Final dispatch from Lima, Peru

The last day of the adventure was really adventurous, since my flt was at 10:40 pm I decided that a whole day waiting is not worth wasting. I had a pamphlet that offered things to do in Lima. So I picked the one with the lest amount of time 3hrs, visit to Pachacamac, which I figure would include my getting lost time. I dropped the bag at the airport hoping that American Airline would allow a checked bag at 8am, they don't. Plan B(always have one) find a place to leave my check-in bag, it doesn't take long before I find a place that will charge me 28 soles, crap! my money is almost gone and this is a cash only society...for the most part 98%.I have less than 80 soles, since I will need my bag back at some point that brings my travel/eating cash to 52 soles. The "detailed"plan was fashioned as follows. Looked at a map, located Pachanamac, with my awesome Spanish head there on public transportation. Take more pics of the inca left overs then reverse my journey and that would get me to the airport just in time to checking. Awesome plan buddy, all the family member concur yeah! lets do this! gung ho! Since am an expert in getting to Lima Centro and even paying, one only gives 1 Soles and you might get change back otherwise not. Once I get to centro I know where the metropolitano, think of it as a bus subway, the swinging bus but have a dedicated bus line, is, so I head over and ask for directions by point on the iPhone map and asking how to get there. It doesn't take long before I get the "nessecary" info....that I think is true :). This is rush hour and the metropolitano is packed and I mean packed like sardines in a can, shoulder to shoulder. The mind goes to work, remember Mexico City where your wallet got stolen in the metro? my backpack swings to the front as if am carrying a baby ready to feed. My pockets are buttoned and zipped. I push and push and in I am after like 3 buses come and go. The directions,am to take this bus to the end then get a transfer to Villa EL Salvador, then from there ask how to get to Pachanamac. Well as luck would have it I get to the end of the line and without much difficulty I find the transfer without a problem at gate 11 and the route on the bus as it turns out...you guessed it "Villa EL Salvador". So I get on bus and get comfortable at the front of the bus to see where am going and pick land makers since my Spanish doesn't seem to serve me well. The scenery starts to change and the road seams to end and start, pot holes that would cause NASA to use this "road" as a testing ground for rover mission to mars. After many twists and turns we finally turn on to Revolucion ave and after a while the driver says something and everyone alights. I look a round hoping to see a train/bus station but I don't, I look a round and am in the middle of no where. Comparing this to the ghetto, ghetto would be a suburb. "S@#t!" the brain goes "we need to get outta here" "Nah!" we have to look for Pachanamac the mind goes. still gung about it. Now I stick out like a sore thumb. so I look at my map again and try to locate the station that the eyes had seen on the map. Two blocks up then hang a left and you are there. Normally what I do is to look at my surrounding and get information from the surrounding like a spy. What I notice is not comforting, shops are open but goods and cash are exchanged between the iron bars.....hmmmm, there are security guard at prime locations as well. "This is kinda good, security." the eyes say " You are such an ass" the brain says "the more security the more crime, dumb ass" "But its almost 11am, therefore the criminal are done for the "day" and they are resting, only the good people are awake heading to work" No kidding! no sooner was that thought thought. Gunfire!!! Now if you have never had a gunfire without expecting it, it sounds like firework. so I think kool fireworks....then another short. Crap!!! this is not good. I look diagonally to the left in the direction am heading and I see someone running after another guy shooting....people are on the run on the wide blvd, I dark in a side street and the gunfire continues for another five or so minutes. Mr heart is on overtime "this is the kind of s@#t I hate, now I have to do a double because of your dumb ass planning" he says "awesome plan Mr!" "Am thinking of a plan, to get us outta here" the Brain says "You better hurry" the lungs yells "The gunfire seem to be moving away" the ears say, so we head back to see what the issue was. After everyone(family members) has come down all that we can surmise is that there might have been a car jacking gone bad since a white car is surrounded by people pointing in one general direction on the median, people talking and trying to include yours truely..."balalalala?" "I figure they are asking what happened?" and I shake my head and shrug my shoulder to say "I have no Idea". Within a few more minutos the cops are all the place like flies on pup!. To call them cops would be an understatement, these are military cops, in Lima cops are like security guards. "See many cops, see how safe you are? and you might also notice the standard uniform, ,bulletproof vest" " the brain says to the eyes. "S#$t!!! am not even hungry and I haven't had anything since yesterday" Tummy says "Okay let's all come down and forget the pachacamac site and head to the airport slowly" the brain says. "wish you had taken some pic" the mind says "really?...seriously? you don't remember anything do you" the brain asks the mind. (if you been following the family saga you would know that the brain is for thinking and the mind for memory). "those would have been great photos...to last a memory" The brian lets that one slid, no reply. Was that a coincidence that I was on Revolucion ave when all that s#$t went down? only time will tell. So I make my way back to Revolucion ave to reverse the journey that go me here having abandoned the inca visit and set the course for plan B. On the way back I spot one of those markets that have really tasty food. Along the way I have avoid land mines left by the many stray dogs. I go in the market but it is hard to order. "Am hungry" the tummy says "lets go get the the food in the market downtown Lima on way the to the airport." the mouth says salivating "I can't hold it any more" he says "am in pain" "what do you mean you can't hold it?" mr bathroom caller asks "am the only one that can say that" "Am in pain" Tummy say "okay have something just to hold him over till we get to the market" mouth says and everyone agrees. so I pop into the local market, get yogurt and while am drinking it I see someone order something that looked like oatmeal from a steaming pot and not being sure what it is I say "por favall"(okay Spanish speaker please don't collect me :-) ) pointing at what he had just served someone. Now I start to sense this guy just want to mess with me, he starts asking questions. I just told him what I wanted and now he is interrogating me. I shake my head,no. Then he points at a pictionary menu, asking do you want it with Chicha, blablabla..."aki!" I point at the steaming pot. Tummy is getting pissed at the brain and the mouth for not sorting the issue fast enough. "seriously, how long have we been in Peru and you can't order faster?" tummy asks the two. They ignore him like a mother preparing food for a crying baby. Finally the guy puts that nasty slosh in a small cup and asks if he can sprinkle it with some thing brown and it is discovered to be cinnamon with the 1st bite. Soon everyone is happy and we head to the paradero,bus stop. We board the bus to the bus station then transfer to the one heading to downtown Lima. Now the mind gets to work trying to recall where that food market was and in no time we are there, great team effort. we sit down but crap can't order yet again, and the lady talks and talks and talks I would bet she is rapping the menu to me and the specials they have...Then I go "I didn't understand a word you said",in english which she doesn't understand but some how we both start laughing as if to ask me " then why didn't you stop me half the way?" after the tears dry up I say "uno momento" and I "walk" with my eyes around the counter looking at what people are eating and say "Aki" pointing to some guys food! not the best but heii! we are hungry and we need good food. As she places the order I look around again and want to change the order..."cambio?" I ask....having learnt that cambio is used when changing money, therefore super intelligence me thinks "cambio" might help to change my order. This is like eating beans and hoping for no exhaust gases. Nada!...so I just waited for my order and boy! was it good! and to wash it down am served with a half jar of brownish warm water. since everyone is drinking it..why not me? so I drown it just like the others, as it turns out it sweet and warm and I think it has some ginger in it. Everyone is happy and we head to the airport with a stop over at the supermarket to get more coffee, Chicha morada and mazamorra morada...some juice powder that is made from dark purple corn. one more bus trip and am at the airport, picked my baggage then head to check in.