Peru - Cusco, Lima 11 Days

[g8trgr8t]

This one will be a little long so bear with me, will do in parts.

Wife and I took first trip ever without kids. Flew Latam MIA to Lima, Lima to Cusco using avios, 767 business class was good, good food, great service, nice lounge in MIA. Had to collect luggage and go thru customs in Lima but it went fast and we made the 2.5 hour connection time to Cusco no problem. took Uber from Cusco airport to JW Marriott that I booked using a combination of 85k certs and prepaid nights for 7 nights. The JW is a great hotel, centrally located, platinum benefits got a room upgrade to better view and free breakfast buffet, which was exceptional. We took diamox two days prior to departure to help with altitude (14k feet) sickness. Room was "enhanced room" with higher oxygen air pumped in to help with altitude. Wife was determined to do the 4 day, 3 night hike to Machu Pichu, I wished her well and did day trips from Cusco.

Arrived early at hotel and got early check-in first day. Booked a cooking class that afternoon where you meet local chef at the market where he walked us through the market explaining all the foods and spices we would be using and bought many of the ingredients before leading us back to his studio where we prepared meals and drinks. Highly recommend

https://peruviancuscoflavors.com/

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After a healthy meal and a few cocktails that we made, we retired for a good night sleep. Found a nice welcoming gift of assorted fruit and chocolates in the room upon our return fromt he cooking class. Walked to and from and ahve to say that I walked all over Cusco and felt really safe everywhere we went.

Next day we had a tour of the Sacred Valley and the salt mines booked through viator. Was very fortunate to blindly fall into meeting Barnaby who would become my personal guide for the rest of my time there. Barnaby has been in the business down there for over a decade and can set up whatever you need. whatsapp 51 984 208 882, tell him Barry sent you. Very good english, patient, well informed, not a salesman.

We were picked up by a driver in a nice midsize SUV and Barnaby rode shotgun. Visited three different Incan sites within the scared valley and the salt mines. Incans had over 3500 varieties of potatoes and were advanced in cultivating them and cross-breeding them to find best potatoes for each part of their many ecosystems.  Our first stop was at a local cooperative where a nice young lady showed us how they turn alpalca wool into the fabulous garments they make. Different leaves, minerals, flowers, and even bugs to make different color wool, master weavers who made patterns from decades of memories. Learned that it is hard to tell some fake products from real alpalca wool and bought some scarfs for daughters. Living in SW FL, we don't ahve much need for cold weather garments but their products were world class. No pressure to buy, good prices from the cooperative. Learned that guinea pig is a delicacy that they raise for holidays and special occasion but that was a no go for us.

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Can't begin to remember all the sites we toured but Barnaby walked us right through them all and seemed to know everyone along the way. Well worth the investment to avoid the bigger crowded tours as we could move at our own pace, ask as many stupid questions as we wanted, and the SUV was a much better, quicker way of getting around than the busses that most tours were using. The terraced planting areas used for crops were large and well designed and constructed. September is the end of the dry season so everything was kind of brown and only the lwoer altitude areas close to the river were planted. Most travelers there were in their 20's and 30's so at 60, I was the senior in many places we went.

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visited the salt mines where a stream of salty water fills hundreds of pools and evaporates before the family that owns the group of oppols rakes up the salts for sell. Amazing that this one little stream has filled hundreds of acres of pools for centuries

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went to one of the nicest restaurants int he valley for a buffett lunch that ahd every food item that is common in the area. Tired the alpalca, skipped the guinea pig, lots of fresh fruit and vegetable options.

