Arrived here at 7 a.m., on time. Bus ride was extremely rough, there were so many S curves through the rocky canyons and slopes, I swear the bus drivers deserve a medal just for getting the passengers here, safely, all in one piece. The high slopes butt the highway, with no screening to prevent rocks from falling onto the highway. Let's face it, everyone who knows me, knows that I spent half the night driving this bus for the bus driver, just in case! I prayed a lot... Not much sleep for me, but Bruce slept like a log, despite the short seats and lack of space.
The land is still dry, barren, mountainous and rocky. We are still in desert country. Cannot understand how Peruvians eke out a living from this land... Totally incomprehensible.
Due to the early arrival, Bruce and I stopped for tea in the beautiful bus depot, and had a banana. I was starving! Then took a 'secure' taxi to the Hotel La Posada del Monasterio, and were extremely well received. Our 'doble' room, 2 beds, hot running water in the bathroom sink, a comfort we enjoyed again. And, 4 towels, not just 2, with drinking glasses too. Whoa! Are we in heaven or what... Enjoyed a delicious continental breakast, with all the trimmings.
Arequipa is Peru's second largest city, situated at approxiate 9000 ft in altitude. We felt slightly light-headed. We had dificulty moving quickly, and decided to walk as the townspeople do - slowly. Weather is hot during the day and cools considerably in the evening.
Arequipa is surrounded by 3 active volcanoes, two that are snow-capped. Beautiful setting. It also lies on a fault line, so earthquakes are frequent.
Each time we hit a town, we need to make our arrangements for the touristy activities we want, and this does take time. Met with a travel agent to sign up for our overnight trip to the Colca Canyon. 85 dollars US per person. Then went on our walk to see the sights and get a feel for the land. We love this beautifully kept town-centre with its colonial architechture. Historic centre is amazing. Plaza des Armas, a huge park filled with trees, shrubs, and a wonderful fountain. This is actually part of every single town, but this one is just particularly welcoming and beautiful. The Cathedral is stunning, and we enjoyed visiting the Jesuit Centre, La Compania. The Cathedral completely covers one side of the Plaza, and on the other three sides, the ground floors are esplanades. On two sides, above the esplanades, the balconies are occupied by touristy restaurants.
People are so friendly. They are also extremely devout Catholics,attending church all the time.
The outskirts of the city though are very poorly kept, with buildings and streets quite dilapitated. We did not venture here a lot.
Many of the buildings are constructed with volcanic white sillar rock, is very easy carved. The carvings makes one take a second look. They are so intricate, with flowers and other parts of nature. Unlike the gargoyles one sees in Europe. I love the simplicity of the churches - altars are adorned, but the buildings have a feeling of light and space. Churches are almost Moorish in style, they call this style 'baroque'.
Peruvians are continually touting their wares in the streets, wanting tourists to buy anything and everything, all the alpaca clothing possible, right down to individual candies, tons of fruit and cigarettes. Still lots of people begging too... all ages, all kinds.
We always try to eat locally, so tonight we had rococo rollenos, stuffed peppers filled with meat and a raisin or two, covered with the local Pervian cheese sauce. Very taste, very piquante, which means it brought tears to my eyes, and cleared out Bruce's sinus'. But the meal was delicious, even though we may never order it again. Bruce says we are learning to tolerate 'hot' foods... right!
Oddity - many men are self emplyed as shoe shine men, and work around the park. Bruce had his shoes done, and they looked better than every before, never have these shoes been treated so well.
Walked the people-filled streets some more, but we were so tired, we returned to our lovely hotel, and slept for almost 10 hours! Glorious day...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 24 - Full day in Nazca
Woke up very early as we had booked an early flight over the Nazca Lines. It took forever to get to the airport, and board the plane, but Bruce & I need to learn to live in Peruvian time, not ours. 5 of us were seated in a very small plane. Discovered (Nazca Lines) these navigational geoglyphs (figures of animals) difficult to see from the air, which is still the only way to view them. Caught 5 distinct figures, & Bruce caught more. What we did not capture on camera, we purchased postcards for. This was definitely a highlight of our trip, and our reason for stopping in Nazca. So many myths surround the makings of the animal figures designed in the sand, we just do not know what to believe, and neither do the folks around here. It still was a sight to behold.
