Last Day of Travel - Lima, Peru

Today was the last day of my South American journey.  I ended the day by walking around downtown Lima.  Today was Good Friday, and so many things were closed,  including a large set of catacombs.  I had hoped to combine that with the Spanish Inquisition Museum,  just to have a slightly macabre day,  and while that didn't work out,  I did make it to the Spanish Inquisition Museum.  the photos below are of wax figures that have been created to mimic the torture that occurred during that time,  they're not actual people.

The main square in the city,  Plaza de Armas,  was blocked off from vehicle traffic,  and there were thousands of people attending the main cathedral on the square,  most of whom were filing in and out of the cathedral slowly.  The service was being broadcast via large speakers to the exterior of the building,  and it was possible to hear the sermon (albeit in Spanish) throughout the entire square.  There were also video cameras inside,  I expect that the services were being broadcast throughout the country as well.

This made it tough to get my normal inside-the-cathedral photo,  but it was very interesting to watch and listen to all of the motion and movement.

After I explored downtown to my satisfaction,  I headed back to the neighborhood that my hostel was in.  This is the Miraflores neighborhood,  and, according to lonely planet,  is "gringo ground zero"  for Lima.  It's also apparently much safer than central Lima,  although I never felt at danger in either location.  My hostel was right on Parque Kennedy,  and only about a 20 minute walk to the beach.  The rest of my day was spent meandering slowly down to the water,  where I spent a good long time photographing the sunset.

These are the last images that I will be posting from my trip,  and I'm pleased to note that one of the very last ones is very similar to the very first image I posted,  way back in Aruba,  where I was chasing the Divi Divi tree.  It's a sunset,  with a tree,  at the ocean.  There have been many strange and unusual adventures in between those two shots,  and I feel very fortunate to be able to have made this journey.

Post Script:  As I write this I am in the airport in Mazatlan,  Mexico, waiting for the Alaska Airlines counter to open.  It's not open because my flight from Mexico City arrived early,  and it will be a few hours before I can check in.  I decided to sit on the floor and play with my photos a bit,  and out of curiosity,  I counted how many I had shot.  Approximately 16,000.  While I was looking at that number,  I noticed a sign across the hall that says,  "The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul."  This is,  I think,  a very apt description of what I need to focus on next in my photography.  This trip has been (among other things) a 2 1/2 month hands-on intensive photography  course.  My photography has,  I think,  improved from the beginning of the trip to the end,  and certainly I've learned a some additional techniques along the way.  What my photography says is really a genuine expression of my inner self,  and learning more about myself will,  I hope,  continue to shape my art as I go forward.