Sacred valley sits east of the Andes peaks and west of the amazon. Peru has 30 of the 32 world climates and 90 different microclimates. Will definitely be going back

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[g8trgr8t]

third day we took a city tour booked through viator and learned a valuable lesson to make sure that tours are one language only. Although advertised as English, it was both languages which meant guide had to repeat everything and questions in spanish were not shared. We visited several Incan sites in and around Cusco, which was the Rome of the Incan empire. This was our second "full day" there which is what is required for acclimation prior to doing the Inca trail to Machu Pichu. It was the least impressive of our days there but ended with a pleasant surprise when we stumbled into a festival of different dancing groups that were celebrating some religious holiday. Different groups, dressed differently, all doing different dances, through the streets of Cusco.
Also found a nice massage place where a full hour massage was the equivalent of $25.

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that evening, wife met with her tour group and packed for her trek while I arranged for trips to Humantay Lake, Rainbow Mountain and the 7 lagoons of Ausangate. All my trips seemed to leave at 4:30 am with 2 - 3 hour drives out and 2 - 3 hours back. Made for long days but not as long as the hikes the wife was doing while sleeping in a tent in the cold mountains. It was her goal to do and although she had several setbacks going in, she accomplished it. Don't think she would do it again but at 56 she was oldest by far in her group but never the last one up the hill.

beginning of my album here with many more pics, some videos, and some limited drone videos. still sorting through pictures.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/85268984@N02/albums/72177720320251339/with/54005160796

[g8trgr8t]

Following day wife left at 4 am to go on her Incan Trail trek, 4 days, 3 nights, hiking up and over the top and down to Machu Pichu. Day 2 is the hardest and it almost broke her but she didn't give up. Had a solo tent but neighbor's heavy snoring kept her up and didn't make it any easier for her. I left at 4:30 am on a bus trip to Humantay Lake. 2 hour ride on a 12 person bus, breakfast at a buffet style restaurant, then another hour to the trail head where we began the hike. A hike that wouldn't normally bother me was challenging due to the elevation but completed the hike up to the lake and enjoyed a couple of hours at the lake before hiking back down. Catch the bus back to a buffett style lunch and then back to Cusco by 5 pm. Shower and off to a get a $25 massage at relaxation massage and prep for the next day trip to the 7 lagoons of Ausangate. Nice scenery but was somewhat cloudy and had smoke from some areas on fire somewhere upwind of where we were. Horses were available for hire for 70 soles ($20) one way or 100 soles roundtrip. Hike starts at 12,800 feet and ends at 13,900 feet +/-. Food was good, drive wasn't bad but the busses aren't built for comfort with padding similar to an economy class airline seat. Drink lots of water and use hiking poles to help. The cocoa candy sold everywhere also had enough caffeine and stimulant in it to help put a little pep in the step along the way. Sunblock and wide brim hat highly recommended. Camelback or simialr to carry water and snacks and be able to take layers on and off as needed is recommended. Good hiking boots are a big plus. Would also mention that the JW has an excellent spa included that had hot tub, heated swimming pool, steam sauna, dry sauna, cold showers, and relaxation beds that made for a nice relaxing evening after the offsite massage. Lockers with robes, slippers, towels in spa. Water and fruit also available in spa, no cost. They do offer in house massage but was 3x as costly as off-site even after the coupons given to platinum elite.

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[g8trgr8t]

