Last night we had agreed a sensible time (8:30am) to meet up for breakfast. I headed down on time but Julie was running late. She didn't feel hungry. Sonya and Garry were already there.

The choice for breakfast seemed even more limited this morning, but there were rolls of thin omelette keeping warm in a buffet tray and some nice looking bread rolls so I made myself a sandwich. I actually enjoyed it, washed down with a cup of mate de coca.

Julie graced us with her presence some 20 minutes later and we sat in the garden drinking some fruit juice.

There were a few strange sculptures dotted around. One in particular that caught our attention was a cross between the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) head and Jesus wearing the crown of thorns. Most peculiar.

Fed, refreshed and ready to start the day. 

I often say that the best way to get to know a city is to walk it. You certainly get a better sense of the place if you walk its streets.  So, we set off on foot acrosss Miraflores, to the Huaca Pucllana pyramid. It was an estimated 30 minutes away.

A few minutes away we came to Parque 7 de Juno, named in honour of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Arica in 1880. It happened during the War of the Pacific between Chile and a Bolivia/Peru alliance. They lost the battle and indeed the war. In 1881 Chilean armed forces had even occupied Lima.

It took another two years before the hostilities ended with the signing of a treaty where Peru conceeded a large piece of the mineral rich Atacama dessert, to the South, and Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific.

It was a pleasant park with several colourful quirky art instalations like this wildly decorated giant pot.

There were plenty of cats in the park. Although the adjacent Parque Kennedy was even more renowned for its population of feral cats.

Apparently there was a problem with rats during the nineties so the locals brought cats to the park to hunt them down.

We crossed the park and looked for a street called Calle Martir Jose Olaya which quickly lead to Calle Atahualpo, a straight road which continued for over half a mile towards the pyramid Huaca Pucllana.

Sonya was on the look out for a haberdashery to buy some needle and thread so she could make adjustments to the length of a new pair of trousers. Google maps actually showed a few options in Lima, but none were near us.

About halfway down Calle Atahualpo at a street corner we stopped at a conveniance store. It was called Michi 3: Miraflores-China store on the map.

"Perhaps they'll have some here?" suggested Julie.

We went inside. It was like a proper old school village shop like they used to have in the UK in 70s, filled to the rafters with allsorts of stuff.

There was no one behind the counter. Usually when you open the door into a shop like this a bell would ring out alerting the owner to your presence. But here there was no door, no bell.

"Hello" we  called out. But no one came out. We tried again with a friendly "Hola" but we saw no one.

We gave up and returned outside where we were met by this lady who asked if we needed help. She wasn't the shop owner but ran a shop of her own, across the road.

With the aid of Google translate and some excellent hand signals Sonya managed to explain what she was looking for. "I have some" she said, "Don't go away"

She rushed off to her own shop (or perhaps her home) and returned with a sewing needle. She handed it over to Sonya and refused any money for it. 

It was very kind of her.

She then took Sonya back inside the small store and called out to the owner, who immediately appeared from the back. 

"She must have been hiding from us!" I thought.

The shop keeper had a selection of threads in many colours. Sonya even found a close match to her trousers. She couldn't thank the lady enough for her kindness.

We continued walking, eventually turning a corner down Calle Ayachuco. We saw for the first time the mound of adobe bricks that's known as Huaca Pucllana. It was no Great Pyramid of Giza but still impressive nonetheless.

Just before the entrance there was a small family run coffee shop called Gianfranco. There was obviously an Italian influence. We stopped to have a drink and take a break.

Not having had breakfast Julie was now hungry, so she ordered a toasted ham sandwich whilst the rest of us watched. We all had a drink, sat outside looking out over the pile of mudbricks.

At eleven we made our way to the entrance. We queued briefly. Access was controlled to a certain number and you had to be escorted around the site in a group. You weren't allowed to simply wander around unaccompanied. 

We missed one intake for an English language guide, so we had to wait for the next.

There was a small but fascinating museum of artefacts here. It was interesting to read about the indigineous people of Lima who built this monumental pile of mudbricks. The exact date wasn't known but it would have been an evolving contruction during their era, between 200 - 700 AD.

Five minutes later we had seen all there was to be seen and we sat outside in the shade to wait for our turn to be shown around.