We´re still in desert country: the weather is dry, skies are blue, with no rain in sight.
Visited the Italian archeological museum in the afternoon, which featured ¨digs¨ and research of the first Indian cultures. The artifacts were fascinating: the history of Peru is amazing.
We continue to meet interesting people every day. The guide from the museum was leaving at the same time we were, and we talked about various things. Peruvians are so interested in how we view their country, and their artifacts. We continue to find them just a delight to be around.
Went for tea and dessert at the same restaurant as last night, as we had made a friend of the waitress, Jennifer. We promised to visit her mother´s pottery studio, so after our snack, we ventured into a whole new Peruvian neighbourhood, and met with Jenny, who demonstrated how she continued the custom of creating original Andean pottery designs, worked on in the ancient Inca way, which she learned from her grandfather, and father. We purchased a small vessel, but we mostly appreciated the conversation and the welcoming manner she had in demonstrating her skill and art to us. As a mother, Jenny is very proud of her children - Jennifer, the waitress, who has acquired a Tourism Certificate in Arequipa, and her other daughter, who is brilliant in math, and plans on being a doctor. Mom showed us the medal her daughter had received.
Walking around the Peruvian neighbourhoods, certainly opened our eyes. There are piles of rubble everywhere, probably due to the frequent earthquakes that happen here. Not everything gets cleaned up, and all labor is manual. We have yet to see signs of machinery anywhere. Did a lot of walking, as we had so much time on our hands today. So many people still are in the streets having a wonderful time, it seems. Cooking smells are everywhere: every street corner has its vendors, and we are dying to eat their food, but do not dare to as yet. Cleaned chickens are on countertops, for sale, in the open air. So are other foods... we just take this all in, continually totally amazed with it all.
Did something different, and it was safe. We took an overnight bus to Arequipa, departing at 10 p.m. and arriving in Arequipa at 7 a.m. (Cruz del Sur is the bus line, and as I have explained before, security is extremely tight. Passengers go through so many checks & cross-checks. Met other traveling couples and shared common travel experiences, plus advice. So many ways to see this country, and so many choices - it´s just amazing how the visitors are spending their time. We´re learning something new every day!)
We´re still in desert country: the weather is dry, skies are blue, with no rain in sight.
Visited the Italian archeological museum in the afternoon, which featured ¨digs¨ and research of the first Indian cultures. The artifacts were fascinating: the history of Peru is amazing.
We continue to meet interesting people every day. The guide from the museum was leaving at the same time we were, and we talked about various things. Peruvians are so interested in how we view their country, and their artifacts. We continue to find them just a delight to be around.
Went for tea and dessert at the same restaurant as last night, as we had made a friend of the waitress, Jennifer. We promised to visit her mother´s pottery studio, so after our snack, we ventured into a whole new Peruvian neighbourhood, and met with Jenny, who demonstrated how she continued the custom of creating original Andean pottery designs, worked on in the ancient Inca way, which she learned from her grandfather, and father. We purchased a small vessel, but we mostly appreciated the conversation and the welcoming manner she had in demonstrating her skill and art to us. As a mother, Jenny is very proud of her children - Jennifer, the waitress, who has acquired a Tourism Certificate in Arequipa, and her other daughter, who is brilliant in math, and plans on being a doctor. Mom showed us the medal her daughter had received.
Walking around the Peruvian neighbourhoods, certainly opened our eyes. There are piles of rubble everywhere, probably due to the frequent earthquakes that happen here. Not everything gets cleaned up, and all labor is manual. We have yet to see signs of machinery anywhere. Did a lot of walking, as we had so much time on our hands today. So many people still are in the streets having a wonderful time, it seems. Cooking smells are everywhere: every street corner has its vendors, and we are dying to eat their food, but do not dare to as yet. Cleaned chickens are on countertops, for sale, in the open air. So are other foods... we just take this all in, continually totally amazed with it all.
