My gift from my law firm for 20 years of work was a trip. I chose a 14-day tour of Peru with Gate 1 tour company. Machu Pichu has been on my bucket list for years. The tour began in Lima, Peru, on October 3, 2022. Mike accompanied Dave and me on the tour. He was 20 years younger than the next youngest tour member, and was idolized by all for his fluent Spanish, his excellent photography skills, and his general charm and good humor. "Some of us have been saying you're a nice family," one of the tour members told me, a few days into our trip. "You raised a really nice son."
Our first event, as a 15-member tour group, was lunch at a restaurant in Miraflores, the fancy suburb of Lima, Peru, where we stayed. Lunch began with the chef demonstrating how to make ceviche. Ceviche is raw fish "cooked" in lime juice and served with slices of sweet potatoes and the huge kernels of corn that we learned to love in Peru. Fellow tour members recommended a version made with cooked shrimp, which is one of their favorite appetizers.
We then took a walking tour of downtown Lima. Palm trees adorned the tropical-looking main square.
Our guide, Raul, looked like most Peruvians. Whereas many Chileans, Argentinians, and Brazilians are European, Peru has one of the highest proportions of mestizos (mixed European and native) and native people in South America.
Many of the buildings near the main square, such as this church, date back to colonial times. I think of their highly decorated style as Spanish Colonial, but it is also called South American baroque or "chigguresque."
Ramon Castilla was president of Peru three times, including in 1863. Peru got its independence from Spain in 1821 and then fought a disastrous war with Chile and Bolivia in 1897, in which Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile and Peru also lost territory. Again and again, we heard about how ruthless the Chileans are!
The Lima Cathedral is gigantic, filling nearly a city block. It is also filled with stunning pieces of art.
Each side chapel in the cathedral was decorated differently, but all in the baroque, Spanish Colonial style.
In the cathedral crypt, there was a collection of skulls.
In every city, including Lima, there were dozens of rotisserie chicken shops--a favorite type of fast food. They were just like Viva Pollo, in St. George, where I gained my love for Peruvian food, with its meats, sauces, and veggie salads.
We also saw the poor side of Peruvian urban life--the favelas, or slums, climbing the nearby hills.
Peru is, statistically, a middle class country, with GDP per person of about $9000, but not everyone has made that economic jump.
Late in the afternoon, we walked along the Pacific Ocean in Miraflores. Hang-gliders caught the ocean breezes.
We wandered through the Parque del Amor, with its curving, bright mosaic walls covered with quotes, in Spanish, about love.
The focal point of the Parque del Amor is this suggestive sculpture!
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