The Story of our trip to Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador & Galapagos Trip 31.7 to 15.8.10

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It was really interesting to see the house incide, wonderful:

Lovely balconies:

The library with many valuable books:

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Then we were taken up to the rooftop where we could see the panoramic views of the San Cristóbal Hill in the far distance, where we could see the multicoloured houses which are the “shanty town” or “favela” type houses of Lima.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also saw 2 "black-headed vultures” or as the Peruvians call them “gallinazos” or buzzards:

 

 

 

 

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What caught my attention was to see the state of the roofs of the neighbouring houses. I thought that they were abandoned and uninhabited houses but, no, quite the opposite. Our guide told us that they were never finished or repaired firstly because nobody sees them, and secondly because it never rains much in Lima, the most might be just 4 drops but the house owners have no fear of rain leaking in through the roof or dampness coming in:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the following 2 pictures you see the houses directly under this roof and you can see that these houses are inhabited and are more or less in good condition:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terminado la visita del centro de Lima decidimos volver a ver las fuentes en el Parque de la Reserva, ya que al estar tan cansada la noche anterior vimos muy poco y nos quedó con las ganas de verlo un poco mejor. Lógicamente es mucho más bonito iluminado por la noche y no con la luz de día, como se ve con esta primera fuente, pero no importaba.

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When we finished our visit to the center of Lima we decided to return to the “Magic Circuit of the Water” fountains in the Parque de la Reserva.

As we had been so tired the previous night and we saw very little, we still had the desire to see them with more detail. Obviously it is much more beautiful lit up at night and not in daylight, but we still wanted to see them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where we spent most time was the “labyrinth of dreams fountain”: the water comes up from the ground in circles and the many people try running inside and between them. It is thus necessary to interact and play with the water jet sprays but these are completely random so it was great fun as people went in dry but if they calculated wrong, well, it gave them a good shower and they came out really soaked!

 

 

 

 

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And others:

You could see that the local people also enjoyed themselves very much in the park:

And some were more cold than others!:

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Returning to the hotel we made our last stop in the Larco Mar Shopping Center located in the Miraflores district built on the cliffs of the city facing the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two characteristics make it stand out from any other mall anywhere in the world:

 

 

 

 

 

You can see that the location of the cafeteria is very near to the cliff!

 

 

 

 

 

The second striking feature is that it was built in the waterfront area formerly occupied by a public park, which was virtually "ripped-out or dug-up" from the place (which led to vehement criticism at the time) to make way for a more artificial park area in fact the coverage of the basement car parking and multipl-cinemas. An old memorial that gives name to the green area called "Parque Salazar" was relocated leaving from the park to the commercial area of Miraflores.

[caramelo]

We had a couple of hours to relax in the hotel and time for a shower and time to recover after such a full day in Lima, but we could not leave without having seen any of the typical music and dance so we went to the Juniors Restaurant which offered a dinner with a Peru folkloric show.

This was the restaurant:

We started by trying a “pisco sour”, Pisco, the name of the traditional drink and patrimony of Peru, is the symbol of Peruvian pride and nationality.

The Spaniards brought a grape liquor that with the time was elaborated in Peru.

It was named "pisco", name that has three origins: means a Quechua word that translated to English means "bird". The mud container was called "botija", where pisco was deposited. Pisco, city and name of a town that belongs to the Ica valley, correspond to a very important event. The great Independence leader José de San Martín disembark in the Paracas bay in Pisco, September 8th, 1820.

The botija was a practical container that used in the elaboration of pisco and then to transport and keep it. In the botija the grape juice was fermented and distilled. Afterwards the pisco is stored in botijas. When the botijas are empty they stowed them face down, until being used again in the next vintage.

All this shows that no other country can copy the Peruvian PISCO

Recipe :

7 ½ oz (or 3 parts) Peruvian Pisco

• 2 ½ oz (1 part) key lime juice

• 2 ½ oz (1 part) sugar syrup

• 1 egg white

• Angostura bitter

Pour the Pisco, key lime juice and syrup on a jar blender with enough ice to double the volume.

Blend on high. Add one egg white and blend again.

Serve. Pour a drop of Angostura bitter on each glass.

Tip: to make the sugar syrup just put ½ cup of sugar in a pot with 3 tbs of water, bring to a slow boil (always stirring), and cook until all the sugar has dissolved. Let the syrup cool before mixing with the Pisco and lime juice.

We saw the following scenes:

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We returned to our hotel very tired but we had spent a really fantastic day in Lima.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…………….. IN LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

[Host Walt]

Thanks so much Caramelo for sharing your experiences and your photos.

 

I moved your thread from the Roll Call board to the main Celebrity board so that everyone can read your thread and see your great photos.

[caramelo]

Thank´s Walt.....

 

Here´s the next part:

[caramelo]

Monday, 2nd of August.

We were collected for the transfer to the airport at 8am. The flight left at 11am and arrived at 14.05 pm at La Paz, Bolivia. La Paz is one hour ahead of the time in Peru. We had very little time in La Paz, only from the arrival at 2pm until 6:30am the next morning when we went to Cuzco, but in such a short time we have seen a lot!

