After breakfast, I went for a little walk down to the main square of Miraflores. There is a beautiful Catholic Church and the main park celebrates one of the local football clubs. What I learned on by brief walk was that crosswalks are really just a place to organize people so you can hit more than one with your car.
Miraflores is full of restaurants and clubs a very modern part of Lima. Part of Miraflores overlooks the Pacific.
Our accommodations. Nice and clean. However if your going to take a shower be careful because aqua is muy caliente.
The church in the main square of Miraflores.
We had an organizational meeting with our group and our guide Nil. Nil is originally from Lima but he and his family live in the Sacred Valley. We diiscussed the our option and decide to visit the Pacific Ocean before our formal tour at 2.
Team meeting with Nil before our day. A little organization and then a little prayer. Both are probably needed.
These girls are a) syncing their watches b) syncing their iPhones c) holding on to the last bar of WiFi for dear life.
Megan, Katie, Olivia, Ella, Elise, Amara and Nelly at Miraflores main square
The girls in the square.
Katie controlling traffic with a ?forceful? hand. On our walk to the beach.
A picture of the whole group on the bridge. We are very close to the ocean. I am in the highlighter green shirt just to the left of the sign.
The girls with the Pacific behind them.
There is the beach and the Pacific
Whoooo Hoooooo, we are in 🇵🇪
The lighthouse over looking the beach. The fog is beginning to roll in.
Apacheta. For luck and safety
John is on lifeguard duty. Ready to dive in at a moments notice.
Our fearless leader and most of the crew by the beach.
From the beach we grabbed lunch at a Parado’s chicken. It was great. Then we had 40 minutes at a mall by the ocean cliffs before our tour bus arrived. The girls check to make sure Patagonia sells the same merchandise in Peru as everywhere else.
Random sculptures on our walk to the mall
The statue behind has a similar pose. The girls are jumping into their Peruvian experience.
Another cool sculpture by the mall. If I don’t include it in this blog then there was no reason to take a picture of it.
From here we rode our tour bus to historic downtown Lima. Let’s to 7 fast facts on Lima
1. Lima is home 🏡 to approximately 10 million people. Peru’s total population is around 41 million
2. Lima is the second driest capital behind Cairo.
3. Civilization developed around Lima at a similar time to those of Mesopotamia.
4. Francisco Pizarro, help create the base of Lima in 1535
5. 7/28/1821 Peru declared its independence. The revolutionary leaders Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar help lead the revolution for independence. There is a large statue near central Lima to honor them.
6. Just of the coast of Lima are some of the richest fishing waters in the world. This fertile environment is creat d by the convergence of the Humbolt current from the south and the warmer waters from the north.
7. The traffic is ridiculous 24/7.
We have arrived at Lima Centro. Our first stop is the Monasterio de San Francisco. This church is famous for its catacombs. The bones of many interned there still remain. The number buried here varies based on the source but between 30,000 and 70,0000. It is full of hand painted tiles and beautiful wood work. Pictures taking is not permitted inside as this is still the residence for the monks.
The church at the monasterio
The fountain and the entrance to the Monastery.
Above the door to the church. The detail is amazing
An example of the hand painted tiles inside. Now imagine a giant wall of these and the on the other side of the doorway a completely new set of hand paint tiles some going back to 1650s
From there it was down into the catacombs. Small and cramped but cool and peaceful. There was an eiry calm about the place. Here is a google image it nabbed of th Internet. This is exactly what it looked like.
From the catacombs it was back outside. We were going to the central plaza of Lima Centro.
Peruvian women selling their fares by the monastery.
The Plaza de Armas was empty this day. The police had shut it down in light of the protest regarding whether you people should be paid for internships or not. At one side of the plaza is La Cathedral de Lima. On another side is the Palacio de Gobierno.
The plaza is empty. Katie, Elise, Ella, Amara, Megan, Nellie and Olivia refused to run past these guys and dance round the fountain.
Palacio de Gobierno
The guards inside the gates of the Palacio de Gobierno.
Cathedral de Lima
Just cause it looked cool
Katie and Megan at the edge of the Plaza
Another beautiful church in Lima
From the plaza we traveled to Museo Larco.
This museum holds a tremendous collection of Pottery, art and jewelry from before the Incan empire.
Gold headdress and breastplate
Pot for the highland tribes
Art.
Some of the pots were not PG-13. I am not sure I am old enough to see what some of the pots depicted.
Megan and Katie at the Museum
From the muses I’m it was back to the hotel. Some chose to take a shower. I chose to enjoy the below with Kevin
When in Peru.... yadda yadda
We then headed to dinner to enjoy traditional meals and traditional Peruvian dances. All I can say is the seafood is fresh and great. Ceviche!!!!!
The traditional dances were amazing. The colors, the motion, the rhythm. These picture do not do them justice.
One of the other parents, Brian where he danced and chased this girl around trying to light the tissue on her skirt on fire.
Suddenly the tables turned and she started to trying to light him on 🔥. The roof roof was not on 🔥 but Brian’s pants almost were.
Brian in his “hot pants”
Back on the bus, back to bed and on to Cuzco.
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