Heading to Peru's Amazon River basin

"Off the bow, pink and gray river dolphins perform acrobatic leaps.  Tamarins and squirrel monkeys play in the branches of trees.  Macaws call from the shore.  The sights and sounds of the Amazon envelop you as you cruise far into the unspoiled rain forest, drawn by its mystery and majesty."

Ahh, the description of this Overseas Adventure Travel tour sparked our interest, and in September 2019 we set off on another adventure to explore the remote jungle rivers and streams that few travelers see and learn the ways of the river people who inhabit this remarkable environment while we cruise on the Amazon River and its tributaries.

So, come along with us as we head to Peru.

Our first stop is in Lima, the capital of Peru.  Founded by conquistadors in 1535, Lima became Spain's largest and wealthiest city in the New World.

It is in Lima that we meet our Trip Leader and 12 fellow travelers for our 2-week Amazon River Cruise and Rain Forest adventure.

We set off on a walking tour with our tour group through the boulevards and plazas around our hotel, which is located in the stylish Miraflores district.

Our first of many "learning and discoveries" was a stop to visit with a local woman selling fruit.

Our Trip Leader, Jose', translates for us as she tells us about the different varieties of fruit she sells.  Some we recognize; others we do not.  Jose' is telling us about soursop, a popular fruit here that is used in many foods such as juices, ice cream, candies and custards.  Jose' buys a couple for us to try at lunch.

We continue walking, passing by the "City Hall".

And soon it is time for lunch.

Jose' has the restaurant cut up the soursop fruit for us to try.  The flavor of the fruit is kind of a combination of strawberry and apple, with a little bit of sour citrus.  The texture is creamy, like a banana.  Kinda weird, but the Peruvians LOVE it!  This was the Chirimoya variety.

After lunch, we had the option of exploring on our own or joining Jose' on a tour of the Huaca Pucllana or "Pyramid Pucllana" ruins.  All 14 of us travelers opted to go to the ruins, a well-preserved pre-Inca temple complex located right in the Miraflores district in the heart of Lima.

Jose' guided us around the adobe-and-clay pyramid complex that was built by the Lima civilization between 200 and 700 A.D.  It served as an important ceremonial center for the various cultures which prospered in the Lima region before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

 The pyramid complex was built with hundreds of thousands of bricks, each one hand made from clay, sand, and shells and without the use of molds

There are realistic mannequin displays showing how the bricks were made.

Got to love their flipflops.

The Lima Culture died out around 700 A.D., after which the site was converted into a tomb for the elites of the Wari Culture.

Several mummies have been unearthed at Huaca Pucllana, including a child in 2013 which archaeologists say suggests human sacrifice.

The tombs on top of the pyramid were reserved for nobles, who were buried with small animals and Lima-style clay pottery.

Leaving the Huaca Pucllana ruins, we had a chance to rest our weary feet as we rode the city bus, just like the locals, back to the hotel.  The cost of the ride was 1 Peruvian Sol, which is about 30 cents US.

The next morning we were off to tour more of Lima, this time on our own comfortable coach bus and with a local guide.

We noticed there were a lot of bars on the houses.  We were told that people don't buy home insurance.  Instead they invest in a security system consisting of metal bars to protect their property from break ins.

Our first stop is at the San Francisco Monastery and church, a distinctive yellow building constructed in the Baroque style of the 1600's.

Our guide took us inside.  We could only take photos in the courtyard area.

The church is known for its beautiful painted ceilings, tile work, and extensive catacombs.

The inside of the church is truly beautiful.  It was a shame we could not take photos, but there is always someone that did and I could find photos on the internet.

The Catholic faith was brought to South America by the Spanish crown and missionaries. 

The choir room with ornately decorated seats.

 The library with 25,000 books dating back centuries.

And lastly, we walked through the catacombs, where we saw thousands of bones.   Guides say an estimated 75,000 bodies are buried under San Francisco alone, and many of the remains are exposed, stacked in strange patterns in circular stone pits.

We left the church and walked over to the Plaza Mayor located in the Historic Center of Lima.

It is surrounded by the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palace of the Union.

Our tour group always seems to be a hit with the kids. 

And they wanted their photo taken with all of us.

It was then back on the bus for a drive over to Lima's National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History at Bolivar Square.

On the way we saw several people selling items on the street.  Jose' explained that most likely these are refugees from Venezuela.  The government offers no support for the refugees who are seeking a better life in Peru.  Often their only means of making money is to sell a few items to passersby.

Once we arrived at the museum we were fitted with "whispers"--earphones so we could clearly hear our guide, Sandra, and not disturb others.

The entrance to the museum is filled with flowers and various cacti.

 This cactus is called "brain cactus".

The museum contains an impressive collection of ceramics, gold and silver items and textiles from the ancient cultures of Peru's history.  Our excellent guide, Sandra, was very knowledgeable and guided through what she considered the highlights of the exhibits.

Here's just a bit of what we saw.  There are over 100,000 items in the museum.

We bid farewell to our local guide, and after lunch our group took the local bus once again and headed to the artsy seaside neighborhood of Barranco with our Trip Leader, Jose'.

Here's our group of travelers at the main plaza in Barranco.

We walked around the streets and crossed over the Bridge of Sighs, considered the most romantic spot in Barranco.

It's a wooden bridge spanning a stone walkway that runs down to the Pacific Ocean.

And here is the Pacific.

And being a romantic spot, there is the fence with locks.

Couples will profess their love by locking a padlock to the fence.

We passed by murals that are painted all over in the streets of Barranco.

This one is by the Bridge of Sighs, entitled "The Home of Sigh".  It represents the love that can be found in Barranco.

And outside this restaurant, we saw angel wings!

And my "Angell" was coaxed by our group into a photo opportunity.

An unusual sculpture in the park.

That evening we gathered for a "Welcome Dinner" at the La Panka restaurant by the ocean.  

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to cool, dry Lima and head northeast to the town of Iquitos where it is hot and humid and where we begin our Amazon River adventure.

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