Lima and The End

Lima is "the strangest sad city thou cans't see. ... For Lima has taken the white veil; and there is a higher horror in this whiteness of her woe."

- Herman Meville in Moby Dick

A week ago today we left Peru via Lima, a city whose winter encases her in shroud of fog days and weeks on end. We actually spent about 12 hours in the city, including a short sleep in a sweet little guest house in the Miraflores district. This is the trendy, upscale neighborhood of Peru's capital. Knowing we would have a long flight, we made sure to take a good walk the night before along the ocean. Our first sighting of the Pacific came at this park with a huge statue dedicated to love and a low wall covered in mosaics. Except for the fog, our stroll reminded us a bit of Santa Monica.

Here is a cathedral lit up near Kennedy Park (named after JFK).

A few final thoughts about the trip:

We have never taken a tour before, but in some instances, such as this, I think it was a great idea. We had such a short time for this vacation, and leaving the details to someone else gave us the greatest amount of enjoyment for the time allotted. I think it is also important to have a tour that matches your own personality, and, for us, this one fit the bill. It was the right amount of walking/hiking, learning about the culture, and the people in the tour were a fantastic mix for us.

We were also pleasantly surprised that this tour booked us in some of the very best lodging we have ever used. In the Sacred Valley we stayed in a converted 18th C. Monastery, and in Aguas Calientes we lodged in the very posh Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. We had more food than we should have, and we made it through the whole trip without ever getting sick.

I was also glad that we had a chance to spend an additional few days touring on our own which gave us the sense of self-reliance that we usually have when we travel overseas. We had a chance to work on our Spanish and integrate more into the culture.

I would have a hard time pinpointing a very favorite experience, although I was surprised and delighted by the size and scope of the ruins outside of Machu Picchu. I know that I have left out many of the fun details, but as we share our story with friends and look through our photos (and our friends' photos), we will enjoy reliving the memories of this amazing journey.