Can you say starch and carbohydrates? Peru is the home of over 8,000 types of potatoes and over 80 spieces of corn. I had many a meal with a potato dish, corn, and rice. I loved all of the traditional dishes that I tried. I have to admit that I did not try the guinea pig or alpaca (sp?). I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was not as adventurous as most of the people touring with me. Yes, guinea pig. It is a delicacy here in Peru and is usually served during special occasions like birthdays and weddings. Families raise them for consumption and they don't name them. We visited a family in the countryside who had about 25-30 of them just running around in the kitchen with a cat sleeping on the stove.
We had to be careful not to eat any raw vegetables, even when they were washed because of the water. I ate steam, baked and boiled veggies. They were very tasty. I did get hives once from eating the ceviche, but I loved it. Thanks goodness for benedryl.
For breakfast we had fresh fruit. The mangos, cantelope and papaya were so sweet. They also had several types of bread with strawberry jam. They also served papas (potatoes) and scrambled eggs.
One of the things I looked forward to was the different salsas/chilis. They are really spicy and flavorful, but I think that in some restaurants they made it much milder for the tourists.
They have sauces with almost every dish, just like in the Philippines. It was like having comfort food. I ate mainly chicken and beef. The dishes are filled with spices. Yum!!!!!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Inca Ruins in Cusco, Brick homes, and land
I will be blogging about particular subjects during my trip since it is too hard to give a blow-by-blow account of my days. Everyday has been jammed-packed with activities. I'm beginning to forget what came first.
I have visited several ruins while in Cusco. By-the-way, you may find two spelling for Cusco this is why. When the Spaniards came they spelled it Cuzco. Because of the damage the Spanish caused to the Andean people (this is what they call themselves), the Andeans didn't want to use their spelling.
We hiked around for hours. The weather was terrific. There was blue skies and moderate temperature. I wore long sleeves, capris, a big floppy hat, and hiking boots.
My guide, Freddy, had a vast knowledge of the Inca's history. It is simply incredible how precise they were in the building of the temples and surrounding buildings. In many of the Incan buildings, the trapezoid was a prominent figure used to assure structural integrity. Like California, it is earthquake country. In fact, when we were in Machupicchu, they said that we there was one. I didn't feel it as I don't feel them unless they are over 4.0 .
The boulders that were used to make the buildings are huge. I can only imagine how many people were killed while working on them. The people had to transport them many miles for the mountains to the cites. Most were rolled on some kind of logs or slid them most of the way. They were boulders that weighed tons. It took at least 100 years to build on of the ruins that I explored. I am sorry that I do not have the exact names of the ruins since I am in the Lima airport and all of my paperwork is in my suitcases. We are leaving for Quito, Ecuador.
In Cusco (the pronounciation is like Costco), the elevation is 11,000+. Yes, I was sucking air for the first several days. I was like the tortoise in The Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm so glad that I had walking sticks. This saved my knees. The paths were not paved, but very rocky, dusty, and the steps were very uneven. I really had to concentrate on every step I was taking.
I have never seen so many land with so many stones, rocks, and boulders. The land has a lot of clay. The people use this to their advantage. If you are familiar with the adobe brick buildings, you will understand how the Andean people make their bricks. We were fortunate to get to see how a family on the side of the road was making bricks for their home. They take the clay from the land, break it up, add water, and then place it by hand into a wooden rectangular mold. They continually add water, stomp on it with their feet, and add straw. Afterwards, they remove the mold and let dry in the sun for several days. In the countryside, almost all of the buildings are made with the clay bricks. Some are lucky enough to have a clay-tiled roof or corrigated metal or plastic roof. If they don't have the money, when it rains, they have to rebuild they home. We saw a house about 12'x12' that housed 2 parents and 8 children. The people in the countryside only have a house to sleep in. The rest of the time they are working in the fields to make a living.
More about the people who live in the countryside later.
I have visited several ruins while in Cusco. By-the-way, you may find two spelling for Cusco this is why. When the Spaniards came they spelled it Cuzco. Because of the damage the Spanish caused to the Andean people (this is what they call themselves), the Andeans didn't want to use their spelling.
We hiked around for hours. The weather was terrific. There was blue skies and moderate temperature. I wore long sleeves, capris, a big floppy hat, and hiking boots.
