Day 1
As soon as we got into the airport, we caught a cab to downtown. But right when the cab turned out of the parking lot, he was stopped by a random police check, which is really common here. Apparently our guy forgot one of his official documents, so he had to get us another cab. And then we were on our way.
The drive was beautiful. We went past the Cliffs of Miraflores, watched some surfers on the waves of the Pacific, and climbed a big hill into Lima. He dropped us near the tour agency where we paid for our tickets to Day Two's event (more about this later). Then it was off to our hotel. Another nice one. :) I'm sure these are not five star places, as we are on a budget. But for what we're paying, we have had some pretty nice rooms.
Anyway, we took a short nap because we had an early morning. And then it was off to explore. We wanted to eat at a particular restaurant, so we looked at the map and figured out how to get there. Except we may have gotten a little lost. It only took us an hour or so to find it, though. And we got to see a little more of the city.
With a good meal in our bellies, we started our walking tour.
1. We started in Plaza de Martin, the main plaza in Lima. It's kind of the main square. Lots of people.
2. Through what was once the center of the city is a street that is now only for pedestrians and lined with stores.
3. As this is very Catholic country, there are a lot of cathedrals and churches. This is merely one of them. But it is very beautiful - the stone work is amazing.
4. We made our way to Plaza de Armas, although we were not allowed to enter. There are a lot of police here, and there was one at each entrance to the plaza. On the other end of it is the president's palace, a very old and big and beautiful building. There was also another cathedral next to the plaza. Much of the city is made up of old architecture. As a side note, the rainbow flag is not a gay pride one. The rainbow is an Incan thing.
5. We went to the Museo de Inquisición, which was about the Spanish Inquisition in Peru. There were some pretty crazy torture methods used. We got to climb down into an old dungeon and see where they held people. Scary!
6. We ended the walking tour at what we thought was going to be a market. There was one, but it turned out to be just a bunch of commercial stuff. Not what we were after. We decided to save the shopping for a market day at a more artisan place.
We had dinner from the grocery store around the corner and called it a night. We don't really feel comfortable exploring a new city when it's dark out.
Day 2
What a great day!! After a long and relaxing morning, we were picked up by our tour agency. Since the World Cup is in Brazil, there are a lot of people over there and not as many people here. Which means that we had this tour all to ourselves.
Our tour guide was very informative and very nice. Truly, the more I learn about Peru, the more I love it.
We left the city and went to a country looking area, dirt roads, crop fields, old brick houses. Lots of dogs and chickens. And then through two gates we drove into this incredible ranch. Los Ficus. It's amazing. It's almost totally self sufficient. Two wells, a year-round garden (because the weather in Lima is so moderate, and it never rains - just dewy, and a big river, and lots of ground water), chickens, and of course horses. This is why we came. The Peruvian Paso horse is truly one of a kind. It is known for its smooth gait and the way its feet flay out the front when it moves in its famous walk/trot gait. We had a tour guide all to ourselves, and she took us around to the horses. They are also breeders, so there were babies. So cute! Then we had pisco sours and a potato snack (Did you know that the potato origins were traced back to Peru? Peru discovered the potato. And there are 3000 different kinds of potatoes!) while they did the horse show. Very cool. And then Karis even got to ride one! Definitely a lot different than the houses she rides at home. After the show, we had an amazing dinner. Fresh salad from the garden, perfect and tender chicken (whilst cute chickens walked about around us), rice, potatoes, beans, different sauces, and an incredible flan dessert. And wine. Yum! Definitely a great experience.
We returned to the hotel around 330. Just enough time for a short nap before our evening plans. Just after 6, we left again for the Parque de Agua. Basically, this is a park full of fountains, and then they have a laser show. Pretty cool. Really nice park. Really cool fountains. We enjoyed the show, then ate a small dinner in the park, including the best churros we've ever had.
We got home pretty late (for us - around 930). Definitely a good and full day!
No comments:
Post a Comment