Lovely Lima

We have been in Lima now for 3 days, its now 31 January 2012.  Weather has been very hot and sunny.  Hotel (El Prado Doubletrees), which is about half an hour from the centre of Lima, is really nice and comfortable and staff very friendly.

We had a journey of approximately 20 hours to get here from Belize and also had to go through immigration and customs again at Miami before going through to departures to get the flight to Lima.  Got to our hotel at 2.30am on the 29 Jan, having left Belize at 8.15am on the 28 Jan, so we were a bit knackered.

Also came away from Belize with their equivalent of a horse fly bite, right arm was very red, hot and swollen.  Hotel provides free medical assistance and called out a doctor who gave me an antihisimine jab and prescribed some tablets; very impressed with this service and thought it would be a one-off, but read on.

Spent yesterday in centre of Lima, watched the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace, then went to a monastry and had a tour, an amazing place, rounded off by visiting the catacombs underneath the church, where 25,000 people are buried - and seeing the bones and skulls of a few hundred (or possibly thousands) of people.

There was also an earthquake in Ica, about 200 miles from Lima, which registered 6.3; Dave felt our bed shake at about 12.15 am, but I slept through it, so the earth did not move for me!

Today, had first maleria tablet prior to our trip down the Amazon.  We visited a museum this morning and this afternoon visited a pyramid / sun temple about 40 minutes from our hotel, we were the only two on this trip, so like a private tour and it was an amazing place.

Towards the end of this trip, I noticed that a rash had appeared on my left arm (not the one with the bite) and when I went to have a bath on our return to the hotel, I noticed a very angry red rash on the top of my left leg, doctor was called out again, and basically I have had a bad reaction to Malerone, the maleria drug prescribed for me.  I have had another antihistimine jab and have more tablets - cannot continue to take Malerone.

In a bit of a quandry know, as we need to find a doctor to look at alternative anti-maleria drugs or forgo the Amazon trip.  Concerned that any other drugs prescribed should be taken at least a week before going into a maleria area, I really do not want to take any unnecessary risks with my health.

However, very impressed with the hotel and their helpfulness and their policy of getting quick, efficient medical assistance.  Everywhere we have been we have met with friendly service.  Someone even came up to me in Lima and advised me not to have my camera visible, as someone could snatch it. 

We move to another hotel tomorrow, prior to possible Amazon trip and for the tour - Sacred land of the Incas.