#248. 31/12/04 Lima

After a couple of sleepness nights on a economy class bus, we splashed out the extra few soles for first class and were whisked into Lima in 10 blissfully sleepy hours. Having passed most of the 8 million inhabitants during the night, we picked a cheap hotel in Miraflores, a rich suburb - the centre isn't at all safe. I've mixed feelings about staying here. On one hand, the content confident people and brave contemporary architecture makes this the model modern South American city. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore the millions of people in a ring of poverty around the city. Walking through posh malls leaves me with a overwhelming sense of claustrophic disgust at the division of wealth.

The city itself is huge, taking hours to get anywhere. The old centre is nice, with pretty colonial architecture, an impressive cathedral and a small chinatown. We're only here for a day and almost all the sights are closed because of the new year, but it's ok because we're flying to Cusco tomorrow, where there'll be plenty to amuse us.

For new year's eve, we drank a bottle of bad Peruvian wine and watch some Australians drinking champagne. We all got a bit sleepy and retired to bed around 11:30 to the sound of premature fireworks.