My guide, Freddy, had a vast knowledge of the Inca's history. It is simply incredible how precise they were in the building of the temples and surrounding buildings. In many of the Incan buildings, the trapezoid was a prominent figure used to assure structural integrity. Like California, it is earthquake country. In fact, when we were in Machupicchu, they said that we there was one. I didn't feel it as I don't feel them unless they are over 4.0 .
The boulders that were used to make the buildings are huge. I can only imagine how many people were killed while working on them. The people had to transport them many miles for the mountains to the cites. Most were rolled on some kind of logs or slid them most of the way. They were boulders that weighed tons. It took at least 100 years to build on of the ruins that I explored. I am sorry that I do not have the exact names of the ruins since I am in the Lima airport and all of my paperwork is in my suitcases. We are leaving for Quito, Ecuador.
In Cusco (the pronounciation is like Costco), the elevation is 11,000+. Yes, I was sucking air for the first several days. I was like the tortoise in The Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm so glad that I had walking sticks. This saved my knees. The paths were not paved, but very rocky, dusty, and the steps were very uneven. I really had to concentrate on every step I was taking.
I have never seen so many land with so many stones, rocks, and boulders. The land has a lot of clay. The people use this to their advantage. If you are familiar with the adobe brick buildings, you will understand how the Andean people make their bricks. We were fortunate to get to see how a family on the side of the road was making bricks for their home. They take the clay from the land, break it up, add water, and then place it by hand into a wooden rectangular mold. They continually add water, stomp on it with their feet, and add straw. Afterwards, they remove the mold and let dry in the sun for several days. In the countryside, almost all of the buildings are made with the clay bricks. Some are lucky enough to have a clay-tiled roof or corrigated metal or plastic roof. If they don't have the money, when it rains, they have to rebuild they home. We saw a house about 12'x12' that housed 2 parents and 8 children. The people in the countryside only have a house to sleep in. The rest of the time they are working in the fields to make a living.
More about the people who live in the countryside later.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cusco, Peru
Day 5, June 29, 2009
We left Lima this morning and arrived in Cusco, Peru by 11:00am. Going from sea level to 11,ooo ft. is pretty rough on the body. I had been worried about the effects of altitude sickness. When we arrived we were given cocoa tea. This is from the leaves of the plant that the locals uses to battle the effects. It worked... for a while.
After checking into the hotel, we took a bus ride to Cusco´s Main Square. Here we walked around looking at the beautiful buildings. Walking around was slow going. It was difficult to breath, but we managed. We had to breath deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth. This helped to.
Next we went went to lunch at The Inka House. Here I was pleasantly surprised by being serenaged by an Andean 5 piece band. They were terrific. The entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me and the band sang a Mexican birthday song called, Las Mananitas. Later I bought their CD and had them autograph it. Our entire tour group ate chocolate cake and lucuma ice cream. The food was delicious too.
Afterwards we went to the Temple of the Sun. I made 85% of the tour and then the altitude brought me down. I had to sit and do my breathing exercises while the others proceeded without me. I felt better, but still not 100%.
Then we went to the Silver Jewelry Factory and had some more cocoa tea and I was up shopping in no time. I purchased 2 pairs of earrings. I have already worn both of them. The factory was were local artisans are taught and practice their craft. It´s amazing what they have to do.
We went back to the hotel, rested, and had dinner. During dinner a wonderful harpist played for us. I bought his CD.
Overall it was a wonderful birthday.
We left Lima this morning and arrived in Cusco, Peru by 11:00am. Going from sea level to 11,ooo ft. is pretty rough on the body. I had been worried about the effects of altitude sickness. When we arrived we were given cocoa tea. This is from the leaves of the plant that the locals uses to battle the effects. It worked... for a while.
After checking into the hotel, we took a bus ride to Cusco´s Main Square. Here we walked around looking at the beautiful buildings. Walking around was slow going. It was difficult to breath, but we managed. We had to breath deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth. This helped to.
Next we went went to lunch at The Inka House. Here I was pleasantly surprised by being serenaged by an Andean 5 piece band. They were terrific. The entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me and the band sang a Mexican birthday song called, Las Mananitas. Later I bought their CD and had them autograph it. Our entire tour group ate chocolate cake and lucuma ice cream. The food was delicious too.
