Today is our first official day in South America. We wake early and catch a taxi from our hostel into the Miraflores district in the heart of Lima...a drive that takes an entire hour because Lima is a massive city with 18 districts and over half a million people. Our cab driver Marco is very friendly and somehow gets us to our destination safely, which to us seems quite a difficult task. One seriously has to be a professional to drive in this city. The lane lines seem to be there only for aesthetic reasons, as nobody really stays in their own lane but prefers to drive right down the center of the road, honking like mad and narrowly avoiding any pedestrian brave enough to attempt crossing the street.

We finally arrive at the South America Explorers Clubhouse, a place where members can relax, use the internet, store any belongings, and learn about things to do in Lima and all of Peru. It's a great resource for anyone interested in staying here for a long period of time. After getting our bearings we go out exploring. We walk down the Malecón, a long trail set high on a cliff that overlooks the ocean. It's a beautiful walk and we are impressed with how well kept the areas along the trail are. There are small patches of flowers everywhere, baby palm trees and small park sections; overall the area is very nice.

Later we check into our new hostel, which we will have for 2 nights, before hitting the town again. This time we're closer to the downtown district and while I've never actually been to New York, downtown Lima strikes me as the South American version. Streets packed with people, tons of higher end shops mixed in with American fast food places like KFC and McDonald's, people leaning out of mini buses trying to lure an extra passenger. We even pass 2 giant brightly lit casinos, one of which is named Atlantic City. So perhaps Lima is more a mix of New York and Las Vegas, but with its own flair. Either way, it is pure chaos and for the moment I love it. I could never live permanently in a city this crazy but it's definitely worth a visit. My favorite part of the scene is this little park we walk through. Sandwiched between 2 major avenues, this little grassy area is filled with people, trees, flowers...and TONS of cats. Seriously, there have to be at least 40 or 50 cats in this tiny park, and someone is feeding them because there are food and water dishes everywhere. People are sitting on benches stroking cats on their laps as if this is a normal occurrence in every public park. I will admit it is pretty awesome, albeit kind of strange.

After wandering for awhile we grab some food at a grocery store (I still have yet to try actual Peruvian cuisine but soon!) and head back to the hostel. Right now it's only 8:30 pm and both of us are ready for bed. I'm going to blame it on the jetlag. 1 day down, only 5 more months to go!