"Above - The Cathedral and Plaza de Armas. After only a short walk of this fine square and I could see some really bad slums.
 
On reaching Lima airport I had been instructed to report to the Air Peru departure desk, but found it closed. However, I noticed an information kiosk, where, to my surprise, the lady there said 'Oh we have been waiting for you, I will just call your driver'. Within a few minutes a chauffeur appeared and took me to a waiting minibus. I was soon on my way to the centre of Lima, and the Hotel Bolivia, where I was to stay, turned out to be one of the best in the city. After thinking at one stage that I was going to have to spend the night at the airport, this really was a very pleasant surprise.
 
After a good nights sleep in the luxury of the hotel I set off to view tthe sights of Lima, having first being advised by by the hotel reception on the areas and streets it was safest to walk. Within a short distance of the hotel I was approached by people wanting to change money, even though the rate they offered was over half as much again as the official rate. With inflation in Peru running at around 1,000% at that time, the big notes I received, when I changed with one of them, seemed to buy very little. From the small part of Lima that I got to see it was obvious that this was a city that had seen better days. Apart from the general neglect of the buildings, most of the vehicles seemed in a bad state of repair, many with dents, broken windows, and bits of wire holding them together.
 
Although I had been glad of the opportunity of spending a day in Lima, after seeing the bad state the country was in, I felt that one day had been quite enough at this time. I was therefore quite relieved, on my return to the airport that evening, to find that my flight on to Ecuador was leaving on time." - MH