Did something different, and it was safe. We took an overnight bus to Arequipa, departing at 10 p.m. and arriving in Arequipa at 7 a.m. (Cruz del Sur is the bus line, and as I have explained before, security is extremely tight. Passengers go through so many checks & cross-checks. Met other traveling couples and shared common travel experiences, plus advice. So many ways to see this country, and so many choices - it´s just amazing how the visitors are spending their time. We´re learning something new every day!)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Paracus to Nasca - May 23
Walked around Paracus, enjoying the boardwalk and smells of the ocean, eating eggs for breakfast, which is rare. Boarded the bus for Nasca at 11:00 a.m. , and slept most of the bus ride, due to my upset tummy. 3.5 hours of more sandy dunes, and desolate canyons. We find this barren landscape beautiful in its isolated way. So different from home. We are surprised to see that inn some places, agriculture is being grown on this land. Amazing!
Passed theough Ica, a lovely town, which I now wish we had stopped at overnight. This town is famous for it sand-dune tours, and many younger tourists swarm here for the adventure.
Still see a lot of poverty, homes that are 8x8 masonry structure, some with reed roofs, and others with light cemented ones. Don´t ask me how the people live here, but I am told that their lives are better than before, when they were scavenging in the countryside with nothing. Now that these Peruvians have moved closer to towns, there apparently is some hope to their life.
Arrived in Nasca, booked into Hotel Alegria, and I slept some more, while Bruce ventured out getting our flight booked, and seeing what we could do around town. Gatorade and crackers settled everything. Afterwards, we walked around this small city, the streets are alive with people cooking odd & delicious food items, eating at stalls on the sidewalks, & selling their wares. Very busy, very colourful. Went to a lovely restaurant for dinner, enjoying my first Pisco Sour - what a delicious drink, but it is strong! My tummy stayed unsettled, so we hurried back to the hotel after supper, which was unfortunate, because the whole town was alive! I want to be part of it all!
Went to bed at 8 p.m. Can hardly wait for Sunday, to fly over the Nazca lines!
Passed theough Ica, a lovely town, which I now wish we had stopped at overnight. This town is famous for it sand-dune tours, and many younger tourists swarm here for the adventure.
Still see a lot of poverty, homes that are 8x8 masonry structure, some with reed roofs, and others with light cemented ones. Don´t ask me how the people live here, but I am told that their lives are better than before, when they were scavenging in the countryside with nothing. Now that these Peruvians have moved closer to towns, there apparently is some hope to their life.
Arrived in Nasca, booked into Hotel Alegria, and I slept some more, while Bruce ventured out getting our flight booked, and seeing what we could do around town. Gatorade and crackers settled everything. Afterwards, we walked around this small city, the streets are alive with people cooking odd & delicious food items, eating at stalls on the sidewalks, & selling their wares. Very busy, very colourful. Went to a lovely restaurant for dinner, enjoying my first Pisco Sour - what a delicious drink, but it is strong! My tummy stayed unsettled, so we hurried back to the hotel after supper, which was unfortunate, because the whole town was alive! I want to be part of it all!
Went to bed at 8 p.m. Can hardly wait for Sunday, to fly over the Nazca lines!
In Paracus - May 22
Woke up early to the sounds of ¨country¨ Peru - car horns & dogs barking.
Boarded a large motorboat to visit the Peruvian Galapogas ¨Las Ballestas¨. Saw the famous Candelebrar, a huge candle geoglyph carved in the rock. This impressive navigational aid is a wonder to be seen. Motored onto the bird sanctuaries, seeing and smelling the guano (bird poop), which in earlier years was massively dug up by hand, then exported to Europe and NA as fertilizer. Saw so many birds - small Humbolt penguin, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, terns, & seal lions, in & out of their caves. An estimated 1 million birds swarm here; it´s an amazing site, & one must put up with the guano perfume. I think our grandson Cameron, would be totally grossed out!
Had a quick bite to eat, then onto another nature tour, National Parque Reserva de Paracus, a completely barren, sandy, mountainous landscape - a moonscape. This desert meets the sea, with towering sandy, salt-laden & iron oxide cliff formations, which are magnificent. Saw a few flamingoes & red-headed turkey vultures. This is not the season for flamingoes to be mating, so we considered ourselves lucky to have seen a few. Other sights were massive rock formations in the ocean such as the Cathedral with more vistas of cliffs and red (iron oxide) sandy beaches. The road we drove on is made of salt, and is blackened by the tires of the vehicles traveling over it. We could actually pick up parts of the road, and break the salt in our fingers. We had the time to take all of this in. Had a delicious Peruvian lunch - seafood again, at a quaint restaurant stop-over in the Parque.
