Moving

So the owner of the apartment we are renting (Airbnb) had it sprayed with an insecticide while we were out yesterday to attack the ants and it smells so bad we decided to move to a hotel today.

I am not a big fan of posting pictures of food, but this tuna tartar last night was outstanding. It was covered with a layer of creamy avacado with beautiful little baby lettuce leaves on top and served with a wisp of a white rice concoction that looked like a wrinkled fairy wing.

Woke up to find that ants had infested the pastries that we had purchased for breakfast. Dealt with that and had a marvelous citywide 4 hour bus tour of Lima. There were only four of us! Our tour guide, Gabriel, was a marvel of information about the city and basically the history of civilization back to 3,600 BC. I could say so much more about what we saw and learned, but that is for another time. I will summarize by saying that Lima is an important city with a dramatic history in a country that is making wonderful progress in a region and country with a deeply troubled history and challenging present. Based on my experience today, I am guardedly optimistic that the future will democratic and progressive.

A few photos:

My feet are so happy to be free and off the ground! Walked 5 miles today. Saw the Miraflores Market, a elaborate marvelous colorful maze of open air shops (all adjacent and covered) selling everything from the usual imported souvenir trinkets (I brought you a lovely refrigerator magnet that says Perú with a braised ginnea big in the background) to giant silver pitchers and alpaca shawls. I cannot I imagine how they all survive. We also learned about Pisco and consumed some. Dinner was exceptional - and not expensive.

Some images from the walk and market:

Pacific View 

In Lima

Our long flight from Miami to Lima was made unexpectedly delightful by an upgrade to business class where the seats were adjustable and the service excellent. The ride from the airport, provided by a cousin of a friend, was jarring - drivers here are aggressive, roads are rough, and car horns are in constant use. Our Airbnb apartment is comfortable and in a good neighborhood. Now we are working out how to get around as public transportation is chaotic and taxi service barely regulated.

Here is an example of the interesting art work in our apartment:

A photo of a security camera.

Dinner hot spot in Dania Beach - close to Fort Lauderdale airport - on to Miami Airport by train tomorrow morning.

This a joint Linblad/National Geographic led expedition. We are spending a few days on our own in Lima before the trip starts and a few days in Quito after it ends.

Sunrise a few days ago with my new camera!

Getting Ready

Here is the itinerary: