Flight to Puerto Maldonado and an Ode to Jungle Clouds

I haven't had a chance to post these photos and although it's well after the fact, I couldn't resist.  When we flew to Puerto Maldonado and the southern Amazon basin, we flew over some beautiful mountains.  We landed in Cusco and then went on to Puerto Maldonado.  It was hard not to get off the plane, but we knew we'd be back in a few days.  Here are some wonderful views from the plane.

After we landed on Puerto Maldonado, we took a bus to the river and our boat trip to the lodge on the Madre de Dios river.  I took a photo of a bridge they are building.  It will be done in a few months-they are sure of it.  In the meantime, here is a Peruvian ferry to the  other side of the river.

The partially finished bridge across the Madre de Dios River

This is a motorcycle, but cars go this way too
Makes the Washington State ferry system look pretty good!!

Now for my Ode to Clouds on the Madre de Dios River.  I took so many shots of the sunset.  I've posted about the sunset already and added a photo of Luis and I, but I was so impressed by these clouds that I am just going to post them all.  Enjoy!!

Not watercolors, they really looked like this

These make me think of Turner watercolors
I have always wanted a wall full of Turners in my house
Maybe these will do

More brush strokes

We were hot and sweaty and had just seen a bunch of monkeys (see my other post), but then we walked along the sand and just looked in wonder at this sunset.  It is one of the moments on the trip where I really just breathed.  No "let's keep moving, let's see more, let's find some food, let's see it all."  Just breathing in and out and feeling thankful to have been able to see this sky.  We couldn't see any sunsets on the Amazon, (in the north in Iquitos) ; it was rainy and cloudy.   We all complained a lot about the heat and sweat and discomfort of bugs and the fact that we had just been to the jungle and here was some more sweaty scenery. ...when I think of my complaints and how crappy the lodge was in many ways, I close my eyes and see this evening.  My friend, Nikki spent a week here a few years ago,  During our hike when I got back, we talked about this and she said her time here was one of the most amazing experiences of her life.  The wildlife is amazing and it is so incredibly beautiful, but she says she never needs to go back here.  I get that.  I'm done with the Amazon.  But, then I remember this.

Yes, More LIma and Miraflores

I thought I was done with Lima but I'm not.  I have more great photos to show and some stories.  Also, we went to Miraflores one day and it was so beautiful.

Plaza San Martin

Beautiful balcony

Bus Stop

All of these buildings are part of colonial Lima, all after the Spaniards came.  I think it's a surprise because we think of South America and the Inca culture.  Lima is a very European city.  There are a lot of buildings that  look so European.

On the day before we left for our big trip to Cusco and Puno, we spent a day walking around Miraflores.  It's along the coast, a sort of suburb.  Luis lived there most of the years he was an adult although as a child he did live in the center of Lima.  Miraflores is a cool place to live, with a great night life.  It reminds me a lot of La Jolla though much bigger.  The Parque del Amor is on a cliff above the ocean.  It is full of mosaic benches and walls.

She is my sunshine!

The statue that I already posted is very famous.  Here it is again.  I also took a photo of a couple in the Parque del Amor.  We laughed so much because when we got home and looked at our photos, Luis, Mariana, and I had all seen this couple and photographed them.  I thought I would keep a copy of this couple with me.  I hope Luis and I end up in this park in our 70's.  He thinks it will take a miracle.

Us now

I hope we are this lucky!!

Or this lucky

There were beautiful views of the sea, La Rosa Nautica, where we ate our first day in Peru and my lovely daughter.

The Costa Verde

Is this where the lighthouse obsession started?

We went to Larcomar, a spiffy shopping center built in to the cliffs in Miraflores.  We ate lunch with a beautiful view, ducked when a parasailer flew by, and went to the movies.  $4 a person.

Pisco sours 

Marcio on my Iphone
rather typical

Larcomar Shopping Center

I made everyone walk for miles that day.  Beautiful and a very rare sunny day.  Again, it reminded me of  La Jolla.

