Day 2 in Lima- Dodging cars is a way of life!!

Day 2 in Lima was somewhat less crazy than day 1, or perhaps our minds were adjusting to the insanity. After breakfast and a lazy start to the morning we taxi’d across town to the Museo de la Nacion. Located in a massive concrete block of a building, the exhibits traced the route of civilization in Peru from earliest times to the present with displays of pottery, jewelry, paintings and textiles. Separate exhibits displayed artifacts and burial sites from local archeological digs while one described the final revolt of the Inca against Spanish Rule in.

  Our next stop on our city circuit was the Plaza Major or Plaza de Armas in the city centre. Stopping in front of the Cathedral, we were directed by two Policia Touristica in the direction of Bario Chino (Chinatown) where 5 dollars will buy you a 3 course meal that will feed 2.

  The next stop, the Monasterio de San Fransisco ( dedicated to Francis of Assisi and Francis Solano. kept us busy with a one hour tour of the building and catacombs.

  Constructed in the 17^th century, this fairly massive church has been partly destroyed and rebuilt after several earthquakes, the most recent being in 1974. Restoration seems to be a never ending project with work progressing daily, The tour began in the library, featuring some 20,000 antique books. Examples of illuminated texts from as far back as the 16^th century were on display. We then followed our guide through the original choir, where the monks would sing and pray for hours at a time, down ancient cloisters with walls  decorated with frescoes and old paintings and intricately carved ceilings. In one room a series of large paintings from the Schools of Reubens and Van Dyck featured the Stations of the Cross.  A final stop in the catacombs was somewhat creepy- a massive collection of skulls and femurs, the final remnants of the thousands (70,000) of priests and commoners buried there in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. In one mass grave the skulls and femurs were arranged in rings of concentric circles. It gave me an image of an All You Can Eat Buffet at a Cannibal Café!!!

  Departing the Monastery we headed back to the Plaza de Armas where we spent some time taking photos of the Cathedral and the various palaces before moving on to the next square, Plaza San Martin for more photo ops. Tired and footsore by then we hailed a taxi and headed back to Miraflores and our hotel where we began the arduous task of repacking for the next leg of the journey. Supper was seafood at a restaurant on the main drag, pan fried  Sea Bass and a mixed seafood pasta – our most expensive meal of the trip 100 Nuevo Soles ( about $38 in total) Quite reasonable compared to a similar dinner in Canada.

 

Lima- June 21st- first full Day

Lima, Thursday June 21^st

 An 8 am alarm signaled the beginning of the first full day in Lima. The restaurant, located on the 8^th floor of the hotel provided an impressive view of the city as well as the Pacific ocean, less than ½ km away. The sky was overcast and would remain that way throughout the day, the temperature hovering between 16 and 18 degrees.

  We spent most of the morning walking along the Malecon, a scenic drive/walkway that followed the cliff top south along the western side of Miraflores.

  By way of background, Miraflores is one of the principal districts of Lima, and perhaps its most affluent, with over 70 parks and dozens, or even hundreds of high-rises, office buildings and expensive apartments.

   Lima has a population somewhere between 9 and 10 million people, and judging by the traffic, they are constantly on the move, Based on my experiences today, the risk of being run over on a crosswalk is probably the Number One cause of death in this city, followed a distant second by being run over by a skateboarder,

  Strangely, the area is without the abject poverty, homeless people and beggars that were so common in the cities of Central America. Judging by the obsessive way  city workers were cleaning streets and picking up garbage, I would not be surprised if there was not a program in place for keeping the “detritus” of society hidden from the eyes of the tourists and the local yuppies.

  All the local dogs seem well cared for, walked and leashed by doting owners or their assigned “dog walkers” Only cats seemed to show an element of homelessness with several dozen wandering in groups around the Plaza Central and Cathedral. Unlike the ferile cats of other cities, these all appeared well fed and cared for, perhaps a prodject undertaken by the local Catholic Diocese which seemed to put out food and water for them in the parks

   A quick lunch of chicken, cooked vegetable salad (carrots, beans, avocado , beets and carrots) was washed down with an Inka Cola, a rather fluorescent green/yellow beverage of unknown content (other than lots of sugar.)

