Lima

We got to bed about 2:30 this morning with a promise from Martín, our driver, that he would be here pronto at 9:30 to take us on a tour of Lima. But as we nodded off, we wondered, Was that hora americana, when the clock says 9:30, or hora latina, when the clock says, oh, 10:00 or something else?

Body time got us up in time for a relaxed and tasty breakfast with our hostess, Fulvia.

We finished breakfast at 9:30 hora latina, but Martín had arrived at hora americana, so we were somewhat chagrined, but he assured us that everything was fine, and off we went to tour Lima.

The first stop was to pick up our guide, Minina, who is actually an Argentine of Italian extraction (whose name is actually her Portuguese nickname).

The rivers coming down from the mountains have been tapped to make so many green areas that the locals speak of “micro climates” within the city, where in some places the amount of rain has actually increased over the years.

Ten years ago, 20% of Peruvians identified themselves as Evangelicals, and Martín tells us the church has been growing since then. But there is still much to do in the way of getting the word out to the population as a whole.

Traffic is so bad that taxi drivers can read the paper on the meter without costing their customers an extra cent.

Minina wanted to show off her favorite Italian caffè, so off we went to . . . . Papua New Guinea? Yup, coffee and Bougainvillea plants outside the door.

We ended the tour at the Indian Market. The ladies had a great time spending money. I had a great time not spending money.

Tomorrow we fly to Ayacucho. Time for good little boys, and even me, to head for bed.