The next morning Katía and her cousin Carlos met us at the hotel and took us on a tour of Lima. It started with the port of Callao. This is the largest port in western South America. We saw dozens of cargo ships lined up to deliver their goods. The boat took us around the harbor and within sight of the island of San Lorenzo. The Incas used this island for religious ceremonies and the Spanish later built a prison there. The boat tour took longer than expected so Katía called ahead to keep our reservation at Astrid & Gastón restaurant.
Left, Katia, Terry and Jeff cruising Callao; right, San Lorenzo Island
Lima is the culinary capital of South America and our experience is that that designation is well deserved. Gastón Arcurio has a series of restaurants serving ceviche and Novo Andino cuisine. The restaurant is in a former hacienda with very high ceilings and interesting artwork. We shared all of our dishes and drinks including cuy and pisco sours. This is where Katía taught us the Peruvian toast “salud, amor, riqueza y tiempo para disfrutarse” health, love, riches and time to enjoy yourself.
From the restaurant we traveled to the Plaza de Armas and just behind it is the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco de Lima. The catacombs below the church contain thousands of bones, mostly femurs and skulls, some of which are arranged in a macabre form of artwork. We toured this and returned to the plaza to view the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and a beautiful fountain as night fell.
Basilica of San Francisco. The catacombs are beneath the convent on the left. Top right, an arrangement of skulls and femurs in the catacomb. Bottom right, Indigenous artist's painting of the Last Supper with cuy (guinea pig) as the main course. Interior photos are not mine but from the basilica's website; photography was not allowed.
The nearby Parque de Reserva hosts a series of fountains which form a light show each evening. Known as the Circuito Mágico del Agua, it is visually, and if you’re not careful, soggily stunning. You can actually enter some of the water features but you may get wet.
Click to play movie, file may download
Click to play movie, file may download
Katia and Carlos were wonderful tour guides. They made us feel so welcome and gave us an experience of Lima that was authentic and that we otherwise would have missed. Tired from a magical day we returned to our hotel and another pisco sour. There were others in the bar at our hotel whom we guessed were on our tour but we would meet them in the morning. Breakfast is at 6:00 AM with the first group meeting at 7:00.
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