GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #19: THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Sometimes you struggle with the idea of optional shore excursions. The “Cuzco, Machu Picchu Overland Adventure” was one such. Who wouldn’t want to go to Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham’s “Lost City of the Incas”? We sure liked the idea. Against that was the price - a cup of coffee under $10,000. That's a pretty expensive expedition! You could probably fly down from the States for not too much more on a guided tour. Plus, do you really want to shoehorn the experience into four nights and three days? Weighing against that is the looming question, “Will I ever get back? Is this my only opportunity?”

Romance, finance, and “will I have the chance?” are all factors in determining what to do on a cruise like this – while some people enjoy the ship as a floating biosphere from which to look out passively on ever-changing scenery (face it, even when you’re anchored, the waves change and the clouds scud by in the sky), for others it’s a jumping-off place for adventure – like Mr. Fredricksen’s house in “Up!” (no nasty comparisons now!) .

We made the calculation for Machu Picchu, just as we did for a number of other potential excursions, and on this occasion both voted thumbs down. There’s just too much in inland Peru to hope you’ll be able to see it in the available time, plus your chances of being able to get on a tour or go by yourself are pretty good.

Now we see on the news – and have read snippets in the ship’s paper – about the devastating floods which have stranded 100’s of tourists despite Peruvian rescue efforts. Yes, it would have been an experience, but not one that we would have consciously sought out. The people from our boat who made the trek returned – some transformed, some unaffected, one or two who went,” but failed to achieve their goal because of altitude sickness. Now that’s something we should have thought of, but didn’t. We’re both glad and jealous that we didn’t go, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity to benefit from others comments and mistakes and make the plunge ourselves, better prepared, on another occasion.

Perhaps you know what we’re talking about?

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #17: PYRAMIDS & PASOS – FURTHER ADVENTURES IN LIMA

While we had to cancel yesterday’s organized tour of Puruchuco and Hualla Huacamara – two archeological ruins in the Lima region – we actually hit the former site and visited Hualla Pucllana, another pyramid site under excavation on our own with a car and driver. While more expensive than the tour, this was substantially cheaper by a about a factor of four than the price of the cruise ship for a half day of private touring. But Holland America guarantees that if you rent through them, they will not leave you behind, or will help you catch up to the ship without charge. Since we were in Callao two days, and since this was not an independent cowboy outfit, we opted for the less expensive method and were not disappointed.

So why bother seeing one or two more pyramids? Well, why bother seeing another painting? Besides, if we hadn’t gone, we would have missed the fire near Huaca Pucllana, which seemed like a latter-day Inca sacrifice, nor would we have seen any of the hairless dogs for which the region is famous, or Peruvian guinea pigs (such a popular local dish, that one 17th century painting of the Last Supper shows guinea pig being served) ….

But today started off with a visit to the National Museum of Anthropology, Archeology, & History of Peru, which like the British Museum, allows non-flash photography. These ceramics are amazing and we could have easily have spent twice the time. Interestingly enough, for those who love/hate Norfolk’s decorated mermaids (or whatever generic sculptures your town specializes in) in Lima it’s cows.

Next on the list was Pachacamac, a pre-Inca and Inca site outside the city. Aridness surrounded by a sea of green. Part of the site, particularly the Palazzo de las Mamacuna – has
been restored, but what is truly impressive is its scope, with sun-dried bricks (fortunately it rained very infrequently), the incoming “boulevard” which led to this miraculous center and the slightly sunken pits left by looters (at least one stone-lipped guard still patrols the site with a rifle).

The surprise of the trip was our visit to Hacienda Mamacona, a hacienda where the Peruvian Paso (or pacing horses) are bred. The owner of this ranch pulled off the difficult feat of mixing a commercial enterprise with what seemed like genuine hospitality – the entertainment while a bit folk-lorical – was not over the top, and the horses were the stars of the show! We not only caught a “horse show,” but Mary even got a ride on the smooth-walking Peruvian horse. By the time the buses headed back to Callao, we felt that we had been both entertained and educated. (Apparently, the “candlelight dinner at Casa Solera Aliega” the previous night pulled things off in a similar manner.) Passing through Miraflores, we were glad that we hadn’t joined the thousands at the beach! Sam’s only regret was “small potatoes” – he left Peru without tasting any of the spectacular local varieties with their unique colors and shape.

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #16: SWIMMING WITH SEA LIONS (WELL, WATCHING OTHERS SWIM)

Callao looks like a bit of a dump when you arrive. Not that they don’t have a first-rate port – it’s expanding and we saw huge cranes being offloaded from a Chinese vessel. But beyond the port gates, this entryway to Lima is not impressive.

Perhaps that’s part of the reason our first tour in Peru blew us away. We are here two days and have an archeological tour scheduled for tomorrow. We had one for today too, only we had to cancel it or our morning choice when we were told that departure times had been changed and that the two would now overlap. Ironically, Mary was the one that wanted to do the “Archeological Day in Lima,” while Sam was keen on taking “’Wild-Life Lovers’ Paradise,” the morning tour which visited San Lorenzo and the Palomino Islands. Because that still left open the possibility of doing something ourselves in the afternoon (with no worry of the Ship departing if we were late), that’s what we did.

About two boatloads of visitors chose this option, which involved a short bus ride to a marina, where we embarked in launches. We then motored out, past a former US WW II submarine, which had seen subsequent service in the Peruvian Navy, and the Antarctic research ship Humboldt, and an overturned vessel on which intermittent salvage was still taking place.

Straight ahead lay the bulk of San Lorenzo Island, formerly the haunt of pirates (Dutch buccaneer, Jacob, the Hermit, is buried here), but today the location of a Peruvian Naval Facility and a house occasionally used by the President. As we rounded the edge of this island – the largest in Peru, there was an increased chop to the wave. Apparently, handouts to the bird life used to be available, but too many passengers got seasick (the advice for those feeling queasy is to “look out towards the horizon,” though no one onboard seemed to have any trouble). This is where the real richness of the trip began to be apparent – the seabirds (including Humboldt penguins!) found on the rocky Calvinas, which the boats came amazingly close to. It was one thing for our vessels to cut the distance this fine, but our hats to the Peruvian fishermen who operated these turbulent waters in even smaller craft. The area is also a major exporter of guano – the sea bird fertilizer immortalized in Ian Fleming’s DR. NO. Palomino Island is the home of some 10,000 sea lions – and we saw most of them – sunning themselves, swimming gracefully, and snaking their heads above the water to eye us curiously. Have you ever been in a theater with a thousand growling stomachs? Well, it sounds something like that – there has to be a special region in Dante’s Inferno populated by these creatures!

Our guide gave us the opportunity to “swim with the sea lions,” which a few hearty souls took advantage of. Basically you have to be ready in advance, as there’s no place to change on the boat. This would have a great experience, but having seen the reaction of cameras to salt of the Dead Sea, we thought it more important to keep ours in working order. Maybe next time?

Our trip then finished by passing Elfronton (Island of the Dead). Appropriately named, as it operated as a prison, having held everyone from a former president (he allegedly escaped by swimming to a waiting boat) to revolutionaries from the Tupac Amaru and Shining Path small movements, whose prison riot was bloodily suppressed. Today, there are only empty ruins – and plenty of seabirds!

A cautionary note – none of our three Peruvian guidebooks mentioned this tour and two of them don’t even cover the islands. When you go on a trip like this, prepare to be surprised!