Afterwards we went to the Temple of the Sun. I made 85% of the tour and then the altitude brought me down. I had to sit and do my breathing exercises while the others proceeded without me. I felt better, but still not 100%.
Then we went to the Silver Jewelry Factory and had some more cocoa tea and I was up shopping in no time. I purchased 2 pairs of earrings. I have already worn both of them. The factory was were local artisans are taught and practice their craft. It´s amazing what they have to do.
We went back to the hotel, rested, and had dinner. During dinner a wonderful harpist played for us. I bought his CD.
Overall it was a wonderful birthday.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Day 4 in Lima
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Today we visited a fisherman´s market. The men generally go on either paddle boats or motor boats out at night at about 3 am and have their catch cleaned and sold by their wives when they return in the morning. Our guide said that because sea lions biting through their nets, they must repair them every day by hand so that they are ready to use the next morning. They are very hard working people who have no insurance. If there is an accident, others in their community might hold fundraising activites to help the family.
Afterwards, we traveled to the shanty town of Villa El Salvador.by Villa El Salvador, a shanty. Some of you may not be familiar with this term. It is a place in which groups of people who migrate from their homes and take over land hoping to turn it into a thriving community. Some people would call them squatters. When the government tried to kick them off they raise the Peruvian flag and said that they were Peruvians and that in Peru everyone has the right to have land to live on. In Villa El Salvador people from the highlands of the Andes come in most cases with little or no money to set roots where ever they can. They have to live in the same land for 7-11 years before being recognized as land owners. So they much prove that they can sustain themselves and that what they call home is permanent. They do this by building more sturdy homes with some part of it concrete, planting grass or some kind of trees, bushes, or flowers. They also need to find a job. If they can do this when they are recognized as land owners the water and electrical companies can come into their community and put up electrical wires and dig pipes for water.
Villa El Salvador has made a name for itself around the world. Even the late Pope John Paul II or is it III, visited this shanty town because it is an example of optimism and hope that if people work together they can make life better for themselves. Here the men try to find jobs in the city while the women run the household. Family and education is formost in their minds. We visited a phase I section of Villa El Salvador where Maria, mother of 6 and volunteer forthe community soup kitchen, invited us into her home and the soup kitchen which she runs and is a part of her home. We met her beautiful daughters all 4 were no older than about 12. They too help in the soup kitchen. She is also one of the main leaders for the shanty. The community is very close knit and does its own policing. People from out side the shanty sometime try to steal from them.
Our guide today said that they may not have very many materialistic things, but they are not poor. Several times I had to hold back tears after hearing about their struggles, bravery, and stories. Maria is a wonderful role model for women and especially for her daughters who are very proud of what she has accomplished in 3 short years. I was inspired and overawed by my experience here. I will never forget it.
Just to give you an idea of how tough it is here, the minimum wage in Peru is 128 sol per month.
I just finish eating a nice lunch that cost me 27 sol. I am so grateful for the life I have. Life is good!
This will probably be one of the last times I´ll be able to blog in Peru and I don´t know whether I´ll have the opportunity to do any in Ecuador. I´ll be keeping a journal so that I can remember all of the fabulous times I had on this trip. I will update the blog whenever possible.
Today we visited a fisherman´s market. The men generally go on either paddle boats or motor boats out at night at about 3 am and have their catch cleaned and sold by their wives when they return in the morning. Our guide said that because sea lions biting through their nets, they must repair them every day by hand so that they are ready to use the next morning. They are very hard working people who have no insurance. If there is an accident, others in their community might hold fundraising activites to help the family.
Afterwards, we traveled to the shanty town of Villa El Salvador.by Villa El Salvador, a shanty. Some of you may not be familiar with this term. It is a place in which groups of people who migrate from their homes and take over land hoping to turn it into a thriving community. Some people would call them squatters. When the government tried to kick them off they raise the Peruvian flag and said that they were Peruvians and that in Peru everyone has the right to have land to live on. In Villa El Salvador people from the highlands of the Andes come in most cases with little or no money to set roots where ever they can. They have to live in the same land for 7-11 years before being recognized as land owners. So they much prove that they can sustain themselves and that what they call home is permanent. They do this by building more sturdy homes with some part of it concrete, planting grass or some kind of trees, bushes, or flowers. They also need to find a job. If they can do this when they are recognized as land owners the water and electrical companies can come into their community and put up electrical wires and dig pipes for water.