Returned to Paracus, ate a lovely fish dinner, met some fellow travelers, and saw the Southern Cross in the sky. (Have not seen this since Austalia!)
But, I think I´m overdoing it on the food, for I had a pretty upset tummy for the following two days. I promised myself to take it easy when indulging on the native foods, even though I love it all!
I appreciate all of you who are trying to keep up with our travels. The computers are slow, and sometimes, I have difficulty getting to one. Let´s face it, we´re sightseeing as much as possible, taking in everything. Take care everyone :)
Boarded a large motorboat to visit the Peruvian Galapogas ¨Las Ballestas¨. Saw the famous Candelebrar, a huge candle geoglyph carved in the rock. This impressive navigational aid is a wonder to be seen. Motored onto the bird sanctuaries, seeing and smelling the guano (bird poop), which in earlier years was massively dug up by hand, then exported to Europe and NA as fertilizer. Saw so many birds - small Humbolt penguin, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, terns, & seal lions, in & out of their caves. An estimated 1 million birds swarm here; it´s an amazing site, & one must put up with the guano perfume. I think our grandson Cameron, would be totally grossed out!
Had a quick bite to eat, then onto another nature tour, National Parque Reserva de Paracus, a completely barren, sandy, mountainous landscape - a moonscape. This desert meets the sea, with towering sandy, salt-laden & iron oxide cliff formations, which are magnificent. Saw a few flamingoes & red-headed turkey vultures. This is not the season for flamingoes to be mating, so we considered ourselves lucky to have seen a few. Other sights were massive rock formations in the ocean such as the Cathedral with more vistas of cliffs and red (iron oxide) sandy beaches. The road we drove on is made of salt, and is blackened by the tires of the vehicles traveling over it. We could actually pick up parts of the road, and break the salt in our fingers. We had the time to take all of this in. Had a delicious Peruvian lunch - seafood again, at a quaint restaurant stop-over in the Parque.
Returned to Paracus, ate a lovely fish dinner, met some fellow travelers, and saw the Southern Cross in the sky. (Have not seen this since Austalia!)
But, I think I´m overdoing it on the food, for I had a pretty upset tummy for the following two days. I promised myself to take it easy when indulging on the native foods, even though I love it all!
I appreciate all of you who are trying to keep up with our travels. The computers are slow, and sometimes, I have difficulty getting to one. Let´s face it, we´re sightseeing as much as possible, taking in everything. Take care everyone :)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May 21 - Lima to Paracus
Did our morning habits, walking, purchasing food for our bus ride to Paracus & enjoying a last minute Cappucino. Antonio, our wonderful, regular cab driver, drove us to the Cruz del Sur bus depot, had a bite to eat, and boarded the bus at 1:30 p.m. We were comfortably seated on the top floor, with reclining seats, and were even served an ´airline´ meal. Watched a movie, then played bingo - I won! A bottle of Picso... Arrived at Paracus, a coastal ´resort´at 5:15 p.m.
Pan American Highway is well developed along the coast. Landscape is mainly sandy desert, some high rock, sand mountains, and sandunes. Some agriculture, corn, grapes, orchards. Nice break in this desolate land.
We experienced our first view of the extreme poverty in Peru. OMG! We have never seen living conditions such as these - ever. We did not know people lived like this - large areas of small buildings side by side, or sometimes separated. Size - 8x8 or 12x12 square boxed houses, constructed of clay bricks, with a reed or a cement´like roof, one door, and sometimes a window, but this was alway blocked with a piece of wood or cardboard. I can understand this, because the outside is nothing but the sandy desert. Saw nothing to support electicity or plumbing. People´s living conditions are extremely dismal. These sights had quite the sobering effect on me, and we have since seen this type of housing all along the roads. I think the people work in town, then are bused back to their homes at night, as we did not see a lot of activity around these places.
