Despite the late departure of our first flight, we were quick to make up time with our first, celebratory Bloody Mary. The flight attendants were wonderful, and seemed to relish our adventure as much as we.
First night out, we stayed at the Marriot in Lima, courtesy of points. This is probably the best hotel in Lima, right on the ocean.
Lima is large and busy, with a beautiful center. Seems like every place here is centered on a square surrounded by a Cathedral and lots of colonial era buildings.
It’s close to the sea, so fish is high on the menu. After our tour, we ate of the same, drinking the Pisco Sour they flog, and just a bit of wine. Then walked back to our hotel via the Incan market – good thing we went there, because we wouldn’t see any more typical Peruvian stuff for the rest of the trip … not quite, it’s impossible to avoid! The vendors are aggressive and don’t seem to understand the term “No, thank you” in ANY language. The people as a whole, however, seem friendly and kind, and we know we’ll love Peru.
Next day was from the sea to the mountains – Arequipa. The guy in Peru with whom we worked setting up this visit is a @#$$%^^& EARLY morning person. Our flight left at 5 AM (in fact, they have us scheduled to get up almost every day at 0400 to catch the next flight). Arequipa is a lovely town, and the Plaza Central is great – full of life, color and yes, they even have some Incan stuff! Our guide, Jorge Luis, gave us a great tour of the Cathedral and a working convent – we couldn’t see the nuns in residence, but Rance did ask the guide if it were the custom for daughters to follow their mothers in the trade. She was not amused.
We also met Juanita, an Incan maiden who was sacrificed to appease the gods causing the volcano to erupt. She was ~ 14, and with her procession climbed up to the top of Ampato (over 18,000 feet), dressed ceremonially, given a drug, smacked over the head, and then sacrificed. Juanita was considered honored by being chosen. She was left there and covered with snow for over 400 years, until a neighboring volcano caused the ice to melt and she was discovered mummified. Very cool (cold). TO BE CONTINUED!!!
.
It’s close to the sea, so fish is high on the menu. After our tour, we ate of the same, drinking the Pisco Sour they flog, and just a bit of wine. Then walked back to our hotel via the Incan market – good thing we went there, because we wouldn’t see any more typical Peruvian stuff for the rest of the trip … not quite, it’s impossible to avoid! The vendors are aggressive and don’t seem to understand the term “No, thank you” in ANY language. The people as a whole, however, seem friendly and kind, and we know we’ll love Peru.
Next day was from the sea to the mountains – Arequipa. The guy in Peru with whom we worked setting up this visit is a @#$$%^^& EARLY morning person. Our flight left at 5 AM (in fact, they have us scheduled to get up almost every day at 0400 to catch the next flight). Arequipa is a lovely town, and the Plaza Central is great – full of life, color and yes, they even have some Incan stuff! Our guide, Jorge Luis, gave us a great tour of the Cathedral and a working convent – we couldn’t see the nuns in residence, but Rance did ask the guide if it were the custom for daughters to follow their mothers in the trade. She was not amused.
We also met Juanita, an Incan maiden who was sacrificed to appease the gods causing the volcano to erupt. She was ~ 14, and with her procession climbed up to the top of Ampato (over 18,000 feet), dressed ceremonially, given a drug, smacked over the head, and then sacrificed. Juanita was considered honored by being chosen. She was left there and covered with snow for over 400 years, until a neighboring volcano caused the ice to melt and she was discovered mummified. Very cool (cold). TO BE CONTINUED!!!
.
3 comments:
We are glad to hear from you. Although the earthquake was farther south, we feared to disruptioin would affect your travel. I just finished a book on the Conquistadores - the Inca empire was very evolved, even after the Pizarro brothers made it part of their mafia domain and melted down all their artifacts. Sounds like the Catholic Church has been the only survivor. Keep the reports coming. I shot 95 today but it could have been worse:
55-40.
It's a blessing that your guy is an early riser- that's how you were able to leave the area & not be affected by the quake at all.
Lovely descriptions! Thanks for sharing.
xo
JoAnne
Rance and Susan,
Did the mummy flog a Pisco Sour? Glad to hear you're getting up early.
Mitch
Post a Comment