Today is a transit day, all at sea. Sky is overcast, temperature cool at 70*f, sea state 2.
Not hungry, just lazy, so we had coffee brought in. Perhaps it will give us incentive to do something.
O went to talk on Hiram Bingham III and his discovery of Machu Picchu.
By noon the temperature retreated to 66*f, clearly an effect of the water current coming up from the cold south. Hopefully we'll come into Southern Hemisphere spring air conditions soon.
If you miss the return shuttle, you'd have to take a hotel if you can find one.
O canceled his 12/1 tour of the submarine Abtao and the Naval Museum because it was a local Callao tour. Then he scheduled the same tour as D & Fran. Very disappointed.
We did Team Trivia but came in second or third. Later came Lightning Trivia where we did worse, but Bill the Presbyterian minister held up his end of the work.
Later we did a martini in the Pinnacle Bar, then dinner in the MDR. D went off to the Neil Diamond imitator show while O looked ahead to Santiago. Then bed.
The unknowns involving Callao are unnerving.
Weather at sea at 1000 is cool, totally overcast, with fog.
Fran found out enough information to say that we will continue with our plan for a tour of Lima this evening. Still unknown is how to get back to the ship other than the shuttles that go all the way into Lima. Of course, we have no idea what sort of dealing HA is having with possibly-corrupt local officials.
We approached the port passing Isla St Joseph, a huge hunk of sand. Lime is the driest capital in the world except for Cairo.
Before we left, we did Trivia and WON.
After a little more shipboard confusion, we got onto the first bus to the Indian Market in Lima by being the last four to board it. Traffic was horrible; I don't know how they do it. The method seems to be to bluff out everyone else but stop short of hitting them. Crosswalks are meaningless, since no one obeys them.
But we got there and waited a while (during which D bought gifts) for Abel Pargo and his trusty driver Harry. We figured out the seating pattern we should use in their SUV, and how to not bang our heads on the low roof.
Harry took off like a bat out of hell for our first stop, the water attractions in the local park "Parque de la Reserva" full of such things. It's a municipal park with water show every night. After eight months, they rotate the scenes. There are waterfalls spouting upward (highest in SA), and water tunnels for kids to run through, and the main attraction, the Fantasy Fountain.
The FF is a series of waterspouts throwing up a wall of misty water 120 meters long and 20 meters high. Lights project scenes onto the wall of mist that then the spectators can see as huge pictures and movies on the mist. It's rather spectacular and the crowds appreciate it. Other parts of the park contain the tunnel of water, and small buildings, and Santa displays, and more. One problem tonight was that Harry Styles was doing a concert in the stadium next to the park tonight - he sold 65,000 tickets, so traffic, both auto and pedestrian, was terrible in the region.
Abel had procured a wheelchair for Duane, so he was able to see all the attractions. The seating arrangements put him in the front passenger seat, so he had all the views of "Hammering Harry's" driving. But he held on as we drove to Abel's suggestion for a "locals" restaurant "Don Belisario, Pollos la Braza". We were seated in a nice but not ostentatious place.
Drinks were served; three Pisco Sours and one non-alcohol thing derived from the purple corn grown here. A Pisco Sour had pisco (a brandy-like liquor), and egg-whites blended so there is a great deal of foam on top. It tastes much like a Margarita. Able had ordered the food, which came at a good time.
The tray included perhaps five quarters of chicken, a bunch of french fries, and salad for four. Two seasonings, one of mayonnaise and one of something spicier were provided. We ate almost all of it. During this, Able made note of Lima preferences: McDonalds NO Burger King YES, Papa John NO but Pizza Hut YES, Popeyes NO KFC YES, Tea rather than Coffee, Rum and Beer rather than wine (which we found amazing + Abel said they might drink one bottle of wine per year).
Breakfast can be a sandwich, lunch is from 1pm or so and is the main meal, dinner from 8pm or so, and is quite relaxed.
Frantic Harry then drove us back to the Indian Market where we said our good-byes and gave tips. Abel was really a great guide. Since we survived we must admit that Harry was a good driver; it's just the city that makes him aggressive and scares the …. out of us.
The ships shuttle came along and took us back home with another crazy route through really crumbling streets to and in the port, to the ship.
We crashed about 2230.
Weather still overcast, temperature around 65*f. Up for breakfast, a few notes, and then to head to the port gate to meet our tour guide for the day, Jenni.
We three (Duane elected to stay aboard) did the shuttle from the ship to the gate, not realizing that the gate was far away through the pier area and the surrounding port (poor) area. Rough pavement, etc. But we arrived at Puerto Tres and its waiting area.
Guide Jenny was late. We understand that now after seeing the traffic, but she and her driver came along eventually. We drove first to places along the top of the bluffs that face the ocean - you should look at the photos to get an appreciation. A highway runs along the bottom of the bluffs. Parks line the top of the bluffs with varying themes - we walked along and through them. For instance, one is dedicated to Love; many tiles are shown put up by lovers with comments on their love. There is also a fence with hundreds of locks left by lovers to show their attachment. Lots of dogs, many small vendors, nice scenery.
Jenny then had the driver go to and through a very nice area of Lima (noting at one point that you could drive two hours in any direction and still be in Lima (11 million population)). Lots of very nice shops, several casinos, but still terrible traffic.