The next day for me was the trip to Lagoons at Ausangate. They are in the opposite direction of Humanatay Lake (south versus north) so the smoke that enveloped Humanatay wasn't an issue at Ausungate. It is a relatively recent tour spot as the locals didn't agree to open it up for tours until the last couple of years. Some consider this land sacred but the opportunity to earn income from the tours led them to open it up. Another 4:30 am pickup from the JW, got my box breakfast, and got on the bus. Bad luck for me as I was one of the last on the bus (12 - 15 person) and sat in the back for what turned out to be the longest ride of all my tours with lots of switchbacks as we went south and up over a mountain ridge. Trying to sleep and deal with the turns led to some car sickness. Would recommend private or small group tour or try and get in front of bus so you can see curves coming or take dramamine. Made the day much longer. The dining option on this trip is less "developed" as the others and although it was adequate for calories, wasn't as good of food as the other treks I did. I chose to take a horse up for the 70 soles and save my wind and energy for the hike around the lagoon. A local lady in traditional dress led the horses up the trail past pack of lamas and alpacas and fenced in pens where they raised guinea pigs. The whole economy of the area was dependent on the wool from the animals, the meat from the alpacas and guinea pigs, and tourism. The little village is one end of what is a three day, two night trek from Rainbow Mountain past the Ausanagate Glacier and down past the lagoons to the village or vice versa. On that trek they use mules to transport food and tents while the trekkers hike the trail. At the top of the trail, we dismounted and began our hike around to see the different lagoons. Each lagoon is spring fed from subsurface water that originates from the glacier. Each spring travels through different minerals so they all have different colors. We were there during the dry season and the glacier was nearly gone from this face of the mountain. Our guide told me that 12 years back, the glacier covered 90% of the face of the mountain. Scary to think about the future of these people if the glacier continues to deteriorate as it is their lifeblood. Nothing really grows at this elevation so they trade the wool and meat they raise for foodstuffs produced at lower elevations. The trek starts at around 14k feet in elevation and goes up to 15.5k feet in elevation +/- depending on how high you want to go.

The scenery was a mix of Icelandic barren hills full of minerals, Andes sharp crested ridges, and Canadian Rockies colored lakes. Air was crisp and clear and thin and one should definitely dress in layers with a wind/rain proof shell as it was easy to get hot or cold depending on how hard one was hiking and where you were in the wind shadows. It took about an hour to get up to the lagoons, we spent around 3 hours up there,, and about 1.5 hours hiking back down to the village. Lunch was provided at the same little casita where breakfast was prepared and we ahd choice of chicken, locally raised trout, or beef with rice, salad, bread. Fresh and adequate but very basic. There is also a hot spring there where one can pay a few soles to soak in but I chose to rest my feet in the cold water of the stream that ran through town while others went to the hot springs. If I would have brought a swimsuit I may have joined in for a soak but I missed that in the tour summary. Traffic was bad going back so we had almost 4 hour drive and returned to town around 7:30 which made the 5 am pickup for Rainbow Mountain the next day a quick turnaround. Grabbed a club sandwich from the JW bar and spent a little time in the sauna after a shower. Really like the spa at the JW. The dry air was giving me nose bleeds so the wet sauna was helpful for me.

Like Humanatay Lake, drones are not allowed here. Really wanted to get some drone images but it was a definite no, even if you offered to pay. Didn't have the time or energy to climb well up above the lakes for the elevated viewpoint which would have offered some amazing views I'm sure. A private tour in smaller group likely would have afforded a much more pleasant experience but I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed. As a solo traveler at that time, booking a car and guide for myself didn't make economic sense. One can rent a card and self guide but I wouldn't want to drive in Peru myself. Some of the craziest driving I've seen anywhere, if you can fit, you go, and I was constantly amazed at how close cars drove to each other without scraping each other.

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[g8trgr8t]

the following day was another early am wake-up call with a 5 am pick-up for the tour out to Rainbow mountain. Appx 1.5 hour ride to a nice restaurant set up buffet style with a large selection of items for breakfast and then another hour +/- up a dirt road with steep drop-offs to get to the 17k feet in elevation where the hike up the hill started. Saw lots of llamas and alpaca along with fields being hand plowed to plant potatoes and corn.

If you reserve in advance, you can get a ride up on ATV's. Other options were to take a horse up or ride on the back of an enduro bike to the top. I chose to take the enduro bike up and it was quite a thrilling ride that got me to the top the fastest.  Most of those that hiked up the additional 1000' from the parking area definitely were out of breath in the thin air so getting a ride up is highly recommended. I would note that the overwhelming majority of people on these tours were under 40 and most seemed to be in decent physical condition but there is nothing that trains you for that kind of altitude other than living in it. 70 soles ($20) one way was money well spent and the hike down wasn't a problem for me while those that hiked up were struggling even coming down. We were told that this area had year round snow cover until about 12 - 15 years ago so it is another relatively recent experience. The geology here is unlike anything I've seen anywhere else with a real stratum of minerals lined up to give it the rainbow effect. The dry months have less vivid color as the sun and the dust bleaches the colors out but it is still impressive.

