Today marked our third and final day in Peru, and we certainly made the most of it. From ancient Inca ruins to a high tech laser light show, and from the Andes to the beach, we saw it all. Read on as I describe our last day in South America.
Talk about a tight schedule. We were up a few minutes after 5:00 am at Monasterio, our hotel in Cusco, in order to pack up and get our luggage out into the hallway by 6:00. That accomplished, it was off to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, before meeting with our guide in the lobby at 6:45. And by 7:00 we had already exited our van and entered our final tour destination in the city.
The early start was worth it, because it gave us the chance to visit Convento de Santo Domingo, a Dominican convent built on the site of Qorikancha, the most important Incan temple in Cusco. Today there is still a convent, but it’s behind the site of the original convent, and what remains of the Incan temple has been restored and turned into a museum. As with every Incan site we visited, the stonework is perfect, and withstood an earthquake that took down the first convent built on top of it. The exhibits were also interesting, and helped elucidate elements of the Incan religion. I’ll share a couple examples in the photos below.
After an hour at the convent/temple/museum it was off to the Cusco airport for our flight to Lima, Peru’s capital city. We took off almost on time at 11:00, and shortly after noon we had been transported from the Andes to the coast, and from 11,152 feet above sea level down to a mere 113 feet. By 1:00 pm, when we arrived back at our home away from home on the Serenade of the Seas, we had already been in a van, an Airbus A320 jet, a bus, and now a ship. And our day was just getting started.
The first order of business was dropping our luggage off in our cabin and grabbing some lunch, before heading to the ship’s main theater to pick up tickets for our afternoon and evening excursion in Lima. Royal Caribbean put this one together on short notice, no charge, as yet one more consolation for missing Machu Picchu, and it was a good one.
Lima is a big city, with a population of more than 11 million residents, and it feels like a big city, including the heavy traffic. Inching our way through it, we reached our first stop, Parque del Amor (Park of Love), which is perched along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The views here were spectacular, and I enjoyed looking far below at the beaches and even some surfers. In the park itself, the highlight is El Baso, a large statue of a man and woman locked in an embrace (photo below). There are also some pretty mosaics spread throughout the park. I almost bought an ice cream bar from a streetside vendor, but it was time to hop back on our tour bus, so I missed my chance.
From Parque del Amor we continued along the cliffside highway to Larcomar, without a doubt the most unique shopping mall I’ve ever seen. What makes it so unique is what you see when you get there—nothing. The top of the four level mall is flush with the road and cliff top, and unless someone tells you it’s there you’d never know. Exiting the bus, we walked the short distance to the top of the cliff, where escalators at either end of a small plaza took us down to the top level of the mall. The entire mall is an indoor/outdoor affair, as the walkways on each level are open to the air, but the stores themselves are enclosed. All the top international brands are there, including Starbucks, where I scored a mocha frappe.
After some shopping it was back on the bus and off to Parque de la Reserva, which for me was the highlight of the day and a must-see if you visit Lima. The park contains thirteen separate water fountains, many of them interactive, and the complex holds the world record for being the largest water fountain park on the planet. My photos will tell the story better than my words, so check them out below. I will say this, though. If you go, go at dusk, because after dark the park becomes magical. The fountains take on vivid changing colors, and there is a laser light show beamed against the spray from a large series of fountains.
You’ll notice that I haven’t said anything about dinner, and we were pretty hungry by the time we left the park after the laser light show. Nor was our scheduled dinner stop near the park, so by the time we reached the large, family style restaurant it was nearly 9:00 pm. As has often been the case at our South American stops, we were served local favorites, which I enjoyed very much. The highlight, though, came before the food, when we were served the official drink of Peru, the legendary Pisco Sour. Unless you’re a teetotaler, no visit to Peru is complete without trying one of these potent cocktails. As a service to my readers I had two, just to be sure I could describe them accurately for you, and my fully informed opinion is that they’re quite acceptable and taste a lot like whiskey sours.
By the time we finished dinner and our bus returned us to the ship it was 11:00 pm in Lima on a day that started at 5:00 am in Cusco. It was a long, wonderful day, and a fitting end to our last day in South America. I was also happy that the next three days would be sea days, giving us a chance to recharge our batteries before our next port of call in Costa Rica. I’m actually writing this on February 2, the third of those three sea days, so I’ll be back tomorrow night with a report on our visit to the Central American port of Puntarenas. Until then, as they say in hockey-crazy Canada, keep your stick on the ice. 😀
Preserved Incan room at Convento de Santo Domingo, where the most important Incan temple in Cusco was located. Note the shape of the windows, which aided in earthquake resistance.
The old and the new.
Model of the original Incan temple.
Unlike most cultures, which look at the stars and constellations, the Incans looked at the dark areas between the stars and looked for shapes there.
Reimagining of an Incan gold religious plaque. The originals would have been melted down by the Spanish.
The garden outside the convent/museum displays the three animals the Incas considered sacred—the puma, the snake, and the condor.
After our flight to Lima our first stop in Peru’s capital city was at Love Park, which features this large statue of a couple embracing.
The views from Love Park. The views were wonderful. That’s a top rated restaurant on the pier.
This is one of the several mosaics that are spread throughout the park. They’re all colorful and quite engaging.
I didn’t see this vendor in time, or I would have bought an ice cream bar from her. It was hot and humid.
Then it was off to Parque de la Reserva, which becomes magical after dark.
I mentioned that several of the fountains in the park are interactive. Yes, that’s me walking through the hundred foot long water tunnel. I was lucky, I only got wet. Some people in our group managed to get soaked.
The kids loved this.
The laser light show is incredible. The lights are beamed against the spray from large fountains.
Another image. I couldn’t get enough of them.
Each image seemed to be better than the last.
Wow.
This was one of my favorites.
One last image. There were many more.
On our way out I snapped this photo of one of the largest fountains in the park. Really impressive.
We were told this is the tallest fountain in the world. I can believe it.
Our late night dinner. Either it was delicious, or I was starving, or both. I think it was both.
Official drink of Peru, the legendary Pisco Sour. I drank two, just to make sure I could accurately describe them to you. The things I do for my readers.
Last photo. A side street we walked past on our way back to the bus. Lima is a big, busy city, but I liked it.
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