Wednesday, October 3, 2012

THE TEAMSTER BOSS


New dig fails to find
body of Jimmy Hoffa
10:09 AM Wednesday Oct 3, 2012 NZ Herald
Jimmy Hoffa


Like many others that came before it, the latest search for former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa has come up empty.
Tests on soil samples gathered last week from a backyard in suburban Detroit showed no traces that Hoffa or anyone else was buried there, Roseville police announced.
"Our department just received the soil sample report from Michigan State University, after a battery of tests; the samples submitted for examination showed no signs of human decomposition," the police statement read. "As a result of these tests the Roseville Police Department will be concluding their investigation into the possible interment of a human body upon the property."
Thus ended the latest in a long string of tips and rumors about one of America's great mysteries.
Over the years, authorities have dug up a Michigan horse farm, looked under a swimming pool and pulled up floorboards in their quest for the former union leader. Other theories were that his remains were ground up and tossed into a Florida swamp, entombed beneath Giants Stadium in New Jersey or obliterated in a mob-owned fat-rendering plant.
Hoffa last was seen July 30, 1975, outside a restaurant in Oakland County, more than 50 kilometers to the west.
The day he disappeared, Hoffa was supposed to meet with a New Jersey Teamsters boss and a Detroit mafia captain.
The latest search led police, reporters and curious onlookers to Patricia Szpunar's brick ranch-style home in Roseville. Police in the mostly working- and middle-class community north of Detroit recently received a tip from a man who claimed he saw someone buried there about 35 years ago and that the body possibly belonged to Hoffa.
"The police have left and the yellow tape has come down," Szpunar told The Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm thrilled because it's over with. No more people staring at my house, driving by, walking by, pausing to stare. I can go on with my life."
The soil samples were removed Friday after officials drilled through the floor of a shed on Szpunar's property. Roseville police Chief James Berlin has said the ground would be excavated if decomposition were found in the samples.
Szpunar said she's happy to have her shed back.
"My son can put the motorcycle back in there," she said.
Police had put a new, more secure lock on the shed. They gave Szpunar the key Tuesday.

Peter’s Piece

James Riddle Hoffa (1913-1975?) led a controversial life right from his earliest years when he organized a union in a grocery chain that he worked for. His actions led to his dismissal.

Later he joined the Teamsters in Detroit and started rising through the ranks and became national president in 1957. By that time the Teamsters (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) had well over 1 million members.

His greatest achievement was the establishment of a national master freight agreement for over-the-road drivers in 1964.

Hoffa spent most of the 1960s in prison having been convicted of jury tampering, bribery and fraud. He was pardoned by President Nixon in 1971 in return for the Teamsters support for Nixon’s re-election in 1972. But his release was subject to Hoffa being banned from union activities until 1980. The Teamsters gave him a one-off retirement payment of $1.7 million.

Jimmy Hoffa was campaigning to re-enter union life when he disappeared from a Michigan restaurant in 1975.

Riddle was his second name and he left behind a riddle that has kept police and gossipers busy for 37 years. But one thing must now be almost certain; Jimmy Hoffa is most unlikely to be still alive. If he was he would now be aged 99.

Monday, October 1, 2012

LIFE IS CHEAP IN NEPAL


Nepal air crash probe begins
5:30 AM Sunday Sep 30, 2012

The Sita Air crash scene near Kathmandu. Photo / AP

Police have handed over to accident investigators the black box data recorder of a plane that crashed on the outskirts of the Nepalese capital, killing all 19 people on board.
The twin-propeller Sita Air plane had just taken off from Kathmandu and was headed to Lukla, gateway to Mt Everest, when it plunged into the banks of a river near the city's airport around daybreak.
Among the dead were seven Britons, five Chinese and seven local passengers and crew.
National police spokesman Binod Singh said it had been difficult to identify the bodies and DNA tests may be carried out before they are returned to relatives.
The British group, the youngest of whom was 27 and the oldest 60, had been due to go on a 16-day trek to three high passes and the Everest Base Camp.
Although the exact cause of the crash is still unclear, the manager of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu said the pilot had reported hitting a bird of prey, thought to be a vulture or kite, moments before the crash . . . .
More in the NZ Herald

Peter’s Piece

Nepal has an abysmal air safety record with six crashes that killed 96 people in the last two years.