I have edited the photos using simple flickr tools to more closely reflect the colors one would see during the wet season. From Rainbow mountain, one can pay another 20 soles to hike up to a ridgeline that overlooks Red Valley which, imo, is much more impressive than Rainbow Mountain. I had t learn to pace myself with slow steps and short rest breaks as the hike was simple but the breathing was not. This is the highest elevation of any of the places we visited and I was glad that I got a ride up to the top but would recommend the ATV's over the enduro bikes so book ahead. The horses wouldn't be bad but took another 20 minutes or so longer than the enduro bikes. I could have spent a full day hiking here but we had appx 3 hours.

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this is the back side of Ausangate Glacier, or the opposite side of that viewed from the Lagoons at Ausangate. Three day, two nights treks from this area go up and around the glacier and down to the village below the lagoons

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[g8trgr8t]

some drone videos of red valley and more pics here. One had to pay 50 soles for 10 minutes of time at Rainbow mountain but it was free to fly over at Red Valey ridge.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/85268984@N02/albums/72177720320251339/page2

[g8trgr8t]

after the trip to Rainbow Mountain, I took a day off, slept in, enjoyed another $25 massage, spent some time in the free spa facilities at the JW, did a free walking tour, and did some shopping. Took laundry to a local laundry and they do your laundry for between 6 and 10 soles per kilogram depending on how fast you want it back. Locations near the hotel delivered it to your hotel room folded. Walked all around Cusco and never felt unsafe, had some beers with some locals and watched a guy dressed in traditional Incan warrior garb consult with an artist painting a mural. The original town was shaped like a puma, the most powerful symbol in Incan culture a sit ruled the entire empire from the sea to the jungle. The jungle is one area that the Incan warriors never conquered and even where most native Peruvians still will not go as many areas are still ruled by the "wild" tribes that inhabit the jungle.

Every town has a main square. Cusco has multiple open blocks but this is the main one. Some really impressive woodwork on some of the balconies and doors. And people do stay off the grass. It was nice to see locals and tourists respect the signs. If someone didn't people weren't shy about telling them about it.

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some random street views and a bar at the top of the hill with a nice outdoor deck that overlooks the city where the walking tour ended


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lot of narrow streets, drivers there are impressive and they don't slow down so you better get out of the way. Not uncommon to have to duck up into a doorway to let someone go by on a "sidewalk" while a car zooms (20 kmh??) by. Amazing how the tour busses (short busses) could navigate these streets

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[sam28]

wow wow keep it coming and thanks for write up the pictures looks amazing this is the top of my bucking list. why did u decide to stay in Cusco? u did allot of driving ? it sounds like u had allot of fun keep it coming .

[g8trgr8t]

wow wow keep it coming and thanks for write up the pictures looks amazing this is the top of my bucking list. why did u decide to stay in Cusco? u did allot of driving ? it sounds like u had allot of fun keep it coming .

