Time to Move

 Monday, the 6th was moving day; our job:  get from the apartment in Quito to the apartment in Lima.  We met Diana shortly after 0600 for the drive to the airport arriving a little before 0630, within our three hour cushion for the international flight to Lima on Lan.

Traveling economy on this leg did not allow us to carry on our carry on bags, so for the first time we had to check them.  The plane left on time, we got a muffin and something to drink for the journey, and arrived on time!! Hurray for the airlines!  Customs and immigration went quickly and we were soon in a new Hyundai Elantra complete with suited driver on the way to Calle Madrid in Miraflores, an upscale suburb of Lima.  The 45 minute drive across midday Lima brought back a few memories from our two previous visits.  It was fun to pick out things we recognized and were a bit familiar with.

The apartment here was rented from a young Peruvian musician who is currently living in Chicago.  His sister, who lives in the apartment above us, met us and after exchanging a few forms and some cash we were in.  This place is great!  It is new, modern, light, and airy with two bedrooms, three full baths, modern kitchen, a nice sized dining/living room with furniture that is actually comfortable, wood and tile floors, good wi-fi, and a couple of flat screen tvs!  We are just a few block from the high cliffs overlooking the Pacific and a short walk from a multitude of restaurants and parks.  Vivanda, the super mercado, is five blocks away and we visit it daily to stock up on groceries, especially the wonderful french rolls that are still warm when we get home if we have timed it right!  Las Brujas de Cachiche, where we ate on our bike trip 2010/11, is less than two blocks away--supposedly one of the best places in town for Peruvian food.

I have finally gotten over my cold, but, unfortuately, RA is battling hers.  We have been sleeping late, eating late, and not venturing out until early afternoon.  Two days ago we took a tour of LIma in a double-decker, open-top motor coach.  It was three hours well spent with a tour of the Monasterio de San Francisco allowing us to stretch our legs a bit.  We toured this location three years ago and were happy to see that the bones of the approximately 70000 souls were still there in the catacombs!

Monasterio de San Francisco