2nd & 3rd September

Finally, as we stepped onto our Qantas flight to Santiago the excitement of starting this adventure sank in.The whole flight was smooth with lots of movie choices to help keep out the noise of a few crying babies . Our first contact on arrival at Santiago airport was with was customs and then through to wait for flight to Lima.Smaller plane this time but still had a smooth uneventful flight.(no babies!) We were all met by our guide & taken by airconditioned bus to a very nice 4* hotel.Feeling relaxed we ventured down to the bar & ordered our first pisco sour..delicious!! Chatted with an American couple from another tour company who thought we were English!!Get that a lot from Americans... Off to bed for a good night's sleep as tomorrow we are off on a tour of the city.. Woke up to typical Lima weather..humid,misty..Doesn't rain here ,only a misty drizzle oh and did I mention HUMID! Architecture is very mixed.Some Inca remains as well as some very old private houses built by the wealthy..Also some VERY poor areas. Toured through a beautiful,very old church where we were taken deep below into catacombs where thousands of bones& skulls had been stored..Very macabre.. Out in the main plaza which is opposite the Presidential Palace(he wasn't home!)it was quite confronting to see soldiers with rifles either in groups or pairs guarding the palace.They did let tourists take photos with them. Drove past Kennedy Park which is famous for it's cat population..They were everywhere.Up trees,in flower beds.Quite a sight to see.Also saw lots of vultures on rooftops which reportedly supposed to keep down the pigeon population.Not doing a very good job that we could see!!Drove down to Miraflores beach area where a lot of restoration is being done.Not much surf and only a handful of surfers. We booked in for a dinner and show tonight.So glad we deceded to do it as it was awesome..Dinner was a buffet with really nice mix of food.The floor show was breathtaking with dancers from different areas of Peru..Very vibrant and great music.. Off to CUSCO tomorrow!!