I did spend a bit of time on the bus (not a real bus, wish I had a pic of the typical tour bus) but staying in one place, especially the JW with the platinum benefits, was worth it to me. Not having to pack up, check in, check out, deal with luggage storage while doing excursions, etc all make life simpler for me. As I age, I gain a greater appreciation for the service and the comfort that such places provide and the breakfast and free spa were of great benefit to me. Cusco is where the airport is, the main town in the whole area with best restaurants/amenities/shopping, central to the other things we wanted to see, and a good place to spend the first couple of days needed to acclimate before doing anything that was more than walking around town. It was starting place for wife's trek on the Incan trail and the ending place too. Humanatay Lake, Sacred Valley, and MP are north/NW, Lagoons and Rainbow mountain are east/ southeast. If you have a small group, highly recommend contacting Barnaby and let him arrange transportation and tour. His contact info is in OP.. The day touring Sacred Valley with my wife was much more pleasant travel than the time on the tour bus and much more efficient as he moved at our pace and the SUV seemed to get us around better. Although Rainbow Mountain and Lagoons of Ausungate look close on the map, they are on opposite side of a mountain ridge (Ausangate). If you want to do it out of a backpack and small suitcase, stay in more rustic accommodations,  and don't mind moving between places several times, some backtracking could be avoided. It may seem odd, but I believe that the rooms with higher oxygen air pumped in also helped with recovery as I noticed that my breathing was always better the first half of the day than the second half. Maybe just my imagination...

[g8trgr8t]

better map with Humanatay Lake shown. There is a nice pass near here and an overnight where you hike out to a dome and access the pass from there. Recommended to use the horse in the thin air, at least going uphill to the pass. We looked at this but didn't have time but the astral photo should be good if the skies are clear, fall would be better than spring there, imo, greener, less chance of smoke that enveloped the area at times when we were there.

https://www.quechuasexpeditions.com/salkantay-mountain-humantay-lake-sky-domes-2d1n/

Salkantay Trek 2 days with Humantay Lake Glamping Highlights:
Sleep in comfort under the stars in our Eco-friendly Sky Green Eco Sky Domes located in a private campsite at Soraypampa
Day 1: Private Soraypampa GLAMPING SKY LODGE DOME
Visit Humantay Lake and Salkantay Lake
Hike the Original Inca Trail to Salkantay Pass
Enjoy the scenic views of Salkantay Snow Mountain
Make a small ritual for the Andean gods and learn about the Incan religion
Enjoy our friendly customer service and experienced top guides
Eat delicious, freshly prepared Peruvian cuisine (Buffet Peruvian Style Food)
Hike through the different types of landscapes and Sceneries, such as cloud forests, highlands, grassy hills, and Andean valleys
Reach 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) in elevation along the Salkantay Pass
Hike one of National Geographic’s 25 “World’s Best Treks”

[g8trgr8t]

Thursday night, wife returned from her trek on the Incan Trail, 4 days, 3 nights. She has looked better, worn out, sick as a dog, ups since 4 am that morning. Learned that the second of the 4 day trek is the worst, she almost quit, btu didn't. fourth day the trekkers all get up at 4 am to eat and get to the sun gate (viewpoint above MP), for sunrise, tour one of the 4 circuits of MP, then take bus to town 1 (Agues Calientas), train from AC to Estacion, bus from Estacion to Cusco.

Friday morning we got picked up at 7 am to do the reverse 1.5 hour bus to train station, 1 hour train to bus station, 0.5 hour bus to Machu Pichu for our guided tour thru MP. Access is timed and ticketed by circuit. Learn a lot more and get a much better understanding with a tour guide. I booked thru Get Your Guide and there were a total of 4 of us on our tour with an english speaking guide from the area trained in tourism and experienced at running treks across the Andes. He handled all of our bus tickets to and from MP and tickets into MP. Meet him and the train station and everything else was managed, including lunch at a local restaurant. We were picked up at the JW in Cusco by a van, driven to Estancio, put on train to AC where we met our guide there. Return was the same.

Long day, 3.5 hours transportation each way, 4 - 5 hours doing MP, having lunch in AC, and doing a little souvenir shopping in the market. Total 12 - 13 hour day. There was a lot of smoke in the hills from nearby fires and the end of the dy season things weren't as green as they would be in March or April at the end of the rainy season

If you had the time, you could do a couple of nights in Agues Calientas and have more time at MP or be able to hike up the adjacent peak Huayna Picchu

 wrt the MP tickets, Circuit 1 is up and back down, Circuit 2 is up and route around on the way down, Circuit 3 is similar to 2 but my wife preferred 2 over 3. Very important to know what circuit your ticket will be.

