First adventure at night.... Check!

This week is the celebration of the 447^th anniversary of Lima. All week there are concerts, shows, and activities to celebrate this anniversary. Last night I had the opportunity of going to La Plaza de Armas to see some of the festivities. On our taxi ride, our taxi driver pointed out many interesting places along the route, including the National Stadium where Soccer games are held. Soccer to Peruvians is like Husker football to Nebraskans. As we got closer and closer to our destination, traffic halted. A 30 minute taxi ride turned into an hour taxi ride. When we finally arrived at La Plaza de Armas we were awed by the number of people crammed into the Plaza, but as it got later more and more people arrived. This made it virtually impossible to get around, especially when worrying about not losing part of the group. As Ashley, Stephanie, and I were walking into the plaza we were stopped by two Peruvian men. Of course the first thing they asked us was if we were from America. As they continued to chit chat with us and ask us to walk around with them we got more and more creeped out. We told them we needed to go because we were meeting our friends, our guy friends. This was our first real experience with creepy men down here. We did find our group, which was pure luck considering how many people were already in the plaza at that time. We walked around the plaza, took some pictures and enjoyed seeing some of the festivities. As a group we ventured out of the plaza to find food. Many members of our group were craving McDonalds so, of course, we tested it out. Needless to say, it tastes the same as the US! As we attempted to wander back to the plaza, more people had arrived and we were unable to see more of the festivities. We decided to call it a night and since the traffic was not moving close to the plaza we walked about 5-6 blocks to get taxis. As you might now, it is not too safe to be out at night in a foreign country alone so Ashley, Stephanie, and I had a sleepover! We decided that venturing home in the morning was a safer, smarter idea. Although I do wish that I was able to see more, I am glad that I was able to experience one of Peru’s festivals. It was a much needed night out on the town!

Some of us at La Plaza de Armas! (Stephanie, Adriana, Andrei, Me, and Ashley)

Me in La Plaza de Armas!