Whatever your mode of transport in Nepal, it will be dangerous.
Meanwhile, road safety in Nepal is no better and terrorism is also a major threat.

Tourism in Nepal has declined sharply due to safety concerns and the inability of the Nepalese government and people to turn the situation around.

Only backpackers and adventurers come away from Nepal pleased with their experience. Opinions were not obtained from those who died during the experience.

According to David Millward, Transport Editor for the Telegraph, poor training and weak regulation has added to the danger faced by air passengers in a country whose mountainous environment would be challenging for the most skilled pilots.

On the roads many bus and truck drivers are unlicensed and vehicles are frequently overloaded.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

FACTS ABOUT FINGERPRINTS


Who What Why:
How durable is a fingerprint?

28 September 2012 BBC News
The three main fingerprint types - the loop,
the whorl and the arch

American Hans Galassi lost several fingers in a wakeboarding accident several months ago. Now one of them has been found in a trout - and identified as Galassi's from its fingerprints. So how long do fingerprints last?
The vast majority of people are born with a unique set of fingerprints which remain the same for life.
These patterns, known as friction ridges by experts, are found not only on our finger-tips but also on the flanges of our fingers, on our palms, our toes and on the soles of our feet.
The patterns are permanent, but can wear down. Builders who lay bricks and people who frequently wash dishes by hand lose some of the detail. Once they stop these activities, the ridges will grow back.
As fans of crime movies will know, from time to time people have tried to change their fingerprints patterns artificially.
A deep cut through the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, and down to the dermis leaves a scar that will change a fingerprint, but not make it any less unique.
People have also sought to erase their fingerprints by burning the finger-tips with fire and acid, as the notorious 1930s American gangster John Dillinger did. It works for a while but the skin grows back.
Another criminal, Robert Phillips, famously grafted skin from his chest on to his fingers to erase his fingerprints - but he was identified from the prints of his palms. Others have tried smoothing their finger-tips with glue and nail varnish. Again they were caught from palm prints.
Friction ridges are remarkably long lasting even after death, says fingerprint expert Allen Bayle, author of the UK's standard police manual on dead hands.
"If a hand is found in water you will see that the epidermis starts to come away from the dermis like a glove. This sounds gruesome but if a hand has been badly damaged, I cut the epidermis off and put my own hand inside that glove and try to fingerprint it like that," says Bayle.
"Some boys we get out of the water, the fish have been at them already and the fish will have pecked at the epidermis. But you can still get ridge detail from the underside of the epidermis. And if that has gone, then you can do the dermis. For every ridge you have on the epidermis, you have two on the dermis - we call it a tramline effect."
The speed at which a hand disintegrates in water depends on many things, not least the temperature of the water itself.
"If the water is very cold, it could stay for a long time," says Bayle. And the body of a trout, the fish that swallowed Galassi's finger, is just as cold as the water it swims in.
Galassi's finger was found in the trout's digestive tract - why hadn't it been digested? We shall never know how long after the accident the fish ate the finger, but Bayle thinks even if the thick layer of epidermis had been digested, Galassi's finger could still have been identified from its dermis.
"We can cast [the finger], for example in latex, and then we can ink the cast. Or we can ink the dermis and roll it on a fingerprint form. When we have got some ridge detail then we can put it on the computer."
In the case of Galassi, Idaho police took a day searching case files and reports to narrow down where the finger could have come from. They then fingerprinted the stray digit and sent it to the state police forensic lab where technicians were able to identify its owner.
"One of the last things to disappear when you die are your fingerprints," says Bayle. "They're very durable."
More: BBC News
Peter’s Piece

The best way to avoid arrest is to stay out of crime, and even that is no guarantee. So the best, best, best way is to stay home with a good book. But be really careful because books can contain ideas for the perfect crime.





