American chain restaurants in Lima

¡Buenos Noches mis amigos! It is the end of my second day in Peru and I feel like I have been here a week already. Yesterday morning I took a tour of the San Franciso Monestary. My tour was in Spanish and I have could only understand about an tenth of the guide was saying. A lot of things were very significant and important, a couple were very, very, very important. For about the first 15 minutes I tried to figure out what my guide was saying, but I got a headache trying to translate in my head. The Monestary was founded in the 17th century (if I understood correctly). There was tons of gorgeous tile covering the walls, they looked like they were handpainted and very old. There is a library with 25,000 (or was it 2500) books with all subjects and several languages - I understood that much- only the boring stuff, when everyone laughed at something she said, I didn´t because I had no idea what she said. So underneath the monestary are catacombs, which apparently were the first cemetary in Lima. The bones were arranged in interesting posistions in circles at the bottom of several things that looked like wells. I saw more arm and leg bones than anything else, I guess they lost their heads somewhere else.

Afterwards I toured the Museo de Nation which is supposed to have this great collection of pre-Inca pottery an artifacts and it is supposed to take hours to tour - I was done in 45 minutes. So I took a walk along the beach and came across one of the malls. It was actually cool, because it sat on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and was partly outdoors and partly indoors. To my surprise they had not only a Tony Romas there, but also a Hooters! Hooters in Peru. I was amused and had to peek in to seek if they dressed the same - they do.

This morning I woke up early hoping to catch the first bus to Pisco, and missed it, so I waited around the bus terminal for 4 hours for the next one - I knew I forgot to bring something - a book. I was hoping for a rickity bus for me to throw my pack on top and sit next to an 80 year old woman and her chickens - nope. Those days are long gone. Peru now had luxery buses that rival airlines. Double decker buses with reclining first class seats, a movie in English plus a bus attendant. We were served lunch! The fact that it was one piece of mystery meat and 1 piece of lettuce on bread doesn´t matter, it was lunch on a bus. Very impressive.

The PanAmerican highway runs along the coast of Peru and passes some beautifu views of the ocean. There were these huts along some of the path that reminded me of ice fishing shacks, but no ice. They did not look liked people lived in them, who knows.

I arrive in Pisco which is about 300 km south of Lima and my hostel here is amazing! I splurged and am spending a little more for my room, since I didn´t have to get lunch. I will try to post pictures of this place, I have a private room with bath and a double bed. There is a lot of pottery and wood furnishings - lots of character and rustic.

I have booked a tour to the Isles Ballistas tomorrow - otherwise known as the poor man gallapagos. Then tomorrow night I am off to Nazca to see the desert lines.

So far, my trip has been boring, I will not lie. I have decided to do some more trekking when I get to Ariquepa in a couple of days so hopefully it will be exciting.