Days Five and Six in Peru

Day 5
After a  long, strenuous day at Machu Picchu we all discovered muscles we didn't know existed.  We anticipated having a nice, easy morning by going to the thermal  springs of Aguas Calientes. Little did we know the hike was all uphill, the waters were less than clear, and only mildly therapeutic. But it made for a fun morning anyway.
We climbed downhill to our hotel, got our bags, and then climbed back up hill (Can you tell we've walked a lot?)  for some pizza. Aguas Calientes is apparently known for its Peruvian pizza so we decided to try it out. They baked it in a clay oven while we were serenaded by some fine Andean music. We have heard a lot of wooden flutes in the last week.
We then made our way to the train station for our Vistadome return to Cusco. Though it was the most direct path to the train station. We succumbed to yet another round of shopping in a Peruvian market with Peruvian bargains.
It was a beautiful ride when darkness fell and the vistas were no longer visible, our train attendants decided to entertain us. We were treated to a broadway show sort of song and dance performance by a man in a cultural costume who danced up and down the aisle. The other two attendants then proceeded to have a fashion show for us of an array of alpaca apparel. We made it to Cusco, had a nice dinner, and stumbled into our beds.

Day 6
We woke this morning to leave Cusco behind for the airport. We had a great, short flight to Lima excited to be able to breathe easily once again. We went to lunch on the Avenue of the Pizzas where we were accosted by at least five restaurant hostesses seeking our business. With our stomachs full we made our way on our tour of Lima with our guide Jose. We began with a bus tour to the "Love" memorial overlooking the tumultuous waves and the risk-seeking surfers of the Pacific. Our drive proceeded past massive mud brick pyramidal structures in the middle of this Spanish-built city. We were shocked since we thought we had left the Inca and natives behind in Cusco. Our drive took us through the olive groves and beautiful houses built by the Europeans. We then left the modern city and went to the colonial part of the city built by Pizarro after the Spanish conquering. Jose introduced us to a great museum - the gastronomical  museum of Peru. An entire museum about food. We loved it and have been nothing but impressed by the food and hospitality of the Peruvian people.
San Francisco Monastery was a beautiful example of Spanish architecture which blends Moorish influences with colonial architecture. We saw wonderful woodwork, beautiful tiles, arches and grill work. All of that beauty disappeared the minute we descended into the bowels of the church and were confronted with the bones of 25,000 to 30,000 bodies. They were arranged in patterns that left little to imagination. Lima is one of only three cities in the world that has such a grandiose collection of huesos.
We had rushed tour of the Gold Museum which is one of the most extraordinary collections of weapons ever collected. It was long enough to leave us impressed and short enough to leave us curious and wanting to go back.
Lastly Jose took us to the fountains where we also encountered a 24-hour fresh flower market and had to take a perusal of the market. The fountains combined music, lights, choreography and visual projections to create a one of a kind show. Devon and Jake attempted to make their way through a maze of water without being drenched. They ate dinner in wet clothes.
We experienced Peruvian traffic first hand. More than this we experienced Peruvian driving first hand with Luis. Muy loco.
This wrapped up another great day in Peru and the final day of our tourist portion. We would love your prayers! Tomorrow we meet up with Cesar and head to the orphanage.
Laughing our way through Lima,
Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Isbell, Nicole and Lindsay