Lima

SALUD!! And Happy New Year!!!

We had a great night in the secured parking area.  In the morning we paid the fee and headed out. First stop is at a laundromat to drop off our clothes. They will be ready for pick up at 6pm :) A little more expensive because they want to do Dwayne's pants separate for S/18 and the other 7kgs for S/35  $22C. Oh well gotta get it done and I'd rather have them do it!

From there we head to the beach and have breakfast in the van. Again some surfers our there and a guy exercising out near the road where we parked to have our breakfast. Weird! He is in an exercise "park" but is standing on what I would call stairs to run up and down but he stands on the top and lifts a kettle weight - what a show off!!

Nice Bod but I think he already knows that! ;) 

Lima's beach 

A few surfers out there 

Neighborhoods on top of the cliffs - oh ya there is the exercise dude again showing off for the traffic going by LOL!!

Locals out fishing on the breakwaters

Nice buses here also but didn't have a chance to ride them

Beautiful parks and statues all over the city

And water features - they have a park with water fountains that put on a light show at night but we didn't get to them 

Oh, of course at most intersections guys are wanting to wash your windshield for a few solés

You'd think they could give her a real broom to clean the streets!

After that we drive around and eventually go back to the parking area downtown so we could continue walking along the pedestrian mall. Once we were are the mall I see a place to have a pedicure. I stop in and they can do it right away. I also asked about waxing my legs - no problem.  I've never had it done so thought why not for S/35 ($14).  So the pedicure (S/25 $10C) takes 2 hours!! She is very slow but does a good job. Dwayne goes out and walks down the mall while I'm having my 'spa treatment' LOL!! After awhile he returns and I still have to get my legs waxed!  Eventually the pedicure is done - heels are nice and smooth again and the toes are pretty pink :)  Another girl is going to do the waxing, so I go upstairs so I can lay on a massage table.  She gets the wax warm and just does a little bit at a time - I'm thinking this is going to take another 2 hrs!!  But she waxes and rips and waxes and rips and finally gets it done.  So off I go and Dwayne and I go to have some supper. Stopped at a restaurant and had a chicken meal 😂 But this time is was rotisserie chicken with fries - and the fries were really good :) Plus in the courtyard of an old building. Then it was back to Vanna and time to go pick up the laundry. Once we pick that up we go to a park nearby that other overlanders have stayed at with no problems.  By the time we get there it's almost dark, so we watch another movie. Actually stopped today and picked up a few more from the same store.

The pedestrian mall that goes for at least 8 blocks in central Lima

To bad the old buildings seem to be left - the sculptures on this building are so cool 

Maybe the next owner will fix it up 

This is the inside of a courtyard where we had our chicken dinner - also not being kept up

Front entrance of the Grand Hotel Boliver 

There is even a transit station named Canadà

And a avenue :) 

No issues during the night, it was pretty quiet, just a couple of cars drove by during the night fast and woke me up. In the morning we have our breakfast early and head to the Supreme Court building which we saw yesterday while driving thru and wanted a better look at it. Then to the Plaza the Arms.  Once we got there we found lots of indigenous people marching on the street around the square singing and moving around the square. Was really interesting to see all the different 'clans' and their clothing. There must have been at least 6 different ones. After we watched that for awhile we walked thru the square to check out the centre water fountain. As we get there a couple of guys asked for me to take their picture with the church behind them. They spoke English so we chatted for awhile. They asked how we like the Peruvian cuisine and I said we really haven't had anything different and asked them what we should have and where. As it turns out there was a restaurant just off the square that we should go and have Lomo Saltado.(sort of a beef stew) So we went over and checked out the restaurant they told us to go to but it was closed. There was another restaurant right nearby and we checked out the menu and it had a few different choses for Lomo saltaldo.

We ordered the lomo saltaldo with fettacine for Dwayne and mine is with a something else?? LOL!! When it arrives mine was a stew over a mix of mashed potatoes and rice and the sauce it was in was really good. Same with Dwayne's. So we splurged again at S/40($18C) per plate. But this time the bill isn't crazy because I didn't order a bottle of wine LOL!!