Things I learned.
MP is nothing special. It was preserved because the spaniards never found it or paid it any attention.
Admission is limited to 4500 people per day. Reservations must be made. Saw several irritated people surprised to find they couldn't walk up and get a ticket
It is one of the towns set up all along the trail to provide respite for pack animals (llamas) moving foodstuffs and trade items and runners who were used to convey information from the capital of Cusco
Villages/towns were built every 6 - 8 km along the trail because that is about how long a llama could pack goods (potatoes, etc) for trade between the coast and the valley and the jungle.
They received permission from Unesco to restore thatch roofs over certain buildings for exhibition purposes. There is one small temple area that is of a different "architecture" of stone building.
There were around 400 people who would have lived and worked at MP. There is another settlement around 8 km away that is 3- 4 times the size of MP that they are working to clear the jungle away from but funding is scarce so work is slow.
The overgrowth at MP was burned off using wildfire in early 1900's when manual removal was not making much progress
Banos cost 2 soles and comes with two sheets of toilet paper
MP is much busier in the early morning than midday
Most of the main artifacts from MP were stored in the US until 2011 because Peru isn't interested in creating the conditions required to preserve and protect the items. Yale professor "discovered" MP and made it famous so artifacts had been stored at Yale library. Yale University coughed up the cash to create the climate controlled conditions require dto preserv ethem at a museum in Lima where Yale is co-steward of the artifacts.
MP was probably my fourth ranked spot of the places I saw. Lagoons, Red Valley, Rainbow Mountain, MP or Lake Humanatay, Incan ruins in Sacred Valley. Don't just go for MP.

train ride along the river

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coming into town on the train'

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exiting the train station at AC and into the market. most guides that included bus and tour guide pick up here

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[g8trgr8t]

whole album here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/85268984@N02/albums/72177720320251339

more to come from day and a half in Lima. Surprised to learn that the number one restaurant int he world and 5 of top 50 in world are in Lima.

[g8trgr8t]

after our last night at the JW, we enjoyed the buffet one more time and then caught the cab to the airport for transit to Lima. JW provides transport for a fee or is free if you have platinum status. 45 minutes thru traffic to the airport and easily caught the flight to Lima when arriving 90 minutes prior to flight. Quick flight to Lima, Uber to the Hyatt Centric where points and a GOH got us suite and free breakfast. Unpacked, took a quick nap, caught an uber down to Love Park. Long linear park along the top of the bluff. Has a flavor of Gaudi on a more tame scale. We came upon the parasailing launch and recovery point and for $75, you get a 12 - 14 minute ride and go pro video. Unusual place where you take off and land at the same location. Uplifts along bluffs and along highrises on top of the bluffs give sufficient lift to gain 1000' + in elevation. My pilot is also a LATAM pilot. uber back to hotel 10 - 15 minutes to Hyatt Centric in San Asidro. Grabbed a grilled chicken salad at the hotel, retired for city tour the next day. Very nice hotel, great service, safe area.

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last one is video I shot with my phone

[SSLPhD]

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Wow

[g8trgr8t]

Wow

another video. click to play. the 5k version is pretty good for a phone. this is returning back towards launch and you can see multiple others that lave launched and are headed south down the coast to catch the uplifts.

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[UKinNYS]

Stunning Pics!

Amazing how close to the building you get, cant imagine any US city allowing that.

[g8trgr8t]

Stunning Pics!

