highplanesdrifters

Arica, Chile Today we had rather mediocre tour. Highlights of Arica. Friends that went on the 12 hour bus tours to Lauca National Park enjoyed it, but no surprise a tad too long. (See a proper review by JP). Grumpy morning salvaged with an afternoon wallowing by the pool topped off with martinis made by the Andres, the best bartender! The visit to our balcony by the Inca Terns was a treat! 20221113_132549.mp4 We saw the oldest mummy at a small museum along with some cool hats. The hats were not for sale.😃 Geoglyphs Instagram vs reality El Morro Views from the top. Pierside entertainment 20221113_192209.mp4 I

Paracas, Peru Ballestas Islands Home to Humbolt Penguins, Peruvian Boobies, pelicans, sea lions, and thousands of cormorants. Nice little tour. Paracas Candelabra Geoglyph Humbolt Penguins VID_76481204_214936_427.mp4 VID_76481207_051615_645.mp4

For those who are considering this itinerary, check out JPs thread. It was very helpful in choosing our excursions. And besides he does a much better job than me! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2466270-live-silver-explorer-october-25-2017-guayaquil-to-valparaiso/

Thanks Spectre. The ship still has its challenges, but I'll cover that in recap. In the meantime, our cabin is cool and the toilet flushes..... so full speed ahead! 😃

JP is right. It's one of rhe head choppers, and it's probably hair in his hand. The pottery differs from the glyphs at Temple of the Moon, in that the human sacrifices there had their head on a block. So perhaps there were two different methods. But as the archeologist on board told us, they make stuff until it's proven wrong or somebody else makes up something better. Love the honesty!🤣

Yes we did! Thought I'd keep the post G rated. Now I'll spill. 😉 There are several large rooms full of X rated pottery in a separate wing. All very detailed. Crikey. Besides chopping off heads they were very into sex in every way shape and form you could imagine. Some you may have never imagined. I may have even blushed.🤣🤣🤣

Larcho Herrera Museum Lima, Peru The private museum houses an extensive collection of pre-Inca ceramics along with a gold and silver gallery. Members of yhe Herrera family worked to preserve these pieces. Overwhelming. I need a day to myself there. SS then fed us a delicious lunch on the terrace starting with and excellent Pisco Sour. Harvesting blood for an after dinner cocktail. Each face is different The scale of the collection boggles the mind. Another head bites the dust. Amazing goldsmithing. The crowning glory.

Yes the smoking lounge is next to Panorama. The issue is more from those smoking in the outside section of Panorama. When the door opens a woosh of smoke rushes in.

Update Engineers boarded the ship a week ago in Guyaquil. There has been no Sewer smell since. They even fixed the bridge cam. Cigar man left. There are a few cigar smokers on board but seem to keep to the Corner. I havent seen them in the pool area. When they smoke outside of Panorama the smoke smell fills Panorama and drifts down the hall.

Huaca Huallamarca 200 BC Lima, Peru A large truncated pyramid in the heart of ritzy Lima. The former Presidents house is across the street. Amorphous adobe balls were shaped by hand and used for construction, typical of Pinazo tradition. It is a famous burial site. No human sacrifice or weapons found here. Street scenes and always helpful police presence. There is even a special tourist police squad. They are not only there to protect, but also to help tourists in general.

Slavery and Trujillo, Peru Part 1 Port Welcome, street scenes and Paso farm. VID_19930616_005620_810.mp4 Quite the contrast VID_19930618_133041_070.mp4

Thanks @cruiseej You are the tops in CC Intelligencia!