Arrived in Paracus, and quickly found a place to stay, Hostal Los Frayas. Very basic - Lima was upscale in comparison. Ate a delicious ceviche & Peruvian beer for dinner. Bruce had an excellent fish & rice dish! Roasted corn kernals are always placed on the table to munch on. Interesting.
Could not use e-mail - Telus was down... Lots of new experiences, each day. Think of the brain cells we are popping!
Pan American Highway is well developed along the coast. Landscape is mainly sandy desert, some high rock, sand mountains, and sandunes. Some agriculture, corn, grapes, orchards. Nice break in this desolate land.
We experienced our first view of the extreme poverty in Peru. OMG! We have never seen living conditions such as these - ever. We did not know people lived like this - large areas of small buildings side by side, or sometimes separated. Size - 8x8 or 12x12 square boxed houses, constructed of clay bricks, with a reed or a cement´like roof, one door, and sometimes a window, but this was alway blocked with a piece of wood or cardboard. I can understand this, because the outside is nothing but the sandy desert. Saw nothing to support electicity or plumbing. People´s living conditions are extremely dismal. These sights had quite the sobering effect on me, and we have since seen this type of housing all along the roads. I think the people work in town, then are bused back to their homes at night, as we did not see a lot of activity around these places.
Arrived in Paracus, and quickly found a place to stay, Hostal Los Frayas. Very basic - Lima was upscale in comparison. Ate a delicious ceviche & Peruvian beer for dinner. Bruce had an excellent fish & rice dish! Roasted corn kernals are always placed on the table to munch on. Interesting.
Could not use e-mail - Telus was down... Lots of new experiences, each day. Think of the brain cells we are popping!
May 20 - another day in Lima
Woke up to a very nice alarm clock - the cooing of the doves. Discovered that our hotel is situated in a lovely cul-de-sac, surrounded by beautifully well-kept, gated colonial homes, similar in looks to San Francisco neighbourhoods. Local traffic is discouraged from passing through the area. Area is safe to walk around, even at night. The huge concert stadium is located just behind us, and last night the Jonas Brothers (USA) were in town. We could hear the music and the ´cries´of the young fans. Delightful!
Weather today is overcast and coolish. Went searching to purchase extra locks for our hiking backbacks as we needed to send these on to Cusco. The city streets are very much a mixture of wealth & poverty - one much watch out when one walks anywhere as streets have so many potholes or are in dire need of repair. Hawkers are everywhere. Found locks in a little hole in the wall shop, taxied to bus station and got these off. Procedure to do this was timely, as we had security checks in 3 places, all within the same little building. We should not have purchased extra locks for our bags, as the staff totally wrapped the bags with plastic tape, then sent them on. I am the only one that can retrieve these in Cusco, and I must clearly identify myself with several pieces of paper, which were given to me. Interesting!
Bruce and I then walked around the Historical Center, Plaza Mayor, admiring the old colonial buildings, the different styles of architechture, paying attention to the history of the place & just simply soaking up the atmosphere. For some reason, it was sunny and bright in this part of town.
Ate an amazingly delicious lunch. My appetizer, Causa Rellono, was a mashed yellow potato dish, that had tuna & mayo in the middle, then avocado and more potato on the bottom. Bruce had spaghetti with seafood, and I had beef with rice mixed with fried beans. Dessert was mango & passionfuit souffles. Yummy food! (I took photos but we´re unable to upload anything, due to time.) Drink an Inca Cola, the famous top-selling soda produced here. Bubble-gum flavour - what can I say.
I had a private tour of the Basilica Cathedral - saw several cedar carvings, along with the art of the church. I was entranced with the Spanish conquest & the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. People are extremely devout in this area.
Oddities - Peruvians are extremely agressive about getting the tourists´dollars, such as going into restaurants, even for just a coffee. Our taxi driver quoted us one price, then wanted to charge another when we arrived at our destination. Hmm...
Peruvians also work long, long hours, 10 or 12 per day. This is normal, and they are happy just to have their jobs.
After resting & eating a light supper, we went to the Fountain Park display. 14 fountains ´water-danced´to colored lights & music, from Brahms to Beethoven, to pop. The sights were amazing.. (I´m using this word a lot - sorry!) This Parque de la Reserva was filled with families, enjoying the sights as much or more so than us. Beautiful to see so many people out at night on the streets. A perfect ending to our day!