We noticed several small birds flapping about in the branches above our heads. They were very pretty, even if they were a dowdy brown in colour. They looked a little like minature doves.

I found out later they were known as La Tortola Peruana, a local type of turtle dove.

The next group was scheduled for 11:30am. As we waited patiently, a loud brash American woman barged her way forward, talked to a member of staff and then excitedly announced "Yay, I've got us a private tour!"

Half a dozen of her companions fast tracked themselves to the front and set off on the 11:30am slot. 

We continued to wait, a little annoyed.

Eventually after waiting 45 minutes from paying at the gate we began our guided tour.

Our guide looked the part in her burgundy Museo de sitio Pucllana safari vest, floppy hat, sunglasses and an audio headset with a microphone so we could hear her.

We followed her alongside the pyramid where she pointed out how the structure was built.

Adobe mudbricks are made from clay soil, mixed with a little water to make a thick mud and then pressed into moulds for baking in the sun or a kiln. Here they were then stacked vertically and a layer of more mud spread on top, to bind them together, before repeating the layers.

It's worth mentioning that the word adobe is Spanish for mudbrick, so when we say "adobe mudbrick" we're repeating ourselves and actually saying "mudbrick mudbrick"! Just like the Sahara desert means desert desert.

We reached a large open space where we were given some respite from the guide's monotone voice as she allowed us a few minutes take pictures of the pyarmid from a distance.

It stood at 22 metres high. Apparently it was built in seven levels but I couldn't make out any distinct steps. It didn't look like much but the mere fact these mudbricks were still here, surviving for so long, exposed to the weather, was something to marvel.

Over the centuries the site was lost as the earth reclaimed it. Then, as modern Lima expanded, it was rediscovered during excavations for a development. Archaelogical work on uncovering Huanca Pucllana only began in 1981. 

Our group must have been about 16 in number. Our guide struggled to round us all up, but eventually we all followed her to the Western side of the pyramid and began to climb up it.

We didn't walk on the stepped bricks but a path had been cut through. Whether it was an original access or not I don't know. I thought about asking the guide but she didn't seem that open to questions. She was talking from a script she had memorised and I didn't feel I should disturb her.

The path to the top was very steep in some places. Julie and I lent on each other to reach the platform. Our first view from there was of the plaza below and then beyond that the many buildings of an administrative area.

The name Huaca Pucllana comes from the Quechan, (the local indigenous language),  for sacred (huaca) ritual games (pucllana) suggesting at what may have taken place down in the square.

We continued to walk along the top of the pyramid stopping to admire a striking view of the juxaposed modern and ancient, side by side.

I was lagging behind the guide and couldn't hear much of what she was saying but it must have had something to do with the many individual burial tombs found on and around the pyramid complex.

Many human remains have been discovered. The first one was given the name Senor de los Unkus, The Lord of the Unkus, after a type of a woolen tunic worn to represent wealth and status.

It was a relief we didn't have to descend the way we came. The path down zig-zagged gradually. Still, Julie reached out for a steadying hand.

At the bottom we came to the first of many scenes featuring manequins recreating the life of the people who lived and worked here. The guide explained what was going on but I couldn't hear her very well. It looked like it was ritual offerings to whichever deities they placed their faith in.

We returned to the plaza where we could once again admire the pyramid from afar. It was a very impressive pile of adobe. Some sections had a vertical wall of several metres in height.

After crossing the plaza we reached an area showcasing the agriculture of the time. It began with the livestock. Penned into a small enclosure were four alpacas, domesticated like sheep for their wool and their meat.

In the next enclosure were guinea pigs. These cute little furry creatures have been a source of protein in this part of the world since time began. I suppose the closest we get in the UK to eating our childhood pet is rabbit. No difference really.

Next up were the various crops that were commonly eaten, like maize, quinao, chillies, tomatoes, potatoes and Julie's least favourite, the sweet potato.

We ended up in another square with several manequins dressed in loin cloths, all doing menial tasks, like making mudbricks,

Overlooking this area was a popular restaurant. It was empty. It may even have been closed. But it did turn our thoughts to lunch.

We needed to be back at Hotel Senoral by 2pm for our Intrepid Welcome Meeting so we decided to call an Uber taxi directly to La Lucha Sangucheria Criolla, a fast food restaurant, just around the corner from our hotel, to grab something quick to eat.