DR STEPHEN MAK A FRAUD?

Eating Fruit - this opened my eyes
Another circulating email:

True or false?

Nothing beats a balanced diet that includes lots
of fruit and vegetables for healthy living.
But is Dr Stephen Mak really genuine?
Dr Stephen Mak treats terminal ill cancer patients by un-orthodox way and many patients recovered. Before he used solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients. He believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See his article below.
Thanks for the email on fruits and juices. It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%. Cancer patients shouldn't die. The cure for cancer is already found. It is whether you believe it or not. I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments.
Thanks and God bless.
- Dr Stephen Mak

EATING FRUIT...
We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.
What is the correct way of eating fruits?
IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.
Continued below . . . . .




In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....
So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!
Greying hair, balding, nervous outburst and dark circles under the eyesall these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:
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The Truth About Natural Remedies

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.
When you need to drink fruit juice - drink onlyfresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.
But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.
WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.
GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Skeptimedia has this to say:
6 September 2010. One of the most common medical scams is the "natural" cures scam and it is particularly pernicious for cancer patients. Combine fear of death with fear of radiation treatments and chemotherapy, add hope for an effective therapy that is cheap, easy, and avoids the painful and boring treatments of science-based medicine, and you have a prescription for a powerful opiate for the vulnerable. Throw in a healthy dose of ignorance about human physiology and some mistrust of the "medical establishment" and the quackaloon's job of luring you into his fantasy world of fabricated bodily processes and natural cures is as easy as setting up an authoritative-looking website.
Currently making the rounds in a chain e-mail among the natural cures crowd is an alleged letter from an alleged "Dr. Stephen Mak." (There's even a Facebook page for this e-mail.) I can find nothing about this Mak fellow except the same alleged e-mail and article from him that appears on hundreds, maybe thousands, of websites. The e-mail is usually prefaced with a paragraph about Mak being a friend known through a BSF course [Bible Study Fellowship course?]. The preface is usually posted with an "article" that contains a number of absurd, false, and deceptive claims about the human body and cancer. (A Google search of the first line of the preface to the e-mail gives about 35,200 results. The BSF course must be held in a very large room.)
First, the preface and the e-mail:
Dr. Stephen Mak treats terminal [sic] ill cancer patients by "un-orthodox" way [sic] and many patients recovered. He explained to me before he is using solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients. He believes on [sic] natural healing in the body against illnesses.*
[The carelessness of the people passing on this garbage is evident by the fact that none of them even bothers to clean up the grammar of this alleged friend of Dr. Mak.]
Thanks for the email on fruits and juices. It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%. Cancer patients shouldn't die. The cure for cancer is already found. It is whether you believe it or not? [sic] I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments. Very few can live for 5 years under the conventional treatments and most live for only about 2 to 3 years. The conventional treatments do not make any difference because most cancer patients also live for about 2 to 3 years without undergoing any treatment. It is difficult to cure those cancer patients who have undergone chemo and radiotherapy as their cells are toxic and weak. When there is a relapse, the cancer will spread very fast as the resistance is poor.