Villa El Salvador has made a name for itself around the world. Even the late Pope John Paul II or is it III, visited this shanty town because it is an example of optimism and hope that if people work together they can make life better for themselves. Here the men try to find jobs in the city while the women run the household. Family and education is formost in their minds. We visited a phase I section of Villa El Salvador where Maria, mother of 6 and volunteer forthe community soup kitchen, invited us into her home and the soup kitchen which she runs and is a part of her home. We met her beautiful daughters all 4 were no older than about 12. They too help in the soup kitchen. She is also one of the main leaders for the shanty. The community is very close knit and does its own policing. People from out side the shanty sometime try to steal from them.
Our guide today said that they may not have very many materialistic things, but they are not poor. Several times I had to hold back tears after hearing about their struggles, bravery, and stories. Maria is a wonderful role model for women and especially for her daughters who are very proud of what she has accomplished in 3 short years. I was inspired and overawed by my experience here. I will never forget it.
Just to give you an idea of how tough it is here, the minimum wage in Peru is 128 sol per month.
I just finish eating a nice lunch that cost me 27 sol. I am so grateful for the life I have. Life is good!
This will probably be one of the last times I´ll be able to blog in Peru and I don´t know whether I´ll have the opportunity to do any in Ecuador. I´ll be keeping a journal so that I can remember all of the fabulous times I had on this trip. I will update the blog whenever possible.
Day 3 in Lima
Saturday, June 27, 2009
This was a day full of activity. We had a tour of Lima City. We had a tour guide named Vanessa. She was so knowledgeable about Peru´s history and her English was excellent. We saw Main Square and Cathedral, The National Museum of Anthropology, the Catacombs of St. Francis of Assisi Church, The Juaca Pucllana Ruins (Pre-Inca times), and Miraflores and San Isidro Districts.
First we went to the National Museum of Anthropology. Here we were giving the history of Peru which started thousands of years before the birth of Christ. We were given so many dates that I can´t remember exactly. Just know that it was a long long long time ago. Basically several groups of people were in power way before the Incas conquered them. The Incas absorbed the other ways of living all over Peru in the 1500´s, but again don´t quote me on the dates. This was a wonderful way to begin learning about Peru. It gave us the background to understand what we were and are about to discover during the rest of our trip. The museum has the largest public collection of artifacts in Peru. Vanessa had to really move us along because there was so much to see and those into photography were slowing the tour down. There was so much to see.
Next we saw Lima´s Main Square. Here we saw the beautiful Cathedral, The Govenor´s Estate, and the Changing of the Guards. Everyday at noon they have an elaborate ceremony with bands playing, people watching, and a parade around the square. It took about 45 minutes. There were many school children on field trips. Each group of students had their own school uniform sweats outfit that had the name of their school printed on the back. We saw them at ever attraction we went to except the ruins.
Next we went to St. Francis of Assisi Church. It is still being run by the Franciscan Monks. We could not take any pictures here. The most interesting thing we saw were the catacombs. I have never been in an underground grave site before. Our guide explained that it was a public cemetery with 3 levels. Those of higher status were buried on the first level, the one we were able to see. It was creepy to see. We usually think of individual places for each body, but this was not the case. Bones had been classified and placed in groups. For instance, the humorous, femur, and skulls were place in separate rectangular dugout boxes, for lack of a better word. Each with bones of many people in each compartment. It reminded me of a place in which Hollywood props were keep except they weren´t props, they were real bones. The bodies of 25,000 people were in the catacombs. We also say a well which was about 33 ft deep that had skulls and leg bones arranged in a semi-circle design that made me think of a sun. People had painstakenly arranged these bones. It was a work of art. The enitre time I had to keep reminding myself that these were really bones that belonged to people. Being Catholic, I kept wanted to make the sign of the cross out of respect for these people. The tunnels were perfect for someone of my height. If you are taller than about 5´7¨ you would have to duck.
