Lima city tour, heading home
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2011
1
14
15
Trip End
Oct 15, 2011
Where I stayed
Casa Bella Miraflores, Miraflores, Lima, Peru
What I did
Walked to Larcomar, Parque Central, Parque Kennedy, and the Inca Markets
Ate lunch at Shehadi
Lima city tour
Catedral de Lima
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Friday, October 14, 2011
Around 2, we were picked up by a tour van and headed out for our 3-hour tour…yes, a 3-hour tour. We started at some spots we had already seen then did a quick driveby of Huaca Pucllana, a structure of seven staggering platforms. It takes its name from the Quechua word "pucllay," meaning “game,” which in its entirety can be translated as “a place for ritual games.” It served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima culture, a society which developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD.
We started our walking tour at the Plaza San Martin where we quickly encountered a bunch of protesting…eggs. A dozen or so egg farmers from the La Calera group were dressed as eggs and carrying signs protesting…something. It wasn't clear what they thought was wrong (or were trying to stop), but clearly they wanted us to be aware that they wanted something! They peacefully marched among the tourists, chanting some slogans, and eagerly posing for pictures. Quite amusing.
From there we headed to Plaza Mayor, bustling with an event that had droves of people dressed in a variety of native dress, and while the presidential palace and governmental buildings were stunning with their architecture, the outfits people were wearing were much more interesting.
Another short walk brought us to the San Francisco Convent with its bizarre and bone-laden (some 70,000 people) catacombs. It had a beautiful collection of paintings of the apostles and a choir section with seats carved from Nicaraguan wood. Most impressive, however, was the library....it was Harry Potter like (dare we say) with its ceiling to floor shelves of books from centuries ago, dusty smell and low lighting.
Back at our hotel, we had a few hours to kill before we had to head to the airport for our red-eye flight. Creative packing ensued as we worked to put everything we had bought into our suitcases.
