Buenos Dias, Lima!

I didn't sleep well last night at all! Maybe an hour at max! I was pretty weirded out by the window in my bathroom that leads into the hallway. I'm sure someone could climb through it if they really wanted to. I felt itchy all night, there were a ton of strange noises, and my lights flickered all night despite the switch being turned OFF! The fridge sounded like it was self mutilating or something horrific and I could hear every breath the people in the room beside me took. I definitely slept with my Leatherman in hand! Despite my lack of sleep, I couldn't waste my first day in Lima. True to his word, Tom met me in the lobby of my hotel bright and early. He showed me around the gorgeous coast of Miraflores and then treated me to lunch and a local beer, Cusequena. It was so odd to see Christmas decorations and hear Christmas carols blasting while in a warm climate. It almost felt like someone had just forgotten to take down the decorations from last year and it wasn't actually Christmas time at all! Anyway, we walked through their gorgeous coastal mall, Larcomar, and on up to their main plaza. The park was filled with the smallest, cutest cats ever! I soooo wanted to take one (or two... ok actually three!) back to the hotel with me, but just like the monkeys in Costa Rica, I did my best to restrain myself. Anyway, Tom and I parted ways at the park- he to return to work and I to explore. It was nice to have someone who is culturally similar to me and who speaks the same language to show me around, but it also meant that I spent most of my first day and a half speaking solely English. That being said, I'm glad I met him! After we parted ways, I plopped down into a cozy chair in the local Starbucks (yes, it's true, I can find one wherever I am in the world! It's like a magnetic force!) to grab a water and some wifi. After catching up with my family, I grabbed a quick dinner, did some people watching, and settled in for an early night.

Overall, I'm enchanted with Peru. Lima seems to be very big city-esque with a melody of beeps and chirps (the taxi drivers beep at you to see if you want a ride- it scares the crap out of me every time!), fabulous smelling men (they smell like the Abercrombie stores! Yum!), and a whole new level of PDA. It's basically a Spanish speaking Toronto! Tomorrow, I'm hoping to visit some local ruins and make the most of my last day in Lima before heading to the great unknown- Talara!