Lima–2014 January 12

I headed to the downtown area today. I took the Metropolitano, which is a bus line that has its own dedicated lane. Here are some views on the way from the central station stop.

Gray building with spires Long view of park Monument to soldiers; has man on horseback Long view down shopping area Ornate front of catholic church Detail of church sculptures Pink building with rounded corner flower and vine mosaic over an archway Long view of top part of pink church

I passed by a couple of churches, and at both of them, there was a band that played music as people carried some sort of massive—well, I don’t have a name for it—into the church. At the second church, the band was playing, and I swear I am not making this up, “Over the Rainbow.” How this is appropriate for church, I have no idea. It’s a mystery, and not just in the Catholic Church sense of the word.

Colorfully painted drum Ornate statue with floral display being carried in a procession.

On my way to the Plaza Mayor, I saw a procession of people in fancy Peruvian costumes. All the men were wearing masks; the women weren’t.

Masked man in traditional peruvian costume Men in Peruvian dress and masks Man in mask; hat has peacock feathers in it. Women in traditional Peruvian costume. Man carrying large stringed instrument with wooden cone-shaped base Woman in traditional Peruvian costume with purple skirt

Here are some scenes from around the Plaza Mayor.

Art showing a family with small children and a baby Stone sculpture in foreground; yellow building in background Gray building with arch and winged figures at either side Building with cupola Flowers of different colors in Plaza Mayor gray stone church in Plaza Mayor Fountain with winged female figure atop

I stopped for lunch at a place called “Cordon Blue” (yes, I know it’s misspelled, but that’s what the sign read) and had ceviche for the first time ever. The taste was absolutely magical. In the following picture, the bowl at the back has roasted corn kernels in it. They were pretty good too. The meal had chicken with rice for the second course, but I didn’t take a picture of that.

Plate with ceviche and sweet potato

After lunch, I started walking back to downtown.

Blue church towers mural on side of church of people blue building with gold columns Park with statue Blue scrollwork around window Bust of some dude with short hair Statue of Peruvian man Moorish design on front of building Reliefwork of scientists at work

I didn’t make it on foot all the way back (10 km / 6 miles); about a third of the way there I took one of the local buses. They cost S/.1.50 for a ride (US$0.50), and it's a sort of informal affair where the cobrador (an employee of the bus company) leans out the door at every stop and calls out the names of the destinations and urges people to get on board. The bus I was on seems to have been a hand-me-down from South Korea, as evidenced by the lettering on the door and on some warning stickers.

Bus door with Korean lettering

I got back to the area of the hotel, saw this sculpture of a lion, and proceeded through Parque Kennedy, where I saw the feral cats again. I have several pictures of them; this one is particuarly postcard-worthy. The adopt-a-cat agency had their booth set up, and the people there asked me to promote their Facebook page, so click the link if you want to see it.

Bronze sculpture of lion about to pounce Tabby cat in foreground; yellow flowers in background. Poster with cat in traditional Peruvian garb

Today’s Graffitti

The text on the first one reads “Lima can’t stop.”

Graffiti on side of wall. Graffitti showing an evil version of Mario from Mario brothers. Graffitti of smiling face Colorful abstract graffitti Colorful abstract graffitti

Today’s Signage

R in “Real Plaza” has a crown on it.

The word “real” in Spanish means “royal,” so this is a very clever logo indeed.


Sign with man holding hands over ears

This sign says there is a fine of S/.148 for unnecessary use of a car horn. As if people really pay attention to that.


Sign showing pedestrian in crosswalk

The text reads “Respect the pedestrian.” As if people really pay attention to that.


Poster of red credit card with “hello kitty”

A sign of the impending end of civilization as we know it: a “Hello Kitty” credit card. (Sorry about the poor quality of the photo; the reflection from the window messed things up.)