I guess it was ambitious to think we would be able to sleep past sunrise, since we've gotten up prior to dawn the last four mornings straight. After finally getting to bed at 2am, I thought we were tired enough to sleep the six hours through to our alarm... wrong! I was up at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep. We received notification that our flight to Lima was delayed 45 minutes, so we were thankful for that little bit of extra time in the morning.
We landed in Lima mid-afternoon and jumped in a cab to get downtown. I know I've commented on the driving several times, but this might have been the most hair-raising ride yet. It felt like bumper cars leaving the airport, as about eight lanes of traffic had to merge down to three. These Peruvians are more aggressive than New York City drivers!
We spent some time exploring El Centro, the historic center of Lima. We enjoyed the beautiful colonial-era architecture and spent some time people-watching in the beautiful main square of Plaza de Armas, before heading south to Miraflores. This seaside suburb is home to Lima's best hotels and restaurants and serves as the city's cultural hub. We strolled through the parks perched high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and watched the surfers trying to catch a wave down below.
We found the perfect spot to grab one last Pisco Sour and watch the sunset over Lima's rocky coastline. We headed over to Huaca Pucllana, a massive pre-Inca mud-brick temple which covers several city blocks and dates back to at least the fourth century. We had dinner at a restaurant of the same name, sitting at the base of the ruins with a beautiful view of the temple lit up at night and delicious food. 
As time wound down, we realized it was definitely time to head back to the airport to catch our flight, so we hailed a cab. When we told the driver our destination, he wouldn't take us. Apparently in Lima you need a special license to be able to drop off and pick up at the airport, so the restaurant valet had to call us a "special" cab. We were told ten minutes until the driver arrived... which we weren't thrilled about as the minutes ticked away, but we didn't really have another option, so we waited. Twenty minutes later, with no driver in sight, we started to panic and tried to communicate with the valet attendants that we were going to miss our flight. I think they thought we were slightly nuts, but they admitted that based on the time it was possible we would miss our flight... The airport is 50 minutes north and the traffic in Lima is horrendous, regardless of time of day. Finally our "special" driver rolled up, pretty much on two wheels, and we jumped in. Now I felt like I was in the Indy 500. Knowing we were in a hurry, our driver pulled some crazy stunts to get us to the airport on time, which included driving on the wrong side of the road to get in front of the line of cars stopped at a traffic light and driving over a median barrier to get around slower moving traffic. I figured we're either going to miss our flight or we're going down in this car, so I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. We made it... But what a way to spend the last hour or so of your vacation. Both of us are realizing that this amazing cultural experience is coming to an end and reality is about to sink in. But with any trip like this, you come home forever changed with a new understanding and appreciation for other people and their cultures. Brittany and I really enjoyed our first experience in South America and are hopeful for more opportunities down the road to explore the other countries that make up this continent. The locals were so warm and welcoming and we are thankful for all of the new friends we made on this journey.
"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." - Gustave Flaubert.
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