Callao, Peru - March 25, 2014

Rather than stay in Callao, which is not a particularly interesting place, we booked an all day excursion to Lima.  It was a very good day.  The drive there took us through neighborhoods of extreme poverty.  There is no public assistance in Peru, so if you don't work you don't eat.  Many buildings had rebar sticking out the top.  We were told that those are there in the hopes of adding another story to the building some day. 

Lima has many lovely old buildings.  They also have 8 million people, most of whom were in their cars when we drove through. 

We had been warned in advance that street crime, mostly against tourists, has been on the rise recently.  Also, there have been anti-government demonstrations.  So the police presence was astonishing.

As in most South American cities, Lima has a Plaza de Armas, where their history began.  On one side is the palace of the president, with its colorful guards. 

Opposite it is the Cathedral of Lima, originally built in 1746. It's one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.  The front shows three different architectural styles, as it was destroyed and rebuilt over the years.

Next we went to the San Francisco Monastery, founded in 1774.  We were not allowed to take any photographs inside, which drove me crazy, but I obeyed.  There were catacombs and an ancient library, complete with two spiral staircase and hundreds of ancient dusty books.

Next we went to the Gold Museum, which holds a huge private collection of Incan gold items.  Again, no photos.

We had lunch at a restaurant that served us many local dishes, all very good.  We were also served a Picso Sour, the local alcoholic beverage, which is like a margarita except with the local rum rather than tequila.  We also had a strange non-alcoholic drink that was served at room temperature and was vaguely reminiscent of flat cola.

After lunch we stopped at an Indian market, because what's an excursion without an opportunity to shop!  On the way back to the ship, we drove along the ocean, where there is a unique park dedicated to romance.

We arrived back at the ship in time for dinner, then we attended a wonderful show of local folk music and dancing.

We sailed at 10:00 for Puntarenas, Costa Rica.