Musuems in Lima

I learned a lot about history today but you know what the best part of the day was ? Taking the public bus home . I ended up in El Centro where the congress is located and I knew I could never get a taxi at rush hour. If they don’t want to take you they just say no and drive off! After asking about a million people, someone finally pushed me on the right bus going to Miraflores. Remember Josh when they pushed us both off and on the bus trying to find the big market in Bangkok years ago? Anyway, back to the story. After sitting in the bus for an hour and being serenaded by a musician, vendors selling gum and so on, I decided that I did my Lima deed and got off the bus to the safety of a cab. I did it, I know I can do it and who knows, maybe will again!

The museum of gold was really special. I learned about the history of pre-Columbian native peoples and how advanced they were. What was interesting about the museum for me was not the gold so much as how great the Egyptian influence was which you could see in the mummies, the headdresses and so on. Clearly the Egyptians were first, I presume, but how did their influence make it to South America? Obviously it was before movies and Internet. Clearly either the Egyptians or Peruvians were traders and met each other. The Inca Empire, though huge( from Panama in the north to the northern parts of Argentina and down into Chile only lasted for about 100 years). Hell, even the Inquisition lasted longer than that, an amazing 500 or so years. How is it possible that the McCarthy Era in the United States lasted but a few years but it took the age of Enlightenment to put a halt to the Inquisition? My guide in the Museum of the Inquisition, who spoke great English, told me that the reason the Jews were the victims was that they had all the money in Spain and were lending out money at exorbitant rates. When I tried to have a discussion with him, he did stick to his guns. Bigotry rears its’ ugly head again.

The market on the way to the museum was huge. There had to be at least five huge buildings with just shoes, and then five buildings with clothes and so on. I didn’t bother exploring the market very much because I was in a hurry to get to the Inquisition museum before it closed. Perhaps, when I go to visit Congress tomorrow I will stroll through the market. If anyone wants something, send me an e mail to-night.
I felt right at home at the Congress for Peru. I did not get in because it was five in the afternoon, but I certainly recognized all of the characters! Outside the building, the drivers were dressed in suits talking to each other and waiting for their charge. There was the poor guy washing the cars without respite. Cameramen and other officials went through the special pass gate and had to present their papers before they got in. There were the executive assistants to the politians wearing suits, earpieces and scurrying around to make sure they pleased their masters. The politicians, with the gray hair and fancy suits were trying to get out as quickly as they could and I wondered how strange they felt wearing a suit, especially if they came from the Andes or Amazon or far north!
And then there was the guy beside me on the bus wearing a fantastic suit, was a government lawyer, and when I asked him where my hotel was, took out his fancy gadget and mapped it out. Daniel, the guy had a Nokia phone with all of the stuff on it.
I could have been on Parliament hill, except for the guy playing the wind instrument and the guitar on the bus!