Day #38…Monday, March 9, 2015

Callao (Lima), Peru

The Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, founded Lima, Peru’s capital city.  This day of historical significance is celebrated as the Feast of the Epiphany, or the Day of the Kings.

Lima is situated on Peru’s central coast in the valley of three rivers.  It overlooks the Pacific Ocean and rests mostly on flat terrain.  The population of Lima is over 8,000,000 people and the national language is Spanish.  The climate is mild because of its proximity to the ocean’s cold waters.  Classified as subtropical, Lima experiences two distinct seasons.  Summer months are from December through April with average high temperature of 84° F.  During the winter months, the average temperature is 66° F.

The region that is currently Lima, gained its independence from Spain in 1821.   The city is a diverse fusion by people of many cultures and is the fifth largest city in Latin America. 

We ate a light breakfast and met Frank and Judy at 9 A.M. to begin our site-seeing day in Lima, Peru.  The ship had docked at the Callao pier and we took a shuttle bus into Lima.  The distance to the Reãl Mall in Lima was approximately fifteen (15) miles and after waiting in line to board a shuttle bus from the pier, we arrived at the mall thirty (30) minutes later.

Tour guides were plentiful at the entrance outside the mall area and we picked an English-speaking guide named Roberto to lead us on a site-seeing adventure of the city.  His charge was $30.00 per hour and we decided we would take at least a four-hour tour.  He showed us a map and we mentioned some areas that we wanted to visit.  His Kia was modern, clean and a newer model, but the four of us were in cramped quarters.  We knew we would be stopping frequently, so we did not mind.

Our first stop was at the Gold Museum.  Various samples of Inca gold along with an impressive collection of silver, copper and pre-Inca jewelry filled many rooms.  Photography was banned from the site so we only were able to take a photo of the outside building sign.

The former Plaza de Armas, now known as Plaza Mayor, is a symbol of colonial rule.  The President’s Palace, City Hall and a cathedral look over the gardens and fountains of Lima’s main square.

More than 70% of Lima’s population is Catholic and our next stop was at an open-air church in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Santuario Virgen Del Morro Solar De Chorrillos).  This church sits high over Lima and gave us magnificent panoramic views of the city below.  A large white Christ statue (Christo Blancho) had recently been erected near the peak and a 100-meter metal cross stood near the area.

We traveled through many poverty-stricken areas near the coastline and took pictures of fisherman’s homes.  Their boats were often stored on their rooftops.  We could not imagine how these men managed to get their boats up and down the steep hills without trailers or trucks to fish in the ocean below.

We then traveled to a colonial area of the city called Barranco and walked over cobblestone streets.  We took photos of a dark yellow church (Monumento Historico Mensajero de la Paz) and neighboring three and four-story houses in the area.  These houses are still occupied after over one hundred years.  One could see that this area was once a wealthy and elite part of the city.

The Miraflores neighborhood is a picturesque area of flowers and monuments overlooking the sea.  Miraflores translates to “look at the pretty flowers” and many locals and tourists were enjoying the beautiful park area (Parque del Amor).  A monument dedicated to lovers sits in the middle of the park.  Our tour guide told us that many local men propose to their sweethearts here.   Unfortunately, if the sweetheart said “no”, some men committed suicide here by jumping over a cliff.  At one time, there were so many suicides; the city erected a metal bridge over the cliff area to prevent men from jumping.  Colorful, tile-lined stoned walls outline the paths around the park around the area.

The sun was very strong and we were all very warm, so our tour guide took us to a local café where fresh, local fruit smoothies are served.  At his suggestion, we tried a puréed fruit called lucuma and found it to be delicious. 

We boarded the car again and passed through the current wealthy area of the city.  A J.W. Marriott and a huge shopping mall rest near the waters edge.  We wanted to do some shopping in a local market area so our driver took us to the Indian Market.  There we bargained with the vendors selling colorful souvenirs from all over Peru.  Handmade alpaca sweaters, blankets and rugs, paintings, leather goods, woodcarvings and Inca-designed jewelry were abundant.  We could have spent hours at this location and still never finish visiting all the vendor stalls.  The place was huge and the prices were reasonable. 

We headed back to the cruise terminal after a wonderful but exhausting day in the sun.  A local folkloric show called “Tierra Mia Peru” was featured in the Princess Theater.  We attended the first of their back-to-back acts of traditional dance from the coastal, highlands and jungle regions of their native country. 

We ate dinner with Frank and Judy and then played a couple of games of euchre before retiring to our room.  There will be three (3) sea days until we arrive at our next port of call in Costa Rica.  We were able to phone Dennis’s dad again and he is still hospitalized, but improving.