After lunch it's more walking around and checking out churches. By the time we finished walking around it was only 2pm so figured we should head south to a camp spot on a beach 1.5hrs away. Give us a head start on tomorrow's drive to Pisco and Paracas where we will spend New Years Eve on the beach.

Supreme Court - remember the nice old Law courts we use to have in Edmonton with these cool columns? 

Another cool building 

With carved figurines over the windows

Forget trying to get a picture without people in it! One bunch leaves and the next start walking over 

Plaza de Armas Lima - actually changed to Plaza Mayor de Lima

Here are the different Indigenous groups 

I asked our waiter what the dance was for and he said the changing of the seasons- now summer I guess 

Lots of peacock feathers

Overview of them coming down the street and around the plaza

Guess the police thought maybe more than just a celebration of season changes?? all dressed in riot gear

Government Palace

Other buildings around the plaza. 

Church of La Merced - 1535

Inside

the alter

Archbishop's Palace of Lima - 1924 the home of the Cardinal of Lima

Another big door and knocker :) 

Basilica Cathedral of Lima, 1534 started and finished in 1649

Basilica Cathedral of Lima,

The alter

Good old corn roasted and salted - snack while waiting for lunch 

Dwayne's lunch 

And mine 😋

Pink church - Basilica of Santo Domingo 1530's

Basilica of Santo Domingo -1673

The convent which houses a library with antique books and catacombs with bones from over 70,000 people

Near the Supreme Court 

Cable car on display in the Barranca neighbourhood 

Also in the Barranca neighbourhood - a tunnel with paintings all around it

Then a walkway towards the beach with cool little restaurants along the side

Artwork along the stairs  

The beach on a Sunday!

Opposite direction 

Also at the lights there are always vendors selling food and drink - this guy even advertises what he is selling!

our cheap DVDs ;) ;) 

The beach at Cerro Azul is not great, but it's only for the night. It's pretty quite at night. The next day poor Vanna was a mess!! We were parked under a tree that must have had alot of birds in it because there is bird poop ALL OVER Vanna!!  Plus a few loose leaves - YUCK!!! We have to go find another Lavado Carro and get her cleaned up!!

Back on the highway we go and not long before we find another car wash.  There are way more car washes then oil change places that's for sure! Still have to get that done.

Once Vanna is cleaned up we head to Pisco - all we really find there is a bigger supermarket. Tried to use the wifi but not 4G so I can't even use it to download pictures to my blog 😖  So we go grocery shopping instead since this will have to hold us over probably until Jan 2nd.  Plus bought some favoured pisco drinks to have on New Years Eve :)

Pisco is know for the grape brandy by the same name. But that's about it.  So a quick drive thru and onto Paracas. Paracas has nice beaches but is also VERY windy - which of course brings the kite boarders!  The beaches here are very nice and there are lots of hotels and condos along the beach that started back around 2009.  It is also a reserve where flamingos can be found plus Islas Ballestas which has sea lions, penguins and birds.  It is an island that can only be seen from the water by a tour boat. No one is allowed on the island other than researchers.

We go thru the village of Paracas and check out boat tours to Islas Ballestas for the next day.  We find one and the charge is only S/35 and when I asked about senior prices she took it down to S/30! ($12ea) Cheap boat ride for 2 hours.  After that we walk along the Malecon and sit and have a beer. It's very hot here!  Lots of people in the water.

Then it's time to find a spot for the night. I found one that is suppose to be next to a kite boarding school that is also suppose to be safe. So head there and once there we asked if it is ok to spend the night. Yes no problem. He said it is very quite here at night and that the gate is closed. Great.  As it turns out after all the kiters go home we are the only ones left on the beach!  At least the gate opens at 7am because we have to leave by 7:30 to get to the boat tour for 8am. Like early morning when the water is much smoother!!

Next blog will be of our trip to the National park of Paracas with Flamingos  and Islas Ballestas and PENGUINS!!  But still no llamas :(