Weather today is overcast and coolish. Went searching to purchase extra locks for our hiking backbacks as we needed to send these on to Cusco. The city streets are very much a mixture of wealth & poverty - one much watch out when one walks anywhere as streets have so many potholes or are in dire need of repair. Hawkers are everywhere. Found locks in a little hole in the wall shop, taxied to bus station and got these off. Procedure to do this was timely, as we had security checks in 3 places, all within the same little building. We should not have purchased extra locks for our bags, as the staff totally wrapped the bags with plastic tape, then sent them on. I am the only one that can retrieve these in Cusco, and I must clearly identify myself with several pieces of paper, which were given to me. Interesting!
Bruce and I then walked around the Historical Center, Plaza Mayor, admiring the old colonial buildings, the different styles of architechture, paying attention to the history of the place & just simply soaking up the atmosphere. For some reason, it was sunny and bright in this part of town.
Ate an amazingly delicious lunch. My appetizer, Causa Rellono, was a mashed yellow potato dish, that had tuna & mayo in the middle, then avocado and more potato on the bottom. Bruce had spaghetti with seafood, and I had beef with rice mixed with fried beans. Dessert was mango & passionfuit souffles. Yummy food! (I took photos but we´re unable to upload anything, due to time.) Drink an Inca Cola, the famous top-selling soda produced here. Bubble-gum flavour - what can I say.
I had a private tour of the Basilica Cathedral - saw several cedar carvings, along with the art of the church. I was entranced with the Spanish conquest & the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. People are extremely devout in this area.
Oddities - Peruvians are extremely agressive about getting the tourists´dollars, such as going into restaurants, even for just a coffee. Our taxi driver quoted us one price, then wanted to charge another when we arrived at our destination. Hmm...
Peruvians also work long, long hours, 10 or 12 per day. This is normal, and they are happy just to have their jobs.
After resting & eating a light supper, we went to the Fountain Park display. 14 fountains ´water-danced´to colored lights & music, from Brahms to Beethoven, to pop. The sights were amazing.. (I´m using this word a lot - sorry!) This Parque de la Reserva was filled with families, enjoying the sights as much or more so than us. Beautiful to see so many people out at night on the streets. A perfect ending to our day!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Lima - first full day in Peru
We had such a good night´s sleep, thank goodness! Showered and ate the hotel´s continental breakfast (white buns with butter, jam and instant coffee - not the greatest!) $US per person.
Took a taxi to Miraflores, a touristy area of Lima. Visited South American Explorers Club, getting necessary info about traveling throughout Peru. Discovered it is not wise to take a bus from Cusco to Lima, as the roads are not well developed and it may take us a week to arrive back here in Lima at the end of our climbing trip. We found the people to be very helpful indeed.
We then went to make our air reservations at LAN, booking our flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, the jungle area of Peru. We will be on an Eco-Amazonian tour from June 17 - 21. All is confirmed.
As we were starving, we made our way to a lovely restaurant, indulging in ´ceviche´, raw seafood, marinated in lime juice, a dish Peru is famous for. Absolutely delicious! This was served with a slice of sweet potato & a slice of red pepper, which was extremely hot! On the side were the fattest and juiciest corn kernals we have ever had. Roasted corn kernals served with a pepper sauce and limes were served as a munchie snack. Cafe con leche & tea completed our amazing meal!
Spent the afternoon doing a walking tour around Mireflores, visiting Parque Centrale and Parque Kennedy - parks filled with lovely flowers and shrubs. The parques were quiet today, but apparently on weekends, they are colourfully filled with artists and peasants selling their wares. The ocean mists were blowing in, causing quite a cooling effect, so we bundled up in sweaters, and found another restaurant to warm up in, this time indulging in dessert.
Browsed in some Peruvian artisanal market shops, noting that llama wool and silver articles were prevalent for sale.
Oddities we have noticed: It is not recommended in many places to flush toilet paper down the toilet, even in upscale restaurants. One must place one´s soiled paper in the waste bin beside the toilet. I need to get used to this... Toilets are low to the ground, my knees are complaining. (Generally speaking, Peruvians are much smaller than North Americans.)
