GOODBYE ARGENTINA---HELLO PERU

With my last day in Buenos Aires, I decided to visit a few of the places I missed out on last time I was here, so I headed up to the Cemetario de la Recoletta. This is an old cemetery where the coffins are kept in above ground mausoleums. It is notable for being the final resting place of Eva Peron, & it didnt take too long before I located same. Well, whacko, it was nothing flash. I was more interested in the fact that the place was so old. I saw several tombs holding people born in the 1700s. I also observed most of the tombs are a lot more presentable than many of the houses visible on the way into town from the airport. It is a bizzare place, & I kept thinking of that scene in Easy Rider where they had an acid trip in a similar cemetery in New Orleans. All that was missing was the acid, a couple of hookers, a pile driving rig &, oh yes, Denis Hopper. OK so there was a lot missing. Anyway, I then went & had a look at the big obelisk in the middle of the main drag. This commemorates the anniversary of the founding of the city, circa 1580 odd, well before Australia was even discovered. I think they wasted the head start.

Recoletta Cemetery

The Obelisk

A traffic cops vehicle. Intimidating or what? Dont laugh or they shoot.

Buggered if I know, its an ad for Pepsi.

After a 5 am start the next day, & a 5 hour flight from Buenos Aires, during which my allocated seat was wedged between one of the toilets & a woman holding a baby who screamed in my ear the entire time, I arrived in Lima. The place was barely visible due to a low fog, even though it was the middle of the day. This is apparently quite common. Yet when I walked out the door, it was hot & humid. Go figure. My first impression was that it looked a lot less prosperous than Buenos Aires or Santiago, the only other capitals I have seen in South America. But airports are usually located in crap areas, right? This outlook didnt improve as the taxi headed through some pretty run down areas & emerged on the coast. The Pacific was a dirty brown colour, & the beaches were made of grey shingles. I wouldnt swim in it at gunpoint. And the coastline was fronted by very high cliffs , making it hard to get to. Anyway, the Hotel Antigua Miraflores is nice enough. However, none of the rooms have flyscreens, & there is a sign in the bog instructing that putting toilet paper down the bog is not on. One dumps it in the waste bin, apparently. I have heard of this, but as yet not experienced it. I daresay its a hard habit to get into. God help the cleaners.

The courtyard of my hotel

The Pacific coast- foggy, grey & horrible, today anyway.

Anyway, this am I went out for a walk & finished up walking along the coast. Nice waves coming in, but as noted above, one would really have to be keen. I ended up at a new shopping mall - fun complex, the type of place I would usually avoid, but there wasnt much else on offer. Its too far & too hot to go into the city. The place was crawling with security guards, & all the buildings here have heavy grilles & screens on the windows & doors, so it looks like crime is rampant. Heavy stuff. I fly to Cusco tomorrow. Let the riding commence .....please!!