Going on, we went into the old railroad station (no passenger trains run now) mainly to visit the restrooms. Nice old building, now used as a library.
By this time we were getting tired. The sun had come out; we felt hot in the sun. So we agreed it would be good to go to the port gate to connect with the shuttle. Jenny's driver took us through more of the town into the poorer area near the port and to the shuttle point. We paid our respects and thanks and exited. But Jenny and driver stayed until the shuttle arrived, just to make sure we were safe - despite others being there and despite security people present. After a bit the shuttle showed up, they took off, and we were transported through a mess of grain trucks (seagulls loved the open grain trucks) to the ship.
We took sandwiches and beer in the Dive In area, then went down to Team Trivia. Bill came along and joined us. And we won again - but there was a small crowd so we can't brag much. D went off to the room, Fran went to the pier to shop for goodies, Duane & I chatted over wine. Fran came back with a nice sweater and more; another wine and we dispersed.
Back at our ranch, D later ordered some chicken soup and a cookie. It came on a tray with two covered plates, a bowl of soup under one, and a cookie under the other. Many laughs.
Now to publish this and retreat. 'nite.
Breakfast and away. Onto Bus 3 for a multi-stop tour. As usual here, traffic was fierce.
First was the Museo Larco, a tremendous collection of Early Peruvian items. Several civilizations inhabited Peru through the years; they have a pretty good classification of them and when they were here and how that relates to other early tribes of the rest of South America. Some of the items were really spectacular, such as the gold adornments of the rulers. I hope to get the photos up soon. It's better if you examine their website at " https://www.museolarco.org/en/ ".
Second was the stop at Museo Pachacamac doing Inca (and earlier) research into old civilizations that built mud & clay pyramids for worship and buildings for housing. It was part of a large network of such sites up and down the Peruvian coast. Link to website is " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachacamac ". Research here was well underway when Machu Picchu was found - since MP was much more intriguing, most research moved there. Some research is still underway here, where the peoples lived before MP and maybe back as far as the Egyptians who built their pyramids. More on the history of the site is at " https://www.worldhistory.org/Pachacamac/ ".
The third stop was at Las Fincas Casa Hacienda. Here we were given an exhibit of their horses, which run with both legs on a side pushing at the same time, then the two on the other side, rather than gallop with alternating strides. See this link for more explanation: " https://www.ridinghall.com/which-horse-is-faster-a-pacer-or-a-trotter/ ". After several routines, we went to nearby covered tables for our lunch of Peruvian dishes. They included a salad, potato, beans, chicken, and more. All quite good, allowing for the changed tastes. The link is: " haciendalosficus.com ". The buses (3) returned to take us to the ship, a 1.5 hour trip.
Just after clearing the breakwaters, we were met by a Peruvian submarine inbound. They have several German-built Type 209 boats. It showed the identification number of 31.
We took small plates in the Lido and returned to the cabin to do chores.
This place is 120 miles south of Lima. Our tour was of Paracas National Reserve and a Bodega.
Photo Link.
I've never seen so much wasteland. The park celebrates the huge area of sand along the coast here. There are real sandstorms (which is what Paracas means). It's an ecological dream, with all sorts of birds wintering here, and a lot of marine life. That's good, because the place is uninhabitable by humans. The last time it rained was in 1998. I'm going to show the HA description here:
Paracas National Reserve is a stunning ecological reserve located in the coastal desert. Begin your day with a visit to the interpretive site to learn about all the different species that are protected in this area -- a paradise for geologists.
You’ll stop at Red Beach -- a fascinating part of the National Reserve. It is the only beach with red sand, and numerous seabirds populate its shoreline. Take in the many different desert landscapes, including Supay Beach, noted for its superb cliffs formed during the Eocene Period, which will show you sequences of horizontal layers. Marine sediments form all the soil in the reserve, so you’ll also have a chance to see prehistoric fossils.
Notes:
The roads throughout the Paracas National Reserve are unpaved and can be bumpy. Wear sunglasses and sunscreen. Bring a hat. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. Not advisable for guests with mobility limitations.
The caution above about roads is real. The sand here is very salty since it rose from the sea, and the sea carries in more salt on the wind. You can drive anywhere on the sand. The roads are "made" by watering a path and letting the sun bake it hard. One of the places was formed volcanically; D harvested a red rock as a souvenir.
The vineyard was originally part of the Old Hacienda of Santa Cruz de Lanchas, dating back to the 16th century. A particularly fine climate lends excellent characteristics of flavor and fragrance to the grapes. The use of technology in the management and development of vineyards ensures premium pisco grapes for producing Pisco wine.
We never did see the city of Pisco, of some 100,000 people, but only the villages of Ica and Paracas which again are composed of raw shacks aged in sand. The Bodega was new and nice.
Getting underway was crazy. We were supposed to leave at 1530. At 1522 the first of ten or so buses showed up and discharged passengers, some with carry-on luggage. Probably the people who had side-stepped to do the Machu Picchu excursion.
The captain got impatient and blew a long blast (signal to get on board). People still lingered around the native kiosks buying things. Another long blast. Some acted. Ships officers went over to shoo them on board. Finally we got underway at 1604.
Later, we got together with F/D in the Gallery Bar for Martini Hour. From there we had dinner in Canaletto with several shared dishes. Everyone left happy and tired.
The clocks are set forward an hour tonight.
Next stop is Coqimbo, Chile. Next page, please.