On the other hand, Peru has digital high definition TV, something we do not enjoy in Canada as yet.
Many folk art statues and pictures depict people with grossly extended necks. We have not learned the symbolism of this as yet.
We find it odd that any drivers are left alive after one day on the streets of Lima. Cars have noticeable scapes & we think cab drivers should be admired for their patience. Car horns literally ´drive´the cars. A university study of many taxi and bus drivers identified them as sociopaths - can you believe this!
8 million people in Lima, yet the city has no metro system, just a hodge-podge of small battered buses, with a person on board calling out to people to take ´their´bus. Competition is fierce.
The air is polluted with all this traffic - smells are very interesting.
Weather is coolish - wished we had packed more autumn clothing, but will purchase what we need.
Security is extremely important in Lima. Most buildings are gated, and all gates are locked. Military Justice Dept. has rifle-equiped guards outside the building, inside the locked gates. Jeez! Everyone claims that this is a necessity in this country.
Ate a nice evening meal at a Peruvian-Italian restaurant. We must say that the Peruvian people are very warm and friendly, and that we have been well taken care of by everyone. We´re glad we are on this adventure.
Hope all our family and friends are staying well. We will take care, and hope you will too.
Claudette & Bruce
Took a taxi to Miraflores, a touristy area of Lima. Visited South American Explorers Club, getting necessary info about traveling throughout Peru. Discovered it is not wise to take a bus from Cusco to Lima, as the roads are not well developed and it may take us a week to arrive back here in Lima at the end of our climbing trip. We found the people to be very helpful indeed.
We then went to make our air reservations at LAN, booking our flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, the jungle area of Peru. We will be on an Eco-Amazonian tour from June 17 - 21. All is confirmed.
As we were starving, we made our way to a lovely restaurant, indulging in ´ceviche´, raw seafood, marinated in lime juice, a dish Peru is famous for. Absolutely delicious! This was served with a slice of sweet potato & a slice of red pepper, which was extremely hot! On the side were the fattest and juiciest corn kernals we have ever had. Roasted corn kernals served with a pepper sauce and limes were served as a munchie snack. Cafe con leche & tea completed our amazing meal!
Spent the afternoon doing a walking tour around Mireflores, visiting Parque Centrale and Parque Kennedy - parks filled with lovely flowers and shrubs. The parques were quiet today, but apparently on weekends, they are colourfully filled with artists and peasants selling their wares. The ocean mists were blowing in, causing quite a cooling effect, so we bundled up in sweaters, and found another restaurant to warm up in, this time indulging in dessert.
Browsed in some Peruvian artisanal market shops, noting that llama wool and silver articles were prevalent for sale.
Oddities we have noticed: It is not recommended in many places to flush toilet paper down the toilet, even in upscale restaurants. One must place one´s soiled paper in the waste bin beside the toilet. I need to get used to this... Toilets are low to the ground, my knees are complaining. (Generally speaking, Peruvians are much smaller than North Americans.)
On the other hand, Peru has digital high definition TV, something we do not enjoy in Canada as yet.
Many folk art statues and pictures depict people with grossly extended necks. We have not learned the symbolism of this as yet.
We find it odd that any drivers are left alive after one day on the streets of Lima. Cars have noticeable scapes & we think cab drivers should be admired for their patience. Car horns literally ´drive´the cars. A university study of many taxi and bus drivers identified them as sociopaths - can you believe this!
8 million people in Lima, yet the city has no metro system, just a hodge-podge of small battered buses, with a person on board calling out to people to take ´their´bus. Competition is fierce.
The air is polluted with all this traffic - smells are very interesting.
Weather is coolish - wished we had packed more autumn clothing, but will purchase what we need.
Security is extremely important in Lima. Most buildings are gated, and all gates are locked. Military Justice Dept. has rifle-equiped guards outside the building, inside the locked gates. Jeez! Everyone claims that this is a necessity in this country.
Ate a nice evening meal at a Peruvian-Italian restaurant. We must say that the Peruvian people are very warm and friendly, and that we have been well taken care of by everyone. We´re glad we are on this adventure.
