It was about 8.00pm and dark by the time we landed in Lima. We boded a small coach and headed through the busy streets to Miraflores. It was intimidating. The streets were poorly lit and shadowy figures at the sides of the road looked threatening. I remember asking myself whether we’d done the right thing. Once at the hotel we could relax a little and all of were shattered after a long, long day.
After a night in Miraflores the first stage of our journey took us south out of Lima and a little inland, through the shanty town of Villa El Salvador and on to the ruins of Pachacamac. Then we headed back onto the Pan American Highway heading south along the coast.Driving through the suburbs of Lima. In daylight it looked less threatening, though many of the houses and businesses had iron gates and high fences to deter break-ins. One or two places we passed were pock marked with bullet holes, from previous times of unrest and coups.Driving through the suburbs of LimaDriving through the suburbs of Lima. This is Karen, our JLA tour leader, who stayed with us for the entire trip. She spoke Spanish and looked after us really well. She was also a professional photographer and many of her photos were used in Journey Latin America brochures.Villa el Salvador…very big shanty town south of Lima. Strong community spirit and award winning community schemes, but it still looked pretty dismal. There was no running water and it had to be bought in daily on tankers. Many of the dwellings were very makeshift, constructed of spare and discarded materials.Villa El SalvadorPachacamac – As we drove along the approaches to these ruins, the odd human skull could be seen, resting on the surface. Like many archeological sites we were to visit over the next three weeks, it had been extensively looted. It makes the history of these places harder to decipher.Returning to our coach, with Villa El Salvador visible behind.The female quarters – Mamacuna, at Pachacamac. It was occupied by older women (abbesses) who trained younger female novices in the rites of worship.Heading south on the Pan-American Highway, which mainly follows the coast.
