Two days in the port of Callao, perfect to take advantage of the extended stay to explore old Lima, just a short distance away.
Taxis are cheap, and I had opportunity to experience Lima's plugged up streets, traffic moves at a snails place, except on the Carretera de Republica, a controlled access highway reaching into the very centre of Lima.
I had myself dropped at the Plaza General Martin, who is revered here just as much as in Argentina for his role in the independence war against Spain. The taxi driver assured me proudly, that downtown Lima is now safe for any pedestrian on the Jiron de la Union, a pedestrian street connecting Plaza Martin with Plaza de Armas, the soul of Lima. Twenty years ago, he said, is was ruled by bands of children - teenagers - who robbed and murdered for the most insignificant booty. The country has cleaned up.
No wonder, municipal police accompanied by very large very serious looking German Shepherd 'canine units' - dogs for normal people - walked around in great numbers. No one in their right mind would even DARE to step out of line. Still - one blends in, watches ones bag, and hides a camera inside it.
Lima turned out to be hot, sunny - without any dreary misty shroud.
As mentioned before, it never rains here. The Humboldt current of the Pacific Ocean, flowing slowly north from the Antarctic Southern Ocean, is so cold, that water does not evaporate to form rain clouds. Just enough moisture at the shore to give it a refreshing chill, and cover the coast with a San Francisco type fog.
Most stores along Jiron de la Union just opened their doors and 'persianas'. Impressive to see that hardly any graffiti defaces the streets of downtown Lima - at least on the more popular areas. Colonial style buildings, renovated in traditional style, house dozens of currency exchange houses (which are covert bank extensions, and exchange Peruvian Soles into US Dollars at the official rate as opposed to a Blue Dollar rate as it is done in inflationary Argentina), American franchise stores and fast food joints, Shoe maker shops, cell phone companies, computer and furniture stores, clothing emporiums - stores one finds all over the world.
A few blocks later, Plaza de Armas opens up with its impressive square lined with an ornate Cathedral, Government buildings, covered colonnades, wonderful wooden carved enclosed balconies, side plazas adorned with lush greenery with inviting restaurants, and smaller alleys leading to a host of museums and an incredible number of Colonial style churches and monasteries. In the center a fountain, and flowerbeds in bloom.
Lima's Cathedral is allegedly unfinished, as it has been demolished several times by earthquakes and restored every time. Mosaics inside depict Francisco Pizarro's conquests, and the man himself is buried in a chapel near the entrance. Pizarro established the city in 1535, and named it Ciudad de Los Reyes, City of Kings, meaning the three Magi of the Epiphany. The name did not stick, and the inigenous name of lima-limac (yellow flower) morphed into present day ‘Lima’.
One of the monasteries, San Francisco Ancash, houses 50,000 skeletons in its crypts. It was one of the favourites for visiting tourists...
I had visited most of the museums on previous visits and elected to spend another pleasant hour or so overlooking the surf, the shore from one of the open air cliff side restaurants in Miraflores.
And then - back aboard, and off to Salaverry/Trujillo tomorrow.
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| Tug in Callao's port |
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| Unfinished dwelling |
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| Dusty Bug....not going anywhere soon |
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| Doggie in a wheelchair, and civil guards rolling about in public wheelchairs.... |
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| The Barrancas, the cliffs, which were used as garbage dumps years ago. Now modern condo buildings line the cliffs, however the dark stain on the mountain in the background gives an idea of the poor barrios, slums, which creep up on the lower slopes of surrounding hills. |
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| Cusquena, the local brew, with a small depiction of Machu Piccu on the label |
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| Greetings from Peru.. |
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| Plaza de Armas, Lima |
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| Keeping peace, law and order, a police woman and her dog partner - would not want to mess with those two. |
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| Interior of Monasterio San Francisco |
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| Monasterio San Francisco - where the 50,000 skeletons rest below ground |
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| Plaza de Armas |
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| Guarding the Governors Palace |
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| Miraflores wall art |
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The entire cliff edge in Miraflores is one long park, with plaster Saint Bernards, dispensing poop and scoop bags
Clean up after your Pet, use the dispensers - that what is says |
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| General Martin, just as in Buenos Aires, riding his horse through central square.... |
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| Santa Rosa de Lima in all her rose-covered glory |