Our Lady of La Paz had a population of 1,552.156 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of La Paz including the city of El Alto in 2001. The estimated population for 2010 of the metropolitan area is 2,087,597 inhabitants. The city center is approximately 3650 m (meters above sea level) and together with the city of El Alto, it is the second largest town and village in Bolivia. Its more than 3.600 meters in height are a major challenge for travelers from the plains, but its beauty and typical air invites one to overcome the height and to enjoy it to the maximum.

La Paz, at the time of the Aymara community was known as Chukiyawu, which means "The Golden Town", whose name was not made in vain ... It is known that these territories which belonged to the Inca Empire, were one of the richest land in precious metals, which later drove the Spanish conquerors to madness.

We saw from the plane the Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake and the highest in the world, with 180 kilometers long and 60 kilometers wide.

These were the first images arriving in La Paz:

The views coming down into La Paz were very interesting because there were many mountains and terraced hills along the way and I imagine it must be very difficult for a pilot to land in La Paz!

 

 

 

 

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It is the highest airport in the world ... ..the airport is in the area called "El Alto" and is about 4.100M above sea level. When you exit the airport you slowly descend towards La Paz. Our hotel was about 3,650 m above sea level.

 

 

 

 

Given the altitude in La Paz it is very normal to experience altitude sickness:

 

 

The acute mountain sickness (AMS), colloquially known as mountain sickness, altitude sickness, evil moor, mountain sickness or altitude sickness is the lack of the organism to altitude hypoxia. The severity of the disorder is directly related to the ascent rate and altitude reached. Conversely these symptoms usually disappear when descending to lower levels.

 

It usually occurs after 6 or 10hours of exposure to hypoxia and the symptoms are generally not feeling well, headache etc. Luckily I took medications purchased in Spain, I took the pills starting the day before and did not have many problems at all, but my husband who does not like to take pills then had problems later in the day. The hotel gave us a machine with an oxygen bottle for our room and you connect for about 10 minutes from time to time and it helps a lot.

 

 

 

 

The following image is not mine but found on the Internet but it is just to give you the idea of the type of oxygen machines offered by hotels:

 

 

 

 

Returning to the arrival, if I was surprised at the way the people drive in Lima, well La Paz was incredible, much worse!

 

 

We stopped to take some panoramic photos of La Paz from a height. The number of streets with uphill / downhill were amazing and all connected by steps. The driver told us that there are houses that you can not reach by road and that have only pedestrian access but just walking down the steps is easy enough but it is very difficult to walk up to them. Some deliverers have to even go up with heavy weights like gas bottles etc. and he told us that there are some houses that do not have a refrigerator or washing machine etc.. as there is no way to deliver them!! He said the best business in town is the ice cream shop where they sell to the poor women have to go down each day ... ..and to make their return more comfortable or bearable well they compensate themselves by buying an ice cream for the way!

 

 

 

 

 

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We saw lots of street signs advertising for the boys trying to attract them to do military service:

 

 

 

"The military service lasts 1 year but your pride for being a soldier lasts a lifetime"

 

 

"Bolivia is the Patria,tricolour is the flag and camoflaged is the uniform"

 

"Thanks Bolivia for allowing me wear this glorious uniform"

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On the streets we saw many scenes of daily life and the nice thing was that the women were dressed in their traditional clothing and Bolivian hats:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When we left the luggage at the hotel we started our tour that lasted about 3 hours.

 

 

The first stop was the Valley of the Moon is about 10 kilometers from the centre of La Paz, towards the village of Mallasa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Valley of the Moon is a mysterious landscape adorned by a small maze of canyons, pinnacles and unusual stalagmites of clay, and is a section where erosion has eaten the top of a mountain.

 

Not being on solid ground, clay instead of stone, over the centuries, the elements have created a work of art of something different. It's like a desert of stalagmites.

 

 

 

 

 

I had not expected to see much in La Paz thinking that perhaps it would be one of the weaker stop-overs of the journey but when they reached the Valley of the Moon I was amazed as to how big and beautiful it was. We could not see all of it as there was not enough time but we saw the most important parts, the Ladys Hat, Mother Moon and the Devil´s look out place.

 

 

 

 

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There was a local man playing both the flute and the charango instruments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The charango is a stringed instrument used in the highlands of the Andes in South America. It has five pairs of double strings although there are variations with less or more strings but (almost) always orders or five games. The charango is a centenary tradition in Bolivia and Peru, 1 and also has significant presence in the music of Argentina, Chile and Ecuador.

 

 

The flute is a flute originally from South America, the Andean region (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina), which was played in the Inca empire.

 

 

Naturally it was a "touristy attraction" because he wanted us to pay him a tip ... .... but we paid gladly …………….you can not imagine how wonderful it was to see him totally alone with nobody around and playing in such a special place where there was so silence, it was really a magical moment and I think I'll never forget it. He then stayed on one foot copying the condor bird!

