This morning we awoke to find ourselves being pushed to the dock by a tug boat, a sure sign that we’d finally hit land. The harbour was pretty foggy so visibility was at a minimum, but we did notice a huge fleet of fishing boats in the harbour. Once we were tied up, we were the first off the boat and down the boarding ramp to catch our tour of Lima. There was a fellow waiting for us who got us on a car to Lima.
We were driven about 15 kilometres through the port town of Callao to the Melia Hotel, where we joined up with our tour guide Renzo and driver Pablo.
Once in Downtown Lima, we visited the two main squares, St. Martin named after the first leader of modern Peru,
and Plaza Mayor with its ancient fountain, cathedral - hosting the remains of Fransisco Pizarro - and the original courthouse. Until only recently, these squares were not very safe, but now they are dominated by a large, intimidating police presence - and one dog.
We walked through a touristic arcade that until the last earthquake in 1940, had a beautiful stained-glass roof, which will never happen again, due to safety concerns.
The highlight of the tour was a visit to the Monasterio de San Fransisco. This church features glazed tiles from the early 1600’s. It also had a catacombs - not visitable - home to an estimated 25 000 bodies. Since it was Sunday, a service was in progress and the chanting gave a haunting character to the place. The two cloisters were probably the most beautiful we have seen.
One of the patron saints of San Fransisco was Santa Rosa, a very beautiful woman who supposedly had special powers.
Next, it was on to the modern part of Lima, Miraflores, with beautiful apartments and homes. We first visited the Love Park, which is dominated by a huge sculpture of a couple embracing called El Beso. There are also a string of mosaic clad benches, reminiscent of the work of Spanish artist Gaudi.
Twice during the course of the morning, our route was blocked by people getting fresh air on a Sunday - first runners and then bikers. We found ways around them, but it wasn’t easy.
Our last visit was to the Huaca Pucllana pyramid, in the heart of Miraflores. This ancient site predates the Incas by over 1000 years and was thought to be nothing but a sand dune until the early 1960’s. They have since uncovered some of the original structure and found many mummies in tombs created in the last era of this pyramid. The models here represent the number of mummies found at this site.
From Huaca Pucllana, there is a great view of the high-end residential area of Miraflores.
Driving back to the port, you transition through the slums above town, reminiscent of Rio’s favelas
to the more modern and colourful box homes in the port town of Callao.
Before we packed our suitcases to leave the ship, we did some final shopping in a Peruvian market, set up right in the port. The price of tourist goods here seems very reasonable, compared to what we’ve experienced elsewhere on this trip.
Tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. we will leave the ship for the final time and be driven to the airport for our morning flight to Cusco and the land of the Incas. We are very excited about this next stage of the journey and hope to continue sharing our exploits in this blog, internet willing.
We were driven about 15 kilometres through the port town of Callao to the Melia Hotel, where we joined up with our tour guide Renzo and driver Pablo.
Once in Downtown Lima, we visited the two main squares, St. Martin named after the first leader of modern Peru,
and Plaza Mayor with its ancient fountain, cathedral - hosting the remains of Fransisco Pizarro - and the original courthouse. Until only recently, these squares were not very safe, but now they are dominated by a large, intimidating police presence - and one dog.
We walked through a touristic arcade that until the last earthquake in 1940, had a beautiful stained-glass roof, which will never happen again, due to safety concerns.
The highlight of the tour was a visit to the Monasterio de San Fransisco. This church features glazed tiles from the early 1600’s. It also had a catacombs - not visitable - home to an estimated 25 000 bodies. Since it was Sunday, a service was in progress and the chanting gave a haunting character to the place. The two cloisters were probably the most beautiful we have seen.
One of the patron saints of San Fransisco was Santa Rosa, a very beautiful woman who supposedly had special powers.
Next, it was on to the modern part of Lima, Miraflores, with beautiful apartments and homes. We first visited the Love Park, which is dominated by a huge sculpture of a couple embracing called El Beso. There are also a string of mosaic clad benches, reminiscent of the work of Spanish artist Gaudi.
Twice during the course of the morning, our route was blocked by people getting fresh air on a Sunday - first runners and then bikers. We found ways around them, but it wasn’t easy.
Our last visit was to the Huaca Pucllana pyramid, in the heart of Miraflores. This ancient site predates the Incas by over 1000 years and was thought to be nothing but a sand dune until the early 1960’s. They have since uncovered some of the original structure and found many mummies in tombs created in the last era of this pyramid. The models here represent the number of mummies found at this site.
From Huaca Pucllana, there is a great view of the high-end residential area of Miraflores.
Driving back to the port, you transition through the slums above town, reminiscent of Rio’s favelas
to the more modern and colourful box homes in the port town of Callao.
Before we packed our suitcases to leave the ship, we did some final shopping in a Peruvian market, set up right in the port. The price of tourist goods here seems very reasonable, compared to what we’ve experienced elsewhere on this trip.
Tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. we will leave the ship for the final time and be driven to the airport for our morning flight to Cusco and the land of the Incas. We are very excited about this next stage of the journey and hope to continue sharing our exploits in this blog, internet willing.
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