So much for peaceful sleep! I want to fire bomb the car with the alarm that went off all night. We meet our tour guide, Blanca, and our driver, Enrike, at 10am. Enrike is a perfect Lima driver–he does not follow any traffic laws and scares the life out of us. We drive outside of town and pass shanty town after shanty town. It is depressing. Our destination is Pachacamac, a pre-Inca archeological complex founded in about 1,000 AD. 
I didn’t realize we would be walking over a huge parcel of land. It’s pretty hot and humid and I did not think to bring my hat. The ground is loose sand and I’m wearing sandals. It turns out Blanca is quite a bird-watcher but we come to regret telling her that we share that interest. She stops us regularly to point out birds and is really insistent that we give it our full attention. But it’s not just birds that Blanca is so insistent about. She is equally demanding that we pay full attention to her lectures about architecture, plants, museum displays, etc. Howard frequently gets fed-up and walks away from her. We have lunch at Luchita, an old stately residence turned restaurant. They give us a bartending lesson in making Pisco Sours but we only get one drink each–I think I need a couple more to get through this unpleasant day. We have a lunch of local fare: seviche of scallops and octopus; causa (sandwich-style item with crab and avocado stuffing), 2 types of Tacu Tacu (rice & bean rolls–one with cheese sauce and one with a redish seafood sauce); and for dessert a crepe with dolce de leche (sweet, carmelized milk). Lunch was not too bad but the company was not great (Blanca). The central, main square is our next stop. It is a beautiful area if military with automatic weapons don’t scare you! We visit the 16th century Cathedral of Lima. The religious statues looked like scary dolls dressed in period costumes. And of course it’s not a Catholic church without the relics–purported bones of the saints. Around the statutes are hundreds of silver medallions offering thanks to the saint for prayers that were answered. The San Francisco convent has beautiful gardens with walls covered in gorgeous centuries-old tiles from Seville. The upper levels of the building have intricate balconies and the ceiling as you enter the gardens is beautifully carved. Blanca says “balconies are for Lima what the Eiffel Tower is for the French.” “Celosia” balconies have carved, wooden screens so that women could sit on the balcony and observe without being observed. They are really quite lovely and are on most of the buildings surrounding the central square. Last we visit a 16-generation colonial house, Casa de Aliaga, built in 1535. It is oldest home on the continent that is still owned by the same family. We head home in horrible scary traffic with Enrike at the wheel and kiss the ground when we arrive. Once home we need wine to steady our nerves so we head off to our French deli. I speak French with the owner–finally I can be somewhat understood! We also grab bread and cheese and spend the rest of the evening quietly reading while the car alarm blares every hour or so.