 

 

 

 

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We left the Valley of the Moon and drove through some pretty good areas judging from the style of the houses which we saw:

 

 

 

 

 

But you can imagine the difficulty of building the houses perched on top of the rocks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This house attracted my attention with its collection of bells of all kinds:

 

 

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These two bridges are new and they will connect the house of Evo Morales to the city:

 

 

 

 

And this is supposedly the home of Evo Morales with the flag. The photo is not good as we were moving in the car:

 

 

 

 

Along the way we saw many who apparently are unemployed but offer their services to passers-by. If you need a plumber or an electrician you only have to go around this neighbourhood to look for one:

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we went to the historic part of town and stopped at the main square, Plaza Murillo where today the national government´s headquarters are located and therefore it is the most important city in the country.

 

 

 

 

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The Plaza Murillo is the heart of La Paz, named in honor of Pedro Domingo Murillo (1759-1810), a Bolivian patriot, mestizo and precursor of Bolivian independence.

 

 

Monument of Pedro Domingo Murillo:

 

 

 

 

The front of the Presidential Palace "Palacio Quemado" overlooks the square. Near the entrance of the "Palacio Quemado" the guard members of the Battalion Colorados stand on guard. The current occupant of the palace is Evo Morales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1st Regiment of the Infantry Colorados of Bolivia is a Bolivian Army military unit that is the bodyguard of the President of the Republic and whose office is the custody of the Government Palace.

 

We also saw plenty of the Utopian Police (Police Tactical Unit Operations), so I assumed that with so much police activity and bodyguards at the door that Evo Morales was on this day at the Palace.

 

 

 

 

Junto al Palacio Presidencial se encuentra el Congreso Nacional de Bolivia y también la iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Paz.

 

Next to the Presidential Palace is the National Congress of Bolivia and also the church of Our Lady of La Paz.

 

 

the National Congress:

 

 

 

 

The church of Our Lady of La Paz.

 

 

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When we were finished in the square, we went to the Killi Killi Mirador which is the best viewpoint of the city. It is located in the Villa Pabón, from here you can admire its topography and see the panoramic views, you can see areas like Chuquiaguillo, the Summit, Miraflores, the Southern area, the Centre and the slopes up to Pura Pura and with the privileged position of the Mirador, of nearly 360 degrees, allows the observer to know the city of La Paz with just a glance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here again you can see the beautiful mountain of Illimani in the background:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I think that the football stadium in the next photo could be perhaps the Olympic Stadium Hernando Siles La Paz which is the largest sports complex in Bolivia. It has a Capacity of 42.000 seated to 45.000 spectators if they are located in stands, and was named in honor of Hernando Siles Suazo, the 31st President of Bolivia 1926-1930.

 

 

The stadium is located in the Miraflores area of La Paz, at an altitude of 3.567 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest professional stadiums in the world.

 

 

 

 

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Our last stop was the Witches Market, a traditional market, in the street “Calle de las Brujas” which offers us an encounter with the traditions, native products, herbs, amulets, gifts, herbs, coca as well as healers, yatiris, kallawayas.

 

Need a potion to succed in business, love, or good health? You´ll find them all in the Witches Market!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sacrificing an animal fetus and dissect for offerings to the Pachamama is the best way to attract good luck and ward off curses, according to the customs of western Bolivia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pachamama is Mother Earth, also called virgin. A sparkling hearth consumes the fetus, while the home or business is imbued with the sacred smoke. Then, the remains are buried in a ceremony that is fed and watered the earth.

 

 

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They say that the llama fetus is used to search for welfare in the home, the pork to attract money and the sheep to curb lawsuits.

 

The deer fetus is to help that the miners will be safe from the mines and those of cats and dogs, always when they are together, can help an abandoned woman recover her husband.

 

Offers in La Paz are not as audacious as in El Alto because the city banned the sale of sacrificed animals slaughtered, with the exception of the llama.

 

 

August is the highest income for witches, as the earth opens to receive the offerings of their children. This seemed to be true as we went in August and they told us that it was the main time of the year for the ceremonies as “August is the month where a lot of things happen” and this blesses them and gives them luck for the next year (August to August).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as well I made no negative comment about the market like "who buys this rubbish" or something similar, as just when we were leaving our guide proudly showed us his purchase was one of the plates filled with various objects that he planned to use the following Saturday to celebrate with his wife, the ceremony of burning the contents of the plate.

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We returned to the hotel and had one hour before going to the restaurant Dinner Show Peña Huari, a show with music and dinner from Bolivia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stage with the Zampona instruments:

 

 

 

 

For dinner there was a buffet of salads and cold meats, cheese etc, and for the main dish for something typical of the area I tasted the meat of the llama. However I had some pangs of conscience - but on the other hand it is like asking who has never ever tried as lamb, pork or beef? It was actually very nice.

 

 

 

 

Bolivian folklore, is one of the richest in the Americas. In Bolivia there are so many different customs, legends, rituals, rhythms, dances, instruments and textiles, that even the Bolivians don´t know it´s full richness totally.