Thanks and God bless.
Dr Stephen Mak
I'm not an expert on cancer treatment, but I do know that there are different kinds of cancers and that some cancers are much more amenable to treatment than others. Some have high success rates and some don't. A competent writer on this subject would not make a blanket statement about cancer patients' survival rates. Furthermore, even I know that treating cancer with toxic chemicals doesn't make the cells toxic, as this person claims. The claim about relapses and rapid spreading because "resistance is poor" is something I'd like to see the evidence for.
The top result of my Google search for "Dr Stephen Mak" was a site called Morning Liberty run by a fellow named Robert "RJ" A. Hender Jr. Google says it found about 2,450,000 results for "Dr Stephen Mak." I narrowed it down to under 100,000 by adding "cancer cure" to the search. Now the number one hit was a site called Panacea-BOCAF (BOCAF stands for building our children a future). RJ posts the phony cancer cure material without comment. Panacea-BOCAF lists many phony cancer cures. The type of person who might be attracted to this site is revealed by the first message one sees:
History and contiuned [sic] recent cases have shown that there have been many alternative cancer cure treatments in existence which have shown successful results. These results remain virtually un known [sic] by consensus reality and go un reported [sic] to the mainstream medical establishment. This is due to (as case files here illustrate) suppression!
Completely oblivious to the contradiction, the next paragraph asserts that the mainstream press continues to report on the success of these suppressed alternatives. I've written about a couple of these cures and their promoters, e.g., Royal Rife and radionics and Hulda Clark. Panacea-BOCAF lists Dr. Stephen Mak as a "research link" that takes you to Chris Walker's blog where, under the heading of "Eating Fruit", Walker posts the alleged article by the alleged Dr. Mak with the prefatory remark "I got this article by email and it sounds perfect from a Tibetan Medicine angle."
I looked at about a dozen of the pages that reproduced the Mak stuff. None offer any critical comments except those offered by readers, some of whom recognize nonsense when they read it. One blog (YellowStarEssentials) posts Mak's stuff with the heading "Eat Fruit to Cure Cancer, Get Healthy and Lose Weight." Mak does claim to cure cancer in his alleged e-mail, but his article doesn't claim that fruit cures cancer. Rather the article puts forth a false claim that has been circulating on the Internet since 1998, according to Barbara Mikkelson of Snopes.com. A chef living in Singapore, Devagi Sanmugam, claimed that fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach because that will help you "detoxify," get energy, and lose weight. This claim was also made by Dr. Herbert Shelton (1895-1985), a naturopath who is cited in the Mak article and who was arrested and jailed many times for practicing medicine without a license.
Over the years, Sanmugam's advice about eating fruit on an empty stomach has made the rounds in various e-mails with additional claims. One added bit of misinformation is the notion that as soon as fruit comes into contact with food in the stomach and digestive juices "the entire mass of food begins to spoil." That bit of nonsense about food rotting in your gut if you eat fruit after other food may have originated with Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, according to Mikkelson. The Diamonds authored Fit for Life, a collection of false, misleading, and unproven claims about food and health.
Another anonymous e-mail added a list of several fruits with some accurate information about their vitamin and mineral contents joined with unsubstantiated claims about dissolving kidney stones by eating oranges, lowering your risk of colon cancer by eating apples, relieving constipation by eating guavas, "boosting your immune system," and preventing cancer with antioxidants. These e-mails seem to be a variation on the Chinese whispering game. Eventually, a version emerged that includes the claim that eating fruits prevents cancer. In any case, the Mak article making the rounds today seems to be a cut and paste job from several e-mails going back more than a decade. Along the way, a few juicy tidbits of misinformation have been added, besides the notions about fruits already mentioned:
You can prevent gray hair, balding, nervous outbursts, and dark circles under the eyes by eating fruit on an empty stomach.
Eating fruits on an empty stomach leads to a longer and happier life.
If you drink canned or bottled fruit juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.
This last bit of nonsense about cold water causing cancer is defended by the following piece of "reasoning":
.... the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
The idea that fruits cure cancer is being promoted by Raj and Suzanne who run a website called A Way of Life. They publish articles online by such characters as Jasmuheen and Deepak Chopra. They list Dr. Stephen Mak as one of their authors. His only article is the one we've been talking about. A Google search for "Eating Fruit - This Opened My Eyes" yields more than 20,000 potential sources for a set of unsubstantiated medical claims that have been exposed as fraudulent many times during the past decade. There's nothing wrong with eating fresh fruit and veggies, but almost every claim these fruitarians make has no scientific merit whatsoever. That would be evil enough, but the thousands who pass on this misinformation as if it were unquestionably true are guilty of a greater evil: they don't question either the source or the claims being made. They're paving the road to hell with their uncritical devotion to anyone claiming to have a natural cure that "they" have suppressed. No wonder Kevin Trudeau has so many groveling suppliants.
Sites to check for the truth: Skepdic.com  Snopes.com and Hoax-slayer.com
Peter’s Piece

Who, and where, is Dr Stephen Mak?

