Easter Island...or not

We arrived at Easter Island after 4 sea days early Tuesday morning. The time has not changed so even though we are approximately at the same longitude as Phoenix AZ the sun time is way off. Sunrise was around 8:30 am and sunset was close to 10 pm. The Chilean authorities would not board the ship until after sunrise and then proceeded to do their checks of documents and who knows what else. When they finally approved everything and would allow the water shuttles (tenders) to begin it was after 10 am. Then to add to the delays they would allow only one shuttle into the port at a time to unload. The shuttles held 75-80 passengers and each trip took around one hour. The Princess sponsored excursions went first then the elite level guests. By 2 pm when they were at shuttle ticket number 330 we figured out the our shuttle #887 was not going to make it off the ship. And even if we did get off it would only be for a quick walk around the dock area before  we would have to wait once  again for the return shuttle ride. There were a number of  angry passengers who had made private tour plans that they were not able to take because of the long delays. We were disappointed but happy that we hadn’t waited all day in lines. Very poor planning by Princess and a Chilean government that isn’t anxious to collect the tourist income. And not an itinerary I would ever suggest. As they say if you want to see Easter Island, fly there. The saving grace for us was that the ship was anchored off one of the national park areas with moia and we could see them from the ship and took some pictures. Granted the telephoto lens helped a bit.

We are back on the sea days headed toward Coquimbo, Chile, enjoying sunshine and 75 degree winter weather.

Super Tuscan Wine Pairing Friday January 24

On Friday night we attended a special dinner that paired great Italian food with Italian wines. It was held in one of the special dining venues called Sabatini’s.

The food was exceptional and the wines were very good too. We enjoyed sitting by 2 ladies from LA and kept kidding about if there was a wine they didn’t like they could pass it our way. They finally did on the limoncello, but none of us were crazy about the sweet dessert with the limoncello. 

The set up on the table as we were seated. We were given Prosecco as we entered the restaurant.

The beef tenderloin presentation. One of my favorite although the Ossobuco was good too. Today was the beginning of our 4 sea days out to Easter Island so the dinner was a nice end to a relaxing day at sea.

San Martin - Pisco

After we sailed from Lima we dropped down the coast of Peru to the port of San Martin. What a change of scenery. This area is pretty unsettled and definitely not a tourist destination resort town. We appear to be in the middle of a desert with virtually no vegetation. From the ship we can see the little town of Paracas that we will take a shuttle bus into. There were several excursions to the Ballestas Islands which are called the poor mans Galápagos but we did not take any and just elected to spend our time walking along the coast shops and restaurants. Had a local beer and back to the ship. The tsunami sign gives you an idea of the sea level nature of this town. Overall an enjoyable day and our last on solid ground for the next four days.

The views from the shuttle bus on our way into Paracas.

                                              The harbor had many colorful fishing boats

The piers that the tourist boats to Ballestas Islands leave from

Another view of the beach

I can read this Spanish!!!

Steve got to practice his Espanol

Una Mesa para dos por favor

Dos Cervezas

And finally more views of the desolate landscape as we sailed away.

Weekends what are they?.

So many cruise lines change the carpet in the elevator with the current day of the week. Princess doesn’t! So we are finally really beginning to lose track of what day it is. Everyday seems like Saturday...except today was uhh...Thursday.

And now it is already Friday morning. This is our first of four sea days on the way out to Easter Island. I am going to use the extra quiet time to catch up on a few things from the past week.
More on Lima, Peru. Every time I travel I enjoy the opportunity to experience new cultures and people but it is always great to return home. Not only to my own most comfortable bed but also to the country that we live in. As this week has started the impeachment trial which we are getting continuous coverage of there has been much discussion of our political system. As I tend not to be super political I cannot help but feel our government officials are spending way too much time on this trial as opposed to running the country. BUT... the two days we spent in Lima gave me a whole new perspective of our basic two party system. The political signs lining the road on the trip from the pier were the first indication of the number of people running for office in Peru.  I found out there are approximately 700 offices to fill and over 13 parties vying for these offices. And the interesting point of the signs is that it appears you vote for a number not a name. The elections are to take place on January 26, and hopefully the medians of the roads will once again be sign free. Here are just a few of the billboards from a short part of our drive.

Lima Peru Tuesday and Wednesday January 21-22

After another sea day we arrived at Callao, Peru on Tuesday morning. Callao is an industrial port town about 10 miles from Lima. It is a very busy port and is said to be not the safest area in Peru and as such Princess had shuttle busses that took us into the city area of Lima both days we were in port.