Hope all our family and friends are staying well. We will take care, and hope you will too.
Claudette & Bruce
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Safe in Peru!
May 18 - wake-up call - 3:45 am. We showered, then took a taxi to the airport, arriving at 5:00 a.m. Ate a fairly decent breakfast; we were thankful we took the time to eat a decent meal before our flight to Toronto. Boarded Air Canada flight at 6:30 a.m. We should have departed at 7:00 a.m., but with the weatherman creating some interesting patterms, such as snow in May!, they had to spend an hour de-icing the plane, an absolute necessity. When we finally departed, Bruce and I slept most of the way to Toronto.
Upon our arrival there, we walked for about 30 minutes through Terminal 1 to Gate 179, almost the very last gate in the Terminal. We had enough time to purchase a sandwich and latte (Starbucks!), but no time to spend in the Duty-free shops! Was Bruce happy -
Boarded Ac Flight 080 - 1:35 p.m., a 767, very old plane slated for the graveyard, narrow seats, and one TV screen...Standards were not up to the flights we have taken across country or to Europe! Flight was rough - we had to remain seated most of the 8 hour flight due to turbulence. On a good note, we arrived in Lima in good time!
Used the hotel taxi, whereby the skilled driver met us at the airport and drove us to Hotel Pasado del Parque. Driving by cemented blocks of colourless apartments, roughly constructed - an interesting intro to the city. Few areas were street lit, drivers were all over the road, no lanes were visible, or if they were, they were not adhered to. Bruce then made the decision NOT to ever drive in Peru - good thing!
Discovered our hotel was a 2 star, rather basic place, & it´s clean. It appears we have the only room with bath on the first floor. The building is a colourful colonial style. The owners welcomed up with a bottle of wine, seeing as we are booked for 3 nights. Nice touch! Hallways are decorated with primitive Peruvian art - dolls, weavings, 3-story religious scuptures, and pottery.
Now, we´re drinking wine, looking forward to our time in Lima, hoping to remember our Spanish. We will keep in touch - Love :) Claudette & Bruce
Upon our arrival there, we walked for about 30 minutes through Terminal 1 to Gate 179, almost the very last gate in the Terminal. We had enough time to purchase a sandwich and latte (Starbucks!), but no time to spend in the Duty-free shops! Was Bruce happy -
Boarded Ac Flight 080 - 1:35 p.m., a 767, very old plane slated for the graveyard, narrow seats, and one TV screen...Standards were not up to the flights we have taken across country or to Europe! Flight was rough - we had to remain seated most of the 8 hour flight due to turbulence. On a good note, we arrived in Lima in good time!
Used the hotel taxi, whereby the skilled driver met us at the airport and drove us to Hotel Pasado del Parque. Driving by cemented blocks of colourless apartments, roughly constructed - an interesting intro to the city. Few areas were street lit, drivers were all over the road, no lanes were visible, or if they were, they were not adhered to. Bruce then made the decision NOT to ever drive in Peru - good thing!
Discovered our hotel was a 2 star, rather basic place, & it´s clean. It appears we have the only room with bath on the first floor. The building is a colourful colonial style. The owners welcomed up with a bottle of wine, seeing as we are booked for 3 nights. Nice touch! Hallways are decorated with primitive Peruvian art - dolls, weavings, 3-story religious scuptures, and pottery.
Now, we´re drinking wine, looking forward to our time in Lima, hoping to remember our Spanish. We will keep in touch - Love :) Claudette & Bruce
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Peru the Start
Bruce and I are getting ready for our adventure to Peru. All the medical supplies are in place. I just need to purchase Watkins' Deet from Walmart, and Neoprene knee sleeves - then, I believe we will have all the basics covered.In my zeal to conquer the Inca Trail, I over-trained my leg muscles, and am now spending a couple of hours per day stretching and icing them.
Walking with a backpack starts again on Monday! I still wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew - which I oftentimes do. And, I quote my mother - "Claudette, your eyes are always bigger than your stomach." I can honestly say that my imagination is always larger than the reality of the project. So, with this in mind, Bruce and I are soldiering on in our quest of visiting another world's Sacred Site - Machu Pichu.
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