After eating another delicious meal, we proceeded to the Huaca Pucllana Ruins. But before writing about this, I want to let you know that here in Peru lunch is their biggest meal unlike dinner in the US. I don´t think that it is possible to go hungry on one of these tours. The food it terrific and we get 3 square meals.
Back to the ruins. To our surprise, the ruins were in the district of Miraflores very near to our hotel. Our guide told us that the ruins were discovered under what looks like a huge hill. In fact, when people began building on it they would find human remain and just dismissed them. Soon other remains were discovered and this took the attention of foreign archeaologists. It was only after these scientists become interested that archeaologists from Peru began digging. They believe that the ancient pyramid and it´s surrounding buildings covered 18 hectors, but because people had built their homes and other structures on top of it, only 10% survived. I can´t wait to show you some of the pictures. The architecture is amazing. Those who built this had knowlege of how to make it earthquake proof. The pyramid was where human sacrifices were make. They were young girls whose dismembered bodies were found. Our guide told us that when each level of the pyramid was done being used, they would cover it with dirt and rocks and begin building another level on top of it. We were able to see how they made the bricks and stragetically placed them. In some parts of the walls, we saw hand prints. The process in which they made the bricks was very similar to how adobe bricks were made except they didn´t use molds or straw. Instead they shaped them by hand and used stones, mud, and shells. They would mixed these by stomping on them with their bare feet. I took a picture of a foot print. This was so fascinating to see and experience.
After about a 2 hour nap, we went to dinner in which we saw traditional Peruvian dances. Freddy ,our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) guide in all of Peru, told us that we were going to see the best of the over 100 cultural dances that they have here in Peru. We ate at a buffet with terrific traditional food and fantastic dances. The dances, dancers, and costumes were beautiful. We enjoyed this very much. Again we walked home to try to burn off some of the calories we had consumed.
This was a day full of fun and adventure.
This was a day full of activity. We had a tour of Lima City. We had a tour guide named Vanessa. She was so knowledgeable about Peru´s history and her English was excellent. We saw Main Square and Cathedral, The National Museum of Anthropology, the Catacombs of St. Francis of Assisi Church, The Juaca Pucllana Ruins (Pre-Inca times), and Miraflores and San Isidro Districts.
First we went to the National Museum of Anthropology. Here we were giving the history of Peru which started thousands of years before the birth of Christ. We were given so many dates that I can´t remember exactly. Just know that it was a long long long time ago. Basically several groups of people were in power way before the Incas conquered them. The Incas absorbed the other ways of living all over Peru in the 1500´s, but again don´t quote me on the dates. This was a wonderful way to begin learning about Peru. It gave us the background to understand what we were and are about to discover during the rest of our trip. The museum has the largest public collection of artifacts in Peru. Vanessa had to really move us along because there was so much to see and those into photography were slowing the tour down. There was so much to see.
Next we saw Lima´s Main Square. Here we saw the beautiful Cathedral, The Govenor´s Estate, and the Changing of the Guards. Everyday at noon they have an elaborate ceremony with bands playing, people watching, and a parade around the square. It took about 45 minutes. There were many school children on field trips. Each group of students had their own school uniform sweats outfit that had the name of their school printed on the back. We saw them at ever attraction we went to except the ruins.
Next we went to St. Francis of Assisi Church. It is still being run by the Franciscan Monks. We could not take any pictures here. The most interesting thing we saw were the catacombs. I have never been in an underground grave site before. Our guide explained that it was a public cemetery with 3 levels. Those of higher status were buried on the first level, the one we were able to see. It was creepy to see. We usually think of individual places for each body, but this was not the case. Bones had been classified and placed in groups. For instance, the humorous, femur, and skulls were place in separate rectangular dugout boxes, for lack of a better word. Each with bones of many people in each compartment. It reminded me of a place in which Hollywood props were keep except they weren´t props, they were real bones. The bodies of 25,000 people were in the catacombs. We also say a well which was about 33 ft deep that had skulls and leg bones arranged in a semi-circle design that made me think of a sun. People had painstakenly arranged these bones. It was a work of art. The enitre time I had to keep reminding myself that these were really bones that belonged to people. Being Catholic, I kept wanted to make the sign of the cross out of respect for these people. The tunnels were perfect for someone of my height. If you are taller than about 5´7¨ you would have to duck.