Some of our neighbors at the port.  

On Tuesday morning we took the shuttle into Lima and arranged for a city tour of some of the historical areas and then to Miraflores an upscale area of Peru and back to the shuttle pickup. 

The amount of cars in this city is staggering. Congestion abounds. The police presence was very apparent around the tourist areas but we saw no problems nor did we encounter anything unusual throughout the entire day. The following pictures were taken as we drove to Plaza Mayor. The palace and the cathedral in the plaza are the main historical buildings and are still in use. The plaza has no auto traffic anymore so it was a pleasant area to walk around although as you can see from the pictures there were many tourist.

  Our next stop was El Parque del Amor, inaugurated on February 14 (Valentine’s Day), 1993, Lima’s “Love Park” was built to celebrate love in all its forms. This is most clearly represented by the park’s central sculpture, El Beso (The Kiss). Created by Peruvian artist Victor Delfín, El Beso shows a man and a woman wrapped in each other’s arms, locked in a passionate kiss.

The park is said to be inspired, at least in part, by Parc Güell in Barcelona, which was designed by Antoni Gaudí and opened to the public in 1926. Lima’s Parque del Amor is much smaller and far more modest, but it’s easy to see why the colorful mosaics along the undulating walls and benches are often compared to Gaudí’s mosaics in Barcelona.

Amor es solo un pájaro que deambula" (Love is only a bird that wanders) - Rocío Romina Bances

Love lines from poems are part of the mosaics.

The park sits high up on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and while it was warm the fog hung around much of the day.

And of course our selfie in the park in front of el Beso.

We then wandered into in very local restaurant and ordered lunch. 

Alfresco was the name of the restaurant and this is what they brought to the table before we even ordered. It is corn kernels and you mix it with the sauces. Very interesting and quite tasty.

Steve of course goes with the unusual and orders octopus. It was delicious and probably the freshest and least chewy he has ever had.

Look at those happy faces.

Mine was much less interesting but equally as good. Fresh fish sliders with homemade vegetable chips.

We got back to the shuttle and back on board for a quiet night in port. I will post about our second day in Lima tomorrow. Another fun day.

Sunday at Sea

After an interesting stop in Ecuador we are back on the sea today. Unlike a normal Sunday we have a wine tasting event and tailgate for NFL games today. Plus it is a formal night for dinner. Quite a combination of events.

The wine tasting included a champagne, 2 white wines and 3 red wines as well as canapés to accompany the wine selections. It was a fun event. We didn’t go to the tail gate party as the games were also being broadcast in our cabins so we elected to watch there while we got ready for dinner.

And here is our selfie of the day after a wonderful lobster dinner and a bottle of one of the wines from the tasting. We missed the show to finish watching Green Bay lose to San Francisco.

Saturday January 18, Manta, Ecuador

First off pictures from last night as we crossed the equator. The ship log pictures of our location showing .02 N at 11:19 PM and then .03 S. It was like 5 seconds later.

Then today we arrived in Manta, Ecuador. We had been told by a fellow passenger that the town of Manta is a common industrial port city and that the town of Montecristi was more interesting. We took a cab and ventured out on our own. First stop was an Ecuadorean Panama hat factory which was just a family shop. Both Steve and I purchased an authentic hand woven Panama hat. 

Our next stop was Ciudad Alfaro, located in the heights of the Montecristi Hill. From this strategic vantage point you can view the village below and the nearby port of Manta. The beautiful facility contains four main components: National Constitutional Assembly & event hall, historical museum, the mausoleo for General Eloy Alfaro, and an artisanal exhibition and market. The museum pays tribute to the construction and operation of the railway lines, with a restored narrow gauge steam engine and historic tools and equipment, and has the national collection of legal seals and stamps. It provides an overview of Ecuador's History, changing exhibitions, and an active legislative assembly.

Our selfie inside the general assembly hall. “Nothing for us , all for the country” on the wall behind us. “Nada para nosotros, toda para la Patria”

Outside the mausoleum again showing off our new original Panama hats.

And then into the old town of Montecristi which of course has an historic cathedral and a busy market since it is Saturday. 

From the cathedral steps looking down into the square.

The vendors selling lots of Panama hats and local trinkets.

Our final stop with our driver was the local golf club which I had been told served great food. Not a typical tourist stop I am sure but it was recommended by a friend from the ship knit group that grew up in Ecuador. She suggested the local cerviche. The waiter was great and helped us with the menu. Great food and a beautiful setting, although perhaps not typical Ecuador.