In my search for the elusive Dr Stephen Mak, the nearest I was able to get to him was a Dr Stephen Mark, a psychiatrist in Waco, Texas who has a clean record with his patients and the authorities. He probably wastes a good part of his day explaining to people that he is a Mark rather than a Mak.

Mak only Googles in connection with the above so-called cures and advice. It would be safe to conclude that if he exists at all (and he possibly does under another name) he is probably making a lot of money from gullible people before they die.

If anyone has any positive proof that Dr Stephen Mak is a real person, please post your evidence in the comment space below.






Wednesday, September 26, 2012

LOW BRIDGE CRASHES


Senator calls for
GPS standards for trucks
By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor

There should be more signs like this one. But even this one may be
inadequate at night if it is not illuminated. It also appears to be too
close to the bridge for a quick stop. The sign should have been erected
at the last intersection before the bridge.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, says GPS devices are to blame for leading trucks onto roadways where they can collide with low-clearance bridges.

Schumer’s office notified OOIDA on Monday that the senator plans to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue specific GPS standards for trucks to reduce the number of bridge strikes.

Truckers familiar with the aging New York infrastructure say problems with bridge strikes can be tied to inexperience as well as the type of devices some truckers carry.

“The problem is GPS units that people use that are not for trucks; they’re for cars,” New York trucker Bob Boehm said. “It runs these guys onto the parkways and it takes their tops off.”

Sen. Schumer is citing an August 2011 report titled Bridge Vehicle Impact Assessment, published by the New York State Department of Transportation, to make his case.

The report evaluated crash hotspots in the state and New York City, and indicated that as many as 80 percent of truck strikes on low-clearance bridges involved the use – or misuse – of GPS devices that routed trucks onto parkways.

“A majority of these trucks are from out-of-state locations,” the report authors stated.

The report notes more issues at play than just GPS. In some cases, the posted warning signs were inadequate or placed too close to the bridge to make a difference.

“By the time a truck driver sees these signs, it is already too late for them to stop,” the report authors noted, adding that warnings in some areas were “hardly visible” during the night . . . .

Full story at Landline Magazine

Peter’s Piece

There seems to be an inference that out-of-state truckers are a problem when it comes to New York’s low bridges.

But out-of-state truckers driving 18 wheelers are usually the majority of truckers in most states, including New York. The reason New York has a problem is because New York has more than its share of problem bridges.

Approaching an unexpected low bridge at night or in fast and heavy traffic can be an alarming experience and I’ve written more about low bridges in Highway America

GPS is a handy system that can make navigating easier, but drivers should never rely solely on GPS. Nothing can completely replace careful pre-trip planning, map reading, keeping a sharp eye out for signage and good old fashioned common sense. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