The driver, a lady in her senior years, collected us, then tried to get us to pay, in cash. "No, we've already paid on the app" I explained.

At first I thought she was trying to pull a fast one, and get us to pay twice (and perhaps she was) but apparently there was an option on Uber where you could opt to pay the driver in cash. I don't know if it was an universal feature or just an add-on for this part of the world but I had never heard of it before.

I showed her my app and she apologised and blamed her app for not working.

Anyway, with all that sorted we set off.

Despite the initial confusion she was quite chatty and friendly. When we arrived at our drop off I tipped her 10 soles for which she was very thankful.  

During the journey we decided against eating at the fast food place, choosing instead to return to Che Cha where we ate yesterday. We sat at the same table, but we all ordered something different.

Both Sonya and Julie went for the brochettas de cardo, skewered pieces of belly pork in a rich bbq sauce. Garry went for spicy chicken wings.

On the menu they had a sandwich called Boludo which is Spanish for stupid. I asked the waiter about the ingredients. It all sounded nice until there was something called cecina , which translated as jerky.

"It's ok, we can do it with mushrooms instead" suggested the waiter.  

A brioche burger bun arrived, filled with scrambled egg, mushrooms, avocado, chilli flakes and a sauce called they called Ocampo's. It was a proper breakfast bap and really very tasty.  

We made it back to Hotel Senorial in time for our Welcome Meeting. Waiting for us in the garden was our Intrepid tour leader.

We were the first to arrive.

She introduced herself as Ali Jei. To our surprise she didn't wait for anyone else to arrive and began the process of welcoming us to Peru and explaining the tour we were about to undertake. It took us a while to realise that it was just the four of us travelling with her. It was like we had our own private tour. That was quite special!

Once we filled out the paper work, we arranged to meet back in the foyer after half an hour to refresh in our rooms.  

At 3pm we were all present and ready to start our walking tour of downtown Lima. From the hotel we began by walking for about half a mile to reach an expressway that cut through the city.

We entered a bus stop, from a flyover at Avenue 28 de Julio. Ali Jei bought our tickets, which were scanned at the barriers. We then stood at a platform to wait for the next bus. It was more like catching the underground.

The buses travelled not along a bus lane, but in a dedicated seperate road.  They may as well have been on tracks.

It wasn't long before the next bus arrived. Ali Jei quickly checked it was the RUTA-C line and we got on. It was standing room only.

The journey took us about twenty minutes, with 12 stops in between. At first it was exciting but it soon became tiresome holding on for that length of time. I was fortunate and grabbed a seat about half way through the journey. I did offer it up to my fellow travellers but they kindly allowed me to take a break.

We were all relieved when we got off at the Colmena bus station.

A short distance away was Plaza San Martin, a grand square surrounded by grand Spanish colonial style buildings worthy of any capital city. Whilst the square is undeniably historic most of the buildings only date back to 1921 when the square was constructed in time to celeberate the centennial of Peru's indpendence from Spain.

It's focal point was the monument to Jose de San Martin. Despite being Argentinian he is considered a Peruvian hero. He was the General of the "Army of the North" who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence,  and it was he who declared Peru independent from Spain in 1821. 

It reminded me a little of the statue of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg, the hero on horseback on top a rocky pedestal. Beneath Jose the "liberator" were a pair or nymphs, a llama, a cinchona tree and the inscription "La Nacion al General D. Jose de San Martin" all supported by a female statue representing liberty for Peru.

We left the square along a pedestrianised street full of shops that became Jirón de la Unión, Lima's main shopping street. If we continued straight it would take us all the way to Plaza Mayor, the city's central square.

There wasn't much to see. Most of the buildings were run down, a shadow of their former palatial. The first place of note was the wildly decorated facade of the Basilica de la Nuestra Señora de la Merced.

It was a style of extreme baroque known as Churrigueresque. Not only were the columns twisted they were covered with ornate embelishments. There were four statues in four alcoves and one of the patron saint The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy on the balcony above the entrance.

The church was founded in 1535 but what we see today was completed in 1765. It was the oldest part of Lima we had seen so far.

A block up we stoppded at Churros Españoles. I wasn't at all hungry but I couldn't turn down an opporunity to try local streetfood, and especially when it was a long thick sugar coated doughnut. 