After eating another delicious meal, we proceeded to the Huaca Pucllana Ruins. But before writing about this, I want to let you know that here in Peru lunch is their biggest meal unlike dinner in the US. I don´t think that it is possible to go hungry on one of these tours. The food it terrific and we get 3 square meals.
Back to the ruins. To our surprise, the ruins were in the district of Miraflores very near to our hotel. Our guide told us that the ruins were discovered under what looks like a huge hill. In fact, when people began building on it they would find human remain and just dismissed them. Soon other remains were discovered and this took the attention of foreign archeaologists. It was only after these scientists become interested that archeaologists from Peru began digging. They believe that the ancient pyramid and it´s surrounding buildings covered 18 hectors, but because people had built their homes and other structures on top of it, only 10% survived. I can´t wait to show you some of the pictures. The architecture is amazing. Those who built this had knowlege of how to make it earthquake proof. The pyramid was where human sacrifices were make. They were young girls whose dismembered bodies were found. Our guide told us that when each level of the pyramid was done being used, they would cover it with dirt and rocks and begin building another level on top of it. We were able to see how they made the bricks and stragetically placed them. In some parts of the walls, we saw hand prints. The process in which they made the bricks was very similar to how adobe bricks were made except they didn´t use molds or straw. Instead they shaped them by hand and used stones, mud, and shells. They would mixed these by stomping on them with their bare feet. I took a picture of a foot print. This was so fascinating to see and experience.
After about a 2 hour nap, we went to dinner in which we saw traditional Peruvian dances. Freddy ,our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) guide in all of Peru, told us that we were going to see the best of the over 100 cultural dances that they have here in Peru. We ate at a buffet with terrific traditional food and fantastic dances. The dances, dancers, and costumes were beautiful. We enjoyed this very much. Again we walked home to try to burn off some of the calories we had consumed.
This was a day full of fun and adventure.
Day 2 in Lima
Friday, June 26, 2009
After arriving at our hotel, Jose Antonio, we had breakfast and then slept for a couple of hours before we went on our orientation walk of downtown Miraflores which means ¨Look at the flowers.¨
Our hotel is very comfortable and the staff is very pleasant and helpful. The room is spacious enough for us and the beds are nice and firm like we like it. We slept like babies. We were both blissfully snoring away.
Since Peru is a developing country, their sewer system is not yet capable of accepting toilet paper. It´s something that everyone, no matter what economic status one is, has to deal with. At least they have western style toilets, which wasn´t always the case in Beijing.
Today we took about a 5 mile trek around Miraflores, a middle class area of Lima. There are 42 districts with each having it´s own mayors. Most tourists stay in this district. It is safe to walk around day or night.
We took more time than anticipated as their was much to see and about half of our on the tour are avid photographers. Several of them have very high tech and have all of the lenses and camera gear. I can´t wait to see them. We will be sharing pictures with each other after the tour is over. This will definitely be to my advantage. Their cameras are so much more sophisticated.
Our hotel is about 6 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. There are many casinos and places to eat. The food here is yummy. I´ve enjoyed everything I´ve eaten. The tour includes meals in nice restaurants and also allows us to eat in places of our choosing. We ate in a Chefia restaurant which is a blend of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine. It was excellent, but many of us commented that it tasted like a really good Chinese restaurant in the US. We were stuffed and decided to walk home. It was about 1.5 miles away. I think that many of the people in our group were freaked out by the taxi ride to the restaurant. I was used to it since I have had similar experiences in the Philippines and China. I felt perfectly safe. Others were on edge. The walk was really nice because it gave us the opportunity to see the city at night and the temperature was perfect for a stroll in the park. Crossing the streets were more harrowing than riding in the taxi. There are very few signal lights and most intersection didn´t have stop signs. Basically it´s everyone for themselves. As my driver´s ed teacher used to say, ¨He who hesitates waits.¨
We saw several parks. Miraflores Park is next to Kennedy Park named after JFK. Peruvians credit JFK for beginning the development projects in Peru. The park is a gathering place for the locals as well as the tourists. There is a playground in Kennedy Park and may artists bring their wares to Miraflores Park to sell daily for about 5pm to 10pm.
