Lima, Peru

Early departure from the hotel in Buenos Aires at 4.00am saw us at the airport in plenty of time for the flight to Lima, Peru.

Google Maps doesn’t do flight paths but the flight from Buenos Aires takes 5 hours across the Andes. 

We didn’t manage to get window seats, but the views of the Andes were breathtaking and photos hardly do justice to such an outstanding part of our natural world.

 

The Lima airport ...

No surprises with the traffic, given that Lima, with a population of 11 million is the third largest city in Latin America after Sao Paolo and Mexico City.

The drive to our hotel took us along part of the foreshore, where, surprisingly, many surfers were out catching some waves. Our guide told us the water is very cold though, down in the 8-10 degrees C range due to the Humboldt current. (Fact-checked later; water temperature very low but probably 14-16 degrees)

The hotel, La Hacienda, has a strong Spanish decor.

The stairs are sensational.

A stroll downtown in the late afternoon ...

.... lead us to Kennedy Park (as in JFK) where a crowd of people were gathered in an amphitheatre for dancing. Many were quite advanced in years but still got right into it! Guess you’re never too old!!

Began the next morning (Sunday 6th October) with a bus tour of the city. Drove past a current archaeological dig where ruins of an ancient Incan city have been discovered in Lima.

Lost track of where we went ...

... but ended up near a large church very close to Parliament or some Government offices, with a large number of police and security around for a Sunday morning. There had been major events in politics in recent days which had heightened tensions. Found out later that the President had dismissed the Congress in an attempt to halt corruption.

Several orders of Catholic priests were active in Peru after the Spanish conquest. This first church (below) we visited in Lima was Franciscan, with statues and images of St Francis of Assisi in evidence. 

This was one of the earliest churches in Lima because the catacombs we visited (located directly below the church) were shut down by Jose San Martin, due to the smell, when he liberated the city from Spanish rule about 1816.  He ordered that a cemetery be established rather than letting dead bodies decay under the church. 

We were taken through some of the seminary rooms and the wood work and artworks were interesting but photos were totally banned. Will probably find some online in due course.

Of some interest was the large vultures on the highest points around the church.

 While pigeons occupied the lower roosts.

Our Guide indicated that the Dominican order of priests were significant in Peru along with the Franciscans and Jesuits.

... and a park along the foreshore had a bust and plaque commemorating Marcellin Champagnat, so the Marists were here also during the Spanish Colonial period.

The streets near the square were wide with no cars so it was pleasant strolling.

The main city square was impressive with a dominant statue of Jose San Martin. 

Jose San Martin along with Simon Bolivar and others joined forces to oust the colonial Spanish from the South American states, ultimately resulting in independence for most of the countries around 1816.

The Catholic Cathedral fronting onto the square is large and imposing ...

... and the Archbishop’s palace or residence is next door.

Inside the Cathedral ...

... we were just in time for the Archbishop to process in for Mass. 

The Presidential Palace also fronted the square and the police and security presence was strong.

Balconies seem prominent on many of the older buildings in this area. Our Guide indicated that they were built by the early Spanish clergy with the purpose of 'keeping an eye' (aka spying) on local activities, both political and social. Eventually, they became a sought-after addition to allow residents extra space and the chance to view street parades and activities.

We stopped at a remarkable statue commemorating the role of shoe-shine boys in Lima. One couldn't miss that he was bare-foot.

There were many large yellow circles visible around town. These were on footpaths, in driveways and the one below was in the front courtyard of our hotel. These are designated safety areas for people to congregate when earthquakes occur. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru.

Along the foreshore is a ‘mall’ where there are restaurants and boutique shops. Different to our concept of mall, but it works well for Lima.

The shops are basically underground, built into the hillside below street level. There is a dramatic escarpment behind the beach.

Ventilation is provided through large towers visible along the promenade area.

Quite a few surfers were out but the water is very cold: our Tour Guide said 8-10 degrees, but online sources suggests it’s closer to 15-16 degrees at this time - which is still cold for a place with a latitude of 12 degrees south, which is equivalent to north of Cooktown in Queensland. The water temperature is lower than expected due to the Humboldt current.

Along the foreshore was a park called 'Lover's Park'. The sculpture was so hideous it was worth photographing.

There are sports and exercise venues all along the foreshore of Lima.

Traffic congestion was extreme on transit to the airport. Apparently, Lima is the second worst city in Latin America for traffic congestion. Our guide assures us they are working on getting the number one position.

Also, the haze or mist is constant. Surprisingly, this was not smog, but weather related with cold currents meeting warmer air - all tied up with El Nino and La Nina.

A rather busy airport at Lima. Our group was actually split over 2 flights to Cusco. Smaller planes needed for that flight due to the mountains surrounding the Cusco airport.