LFL AT SEA

Friday, 27 December 2024

At Home in Tucson

Although LFLatSea has been awfully quiet for the past week, be assured that Will and I have been very busy enjoying and suffering every moment of our trip. Now that we are home again, I will take my time to cover all the missing days of adventure and food. So keep checking back to make sure you get all the up-to-the minute reports.

Wednesday, 18 December 2024

At Sea on the Way to Peru

After a long day of touring in Manta yesterday, we are ready to enjoy the relaxation of our final sea day. The highlight of the day is the presentation by one of the guest lecturers: "What's New at Machu Picchu." While there really isn't anything "new," the lecture is a good introduction and overview of the history of this iconic site. Much of what Hiram Bingham, the supposed discover of the ruins, tells us in his book, is complete hogwash--including that he was the first man to come upon it for several hundred years. Many of the names and functions of structures that Bingham labeled are inaccurate and the actual functions still not completely known. But more about Machu Picchu later.

The other event of the days is dinner in the Polo Grill, the last of the four specialty restaurants on the Marina. This is a traditonal steak and seafood house, with some modern variations on the classics. Will has steak and lobster tail; I have two lobster tails. The highlight of dinner is my seven-layer Belgian chocolate cake:

Thursday, 19 December 2024

Salaverry, Peru

When we open the drapes to see our port this morning we are greeted by a bleak, desert-like view. All before us is dark sand, white surf, and mountain-like pyramids. We are in Salaverry, Peru, a seemingly unlikely place for a cruise ship, but actually the gateway to all of the pre-Inkan wonders of the Moche and Chimu civilizations—and the colonial city of Trujillo. I admit that I have seen this before (2013 cruise), but for Will it is a bewildering experience.

As we move away from the shore on our drive to Trujillo, we pass the Pyramid of the Moon (pictured below) and the Pyramid of the Sun, both sacred to the indigenous Moche tribe. And the fields are green with the irrigated plantings of many vegetables for export.

Today we are on a shore excursion to visit “The Colonial Houses of Trujillo.” If you wish to see more of the Moche and Chimu sites, especially the amazing Chan Chan, you may link back to 2013. It takes about 45 minutes to drive inland to Trujillo’s colonial center, colorfully and carefully restored and preserved. As we step into the central Plaza des Armes, the primary sensation is a riot of color. Although some of the effect is muted by all the kitschy Christmas decorations, the sublimity of the architecture and design manages to shine through.

Our visit includes the interiors of several beautifully restored buildings. Casa Urquiaga, built in1604 and restored after a fire in 1619, was later home to Simón Bolívar after proclaiming Peru's independence from Spain in 1821.

We move on to a series of other gorgeous courtyards and interiors . . .

. . . and enjoy rum cocktails and local snacks at the Club Central in an 1855 mansion.

The cathedral is the most important religious structure in Trujillo, but there are also noteworthy lesser churches and convents worth visiting.

Waling the pedestrians-only main avenue takes us by colorful b buildings and busy city life.

We return to the ship in the late afternoon. We enjoy an especially elegant dinner in the Grand Dining Room: caviar over cold potato salad and sour cream, beef Wellington, and vanilla soufflé for me; Will enjoys another (of many) shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, chicken Kiev with green pea sauce, and wonderful concoction of ice cream and chocolate.