Lima - Wednesday, July 18th

No improvement on the stomach ailment on Wednesday except that I didn´t need to use the facilities, just the pain in the stomach (forgot that other side effect from the antibiotic.  You can forgive me since the instructions were closely typed 2 pages) and headache.  I had agreed to meet Danice in the Plaza de Armas in the center of Lima to see the Cathedral and I didn't want to back out.  I had been waiting to see it for over a week and a half now.  The ride into the center just exacerbated my headache.  The traffic was terrible and at several points the bus just sat there through several changes of lights with the constant background of shouts, honking horns and chaos that has become normal here.  The windows were closed and the air became stale and odiferous and I decided to get out and walk, even if it was many blocks.

  So in the end I arrived more than a half hour late and I felt bad.  Even though Limenos routinely show up very late, I just don't feel right being that late.  Danice wasn´t bothered as she assumed it was bad traffic.  It's a safe assumption in this city!

The cathedral was marvelous.  We had a Spanish-speaking guide who led us through the chapels, crypt, chapter room, little museum and sacristy.  Some of the highlights were the chapel with Francisco Pizarro´s remains (he was stabbed to death and then decapitated by traitorous generals in a power grab), the altar to the Virgin of the Rosary, later changed to the Virgin of the Missions by Pope John Paul II because of the efficacy of the wooden statue in conversions in early colonial Peru, and the altar dedicated to the second bishop of Peru and only native Peruvian saint apart from St.

Rose and St. Martin.  St. Francis Solano is a celebrated saint for his missionary work but he was born and grew up in Spain.  The paintings, woodwork, religious objects, vestments, sacred vessels, furniture and other objects were beautiful and fascinating too.  The catheral shines from a recent major restoration and our guide did an excellent job of giving a good overview and answering all our questions perfectly.  We tipped him well for his service.

After some late lunch that didn´t go down so well, except for the delicious fresh salad with corn, beets, avocado, lettuce, radishes and cucumber, I headed back home and spent the rest of the evening catching up with my blog and then read and went to bed early.