Amazing how close to the building you get, cant imagine any US city allowing that.

we did get pretty close to the AC there. They do this routinely when the winds are up and they all seemed to know the circuit and communicate as to how the winds were blowing and where with each captain that returned so they had a constant feedback loop on the conditions. Very well oiled cooperative, very professional. much more professional than the two crazy Icelanders who drove us to the top of a hill to run off with no wind..that was interesting, smooth, but very short flight. drone footage watching my two kids and their Icelandic captains

at about 25 seconds you will see the chute flair at the top center of the screen. runnign off the cliff with little to no wind was not that reassuring but the guides said, no problem dude, let's go. dead calm, could see whales 20 miles out blowing, only calm day of all the days we were in Iceland. they didn't mind flying close to the cliffs there, think they wer ejsut hunting for wind. 4 x 4 to the top of the hill, parasail down and land in the schoolyard, catch a ride up to retrieve the truck

parasail by bluewaterfever, on Flickr


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thank you...if you had to pick one to do a large metal print from the album, which would it be?

[g8trgr8t]

riding out this hurricane, think the worst part is past us now. Guess now is a good time to finish this trip report, hope someone got something from it. feel free to ask any questions

final day in Lima, had a full day city tour booked through get your guide. small group, 5 people, all english speaking. guide was trained in tourism and spoek good english, driver of minivan size vehicle, didn't. He drove, dropped us off, and disappeared until we were ready to be picked up. very efficient, great way to see the city in a day if time is limited.

Picked up at our hotel entry, headed to a city market which was slow because it was Sunday morning but seeing freshly gutted chickens and ducks with women feeling and smelling the intestines to check for freshness, freshly chopped pork and beef, across the aisle from locally fresh vegetables down the row from the freshly baked bread around the corner from the tailor. Just your typical local market where one can find most everything you really need if you know where to look.

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We left there and went to love park, the area we visited and went paragliding the day before, linear park along the top of the ridge that Lima sits on top of. Grabbed a hot chocolate and a pastry. No wind this am, no paragliding, thankful I went the day before.
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from there we went to a artistic part of town where we saw large groups of soon to be graduates (kindergarten, 6th grade, 12 th grade) out having th eir photos taken for yearbook and memories. some just cell phones, some with pro photographers and outfit coordinators. they typically take one in white, one in school athletic outfit (track suit) and one in school uniform. Very old, authentic part of Lima, nice parks, old church deemed unicef structure that has needed roof for 100 years but can't afford unicef standards for restoration so now it is a roost for 100's of buzzards. weird dynamic

[g8trgr8t]

we then went down by the seaside where the small wooden fishing boats bring in their fresh catch daily, or nightly, depending on the fish. cold deep water right offshore provides a real variety of seafood that is fresh on display. there were groups of students on the beach doing photos. so glad we had a driver, traffic, and parking, in Lima is widely known as the worst in the western hemisphere. driving up, getting out, and getting picked up when ready was priceless. learned there are a lot of chinese factory ships working the international waters just off of Peru. Sadly, china has bought themselves a major international port just north of Lima to export minerals from the Andes and soybeans and pork/beef from Brazil. Sad to see this.

20240915_123745 by bluewaterfever, on Flickr

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we then went downtown by the banking and government center and had lunch. from there we walked the modern streets of Lima to the park that is surrounded by their congress, military academy, gentlemen's club (yes, men only), supreme court, etc We visited a church and witnessed a small local procession celebrating some saint someone

20240915_142125 by bluewaterfever, on Flickr

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[g8trgr8t]

got dropped off back at the hotel grabbed a quick shower and a bite to eat and then took an uber to go see the water park show at Reserve Park. A mix of disneyworld and a local carnival with big fountains in between. 5 soles ($$1.50) to get in and wander around. food vendors, souvenirs, photo characters with a choreographed watershow. Nothing to compare with Vegas but an interesting local experience to take in and share with the locals on a Sunday evening.

flew Latam back to Miami. Nice lounge in Lima, good flight, good food on the flight, Miami customs empty on a Monday at 7 pm

CIRCUITO MÁGICO DEL AGUA (circuitomagicodelagua.com.pe)

20240915_181445 by bluewaterfever, on Flickr

20240915_183026 by bluewaterfever, on Flickr

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