 Following lunch we boarded an open double decker bus for a brief tour of Miraflores before travelling to Central Lima, where we had an all too quick tour of the Principal City Squares, as well as the major buildings, the main Cathedral, Art Gallery, Museums, various Government Palaces, Churches etc.

Leaving the city centre for a smaller district we stopped at a building known as the Larco museum, home to a large collection of Ceramica, textiles and jewelry dating back to the time from several hundred years BC and following a time line to the Inca reign and the Spanish Conquest.

 A “highlight" of the museum is a gallery of Pre-Columbian ceramic erotica with clay figurines placed in poses and depicting a variety of X-rated activities that would have made J&J very wealthy if they had invented K-Y Jelly in 1200AD!!!

  (And NO, I didn’t take any photos- although they should be on the internet!)

Returning to Miraflores and the Cathedral area we made a meandering journey to the hotel, stopping on the way at the Wong Supermarket, where one could buy a roast chicken and fries for a little over $5. One could also buy the chicken raw, buy a pot to cook it in, buy the stove needed to cook it as well as the dining table, utensils, as well as the video camera to film the event. The only thing they didn’t have for sale was a truck to take it all home.

 After a brief rest/shower, back at the hotel we set out in search of a seafood restaurant, locating one in a strip of pizza restaurants and bars near Diagonal street ( one of the principal streets in Miraflores,)

   I ordered a pescado ala plancha- grilled fish topped with sauted vegetables and fries, Somehow the order got lost in translation and I ended up with Ceviche de Pescado, Deciding not to have a fruitless argument with a waiter in a language I am poorly proficient in, I decided to enjoy what I had- and enjoy I did. I figured if the traffic doesnt kill me the raw seafood might. Luckily the chef seemed to have done a great job of marinating the fish and I am feeling well enough to face another day, the itinerary for which remains to be discovered.

Peru Day one

Peru Blog- June 20^th,

      The first leg of the journey takes us from Toronto to Panama aboard a Copa Airlines B737. Luckily the flight is not overly full so we managed to grab an aisle and a window seat with no-one between us.

  Lunch, rather early, at 11am is a beef stew with gallo pinto ( rice and beans) – welcome to Latin America. Scotch, Rum and Red Wine are also on the menu, but we have many hours till our journey ends in Lima tonight, so tomato juice seemed a more sensible option.

  Sadly, the in flight movie is “Man on a Ledge”  Bad doesn’t even come close to describing it- the plot is thinner than Campbell’s chicken soup and the acting is as limp as the noodles within. I forgot my I-Pod in the car otherwise I could be watching some really classic drama- South Park- Season Six!!!!!!

The landing in Panama is smoother than a drive on the 401 and we spend a less than exciting 3 hours cruising the duty free shops before we board our connecting flight to Lima.

  The 3 and ½ hour flight takes us west over the Pacific and into a magnificent sunset before turning back towards land as we cross the equator, The flight then travels along the spine of the Andes veering out into the Pacific once more, just before landing in Lima.

  Clearing customs we grab our bags and head into the general airport area where it takes several minutes before we spot our driver amongst the dozens of sign holding taxi/limo drivers.

 The drive from the airport to the hotel takes a meandering route through densely packed main streets with drivers fighting for every inch. (Cutting people off seems to be a way of life) A zig-zag route west takes us from the dense city streets to a coastal highway which ­seems empty by comparison. Following this route for several km we arrive in the district of Miraflores, reaching our hotel shortly after 11, local time, a full 17 hours since our journey began.

 