Actually they didn't look at all appetising in the display cabinet but then they covered it with sugar and placed it in a paper bag, things improved.

At the next junction we turned off the shopping street to walk down Jirón Ucayali another pedestrianised street. Before long we came to Palacio de Torre Tagle with its amazing wooden balcony which looked more like something you would find in Ottoman Istanbul. I guess it's Moorish Andalucian in its design.

It was originally built in 1735 by the first Marquis of Torre Tagle

Above the palace, the red and white of the Peruvian flag flapped in the breeze and security guards stood by the entrance. For the last hundred years it has been the home of the Foreign Ministry. It's a shame you couldn't visit the palace.

A little further up we came across a church called the Sanctuary of the Heart of Jesus. It was a much simpler and more traditional church compared to Le Merced which we saw earlier.

We didn't pay it much attention as we conitued on our way along Jirón Ucayali .

We reached a wide avenue busy with people. There was a protest taking place which explained the crowd. People with loud speakers were chanting their demands. I'm not too sure what their complaint was about but they weren't happy.

We weren't the only unsuspecting people caught up in the middle of it all. It was also a busy with commuters trying to get home. Every bus stop was heaving with people.

Whilst we waited at the lights to cross the road we saw in the distance a cross on the hill of San Cristobal, high above the city. Apparently it lights up at night.

Eventually we made it to the other side and continued along Jirón Ucayali until we reached a traditional Chinese paifang, the decorative arch gateway into Chinatown. Most large cities all over the world have a Chinese district and Lima is no different.

There were plenty of Chinese restaurants even before we reached the gate. However, the largest influence on the culinary scene in Peru has been Japanese in what has been coined the "Nikkei" cuisine.

We didn't walk through the paifang. Instead we turned back and headed towards the large market called Mercado Municipal Gran Mariscal Ramon Castilla. The place was a hive of activity with porters wheeling produce to and fro.

Our first impression of the market was not for the faint hearted, courtesy of a butcher hanging up all sorts of animal innards.

"Your mum used to love tripe" I said, reminiscing fondly how Hazel, Julie's mother, loved tripe, raw with just a splash of vinegar.

Julie smiled. Her mother past away three years ago now but she still misses her.

Opposite was another butcher, this time specialising in chicken. He had over a dozen hanging by their feet. I must admit I admired how the truth confronted you. There was no denying you were eating a chicken that had been sacrficed, just for you.

Thankfully it wasn't log before we reached the colourful fruit and veg stalls and the vegetarian amongst us could breath a sigh of relief.

Ali Jei took us to a specific trader called Miguel, where she had arranged for us to try a few samples of the more exotic fruits Peru had to offer.

They all had names we hadn't heard of before, but tasted familiar, like cherimoya which tasted like a custard apple, sweet and creamy. Then we had aguaymanto which was a Peruvian physalis, sweet and tangy just like a kumquat. But we then tasted lucuma, a sweet almost burnt sugar taste, a bit grainy and dry, with a bright yellow flesh. It was unlike anything we had seen or tasted before.

Ali Jei also pointed out a root vegetable called Maca which had certain health benefits similar to ginseng and is often (with tongue in cheek) called the Peruvian viagra. Unfortunately we didn't get to try any of it!

Having finished nibbling on the pieces of fruits we returned to the busy street of protesters. The police were now out in force, closing down access to many streets. It's always good advice to avoid situations like this, but we were with Ali Jei and she had this serene perma-smile which gave us confidence we were in safe hands.

She noticed the police line were letting people through, just not the ones with loudspeakers and plaquards.  So we walked through the cordon with confidence and continued back down Jirón Ucayali.  

We reached the corner of a street, down which we saw a bronze statue of Joes Olaya, a fisherman and another hero of the Peruvian independence.  Beyond it we could see the stunning Patio de Honor del Palacio de Gobierno on the city's main square, Plaza Mayor.

However, our progress was halted by another police line formed here, and across all other streets into the main square. These ones weren't allowing anyone through.

Ali Jei tried her best but it simply wasn't happening.  

"I think this is as close as we can get" she sighed.

Just as we were about to leave a waiter from the restaurant Embarcadero 41 called us over. We followed him inside, excpecting to sit down for a coffee but he had a cunning plan.

