Day 34 – Old town

Took a taxi to the old town this morning but ran into difficulty as the road to the main plaza was closed off. The cab driver dropped us off and pointed us in a vague direction. Wandering into the city it became clear we needed directions, Between us we managed to ask a police officer and kind if work out where to go. Heading through a park we found out the reason for the road closures; appeared that a football match had ended and the supporters were being bussed en mass to the town center.

from the park we headed up the valley side and found a grand cathedral, can’t remember the name for the life of me. A steep climb and more directions taken we stumbled upon the San Francisco Plaza. Here we visited the museum. Set in a beautiful inner courtyard the museum contained religious artifacts dating back some 800 years. Getting directions in English from the museum staff led us to our intended destination – the President’s Plaza. The President’s building is impressive, as are the uniforms of the soldiers guarding it. The remaining sides of the square are comprised of museums and shops.

Spying the large angel statue high up on the near by hill we thought we’d take a closer look. We tried to haila cab but it seemed that every where we went they fled from. Finally we got one but he stopped after a minute because he didn’t want to drive up the hill. So, following the theme of our travells, we walked up the hill. The steps were never ending and led through some poor streets but it was worth it; views from the top were stunning. I’ve never seen a larger sprawl of buildings in my life, it really is a sight to behold. On top of this you get to look see the giant angel, who holds a chained dragon and stands on top of a globe.

Having better luck at the top we managed to get a taxi all the way back to the hostel. That’s several miles accross the busy city for a mere $7. Talking a walk we went for a well deserved Chinese and rested our feet for a while. A hour or so later we met up with a Spanish teacher we’d booked through the hostel. Taking it in turns we had an hour and a half of lessons for only $12. Not sure how much I took in but I know my head still hurts from trying. Think a few more lessons may be in order!