P Minus 2 and countng

With 2 days left before the big trip, a sense of frustration is setting in. Most people go on holiday to relax and de-stress , I seem to do the opposite. Travel in Peru is a little bit sketchy and so back-packs win out over conventional suitcases with roller wheels. While most of my family seems to feel the need for 40 pounds of gear for a one week Mayan Riviera laze around the pool, dragging that much on and off buses and commuter planes is not fun.
  Having pre-treated everything for bugs ( Sawyer Insect Repellant) it is now time to see what I can squeeze in and not exceed the self imposed 20 pound limit. Essentials like camera, mini- computer, medications, notebook, travel guide, UV Steri pen ( for decontaminating water) come first, clothing second.
 Messing things up royally is the season change for Peru. While it is a balmy ( actually sticky) 27 degrees C here in Ontario, night temps in Cuzco drop to 1 or 2 degrees, so we are, essentially, packing for a winter holiday.
   The winter Solstice festival, Inti Rayme takes place next Sunday and is to be a major highlight of the trip.
  Susanna is having second thoughts- "Why could't we go on a cruise??" " Because its hard to get a big boat into a lake at 13000 feet [ although, if anyone has seen the movie Fitzcarraldo- it has been attempted]
  It doesn't help that friends and fellow travellers are posting notes from their own trips " Sick as a dog"
" Diarrhoea for 5 days" "Freezing cold and flu season- bring cold relief meds"  "Dont forget the diamox ( altitude sickness) and the Cipro ( travellers diarrhoea) AND extra toilet paper! Better toss in some zincofax for good measure.
  Also, Lima sucks, dont stay here too long! [ The plan had been 2 days, and 2 more on the way back!]
 It's got Cathedrals, Central Squares, Beaches,nearby ruins and tons of restaurants providing a good intro to Peruvian food ( and perhaps later, Peruvian bathrooms!!!! ) So how bad can it be??
  The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around is the population density of the cities, compared to the urban sprawl at home. Cuzco has more than double the population of London, Ontario and is about 1/3rd the area.
 Having had little opportunity to brush up on my Spanish in the last year, this may be an adventure, or an exercise in frustration. Lets's hope not. I dont want to listen to those magical words when I get home." I told you we should have done a cruise- Disney would have been a lot safer and with a lot less bugs.........................

Peru trip backgrounder

June 20th 2012 marks the beginning of a 3 week adventure in Peru. Not only is it my first time in Peru, but also my first time entering the South American Continent, PERIOD. Largely planned from scratch, with a little help from Intrepid Tours on Bloor in Toronto, this sojourn has been long in planning, but somewhat short in preparation.
  Why now, when we could be missing some of Canada's finest weather?
  The Festival of Inti Raymi marks the celebration of the Winter Equinox and takes place on June 24th in Cuzco (aka Cusco) in South Central Peru. Essentially a one day Party, not unlike other Festivities I have attended in Guatemala and Nicaragua, it provides a chance to see the local population at its Folkloric best, reliving the ancient rituals of their forefathers.
 Rolling the Calendar back a couple of days, our flight from Toronto connects in Panama before landing us in Lima somewhat late at night on June 20th. Pre-arranged taxi and hotel arrangements should allow us to wake up safe and sound on June 21st, allowing us 2 days to explore the country's Capital, taking a trip to the beach and generally relaxing before we start popping diamox pills for our Saturday ascent to Cuzco- altitude 11,200ft.
  Faced with the options of a 90 minute plane ride or a 18 hr bus ride from hell, we opted for the former, arriving in Cuzco on Saturday in time to grab a lunch and find our hotel before setting out to explore the Festival sites.
  Assuming we survive the Sunday Festivities, we meet a small group of fellow travellers for a week of exploration which end with a highlight viewing of Macchu Picchu on the weekend before returning to Cuzco for an overnight rest before making an all day bus trek to Puno and Lake Titicaca. While it sounds like a punch-line for many jokes, it is one of the worlds highest lakes and is famous for its inhabitants reliance on reed boats and actual man made reed islands to provide homes with some degree of shelter- originally protection from warring neighbours and possibly Spaniard marauders.
  Two days there, one of which is a home stay with a local family ( dont forget the kwellada!) will be followed by a bone shaking bus ride to the town of Arequipa and its famous Canyons, both twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. A brief 3 day visit terminates with a flight back to Lima for a free day before returning to Canada on July 11th
 Assuming internet access, spare time and endless enthusiasm, the journey will be retold in day to day, more detailed form as we move from location to location.
  After a year and a half my Spanish is somewhat rusty and the local accents will no-doubt be less recognizable than those of Central America.
  It should be fun, it could be dangerous- but that's what get's the adrenaline up and lets you know you are alive.
  Shit happens occasionally, but Divine Intervention is often there to CYA and make a really bad situation a source of humour the next time you tell it- and I have the scars to prove it.
  So this is Dangerous Dave's Dumb Dramatic Dialogues of Distant Journey's, signing off, from Instalment #1
  Check back in 2 weeks and watch the trip unfold!