What a day! I didn't write yesterday due to the long travel day, but it was still great. We said goodbye to Libertád at 7am and headed to Nauta. As we cruised along the river, Chachi (Larry) told us wonderful stories first of the strange creatures that live in the Amazon rivers (a huge stingray being one of them) and then gave us a history of the Amazon, notably with the colorful tale of the all-women warriors who formed their own tribe and for whom the Amazon was named (referring to the Greek mythological group of women warriors).

After a brief visit to Iquitos and Belén, with its huge outdoor market where you can purchase everything from jungle medicines to alligator meat (and the place smells it, too!), we hit the airport and headed to Lima.

We crashed quickly last night and woke this morning (Sunday, and Father's Day) to explore the capital. We especially enjoyed coming upon a parade in honor of some saint, with colorful bands and dancers in costumes making their way through the city, and a visit to the Saint Dominic Priory, or the Sanctuary of Peruvian Saints. Most memorable was our climb up several flights of stairs to the top of the church tower and a view over Lima just as the sun emerged.

A memorable part of our day was me learning (well, trying) how to use the Metropolitan Bus, which has its own lanes and works much like a subway. We bought a ticket and put money on it without ever figuring out how to use it properly, but we still got around faster and cheaper than using a taxi!

The afternoon gave us a nice walk from the Barranco neighborhood, along a walkway to the Ocean, and then a hike back to the Miraflores area where we started. We finished at the "Inka Market", mainly shopping for ideas of things to bring home, then headed back to the hostel.

Reilly missed not getting to see some of the top World Cup games, but tomorrow the US plays at 5pm, so I imagine she won't let us miss it!