Machala, Ecuador Happy Fruit Farm Our tour started with a Police Escort from the port. There is a major drug cartel battle going on in a few of the Ecuadorian port towns which has escalated in the last weeks. We believe the escort was for show, or at least hoped thats all itbwas. We did get to run all the red lights. Yippee. Tours in Guyaguil have been canceled. The Happy Fruit Farm was a HAPPY place. Started with fresh Pineapple and mint. Next, amazing 4 course tasting, all organic and made on site. Followed by tour of farm and Fruit tasting. Then followed by a chocolate making lesson. Followed by another tasting of the best Chocolate we have ever eaten. Five star tour. The tea was a creative blend of dried fruit rinds, cocoa, and classic tea. What a blend. Each chocolate piece was infused with some interesting bits. Fruit tasting in the field. Breadfruit, now I know how it's supposed to taste. Cacao pods. They use several different varieties. Their chocolate is 80% with zero bitterness. We tasted the cacao at all points in the process, raw, dried, roasted and ground. The flavor transition so very distinct. The final tasting. We got to play with the different flavors ourselves. Quite the imersive experience. Dried mango and golden berries took top honors. Classic honey and sea salt a close second. The runners up were equally tasty. The farm is staffed by an international group. Some paid, some volunteers. It is a way of life for many. Traveling the globe working and learning different organic farming practices . We were glad to be the recipients of the fruits of their labor, literally.

We had problems with the IC in Papeete. Between the Costco discount drinking crowd, locals throwing parties, and tired rooms we are thrilled the Hilton opened. Will be there in January, and glad there is now another option for an arrival and departure hotel close to the airport! Give NZ another chance, it's not the country, it's the type of traveler that comes from everywhere.

I wasn't asking about Cairns but luckily we will be there! Thanks for the great suggestion!

Thanks!

Wow, that's a bummer. How did you find out? We are also AA Biz class.

Wowza, nice gift, wine and chocolate too. Are those days over?😉

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador Part 3 We completed the day with a Panama Hat making demonstration. Turns out the real Panama hat is made in Ecuador. Who knew! It was Teddy Roosevelt who popularized the name when he wore it during the Panama Canal construction. Most are made by machines now. There are a few people left who still make them by hand. Quite the process. There were hats available for purchase. The scrum to do this put the Terazza scrum to shame. 🤣 Boiling the palm leaves. Multiple weaving processes. The final iron. Beach and street scenes below. Silversea guests did their job and contributed nicely to the local economy. We were once again cheered as we headed back to the ship. 😃

Puerto Lopez Part 2 Agua Blanca is a traditional village which has and archeology site, museum, craft stand and sulfer springs. The descendents of the Mantena culture live there and the ruins are pre Columbian. They are hoping to find professional archeologists and funding to help them continue excavation. The tribe buried their people in urns. We were all curious about how they accomplished this. They were much smaller people, bodies were put in fetal positions and they popped another urn on top. After a trip with Chef Pia, I'm gonna need a bigger urn. Snakes. In jars where they belong. The chair of power. Only the Chief sat here. A few of us ditched the hike to the sulfer springs and went back to explore the village. Warm and friendly people. The kids were returning from school and headed to the church for choir practice. As they did their dogs greeted them and followed the to choir practice. The sulpher springs.

I believe it needs lapels. The larger the better.😀

I love this thread! So many witty people on CC that can take a challenging and controversial cruise into entertainment! Just what the doctor ordered.

Go to reception and ask to meet with HD & or CD. Yes. That is why so many up in arms. He purposely chooses to annoy. When the notice was put up that no cigar smoking was allowed during dinning hours at the pool he would sit there puffing until the exact minute, and then return at the exact minute lunch was over. There are a number of other cigar smokers on board who are all lovely and do smoke inside in the corner. It a shame he gives them a bad name.

From the brass. They were not happy.

You're cracking me up! Silver sewage, good one. In Machala, Ecuador today. We had a Police Escort to The Happy Fruit Farm. But no escort on the return. I'm serious. You can't make this up.🤣🤣🤣 From the Guardian. The week began with the discovery of two headless bodies, left dangling from a pedestrian bridge. Then prison guards were taken hostage by inmates, nine car bombs detonated in two coastal cities and five police officers were shot dead. Ecuador – which sits between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest cocaine-producing countries – is a strategic smuggling route due to its long Pacific coastline and large shipping and fishing fleets. Analysts say the spike in violence started when local criminal gangs began vying to work with the rival Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation drug cartels.