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It has only been six day since we have arrived in Peru, but it seems like 3 weeks. Each day has gone by slowly and has been very busy. Time to blog has been a challenge and access to a computer has been complicated. Ill start from day 1.

Wednesday: Arrival in Peru´s Lima airport inside the municpiality of Callao in the late afternoon of Wednesday April 28th. Our group of 6 students pilled into a van piloted by our efficent driver, Enrique. The short, polite and helpful driver loaded our baggage int the 10 passanger van and drove us safely to our hotel in Miraflores. Safely in the van, Enrique comforted and entertained his passegers by alternating music genres as they snapped pictures of thier new environment from the windows of the vans. Lima´s streets were bustling and its climate mild and humid. I found the city under etenral constrcution, its infastructure, a strong contrast to that of Southern california and every glance from the van was view at a construction site or a dilapitated edifice. Cameras were out to document the the sites. From the busy streets surrounding the airport, Enrique changed our route away from the city and to a highway along coast. This route was much more pleasant and the Pacific Ocean now had the attention of the passengers, although some hilariously confused its expanisve and deep blue presence for a lake. <The coastline was also under construction, where federal construction projects were expanding and improving the coastline infastructure, but with more opulence compared to that of Callao. Miraflores is the upscale muncipipality of Lima. Hotels, high rises, modern apratment condominiums and parking structures accumulated. The concrete structures, glass, cars, small sidewalks and streets reminded me of Argentina and I began to realize I t hat i was in south america. We arrived at the Hotel Señoral, a large colonial style house that expanded to a large three story 50+ room Hotel. Enrique helped us with our luggage and open the two large glass doors that lead to the small reception room where we would check in. Luggages and bodies filled this area and poured into adjacent rooms. Soon, the friendly faces appeared and we were checked in to our spacious rooms. The Hotel Señoral prooved to be a labyrinth of coridors and doorways modestly furnished with colonial furniture and native designs, decorations aromas.

At this pace, I can probably write a novel, so the rest of the day ended went like this. We went unpacked met and the lobby and left for dinner. We walked up a main street in Lima which was modern and well lighted. Banks fast foods, shopping malls and casinos´s from side to side. A sangucheria was the choice for dinner. Un snaguche y un jugo natural fue el almuerzo. Comimos sanguches autenticos de Peru entre Peruanos sordos mudos y algun otro fanatico de ajedrez hostile. Pansa llena corazon contento, pero la noche no termino asi ni ahi. Cruzamos la plaza llena de luces y vida para consumir unas bebidas y tragos en un bar sobre la Avenida Jose Larco. Entere tragos, cervezas, maize cocinado al horno, y pancitos saborisados se termino de llenar el estomago y ya no sabiamos si el corazon estaba contento pero quizas el alcohol en el cerebro y el calor humano de nuestro grupo calento alo mas que el corazon. Estabamos en Peru y nuestra aventura empesaba esa noche. Cunado los platos y las copas se vaciaron, y me canse de esforzar el cuerpo contrar el cansacnio acumulado, parti al cuarto. Seran unas dos millas que nos separaban pero fue un tramo agradable. Era de noche pero la ventana abierta de la habitacion dejo que se infiltre el ruido de la ciudad. Para mi, una noche tranquila aunque pasaron dos motos policiales y cada auto que pasaba le adivinaba las cilindradas y su velocidad. Julian durmio mal pero esta primera ruidosa y agotadora noche en Peru fue linda.