By happy coincidence, the bus that carried Peru 18 from our COS conference to Lima just happened to be
going to the airport, after dropping the rest of my group in Miraflores - just
where I wanted to go. I stopped questioning these coincidences? a long time ago
– they happen so often that I just smile and say Thank You. In fact, the bus
went within a block of the hotel I was going to – even better.
From there, I taxied up to the terminal to collect a very
special lady-friend (at my age, girlfriend seems inappropriate) at the
International Arrivals building. Chris and I met online, via our mutual friend
Wilp. I was immediately struck by her beautiful and heart-full writing and her
beaming smile. We struck up a lovely friendship, which later blossomed to
romance. After a very brief visit in Florida,
this was to be our first time together – 24/7 for 9 days.
Our stroll around the La Colonia neighborhood was a
delightful discovery of street fair, open air markets and the many tiny gardens
that exist in the narrow band between street and sidewalk. Chris is also a
gardener, so was taken by the flowery treats, as well as the bakery goods. We
were also treated to a top spinning demonstration by the boys in a nearby park.
I was moved by her insatiable curiosity and willingness to engage the locals.
After what seemed like hours of paperwork, I secured a car
and headed off into the circus that is Lima Traffic. South of the city, we
stopped at “El Abeulo”, a noted little stand on the side of the Pan American Hwy
for some world-class fig ice cream and even more heavenly pie. We passed
countless chicken farms and trash dumps and sand deserts, before arriving in
Canete. The open-air market of Canete is vast and filled with all manner of
clothing, hardware, tailor and shoe shops, and, of course, FOOD.
The next day, we explored my little world of San Luis,
meeting and greeting and tasting the yogurt and cheese finery at the famous
Goat Farm. A visit to Unanue
Castle revealed new
directional signs, as well as a large increase in admission. The co-op is
making an effort to do more maintenance on the decaying structure and grounds,
which is welcome. Chris was introduced to all the local cuisine and to a very
moving Pisco Sour.
My passing technique on the highly trafficked , two-lane Pan
Am, left her a little white-knuckled, but intact, as we stopped at a local
winery that specializes in 6 liter bottles and one gallon jugs. We found
lodging at El Mirador, a hacienda style hotel on the hill above Paracas, where
a German tour group arrived in a self-contained travel vehicle – Mercedes, of
course.
Chris got her first taste of the desert at the Paracas
National Reserve, where we went off-road, visited the little fishing village
and built our first cairn – a small rock stack. The only disappointment was
that the anticipated flamingos were down a trail marked “off-limits”, so had to
be seen as small pink dots on the water’s edge.
The boat trip to the Ballestras Islands
was as pleasant and smooth as could be imagined on a perfect day. The Humbolt
penguins, cormorants, terns, gulls and other birds were in full nesting season
and covered the sky and rocks. The sea-lions showed off, as the skipper piloted
the boat through narrow passages and arches in the rock.
On the trip, we met Marta, a Mexican psychologist, who
became our travel companion on the side trip to Huacachina, an oasis lake in
the middle of the desert dunes near Ica.
We also ran into the same German group we met at the hotel. After snagging some
of the luscious Ica ice cream at my favorite
place on the Ica Plaza, we dropped Marta at the bus to
Nazca and returned to the gracious hacienda.
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| Fishing boats at the little village of Lagunas in Paracas Reserve |
Then, it was up into the alpine mountains of Huancavalica.
First stop was Tamo Colorado
– ruins of a once great Wari/Inca celebration complex. The ruins are quite well
preserved, despite the fact that, until 2008, the main highway went right
through the middle of the complex and kids played soccer on the huge ancient
plaza. On the way, I stopped to ask directions of a young man, who turned out
to be the Tambo caretaker, so we gave him a ride to work. (another
coincidence?) The museum – and our guide Marcos - was excellent and informative.
Most notable was the indoor plumbing system, which delivered water into nice
bathrooms in the palace area. The walls were well plastered and painted in a
red (thus the Colorado
name) and yellow motif, still quite visible. Oh, how we wished for the Way-Back
machine to glimpse what the complex was like in its day…..
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| Chris in the Inacn "shower" |
Then, came the fast and winding climb to 9000 ft and the
alpine village of
Huaytara. We sampled more
local yogurt and studied the impeccable stone work of the Incan ruins – once a
hot mineral bath and since repurposed as the foundation of the church. While
Chris was more taken with the plethora of religious icons than the stone work
(finer than Machu Pichu), we both were satiated and a bit winded by the
altitude. We also happened upon 2 Peace Corps folks in the Plaza. That night,
we feasted on a buffet of fresh bread, avocado, cream cheese, yogurt and soft
cheese, which sadly gave my dear travel companion a case of the Incan Revenge.
Chris remained a brave trooper as we gingerly made our way
down the mountain and back to a beautiful spot at the base of Cerro De Oro in
Canete, where we celebrated her birthday. We saw a remarkable Renewable Energy
compound outside of San Clemente,
which I hope to work with in my job next year. After a delightful day exploring
the standard tourist sites in downtown Lima
( including a very special look inside the City Hall) and a fruitful trip to
the sprawling artisan markets, I said Good-Bye at the airport. It was a
wonderful, special and memorable trip, with a lovely and loving woman. I smile and
feel affection whenever I think of her.