We walked through his restaurant to the other side, and to the exit onto Pasaje Olaya, behind the police cordon! It was such a kind thing to do.

At the door, we huddled together waiting for him to give us a sign that it was all clear to leave.  He gave us the nod and we stepped out.

We all held our breath, waiting for a shout or a tap on the shoulder but each step we took brought us closer to the Plaza Mayor and further away from the police.  

We reached the edge of the square but we couldn't get any nearer. It had been closed off, wrapped with a crowd control barrier. We had to be content of the view from where we stood.

It looked quite eerie empty of people.

Across the square the impressive Palacio de Gobierno, the government palace, traditionally the residence of the President, looked glorious in the warmth of the sun. The first incarnation was constructed in 1535 when Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima.

Although what we see today was mostly built during what must be described as Lima's Belle Epoque, its beautiful period, a renaissance, where the city was transformed in the 1920s.

We stood at the barriers to take some photos. To the right was the equally impressive cathedral. It was also originally constructed in 1535. They eventually decided it was completed in 1797. 

There was a row of porta-loos along one side, as if they were expecting a crowd here. "Perhaps it's something to do with the game tonight?" I thought.

There was a big-screen set up so perhaps I was right. Also perhaps they weren't protesters but football fans we saw earlier?

We didn't loiter for too long in case we drew attention to ourselves. Conscious of the fact we shouldn't have been there we left the square, heading West along Jirón Callao.

 We followed Ali Jei around the corner to the Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo with its striking bell tower of marble columns and golden trims. 

Apparently the oldest university in the Americas was established here in 1551 and inside it has a library that houses books from that time. 

The sun was setting now. The shoe shiners were calling it a day and heading home. 

At the junction with the basilica we turned down Jirón Conde de Superunda in search of a pisco store called Nietto. Pisco is Peru's national drink. It's a liquor made from fermented grape juice, similar to Italian grappa.

Located in an unassuming house Nietto was marked only with a small plaque on the wall. Without Ali Jei, who had been here countless of times, we probably would never had found it. Although there was an oak barrel outside which was a clue. 

Inside chairs were laid out for sixteen people, clearly expecting large tour groups.

Despite there only being the four of us they gave us the full pisco tasting experience, describing the characteristics of the various blends we were about to sample. 

Some of the shots they poured were quite sizable. Four or five later we were more than ready to buy some pisco.

We ended up with two half bottles, a limited edition Nazca Lines pisco, purely because of its interesting label and a strawberry infused pisco because Julie liked the sound of it.

By the time we paid and stepped outside, the sun had set and the sky was a shocking purple glow.

Our walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage listed historical centre of Lima was now over. Ali Jei phoned for a taxi to come and collect us. Garry and I were certainly conscious of the time. We only had two hours until kick-off. 

We jumped into a luxurious "people carrier". It felt like we were making good timing until the taxi driver turned onto the expressway and we came to a sudden stop. The congestion was awful. The traffic crawled forward, bumper to bumper, towards Miraflores.

It took us 45 minutes to reach our hotel.

Garry and I rushed to get our Peru shirts before calling an Uber to the National Stadium, whilst Julie and Sonya turned around and went out for a meal with Ali Jei to a restaurant called Punto Azul.

Thankfully the traffic heading back into the city wasn't as bad and we reached as close to the stadium as possible with a few minutes to go before kick-off.

The Estadio Nacional looked impressive from a distance. It had this curve to its design which made it look like a bowl. It was renovated to its current design in 2011 and has the official capcity of 50,086. Although it's not the largest stadium in Peru, it's not even the largest in Lima!

Not only does it host football games but also concerts. Last Sunday a One Directioner Niall Horan played a show here, and in two weeks Sir Paul McCartney will be here!

We reached a perimeter fence and the turnstiles. I had the tickets in my pocket. The hotel kindly printed them out for me this morning.

They were scanned and validated. I breathed a sigh of relief. He then asked me something in Spanish. I think he wanted to see some ID. I shrugged my shoulders, looked confused and got my phone out. 

Before I showed him an image of my passport he waved us through.

We were in!

When we arrived in the stands the game had just started, by some two minutes. Our tickets didn't have any seat numbers, only a section, which was behind the goal.

