It's 6:30am on Wednesday morning and I just woke up. Maybe I can get a few minutes on the blog before Val wakes up. We've been here since Monday morning and I haven't written anything because we have been so tired and then busy.
Ok, back to Monday.
We arrived at our hostel (Inka Hostel on Larco) which is close to the water in Miraflores, the tourist district of Lima. It is a humble abode. Crappy beds, no elevator, no little shampoo bottles. But it is cheap for such an excellent location. I am in the 'bedroom' with two single beds and Val is in the 'living room' with the double bed. Now that I think of it, sleeping Val is between me and the bathroom so the length of this post may be dependant on my bladder.
After spending way too long with the desk person (we asked where is a laundry, no no, I will call them, they are on the way, we asked where we can buy water, no no, I know someone, let me call them...) eventually, we made it outside to wander around Miraflores.
We had very low ambitions for the day since we were very tired after our flight. We went down to the water to Larcomar park (shopping centre?). We didn't stay long.
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| The beach is way below the street. |
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| long zoom of surfers |
Then we walked along the road the runs parallel to the water. I want to say sea wall but it is really just a road, to the Parque de Amor to see "The Kiss (El Beso)'. It is a giant statue of two people kissing.
The Parque Del Amor (Love Park) is basically a tiled wall surrounding the Kiss. It is Gaudi-esque.
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| Just some people enjoying the Love Park |
We headed up the Malecon. The Malecon everywhere else I have ever been is nice amble by the water. In Miraflores, the Malecon is a street along a dry gorge with a street running along the bottom. But it did get us to some restaurants where we had a non-Peru lunch.
Then to Kennedy Park!! Why the two exclamation points!! Because Kennedy Park is famous for its resident cats. I didn't touch any (or stuff any in my bag) but it seems like a nice place to relax.I will spare you the million photos of cats. Well, here are a couple, of course, (for Alisma)
We had done two sides of a triangle, with Kennedy Park as the connection between the Malecon and Avenida Larco where our hostel is.
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This shows the hotel to Larcomar to Parque Amor to
Parque Kennedy back to Inka Hostel |
Av. Larco is a main street in Miraflores, which as I mentioned in the main tourist area in Lima, so you know what that means - SHOPPING!
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| Gift shop cat playing with puff balls |
We went into all of the little crappy souvenir stores and touched all of the alpaca scarves and mitts and hats and shawls and stuffed animals and puff balls. And looked at so many nativity scenes. I have never seen so many nativity scenes. Racism is alive and well in the nativity scene craft world.
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Here are (from the left), I don't even know how to label that first set,
then 'eskimo' I guess, then Peruvian. These are only
a few of the many, many racist options of nativity you can choose from.
They are enticingly cute for all of the lack of awareness contained within |
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| Lots of puff balls for sale |
Please note: I didn't buy anything! Nothing. Not a single puff ball. Even though I found a pair of vicuna gloves that I love, LOVE, but I did not buy them (I do remember where they are so take my bragging with a grain of salt)
As per usual, it was a cloudy day and I forgot that I as in South America in summer so I didn't apply any sunscreen so I was walking around in a t-shirt the whole day and ended up with a nice burn in farmer tan formation. Excellent.
We bought a giant bottle of water for our room and some empanadas and cajete (caramel but better than our caramel) stuffed churros for dinner. Then, we were in bed by 6:45 and I was asleep by 7. I didn't quite make it to my 8pm rule but I slept until 7am so I am on Peru time now.
Val is still asleep and my bladder is holding out so let's try to fit Tuesday into this as well.
Tuesday morning we woke up around 7. I mentioned the crappy beds. Well, mine was extra awful with a massive dip in it. I have switched to the other bed in my room (it is much better). We took advantage of the free breakfast (the same as a typical Mexican breakfast, scrambled eggs, a bun and coffee, but unlike Mexico, it was good coffee).
Well, that didn't last long, Val is awake. More later.
Slightly later (Val is in the shower)
We started our day with a Free Walking Tour run out of the Tourist Info Centre on Av. Larco. It was for 'historical old town' Lima. We were hoping they would get us downtown, and they did. Lima is huge. Centro is a two hour walk from our hostel. I like to walk but that is too much.
As we were waiting for the tour to start, we chatted with some Americans (Emily from Idaho/Iowa? and Marcus from Washington DC) both of whom were traveling alone. And then we met Greg and Dora from Australia (actually Dora is from Columbia, is a Canadian citizen and now lives in Australia). Greg and Dora are 'The Peaches' for reasons I won't explain but they were so cute, they can get away with it. (Who is this Joanne who is striking up conversations with random strangers?!)
