Lima to Iquitos

Saturday 10/10 This morning in Lima, we have a tour of the colonial city and see a majestic square containing the Supreme court building, the Presidential palace and the largest catherdral in the city. Very beautiful, all. Religion and government are joined at the hip. We tour the home of an important Spaniard who came to Lima with Piazrro and who´s descendents have lived in the home for all subsequent generations. We go through a Franciscan abbey and, at one point, descent into the catacombs to see the thigh bones and occasional skulls of thousands of Limans who, in exchange for their monetary support of the abbey, were buried directly under the church´s altar area. We so wanted photos, but they were forbidden. Some observations: there is a definite unease, I think, between Lima and Cusco, the Andean people and the Limans who seem, except for the recent wave of immigrants from the country, to identify more with the Spanish. Also, Cusco was the capital before the Spanish conquest when the Spanish changed it to Lima for purposes of efficient export of the country´s riches to Spain. Cusco people show more pride and recognition of their Incan cultue, the native peoples and the old religion. The Quechuan language is still strong in the Andes and the people still practice the ancient religion, often joining it to catholicism. The lifestyles, food and elevation distinguish the city dwellers from the mountain peoples. So now we leave both Lima and the Andes and fly to Iquitos and the river people of the Amazon. We stay only long enough to collect our luggage, sweat a little in our Lima clothes, and board the "best bus in Iquitos" - the only one with air conditioning - for a 90-minute ride to our boat on the newly completed road between Iquitos and Nauta. This saves many miles of navigation in the dry season when the river is low, so we will have time for more excursions during our week on the ship. The bus comes equipped with a guard who does little to inspire confidence since he seems to doze most of the way. We eventually unfold ourselves, exit the bus, and board our skiffs to the awaiting La Amatista. All aboard!