Three Days in Lima

Sunday, 5 May, 2013

I am feeling a bit ambivalent about Lima.  It lacks the vibrancy of Santiago, the zaniness of Buenos Aires and the the sheer beauty of Rio but having said that, there are some areas of interest.
This morning we bussed off for the final time on a city tour with the redoubtable Franz (I hear that the other guides call him "Little Hitler" but that is a bit unkind).   Franz certainly knows his stuff and is very helpful and efficient but I guess we didn't warm to him the way we did the other local guides.  He is Peruvian of Austrian descent - hence the very un-Spanish, Franz.

We drove through some areas containing well maintained and pretty Spanish architecture and then gradually the buildings and streets became more and more in need of a good reno job.  Franz explained that Lima is divided into many districts, each with its own local government, and that council taxes vary considerably from place to place.  The higher the tax, the better serviced and maintained the area.  We went from parks and greenspaces, with streets closed off for Sunday morning activities, to densely populated urban areas and so to the "downtown" area of the city.  Here there are handsome official looking buildings and nice plazas, including Plaza San Martin - the very guy who liberated Argentina also did the same for Chile and Peru.

San Martin on his horse in his plaza  (he is not a saint, that is his surname)

We whizzed around the plaza a couple of times and then continued on to Plaza des Armas de Lima which is the central point of the city.  The fountain in the middle of the plaza marks the spot where Francisco Pizarro plunged his sword into the ground and established Lima as capital of Spanish Peru in 1535.

Plaza des Armas - fountain and government buildings with ornate wooden balconies

Also facing onto the plaza are the rather imposing Presidential Palace and seat of government and the Lima Cathedral, home to Pizarro's mausoleum.   We had some time to have a wander around the plaza and to visit the cathedral - being Sunday morning there was a mass in progress.  It is not a hugely ornate cathedral and has a very elegant ceiling.  I rather liked that. Pizarro's mausoleum is a gloomy affair with fanciful murals depicting his landing in South America.

Lima Cathedral

The most striking thing about the colonial buildings are the intricate wooden balconies that are suspended from the stone facades. The grander the building the larger and more ornate are the balconies.

  Pretty balcony

We were hustled along by Franz to the Convento de San Francisco a couple of blocks away.  Here we visited the catacombs of the church which is the burial site for some 25,000 people.   The Franciscan monks raised money for their buildings and charities by selling  burial sites under the church in the 15th and 16th centuries.  Today the tour is through dank and smelly chambers where thousands of bones are laid out in wooden containers according to which part of the body they belong to.   It is all rather eerie and claustrophobic - and definitely no photos!  We were glad to return to the fresh air above ground and board the bus for the most interesting part of the tour - the Museo Larco and its stunning collection of pre-Inca artefacts.

The museum is a lovely white building surrounded by exquisite gardens - cactus, bougainvillea, plumbago, olive trees - which certainly brightened up the grey day.   Inside was equally delightful.   The ceramics, woven fabrics and gold and silver treasures are beautifully displayed and Franz was able to give us some background to the vast array of items some of which date back to 3000BC.  The reason that most are so perfectly preserved is that they were buried with pre-Inca mummies in stone niches set into the walls of underground tombs in salty, sandy desert areas.  The absence of moisture and the surroundings have resulted in little deterioration in colour or form.  Perhaps the most amazing item was a 3000 year old cloth that was wrapped around an entombed body and even today retains its range of colours and intricate stitching.  The gold and silver work was pretty awesome too - jewellry and elaborate headwear.

Ancient burial cloth almost perfectly preserved

Well, that was our city tour and so it was back to the hotel.  Most of the group were focused on packing for the homeward journey but several of us went to a nice little cafe next door for a light evening meal before the departures began.  I have enjoyed travelling with everyone in the group and it is sad to say goodbye.

Monday, 6 May, 2013

With most people on their way home, Graham and I shared a hotel car to the beachside suburb of Miraflores - also the most touristy area of Lima.  We actually woke to blue skies this morning so the coastal views were only a little hazy.   Our car took us along the sea front for a while and then we were deposited outside the new shopping mall that is built into the cliffs facing the sea. After descending  a flight of stairs from the roadside I arrived at an open terrace with multiple cafes facing the view and a row of shops along the cliff face.  It is all very new and not entirely finished yet. The complex covers three levels and looks over a beach called Playa Redondo.

Playa Redondo, Miraflores Shopping Centre

Looking the other way from Miraflores

It is easy to see why Miraflores is regarded as the premier suburb of Lima.  All along the cliff tops are parks and walk-ways and the streets seem to be very clean.  There are heaps of security people and police in evidence around the streets which must deter a lot of criminal activity.  Graham went off in search of English language books and I  browsed around the shops, had a coffee at Starbucks, then went for a stroll up one of the avenues that lead away from the ocean.  This was a very busy street which led to a large plaza and I recognised lots of stores, including the department store, Falabella, which is also in Santiago.   In one of the alpaca knitwear shops a lovely lady was demonstrating weaving techniques - so pretty and colourful, she looked like a little doll.

Looking at shops was all a bit boring so I went back to the oceanfront and had lunch at Pardos Chicken restaurant overlooking the water.  Pardos is a chain which serves delicious barbecue style chicken - very tasty.  After a bit more of a browse and some souvenir shopping I met up with Graham and we got a hotel car back to San Isidro and our hotel.  

Tonight we said goodbye to Arlene and Joe, a great couple from Fort Collins, Colorado - it has been heaps of fun and a great pleasure getting to know them.  Graham and I made plans to visit a nearby ancient pyramid site  in the morning and that was the day.

Tuesday, 7 May, 2013

I was due to leave for the airport at 9.30 tonight, so had all day to pack and check out the local area, San Isidro. Brilliant sunshine today which gave the city a much more cheerful air.  After breakfast Graham and I walked a few blocks to visit the Huaca Huallamarca Pyramid which is at least 2500 years old but little is known about the people who used the site.  A number of mummies were discovered here in the 1940's and there is a small museum beside the structure.

Flat topped pyramid, Huallamarca, San Isidro, Lima

From the top there is a nice view of the surrounding area  but otherwise there is little else to see at this site.

Leafy suburb of San Isidro from atop the Huallamarca pyramid

As the day was so lovely we carried on walking around the neighbourhood, passing embassies and attractive houses, and eventually reached a large park which was marked on the map as Bosque El Olivar  (Olive Forest).   The olive trees are large and seem to be very old.  As they are planted in rows it seems reasonable to assume that this was once an olive plantation in the days before the city encroached upon agricultural land.

Bosque El Olivar

The park is quite large and we strolled about for ages enjoying the sunshine and birdsong before returning through the pleasant tree-lined streets of San Isidro to the little cafe, Botica Francesca, next to the hotel where we had a late lunch.  Obviously San Isidro is a wealthy suburb and we felt quite safe wandering the streets here.  

Botica Francesca

Now all that remains is to pack bags and wait for my transport to the airport this evening.  First flight at 1.30 am tomorrow morning (8 May) - Lima to Santiago.  Then 7 hours layover before the Santiago - Sydney flight which gets into Sydney around 5.30 pm on Thursday 9 May.  Finally, an 8 pm flight to Brisbane where Caroline will be waiting to take me home to bed - tired but happy!  Such a wonderful trip - I have enjoyed every minute.  South America has so much to offer - wonderful scenery, amazing history, lovely people and at this time of year great weather.  Adios!