Lost in Lima... — Dueling Time Zones

Dec 21

Dec 21 Lost in Lima...

Sometimes having a balcony helps in making decisions. We looked out the window at this winding line for the shuttle and decided a cappuccino sounded much better! Though after coffee... the line still looked this bad. Fortunately for us, we had two days in Lima to allow those on the Machu Picchu tour enough time. We were in no rush at all...

With everyone trying to get off the ship, it was the perfect opportunity to grab one of the outdoor tables at the very front of the ship! From this vantage point, we could see Callao was a serious shipping port! In fact, it is the principle port of Chile.

From the deck, we could see shipping containers, neighborhoods, a beautiful coastline and mountains. The larger of the two, San Lorenzo, has no vegetation. Mainly only birds inhabit the island. The smaller island, El Fronton, is made of marine salts and clay. It once had a famous prison that had many historical events in the past.

When the line finally shortened, we headed down to the shuttle. It was a 45 minute ride with more traffic than I like. While sitting at a stop light, these two performed acrobatics to entertain those of us sitting in traffic... and hoping for a little money.

Not surprising, we were dropped off at a mall. Not much for shopping, we got Peruvian Pesos from the ATM and headed toward the street. We ran into John, who we often talk to in Constellation Lounge. He was with his wife and we decided to head out together. It was at this point, it got a little crazy. We had no idea where we were going. John's wife wanted to get on the Purple T bus... and started chasing it down the street. She got on while we were still across the street, stuck at a stoplight. We figured she would be gone, never to be seen again. But the bus waited. Thankfully, a Denver woman, who was born in Lima, sat next to me and translated directions from her brother. We ended up getting off in the Miraflores district. Great views of the coastline.

Often, when visiting a new city, Barry and I will take the Hop on Hop Off (HOHO) bus to familiarize ourselves with the area. Lima had the double-decker, open-air bus, but you rarely got to hop off and they told you when to hop back on! We found this bus after a short walk along the coastline. The first area we visited was Barranco.

The bus drove through neighborhoods. I loved the quaint flats, especially with flower boxes!

Finally, we stopped and got off the bus. This is near the Bridge of Sighs. Old folklore states that you must hold your breath while walking across the bridge for good luck! The area had sculptures, art and flowers. The Angel's Trumpets were my favorite!

Due our Thanksgiving sail date, we have seen how each port prepares for Christmas. Taking the shuttle from the port to the mall, we saw teams of people putting decorations down the center between lanes. Here we see a tree being readied for lights!

In the center of the city, we passed Huaca Pucllana. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop and explore these ruins. This adobe and clay pyramid is surrounded by a plaza. There are restaurants that overlook these sacred grounds.

The most frustrating thing about Lima... the traffic! On our city tour, we spent most of the time sitting... the guide would tell us, “Get your cameras ready” because we might be able to see a point of interest out the window. I prefer to get out, see the spot, walk around, take photos. Plaza Mayor was one of the designated view locations. Knowing this ahead of time, we plotted our escape! The guide gave fifteen minutes to explore the plaza...

As we neared Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Armas), we came upon a street where all the windows were uniquely decorated. I was so distracted by the traffic that I forgot to take photos... only got one!

On the next corner, this beautiful piece of architecture caught my eye. I love the old Spanish style. This is exactly the type of thing I prefer to see from the ground so I can take photos from all angles. Instead, I got a quick shot from the bus.

When in Rome... or more specific to this trip, when in Peru... Pisco Sour is a must! We stopped at a little chain restaurant called Norky's to try one. It was close and it was open so we grabbed a table! The main ingrediant is Pisco, a relatively high content bourbon style alcohol made from grapes. Here's a recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/96951/pisco-sour/

Though we only intended to have a cocktail, the server talked us into a late lunch. For a mere $16, we received a giant salad for two, a two liter bottle of Coca Cola, giant basket of french fries and this meat plate! Sausage, chicken, steak, pork chops, ribs, kabob meat. It was unbelievable, seasoned to perfection!!! It arrived on a sizzling plate with a flame underneath. There was enough to feed an army!

Time to walk off that meat. Down the pedestrian area we strolled... and came upon this interesting way to market shoe sales... What if I like the one in the middle??? This display approached really messed with my OCD tendencies!

You never know who you'll see walking down the streets of Lima....

Not the giant cathedral on the other side of the plaza, but the Bascilica de Nuestra Senora de la Merced fed my addiction. It was built in 1535. Buildings that date back that far always amaze me! There were more people inside praying, than tourists taking photos so we didn't stay long. We didn't want to distract.

People are the heart of any city... this beautiful local woman sitting at her booth of wares, seemed oblivious to the crowds passing by.

As the sun was setting, we felt we needed to get back to the ship. It was our understanding that the shuttle to the bus would run from RealPlaza mall to the harbor until 10pm. It was now six, so we walked to the mall... or so we thought. It seemed we arrived on the other side from where we were supposed to be. We walked all around the mall, up elevators, down elevators, north, south, east and west. Nothing looked familiar! Attached to the mall was a Sheraton... we ventured inside, showed the bellman our brochure and asked if we were in the right place. We weren't. Apparently, there are TWO malls with the same name. The bellman said, “Let me get a taxi for you, since you are our guest, we want to make sure you get a safe one.” Yep, that's right! We are Sheraton guests! Because of traffic, it took quite a bit of time to for the taxi to arrive and the twenty minute trip got us to the other mall at 7:10pm. A couple who recognized us from the ship told us the last bus left at seven (we misunderstood) but because it was overfilled, they were sending one last bus. We got lucky!!! Kind of... it took an hour and a half for the last bus to get back. Taxi drivers were begging to take us to the ship, more stragglers showed up... we couldn't wait to get back!!!

Day two of Lima, we didn't leave the ship. Our previous adventure was enough. Traffic isn't my thing, I can get that at home! So we headed for the Cafe. We expected to have a boring day with everyone in port, but we were definitely wrong! As I've done a couple of times, I popped my head in to say 'hi' to Tom and Jess (the couple we met in Rendezvous Lounge). On this day, they asked us to join them. Each day they sit at the same table for four. People are always stopping by to chat and hear their stories. Up until now, we tried to make our acknowledgments quick to not invade their space, but today, we accepted the invitation. SO glad we did!!! It was absolutely amazing how many things we had in common. Though we come from wildly different lifestyles, we have had many of the same experiences. All afternoon, we shared stories, laughed and it was clear, a dear friendship blossomed! The afternoon flew by! We only intended to stay for a few minutes and before we knew it, we were making plans to change and meet at the Captain's Club cocktail party! As he did the first night we met, Tom thanked me for giving Jess some girl talk, something he can't give her. So sweet...

The sun sets on another day... so far on the trip, this has been my favorite day! Not stop laughing and stories, made time pass too quickly! Having this beautifully windowed room each night for the cocktail party is a great perk. It's fun waving to the same people, a quick conversation, a sense of comraderie builds with each passing day.

We passed these balloons on our way to dinner. Seems we are always lost getting from one venue to another but it allows us to see things we would have missed :-)