really cool at night. Hopefully I will get those posted up soon.

Also, the next morning....to keep myself occupied, I visited some catacombs in the basement of an old church, also right on the plaza of central Lima. Anyone, who knew the house at 24 E. Stewart rd. in Columbia.....this room was like a maze of underground crematories, with the same type of foundation and molding as the house in Columbia....and that same very creepy feeling. You would easily get lost in the maze of tunnels if it were not for the guide. So, picture a dark, musty, bricks and morter maze, with 4-5 ft ceiling heights....only because that is when they stopped piling in bodies. So, yes, you are walking over really old dead bodies, and there are bones everywhere! Complete with skulls. Only the strong bones surived, becuase they actually put some type of limestone mixture over each body to speed up the decompisition. Appartantly it was a popular spot! They estimate that 25,000 people were barried there between around 1620 and 1820...when more tradition barial methods were put into place.

So, feeling nice and uplifted that I was still alive- I went to the airport, and easily navigated my way through. Lima is a big city, about 8 million people- but I swear I was the only one at the airport yesterday. Me and a few other gringos traveling through. The major airline here is LAN, and going to the tickett counter was wierd. It´s a little strange to me anyway that most everyone here looks alike. But, when they are all women, and all wearing the same uniform, it is a little psycadelic! I felt like they were some genetically engineered army from the future!

Finally, I have arrived in Iquitos. A town of about 400,000 people- it feels more like Brazil than it does Peru. I can already tell it is a little rough around the edges. If I were to take a wild guess, I would say that there are more drugs, and more crime here than the other cities I have visited thus far. Just the feeling I get. All you St. Louisans think you know about humidity....its definitly 100% here, I feel like I need a machety just to cut my way through the air when I walk down the street! Soon, I will head out to the jungle! (the whole reason everyone comes here) with the promise of seeing many really cool animals, and a hefty price tag to boot. Weather or not we actually see all those animals remains to be seen....but hopefully I´ll be wresteling alligators and anacondas soon.