Now in Lima....quality time with Annie and Sloan

Hi all! I arrived in Lima after a LONG and very uncomfortable night bus, so I was a little loopy as I got into the taxi and rode to Callao, just outside of Lima, where Annie and Sloan live. During the ride through the city, I wasn't convinced that I was still in Peru after all because everything was so giant and I saw tons and tons of chains. The stores along the street I was riding were supersized, even for the US, and I saw Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, KFC, Chinese buffets, McDonalds, and a Plaza Vea (Peruvian groceries) and Saga Fallabella (Peruvian department store), plus more. Once I arrived, though, I ate a quick snack and collapsed in a nap. Today, we visited el Museo de la Nacion, run by the INC (National Institute of Culture, or Instituto Nacional de Cultura). It was free because right now in Peru are the Fiestas Patrias, the independence celebration. This is a five day weekend for all Peruvians and many of the cultural institutions are open to the public for free. We saw an excellent photo exhibit commemorating the years of the Shining Path violence in Peru. This was a period of violence and fear that only ended ten years ago. The exhibit was REALLY well done and reminded me a lot of the Holocaust Museum in DC. I wish I had taken some photos.... There was also an exhibit open about the indigenous art movement, and I was drooling over all of the colors and designs in the paintings. And no Peruvian museum is complete without a tribute to its Precolombian past. Some of the best ceramics, textiles, and artisanry available are housed in this museum, and they were breathtaking in their detail. Sloan poses in front of some impressive ceramic:


I rode my first public bus back to the house! It was a little hectic but not too crowded, so it wasn't bad. We ran into one of the directors of the dig with Zach on the bus which was a happy coincidence, so now I've met most of the people involved. It will certainly be an interesting adventure. Annie tells me that they plan on returning to San Damian, the town out of which the project is working in the district of Huarochiri, on Monday or Tuesday, so I will probably have updates of my Lima explorations until then. And then I'm out for at least another week!
Hasta la vista bebi....
PS I forgot to mention before that I have lots and lots of photos that I haven't posted here available on photobucket.com. Just search for augustajgudeman's photos. They may be boring though.