Another park we walked to during our tour is called Lovers Park. There is a beautiful wall full of mosaic designs and saying and thoughts that people here have about love. It is located high atop a cliff that is next to Coastal Verde, ¨The Green Coast¨. In the center of the park there is a large clay sculpture of to lovers kissing passionately. I was able to snap a picture of two couples making-out near a tree.
We had a fun time walking around the area. We were all tired and ready for bed because many of us were running on less than 6 hours sleep in the last day and a half.
After arriving at our hotel, Jose Antonio, we had breakfast and then slept for a couple of hours before we went on our orientation walk of downtown Miraflores which means ¨Look at the flowers.¨
Our hotel is very comfortable and the staff is very pleasant and helpful. The room is spacious enough for us and the beds are nice and firm like we like it. We slept like babies. We were both blissfully snoring away.
Since Peru is a developing country, their sewer system is not yet capable of accepting toilet paper. It´s something that everyone, no matter what economic status one is, has to deal with. At least they have western style toilets, which wasn´t always the case in Beijing.
Today we took about a 5 mile trek around Miraflores, a middle class area of Lima. There are 42 districts with each having it´s own mayors. Most tourists stay in this district. It is safe to walk around day or night.
We took more time than anticipated as their was much to see and about half of our on the tour are avid photographers. Several of them have very high tech and have all of the lenses and camera gear. I can´t wait to see them. We will be sharing pictures with each other after the tour is over. This will definitely be to my advantage. Their cameras are so much more sophisticated.
Our hotel is about 6 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. There are many casinos and places to eat. The food here is yummy. I´ve enjoyed everything I´ve eaten. The tour includes meals in nice restaurants and also allows us to eat in places of our choosing. We ate in a Chefia restaurant which is a blend of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine. It was excellent, but many of us commented that it tasted like a really good Chinese restaurant in the US. We were stuffed and decided to walk home. It was about 1.5 miles away. I think that many of the people in our group were freaked out by the taxi ride to the restaurant. I was used to it since I have had similar experiences in the Philippines and China. I felt perfectly safe. Others were on edge. The walk was really nice because it gave us the opportunity to see the city at night and the temperature was perfect for a stroll in the park. Crossing the streets were more harrowing than riding in the taxi. There are very few signal lights and most intersection didn´t have stop signs. Basically it´s everyone for themselves. As my driver´s ed teacher used to say, ¨He who hesitates waits.¨
We saw several parks. Miraflores Park is next to Kennedy Park named after JFK. Peruvians credit JFK for beginning the development projects in Peru. The park is a gathering place for the locals as well as the tourists. There is a playground in Kennedy Park and may artists bring their wares to Miraflores Park to sell daily for about 5pm to 10pm.
Another park we walked to during our tour is called Lovers Park. There is a beautiful wall full of mosaic designs and saying and thoughts that people here have about love. It is located high atop a cliff that is next to Coastal Verde, ¨The Green Coast¨. In the center of the park there is a large clay sculpture of to lovers kissing passionately. I was able to snap a picture of two couples making-out near a tree.
We had a fun time walking around the area. We were all tired and ready for bed because many of us were running on less than 6 hours sleep in the last day and a half.
Peru here I come
Day 1, Thurs., June 25, 2009
I am attempting to blog yet another of my once-in-a-lifetime adventures. My sister, Anne-Marie, 12 other traveling buddies and I are going on a 19-day trip to Lima Peru, Cuzco Peru, Machu Picchu,Quito Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.
With the end of school being so hectic and having my niece, Tarah-Anne, and my nephew, AJ, visiting, I had only a day and a half to pack and begin thinking about this adventure. I was finished with packing at 1 am and had to catch a flight at 12:00pm from SFO to Miami. I woke up at 6:30am and decided that I was going to stamp 4 Thank You cards. 1 for the tour guide in Peru, 1 for the tour guide in Ecuador, and 2 for the host families who are preparing us lunch and inviting us into their homes.
