Kennedy Park

This morning I took a taxi from my hotel to Kennedy Park (Parque Kennedy), named after JFK, in the Miraflores District. I was to meet my guide here at 9:30 a.m. for a Lima Photo Tour, but I came early to have time to walk through the park. At one end of the park is the Roman Catholic Virgen Milagrosa Church, built in 1939.

Kennedy Park

Kennedy Park is also known as the Cat Park as there are dozens of stray cats in it. However, I saw only a few of them when I was there. There is an organization that cares for the cats.

Photo Tour of Lima

I met my tour guide, Dan, and my tour mate from Philadelphia. I booked my photo tour on Viator, and if there was no one else signed up for the tour, I would have to had paid for two, the minimum number for the tour, so I was lucky. The tour is for 7 hours including lunch and showed me much of Lima that I hadn’t seen before and wouldn’t on other tours that I was taking. Dan is from France. He was taking English classes in London and met a Peruvian woman, fell in love, and came back with her to Peru. They broke up but he met another Peruvian woman who was giving him salsa lessons and he fell in love again and has stayed. He is a co–founder of his company, Andean Photo Expeditions, which also gives photo tours in Cusco, Peru, and also custom photo expeditions in Peru. Dan speaks four languages: Spanish, French, English, and Danish (his grandmother is Danish). The tour was great fun and what could be better than having a good–looking Frenchman show you around Lima?

El Metrolitano

We took Lima’s El Metrolitano from near Kennedy Park to the Historic District of Lima. El Metrolitano is Lima’s bus rapid transit system. Stations are near the main highway, and the buses come one after the other, so if one bus is too crowded, you just wait a few minutes for the next one. The buses stop at the station only for seconds, so you have to get on and off quickly. Lima doesn’t have a subway system, but has a sky train from the suburbs, so transportation around Lima is by street buses and taxis. Although we were supposed to take more public transportation on this tour, Dan decided on taxis as my foot was hurting. Photo: passing the stadium on El Metrolitano.

Plaza Mayor

We walked from the bus station to the Historical Center of Lima and to the Plaza Mayor, the spot where Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima, the Ciudad de los Reyes (the City of Kings), in 1535. On the plaza are beautiful colonial buildings. I would be back here twice again on other tours. It is the most visited tourist spot in Lima.

Cathedral of Lima

On one side of the Plaza Mayor is the Cathedral of Lima, the construction of it beginning in 1535.

Plaza Mayor

Also, on the Plaza Mayor is the Archbishop’s Palace but it dates back only to 1924, when it was built to replace the old palace which had been destroyed.

Basilica & Convent of San Francisco

A short walk from the Plaza Mayor is the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, built in the Spanish Baroque style. It dates back to the 17th century. We took a tour inside the convent but no photos were allowed to be taken.

Party Stores

Next, we walked on the party store street, the place to go if you want to buy decorations for a party. In Lima, you really go from one contrast to another. Some of my tour guides told me that Lima is a city of contrasts––how very true.

I have put my photos of the first part of the photo tour on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/photo–tour–1/
(Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Lima, “Photo Tour–1”).

Chinatown

Lima’s Chinatown was our next stop, a two–block pedestrian walkway in Bario Chino, which was founded in the mid–19th century by Chinese immigrants. We had a Peruvian Chinese lunch here.

Mercado

Our next stop was at the Central Market, the Mercado. Nothing seems to be wasted from a cow. Entrails along with tripe for making menudo.

Mercado

A row of chickens at the market. There was also fruit, vegetables, cheese, and other fresh food plus household goods and clothes being sold at the mercado. My guide said that many people come here to shop, even those from upscale areas who have supermarkets nearby them.

Barranco

We took a taxi from the market to the Barranco District. It is another popular tourist site and I had already been there on another tour, but I found some different photos to take of the district.

Chorrillos

We also went by taxi to the Chorrillos District, the fishermen’s district.

Chorillos

We visited the Chorillos Fisherman’s Wharf where small fishing boats bring their catches.

Chorillos

There were many Peruvian pelicans waiting on the sand for handouts.

Morro Solar

Next, we drove up the hills of Morro Solar, a headland in the Chorrillos District. This was quite a ride up along mainly bumpy dirt roads.

Morro Solar

On top of the hills is the Monument to an Unknown Soldier. This was the site of the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos between Peruvian and Chilean forces in 1881 during the War of the Pacific.

Morro Solar

There is also an astronomical observatory on the hill next to a cross. The cross is made of pylons from the transmission towers that were blown up by terrorists. The cross is lit up at night.

Morro Solar

Also on Morro Solar is the Christ of the Pacific statue.

View of Lima

From the top of the hills of Morro Solar, you get great views of the city of Lima.

Sanctuary

Our last stop on the photo tour before I was dropped off at my hotel was at the Santuario Virgen del Morro Solar de Chorrillos, the fishermen’s chapel, on Morro Solar. This was a great photo tour, great guide, and great sights, most that I wouldn’t have seen unless I had taken this tour.

I have put the rest of my photos of the photo tour on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/photo–tour–2/
(Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Lima, “Photo Tour–2).