Lima

Plaza de Armas
World Cup Fever

I wanted to add a post about Lima.  We spent a total of almost 2 weeks there off and on and although I didn't get to see as much as I wanted (no museums!!) I did see many old buildings that I loved.  Lima needs more time.

Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega

We went past Luis' university, the famous one where he and Flaco, Toño, Tony met.  I had heard so many stories and I think if a tenth of them were true, it was a wild time.  It's smack in the middle of Lima.  Other favorite shots were the wonderful buildings, old ones, with great metal work and fantastic plaster work.

Loved them all!!  There was also a lot of rubble and buildings that had a facade, but nothing else.  Some are the result of earthquake damage, and some are just destroyed.

We spent one of the last days on the walking street Jiron de la Union, that goes from Plaza San Martin to the Plaza de Armas.  Gillian had to buy a gold bracelet for Ariana since she will be the godmother.  We went to millions of jewelry stores.  Gretta was amazing, helping us get a good deal and being patient above and beyond.  If you pay cash and don't ask for a receipt (no record of the purchase, and no taxes), you can often get a really good deal.

Jiron de laUnion

Plaza San Martin

Mariana and I got bored, especially when we had to find blue jeans for Gillian.  They are cheap and there is a certain kind that makes you look like you have a butt.  We call them "hacer poto jeans":  Make- a -butt jeans.  Mariana and I headed to the Plaza de Armas to watch a futbol game.  They had a huge TV screen and lots of action...really fun.

Then lunch, shopping, and an exhausting taxi ride back to Flaco's house.  It was  a fun day and it made me want to see more of Lima.

Our Last Few Days in Lima

Flaco and Gretta at the Temple of the Sun,
Pachacamac

After we got back from Ica and Paracas, we spent a few days packing, doing final errands, and taking one more day trip to Pachacamac, 30 minutes south of Lima.  It's a pre-Inca site, dating to 1,000 years before the Inca empire.  It was, however, an important Inca site of temples and palaces.  There is a Palace of the Chosen women.  There is a lot of desert and rubble, but excavation still continues.  Luis used to ride motorcycles around the site, but now most of it is roped off due to vandalism.  There is a lot more to excavate and Luis says that in 20 years, a lot has been done.  I keep thinking of how things would be done in the US.  Private companies would put up the money and they'd hire archeologists to find everything...no waiting for government funds that trickle in.  But, this is Peru and although the Peruvian govt tries, they have so many expenses.  We noticed the same thing in Bolivia at Tiahuanaco...it takes forever to fund these things.

This part fell down in the last earthquake

Palace of the Chosen Women

This is what most of it looks like

These paintings are pre-Inca

When you climb up to the Temple of the Sun, you can see up the coast towards Lima.  It wasn't a sunny day, but looking up the coast you can see as far as the Salto del Fraire (see my very first post.)

Cliffs up the coast towards Lima

 I took some people photos too:  the ones of the  kids go with ones I took during our first year in our house of the 3 of them.  I have always loved those photos and here they are 13 years later.

Marcio rarely smiles these days-a
rare treat!

We went into town for lunch at this really cool place:  Casa de Don Cucho.  This is a popular lunch place.  The entire place is outside. There are several outdoor rooms for sitting and eating, several outdoor kitchens, including the famous anticucho grill (not my favorite, marinated beef heart), and even the dishes are done in outdoor rooms.

eating rooms

There was a maze of these little rooms.  We ate so much incredible Peruvian food.

Anticucho grill

Outdoor kitchen

After freshly made aji (salsa).  I missed the woman making it.

We even had traveling musicians who played old criollo music, with a cajon (box instrument).  I didn't get a good photo.

This guy is the cajon player

Gillian listening.

The food was super fresh.  Mariana and I were leaving the next day, so this was the grand finale.

Aji amarillo (yellow chiles)

One more post of last minute events and people we met to come soon.