Talking to people is nice but it meant I didn't take any pictures of the bus or note where the bus station is and don't have a clue how we managed to get to town.
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| Except this one, not helpful |
Greg told us about the term Flashpacking. I had never heard of this before but it describes me and Val perfectly. I think I basically described this in my first post about planning for the aged.
From
Packsmith:
Flashpacker: A Definition
Loosely defined, a flashpacker is a backpacker with a slightly larger budget. Someone who still travels with a backpack, is budget-conscious, and travels independently, but at the same time is willing to spend a little more on comfort or to make the best use of their time. Flashpackers tend to be a bit older, may have kids, and in most cases were probably a backpacker at some point in their early travel career. Often, but not always, they’ve already traveled around a bit. Sometimes, they’re also known as “champagne backpackers.” Flashpackers are also defined as tech-savvy travelers who carry electronics like laptops, nice cameras, smartphones, etc.
Right?
We spent most of the tour with Greg and Dora and we may meet up with them again today.
Break here to fix my pants. (rereading this later and I have no idea what this means?)
Oh my, I am back and I am drunk. We discovered Picso Sours tonight and they are strong. I had two which is easily one (or two) too many. any way, this will be rambly (more than usual I suspect)
Where was I? oh my god, only at the beginning of day two, how am I going to catch up, we have done so much.
Ok, back to the free walking tour of Historical Lima. Let me check the photos:
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| Sandra, our tour guide |
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| Marcus, Val, Emily |
I have to stop here, I must go to bed. There is not enough water in Lima to avoid my upcoming hangover...
Next morning, a very slow morning.
We made it to the Plaza de Armas in the middle of the changing of the guards but way too late to be able to see anything.
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| My view |
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| The best shot I got, through the people and the bars |
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| Someone getting a better photo than me |
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| The Peaches (Dora and Greg) |
Our tour lasted at least three hours. Well worth the cost (Free!). Plus an extensive history lesson on balconies (which I will spare you). But here's a picture of one from the 16th century (I know that because is enclosed with no glass)
After our tour, Val and I stayed in Centro and had lunch. Menu del Dia. Have I mentioned potatoes yet? I don't like potatoes, I have never liked potatoes. But we are in the land of potatoes. They originated in Peru and there are upwards of 2000 kinds of potatoes here. So, I decided that I would use this month to learn to like, or at least tolerate, potatoes.
This meal was my first chance to give this a go. I ordered Papa de Huancaina as my starter. Those are lumps of potato in sauce. Believe it or not, they were delicious. Totally different texture than our spuds. Velvety smooth. Yum. Not quite a convert yet, but working on it.
After that, we went back to
San Francisco Basilica and Catacombs. We jumped onto the English tour after they had already started. NO PHOTOs we were warned verbally and by much signage. You know how this is going to end... with lots of photos!
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| Monks library, still used today |
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I need someone Catholic here, this is the room where they sit
and study? Pray? Beautiful carvings no matter to what end. |
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sneak photo of the cathedral over the railing.
we didn't get to enter the actual church. |
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| Catacombs under the church was used for hundreds of years |
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| If you were rich, you got a private tomb (at least for a while) |
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Poor people when into the pit. Apparently this is 15 meters deep.
The bones were arranged by archaeologists in the 1940s |
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This is a famous painting of the last supper where
they are eating Cuy (guinea pig)
"The "Last Supper" painted by Diego de la Puente in the 17th century" |
And then our first Peru beer. Cusquena Dorada for Val, Cusquena Triego for me.
It was about 4:30 at that point and I was keen to go to the Magic Water Circuit Park (which is not called that on any map). I knew it was a ways away but we decided to walk. We asked our waiter (from the beer place) and he said, just stay on this street (Lampa), it is 6 or 7 blocks. So we started walking. After 20 or so blocks, we asked the next guy. Oh, stay on this street, it is 5 or 6 blocks. A million blocks more and we ask the next lady. Yup, stay on this street, it is 4 or 5 blocks. At least the estimates were getting smaller.
90 or so minutes later, we found it. It was 6:15 by then. We met someone from our tour and he said something was going to happen at 7:15. He didn't know what, but we should wait for it. So we did.
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This started as it was getting dark. We thought this was 'it'
whatever 'it' was that we were waiting for, but no, not even close. |
This is what we were waiting for. It went on for 30 minutes, lasers, moving images projected onto mist, dancing water streams, there was a lot going on.
I don't know if this video with work but I will give it a try.
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| A flying condor! |
After all of that, we decided to cab it home. We had been walking all day. And that brings us to the end of day two.
