The Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia del Perú

The weekend is coming to a close and it is time to prepare for another great week of volunteering tomorrow. Today we went to "The Museo Nacional de Arqueología Antropología e Historia del Perú / National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru", which is the largest and oldest museum in Peru, located on Plaza Bolívar in the Pueblo Libre district of Lima. The museum houses more than 100,000 artifacts spanning the entire history of human occupation in what is now Peru. Highlights include the Raimondi Stela and the Tello Obelisk from Chavín de Huantar, and an impressive scale model of the Inca citadel, Machu Picchu. Going to the museum today was a reminder that I am in a different culture and the language barrier still prevails. I'd say the majority of the exhibits were in Spanish but some had an English translation available. I did notice I was able to understand more of the descriptions and at least pice it together.  Also when I needed something today at the museum I was able to ask for it in Spanish which was a great feeling.  Also the security guards were very friendly and took turns showing us to some exhibits we might have missed. For instance part of the museum was an actual house and is now tied into the museum. It featured artifacts and information about the former owner and the guard took us through and described various features. Also we were able to see a well preserved mummy, which we might have missed if it weren't for the insistence of the security guard. It is a great museum showcasing the rich history of the region and I am glad we went.

Afterwards we went to lunch at a place around the corner. Four Americans in a restaurant in Lima and no one could speak fluent Spanish equals a mess. Fortunately for us someone at a nearby table saw our woes unfolding and graciously helped. I can manage basic Spanish but I needed help for this and thankfully someone was kind enough to help. Good thing to because the cau cau menu item was cow stomach, which would have been interesting had I just guessed. I did successfully manage to hail a cab and get us home. (The cabbie spoke a little English so I did good.) I always open conversations now with "habla inglés" in the hope they do.

The remainder of the day was spent at the house relaxing and just enjoying this great Sunday.