My cousin, Ron, drove us to SFO at 9:45. We were the early-birds of our tour group. With all the traveling that we did as children, we learned to get to the airport early. When we did our self-check-in, we noticed that our luggage was check straight through to Lima and both our boarding passes were printed. Our vacation had finally begun. Our flight on American Airlines was on time and we had a pleasant flight to Miami inspite of the fact that I was in the second to the last row in an aisle seat, and Anne-Marie was in row 24. Being in the back of the airplane has it´s advantages and disadvantages. It was great to be able to stand without being in anybody´s way, but unfortunately I was also close to the bathroom. Without my ear plugs I could hear every time the toilet was flushed. Fortunately, I always travel with ear plugs.
When we arrived in Miami we had enough time to walk around and stretch our legs. The flight was pretty full. I had a tasty beef dish for my meal, but it could have been warmer. Since my personal movie monitor wasn´t working correctly, I put the ear plugs in and put on my eye mask and slept until they woke me up for preparation for landing. That was a quick 3 hours.
We landed in Peru at 5:40am. I was tired, but at least I had several hours of quality shut eye.
As my sister and I watched the luggage carrousel go around and around, we got the sinking feeling that our luggage was lost. Everyone else in our party had their luggage and so we went to investigate. Thank goodness our friend Mercy, who teaches Spanish, was able to assist us. For some unexplain reason, my luggage had been taken off the plane and placed on the far wall of the baggage claim. At least I had found my luggage. My sister was another story. The good news is that they knew it was still in Miami and that we would not be able to get until the following flight had arrived. Luckily she packed extra clothing in her carry-on. Let this be a lesson for all. She was without her luggage of a day and a half. The airlines had it delivered by the afternoon of the following day.
I don´t know how many days I´ll be able to blog as we will be leaving for the highlands soon. I will not be able to post pictures right now. Sorry. Trust me, I´m taking a lot of them.
I am attempting to blog yet another of my once-in-a-lifetime adventures. My sister, Anne-Marie, 12 other traveling buddies and I are going on a 19-day trip to Lima Peru, Cuzco Peru, Machu Picchu,Quito Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.
With the end of school being so hectic and having my niece, Tarah-Anne, and my nephew, AJ, visiting, I had only a day and a half to pack and begin thinking about this adventure. I was finished with packing at 1 am and had to catch a flight at 12:00pm from SFO to Miami. I woke up at 6:30am and decided that I was going to stamp 4 Thank You cards. 1 for the tour guide in Peru, 1 for the tour guide in Ecuador, and 2 for the host families who are preparing us lunch and inviting us into their homes.
My cousin, Ron, drove us to SFO at 9:45. We were the early-birds of our tour group. With all the traveling that we did as children, we learned to get to the airport early. When we did our self-check-in, we noticed that our luggage was check straight through to Lima and both our boarding passes were printed. Our vacation had finally begun. Our flight on American Airlines was on time and we had a pleasant flight to Miami inspite of the fact that I was in the second to the last row in an aisle seat, and Anne-Marie was in row 24. Being in the back of the airplane has it´s advantages and disadvantages. It was great to be able to stand without being in anybody´s way, but unfortunately I was also close to the bathroom. Without my ear plugs I could hear every time the toilet was flushed. Fortunately, I always travel with ear plugs.
When we arrived in Miami we had enough time to walk around and stretch our legs. The flight was pretty full. I had a tasty beef dish for my meal, but it could have been warmer. Since my personal movie monitor wasn´t working correctly, I put the ear plugs in and put on my eye mask and slept until they woke me up for preparation for landing. That was a quick 3 hours.
We landed in Peru at 5:40am. I was tired, but at least I had several hours of quality shut eye.
As my sister and I watched the luggage carrousel go around and around, we got the sinking feeling that our luggage was lost. Everyone else in our party had their luggage and so we went to investigate. Thank goodness our friend Mercy, who teaches Spanish, was able to assist us. For some unexplain reason, my luggage had been taken off the plane and placed on the far wall of the baggage claim. At least I had found my luggage. My sister was another story. The good news is that they knew it was still in Miami and that we would not be able to get until the following flight had arrived. Luckily she packed extra clothing in her carry-on. Let this be a lesson for all. She was without her luggage of a day and a half. The airlines had it delivered by the afternoon of the following day.
I don´t know how many days I´ll be able to blog as we will be leaving for the highlands soon. I will not be able to post pictures right now. Sorry. Trust me, I´m taking a lot of them.
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