Our 9th and last day in Peru started when we woke up at our hotel in Arequipa at 6 am. After getting ready and having breakfast at the hotel, we left for the airport at 6:30 am in a taxi. The flight was delayed by a few minutes and we reached Lima around 9:30 am. By the time we got our luggage and met our tour guide Edward, it was almost 10 am.
He drove us through the old city of Lima and then we explored the Main Square (Plaza Mayor) and the surrounding area on foot. The plaza has an old fountain that is in its original condition since the 16th century. Edward showed us the Moorish influence in the architecture, specially in the form of covered balconies that were used by the ladies to look outside without anyone looking at them. The number of balconies on a building was directly proportional to the wealth of its inhabitants. We also saw the Main Cathedral, the Congress building and the imposing Presidential Palace which is still the official residence of the President of Peru. Then we stopped at an old colonial house from the 16th century. We also visited the library inside that has Latin books printed in the 16th century that are still being used by medicine students.
Then we saw the San Francisco Church. It's an old church much like the main Cathedral in Cusco. The major difference is the Catacombs or graves in the basement of the church that were discovered by excavation in 1947. Now the bones are on display and they estimate that the bones belong to 25,000 people. It was used as a public cemetery.
Then we drove through the modern financial district of San Isidro and reached Mira Flores, a modern posh area. We were dropped off at a mall for lunch. The mall is built on a cliff and has a fabulous view of the ocean. It was a great day to sit outside so we sat in the patio of the best restaurant called Mangoes. The seafood was great and the cool breeze refreshing. We explored the mall before being picked up at 6 pm.
Then we went to the famous Love Park in the Mira Flores area with modern sculptures by a Peruvian sculptor. The park's design is inspired by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi's designs. The next stop was a quick one at a modern artsy shop.
Then we experienced Lima traffic during rush hour and it took us about 30 minutes to get to the Magic Water Fountain park. They had laser and water fountains shows just like Sozo Water Park in Lahore. It was a decent way to pass time. After exploring the park, we drove to the old colonial area again, this time to see how it looks during the night. It was quite spectacular to see the Presidential Palace and the surrounding yellow-painted buildings during night time.
Edward dropped us off at the airport at around 9:30 pm. We killed a few hours exploring the airport. Our flight took off on time at 1 am Peru time and reached Houston after 6.5 hours. After a 5 hour layover, we took a connecting flight to Denver and then reached Calgary at about 10:15 pm on January 3, 2014. It was a memorable 9 day adventure of the Andean Highlands and one that we will always remember fondly.
Thanks for reading the updates :)
He drove us through the old city of Lima and then we explored the Main Square (Plaza Mayor) and the surrounding area on foot. The plaza has an old fountain that is in its original condition since the 16th century. Edward showed us the Moorish influence in the architecture, specially in the form of covered balconies that were used by the ladies to look outside without anyone looking at them. The number of balconies on a building was directly proportional to the wealth of its inhabitants. We also saw the Main Cathedral, the Congress building and the imposing Presidential Palace which is still the official residence of the President of Peru. Then we stopped at an old colonial house from the 16th century. We also visited the library inside that has Latin books printed in the 16th century that are still being used by medicine students.
Then we saw the San Francisco Church. It's an old church much like the main Cathedral in Cusco. The major difference is the Catacombs or graves in the basement of the church that were discovered by excavation in 1947. Now the bones are on display and they estimate that the bones belong to 25,000 people. It was used as a public cemetery.
Then we drove through the modern financial district of San Isidro and reached Mira Flores, a modern posh area. We were dropped off at a mall for lunch. The mall is built on a cliff and has a fabulous view of the ocean. It was a great day to sit outside so we sat in the patio of the best restaurant called Mangoes. The seafood was great and the cool breeze refreshing. We explored the mall before being picked up at 6 pm.
Then we went to the famous Love Park in the Mira Flores area with modern sculptures by a Peruvian sculptor. The park's design is inspired by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi's designs. The next stop was a quick one at a modern artsy shop.
Then we experienced Lima traffic during rush hour and it took us about 30 minutes to get to the Magic Water Fountain park. They had laser and water fountains shows just like Sozo Water Park in Lahore. It was a decent way to pass time. After exploring the park, we drove to the old colonial area again, this time to see how it looks during the night. It was quite spectacular to see the Presidential Palace and the surrounding yellow-painted buildings during night time.
Edward dropped us off at the airport at around 9:30 pm. We killed a few hours exploring the airport. Our flight took off on time at 1 am Peru time and reached Houston after 6.5 hours. After a 5 hour layover, we took a connecting flight to Denver and then reached Calgary at about 10:15 pm on January 3, 2014. It was a memorable 9 day adventure of the Andean Highlands and one that we will always remember fondly.
Thanks for reading the updates :)
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