Ms. Steele's Journals


Now in Lima, Peru   ( Jan. 13, 2008 )
Dont forget to check out all the photos I uploaded, and the Jan. 12th journal entry that describes them.

Today I flew from La Paz, Bolivia to Lima, Peru (about 600 miles closer to the equator). Since Lima is on the Pacific coast of South America, we flew over the beach before we landed. It is quite warm here at sea level (0 altitude).

I checked into the hotel, then the phone rang. It was my botanist contact here, Martin. We had lunch downtown. They serve lots of seafood here since we are on the coast. Ceviche is very popular. It is fish "cooked" with citrus and lemon juices. That sounds a little too much like raw fish, so I didnt eat it.

Before coming to Peru, I had to obtain permits for doing research here and collecting plants. It was a long process of filling out forms, writing descriptions of my project, and getting the Peruvian consulate to approve everything. It took several months, but it was approved just before I got here, whew! I had allowed a day during my trip to deal with the permitting office and visit the herbarium at the National Museum here. However, since Martin picked up the permit for me last week, tomorrow all I have to do is visit the herbarium.

Unlike Bolivia, there are lots of American tourists here. My hotel is in a safe area of town where there are lots of families vacationing and other tourists. There are American restaurants and shopping. I think I will walk around a bit tomorrow and check it out.