It was a sports arena, with a race track around the pitch, so the goal was some distance away. Despite this the atmosphere was electric.

The fans were constantly chanting, spurred on by a drum beat and a three piece brass band! There wasn't a moment of silence and we were right in the middle of it. It was so exciting to experience. 

We walked up to try and get a better view. All the while we were on the lookout for some spare seats but there were none. Once we reached a height we were happy with we stopped and stood in the aisle to watch the game.

It game was of low quality. Peru have struggled in this World Cup qualifying campaign. They sit at the bottom of the CONMEBOL (South America's football governing body) league having not won a single game in eight attempts.

In contrast Uruguay were flying high having only lost once so far. You could tell that they were the better side as they knocked the ball around with confidence whereas Peru ran around with no purpose.  

Still the fans applauded every tackle, every hoof of the ball upfield.

There were a few familiar names out there, all Uruguayan. Manuel Ugarte who played for Manchester United, was out of position playing in the middle of a back three. Darwin Nunez, (Liverpool) was up front and still missing the target. In midfield was Federico Valverde of Real Madrid and on the bench they had Facundo Pellistri, another Manchester United player, albeit a fringe player. We even knew their manager, Marcelo Bielsa, who managed Leeds United for a number of years. 

We didn't recognise anyone from the Peruvian team. On paper there was only going to be one winner.

Half time arrived, the score 0-0. 

We sat down on the steps, taking the weight off our weary feet. Our thoughts turned to food. We realised we hadn't had anything to eat since lunch but there didn't seem to be any sign of a food outlet in the stadium.

Our only option available was to grab something from a vendor walking up and down the terraces holding up a tray of brown bags. We decided against the lucky dip.

The second half began in the same veign as the first, with Peru now playing towards  us and their most fervent of fans. It was noticably different how the fans down both sides of the pitch were sat more sedately, watching the game, whereas as behind the goal, where we were, was buzzing with excitement.

The game continued without any great incident. Uruguay were popping the ball around with ease but forgot the whole purpose of football, getting the ball in the back of the net!

It had nil-nil written all over it.

We had originally planned to leave at half time, or at least early on in the second half, but eventhough the game wasn't entertaining, the atmosphere was incredible and we just wanted to stay a little bit longer.

With ten minutes to go we decided we had seen enough and headed for the exit.

I called an Uber taxi and we began walking towards the pick-up point. Outside there was a pop-up street of food vendors, with a row of white gazebos, plastic tables and chairs.  They were in the process of packing up.

We passed a couple sat around a radio, listening to the game, when we heard a roar coming from the stadium. "Mae'na rhywun 'di sgorio" I said. ("Somebody has scored")

Everyone around began to celebrate. They couldn't believe it. Peru had scored in the 88th minute with Migel Araujo, a defender, who played for Portland Timbers in the USA, with a header.

The fans behind the goal must have been delirious! We so wished we were still inside the stadium. Peru won 1-0, their first victory of the 2026 world cup qualifiers. 

We reached the taxi pick-up but the traffic was horrendous. Practically at a standstill. I checked on the Uber app and could see our taxi getting closer but it couldn't get anywhere near us. We decided to walk towards it, in between the all the cars looking for a grey Hyundai.

We had its licence plate but we just couldn't find it.

Moments later the driver cancelled the ride.

"Bastard!" I fumed.

Back on the app I called another taxi and thankfully someone accepted. I followed its progress on the map and saw it getting closer, before it came to a stop. Desperate to find him before he also cancelled on us we walked down the road, wading deep in the middle of four lanes of slow-moving traffic, like a pair of windscreen cleaners.

We were on the look out for a car from a manufacturer called DFSK. I had never heard of it before and had no idea what their badge looked like. It was almost an impossible task. To make it more challenging most cars didn't have a licence plate on the front, only on the back. 

I sent a message to the driver, Denis Fabricia, "We are on our way".

By some miracle we found him!

It was a huge relief to be finally sat in the back of a taxi. It had taken us almost an hour from when we left the stadium.

Once we broke free of the congestion around the stadium we travelled quite quickly back to the hotel, reuniting with Julie and Sonya, who were sat up waiting for us.

 With a very early start tomorrow we headed straight up to our rooms to pack.