We docked at Callao which is about 6 miles from the capital
city of Lima. A major port of South America and the Pacific Ocean, it was
filled with container ships from all over the world, loading and unloading
shipping containers. When we were there, a few ships were unloading dried corn,
tons of it. All day long uncovered semi trucks were filled to the brim with
corn being offloaded from who knows where in the world and transferred somewhere off dock to
most likely a holding facility. Remember when I said uncovered? Well, there
were also tons of pigeons landing on the exposed corn in the back of the
trucks, eating it and who knows what else…..I don’t know what this corn was
going to be used for, but pigeon poo is not on my menu.
Lima is home to more than 10 million people and consists of
47 districts…..it is huge! As with any large city traffic is horrendous, and
the hustle and bustle is never ending. There is also lots of crime and the
distinction between wealthy and poor is noticeable. We were not interested in
most of the ship tours so we decided to take the ship bus transfer to the
Miraflores Indian market for a few hrs of shopping on our own. Miraflores is an
upscale district right on the ocean with shops and restaurants, about an hour
drive from the pier. We drove through the busy city and very aggressive drivers
avoiding fender-benders within an inch or two. We had a very good bus
driver…..Along the coast we saw many surfers and surfing schools. Most were
wearing wet suits, so I don’t know how warm, or cold the water was. But it
seemed to be very popular.
Peru is known for its silver and alpaca. The market was
filled with it. Anything you can imagine that could be made with alpaca, it
was. And the silver jewelry, candlesticks, bowls, cups, etc. were stunning. And
not cheap. Stall after stall, after the same stall, 2 huge blocks long, of the
same exact thing. It was fun, but exhausting. We did have a nice chat with 2
young fellows that happened to live in our hometown of Portland. They were backpacking through Peru, on their
way to Chile. They showed us pictures of Machu Picchu and were having a great
time. In one of the jewelry stores we were exchanging pleasantries with them and
taste testing the local liquor that makes the drink Pisco Sour so popular here.
I will give you one guess what I was
buying and what they were…..I walked away with a beautiful silver pendant. I’m
sure they were going to have a good time that night, they bought 2 bottles…..
It took 1 ½ hrs. to get back to the ship. It was during rush
hr. so traffic was terrible. We were here overnight, leaving the next day, so
getting back in time was not a concern. Security was tight at the pier on
return entry. They came on the bus and checked everyone’s ID and ship card
before they let the bus pass through. The ship still has possession of our
passports. So far all we have needed is a current government ID, such as a
drivers license and the ship card. I’m
not sure if I like this city. It was interesting, but I never felt safe, even
during the day. Usually this doesn’t bother us much since we try and be
respectful in every country, but there was just this underlying uneasiness. Even
our fellow passengers who spoke fluent Spanish, and are from South America had
trouble going out and about. They were not impressed or happy. Anyway…I’m glad
we did go out today. We are here until 5 pm tomorrow and I think we will stay
in. Today was our 44th wedding anniversary, and I never in my wildest dreams thought that we would ever celebrate in Lima....
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| the city of Lima |
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| surfers |
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| rush hour |
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| old and new Lima |
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| Indian market |
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