TRAVEL SOUTH AMERICA


 How to spend

 48 hours in Lima, Peru
Lima's Plaza Mayor.  Photo Matthew Barker
As with many capital cities, Lima can be an overwhelming, confusing and intimidating metropolis. As the transport hub of Peru, it is a city that is all but impossible to avoid, and many travelers are confronted with the choice of either skipping Lima’s barely organized chaos and getting out of town as fast as possible, or spend some time trying to penetrate the sprawling capital.
The answer is simple: don’t skip Lima. Peru’s culture, government, history, and legendary gastronomy all come together in the city that lines the bluffs along the Pacific Ocean. You could spend years exploring Lima’s crevices, but here’s how to do it in 48 hours.
Parque Kennedy
If your flight has arrived on Friday night, the long cab right from the airport has probably left you feeling exhausted, but curious. Grab a hotel in Miraflores. There are all different price ranges in the area, but the closer you are to Parque Kennedy, the more lively the local.
Drop your things and hunt down a low-key dinner. Around Calle de las Pizzas on Parque Kennedy does not serve up the greatest dishes, but it is a good place for a quick and easy bite and some fabulous people-watching. Try Peru’s famous pisco sour, a brandy made from grapes. Careful though- it sneaks up on you quickly and just two can leave you wobbling as you stand up. If you’re a party animal, explore the lively (albeit overpriced) bars. If not, you’re not missing much- get some sleep for the next day.
Saturday morning begins early for adventure junkies. The coastline along Lima is renowned for its surf. Head down to the beach for a lesson at around 6AM- don’t forget to rent a wetsuit! Even if surfing isn’t for you, watching the locals shred the waves before work is a sight in itself. Get back to your hotel for breakfast and a quick shower before the busy day begins.
Barranco
From your hotel in Miraflores grab a cab to Barranco, and ask to be let out at the Bajada de Baños. Barranco is Lima’s Bohemian arts district, and is home to decadent homes that are enough to make anyone want to buy one of those fixer-uppers. The Bajada is a small walkway that leads down to the ocean. With restaurants and homes built into the cut-out cliffs, the architectural beauty of the walk will astound you.
Head all the way down and cross the pedestrian bridge for another glimpse of the beach. If your appetite is up, stop by one of the restaurants for a snack. Otherwise, continue onto the main square in Barranco for a better close-up of the old homes that coat the sidewalks.
After taking in Barranco, take a cab to Museo Larco. The museum is housed in an 18th Century museum, and is one of the largest private collections of Peruvian artifacts from a wide span of cultures.  However, the museum is perhaps better known for its interesting collection of erotic artifacts- housed in a separate building in case you want to keep your trip family-friendly.
Plaza Mayor
Following Museo Larco, take one more ride over to Plaza Mayor. Plaza Mayor is Lima’s true downtown and home to its government buildings. The detailed architecture is stunning, but the best history lies in the Convento de San Francisco. A still-running monastery, it is also the home to the Catacombs that house 25,000 skeletons dating back over three hundred years. English tours are available, and provide ample time to view the neatly piled bones below. Another highlight is Peruvian artist Diego de la Puentes’ take on the Last Supper- complete with cuy (guinea pig) as the central plate.
Head back to Miraflores to change for dinner. Lima’s gastronomy is unparalleled and it is difficult to go wrong. Many Peruvians will point you in the direction of restaurants owned by one of their most famous chefs: Gaston Acurio. Panchita and Astrid y Gaston are two favorites.  If you can move after one of his meals, head back to Barranco to check out what is known as Lima’s best of nightlife.
Sunday Morning
On Sunday morning you might need to take it slow, so walk down to Larcomar to explore the shopping center that seems precariously built into the bluffs. Take a walk down the Malecón, a path leading along the hills above the coast, to the Parque del Amor. See the unique statue, but also to ask about parasailing. Though the trip is short, the expansive view of Lima and the ocean are well worth it. Grab lunch in Larcomar before heading in taxi to the Museo de la Nación for a comprehensive overview of Peru’s history and culture.
Following the museum, head over to the Circuito Mágico del Agua. This new park opens at dusk and provides a stunning collection of fountains that light up, dance, and create a million ways to play. If it is warm, enjoy playing in the water, but cooler nights are just as enthralling. Though you may not want to leave, head back to Parque Kennedy to see if any artisans have set up shop. After a long day, dinner is warranted. Brujas de Cachiche is another favorite, but it is hard to go wrong in Lima.  After dinner, get your rest. This was only the 48 hours of your trip.
Lima is not to be missed. Often capital cities hide their beauty, but knowing where to look will provide a stunning overview of Peru for everything it is: culture, art, food, adventure, and wonderful people.

BEYOND THE SEAS

This is my latest historical novel  Beyond the Seas When twelve-year-old orphan Nathaniel Asker is shipped from the back alleys of London to...