Bit of a Blog : Crown Princess : Buenos Aires - Valparaiso : February 1st 2017

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

The Love Park (Parque del Amor) : The Kiss (El Beso). More info here

 

 

 

 

The screens on the bridge are to prevent suicide.......

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

There are many cyclists, joggers and areas with work out equipment along the sea front

 

 

 

There is public transit and also private operators. The private ones seemed to be less well maintained.

 

 

Many of the private properties have security railings around them

 

[NorbertsNiece]

.............

 

 

We drive by the archaeological site of Huacca Pucllana, a great adobe and clay pyramid.

 

 

 

 

There are more female police officers than male officers. They are apparently less corruptible!

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Plaza San Martin

 

 

if I recall this correctly the architect wanted the statue to have flames on her head.... the statue was built in Spain.... the Peruvian Spanish word for flame translated as Llama in mainland Spanish. So she has a Llama on her head.

 

 

 

 

We see many queues like this. A pension company went bust..... These are claimants or their descendants....

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Linda,

Do you remember the name of the captain?

 

 

No..... I have it on a piece of paper though :p

Captain Vincenzo Lubrano.

[NorbertsNiece]

Crowds..... a full blown demonstration..... people can demo anywhere any time without permit.

And they do.

 

 

 

We hurry through there and reach our next destination.... The San Francisco Church, Monastery and Catacombs

 

 

 

 

Getting a surreptitious pic of this chap was not easy......

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

There is a grate..... coins have been thrown down there..... there are bones.... quite a few..... human bones.

Discovered in 1943, the catacombs contain thousands of skulls and bones, having served as a burial-place until 1808, when the city cemetery was opened outside Lima.

 

 

 

 

 

Back outside the church.

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

Walking through the catacombs was a salutary lesson in medieval funereal activity. Unidentified bodies, in the region of 25,000, disposed of below ground. Very solidly built, the walls have withstood earthquake. Piles upon piles of bones and skulls.....

 

Back above ground

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

The Choir...... not sure what this is called but it holds the books with the notations in so that the choir can read it from a distance

 

 

The library with some of those books.....

 

 

We now head to another square

 

 

There are many street vendors in national dress trying to sell Coca leaves. These two appeared wary of others further up the lane

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

Plaza Mayor

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

We are given time out to seek lunch. Finally. I get to follow my feet. And I'm out of water.

And it's hot. Very, very hot.

But I pass this and cannot resist a quick walk through.....

Siobhan, If you're still following..... you'd have loved this!!

 

 

 

 

Outside the troops are amassing...... there's also a water canon.

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

I am limited by time, hunger and thirst.

 

 

 

 

They're changing the guard at the Presidential Palace!! Much pomp and brass band deliciousness

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Crowd control Peruvian style

 

 

 

So much to see so little time

 

 

Friends are sat in here..... I order fries....

 

 

And share them back on the bus!

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

The centre of Lima is certainly way more glamorous than most of the suburbs I have seen

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

I found an explanation for the Israeli flag here

 

 

 

 

Lima airport. Again

 

 

On the plane I am teased for always having my camera out.... I take the picture of my accuser. You know who you are :p

 

[NorbertsNiece]

3,310m above sea level.

 

 

And it's pouring with rain. Bucket loads of the stuff.

 

 

Check in at this hotel is so much easier. The hotel seems very nice. We have a short orientation where our groups are explained. I am on the 3rd floor. The walk up leaves me breathless.... I am reminded to slow down because of the altitude and to continue to hydrate. The worst I am to feel after this is a slight headache..... and perhaps a loss of humour but that's a ways off.

 

A comfortable room.

 

 

And the ubiquitous little bin

 

 

I dine in tonight. Food is really good.

My friend has alpaca

 

 

I have chicken> They have a GF selection.

 

 

End of day 23

[easyboy]

Lima has lots of very nice architectural structures and well maintained. Seems like the zoning policies are still well in place with no photo bombers like high rise buildings.

[NorbertsNiece]

Lima has lots of very nice architectural structures and well maintained. Seems like the zoning policies are still well in place with no photo bombers like high rise buildings.

 

 

I'd have liked more time to see it better. The whole issue with the post cruise tour was the lack of time afforded to acclimatise and just 'be'.

[NorbertsNiece]

Day 24 : Machu Picchu

 

There are not sufficient adjectives to describe this day.

Of all the places I've visited THIS knocks them all out of the ball park.

Just getting there from Cusco is an adventure, let alone making the climb.

 

This is Rom, our tour guide. He is very enthusiastic..... there's no pause button on his narrative.

It's like he has to get it all out or the ground will open up and swallow him.

The problem with me and a surfeit of information is that I just switch off.

Sigh.

 

 

We have to take a short walk to the bus..... a slow, short walk to the bus. He paces us well.

My first sight of Cusco in daylight.

 

 

There's a monastery on a hill nearby

 

 

There are dogs. Everywhere. Rom tells us that they are owned. I have my doubts.....

 

 

This is Brown Ave, Walk of the Heroes

 

 

A bus stop. Reminds me a bit of Paris....

 

Edited February 27, 2017 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

One of the six heroes immortalised here

 

 

We start climbing.

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We are on a convoluted mountainous road meandering quite alarmingly at times.

This is nothing to what is to come to be honest.....

 

 

By the side of the road people are selling what appears to be long grass

 

 

 

This is to feed guinea pigs. For human consumption. Yeah.

 

 

 

And we're not travelling too slow either

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We are on the road to the station at Ollantaytambo.

 

 

Our train is at 0915.

 

 

We pass a bustling market

 

 

 

 

We are told that the people are fiercely committed to an organic lifestyle

 

[NorbertsNiece]