Monday, March 10, 2014
Second Day in Lima
After getting a full night's sleep, I awoke ready to go sightseeing! Freshly squeezed orange juice and one cup of stong Peruvian coffee gave me even more energy.
First we went to the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera. It is a museum that was founded by Lima's most wealthy family in the 1940s. This museum has over 4500 pieces of pottery that tell the history of Peru. Since the civilizations of Peru had no written language, every artifact that is discovered gives more clues to their history. From the pottery I learned the types of crops that were grown, the diseases they had, what their leaders looked like, which animals they had, details about their religious ceremonies, about their symbols, and what was important to them.
We also toured the museum's beautiful gardens which has an outdoor restaurant attached. I could have spent the entire day lying in the green grass, smelling the colorful flowers, and photographing every nook and cranny. (Jealous yet? See photo.) Unfortunately, we only had twenty minutes to view the gardens and visit the gift shop. Even so, I made due quite well in both.
As we walked, we saw a building in the process of being built. It had a wood frame that was covered in bamboo. On the smooth bamboo, they will apply a layer of stucco which will be painted. The reason they use bamboo is for the building to be flexible during earthquakes. (See photo.)
Daily Questions:
Makenna Armell- "How is their lifestyle different from yours back home?"
Answer- Lima is a large city of 9 million people. If you have been to one of our large cities, it is similar. There are lots of people everywhere. There are police officers on every block. Our tour guide says this part of the city is very safe. Today we saw people that live in the rural areas sitting on the street to sell their vegetables and eggs. When we get to the Cuzco area, their lifestyle will be very different from ours.
Tailynn Tharp- "How many llamas have you seen since you got there?"
Answer- No llamas yet since they live high in the mountains. We are in the big city so the only animals have seen are dogs and cats. My roommate wanted to pet all the animals with no collars but I stopped her. Kennedy Park has many ferral cats. In many rural areas, they eat cats. The government formed an organization to help save these cats. Here they are putting some of the cats up for adoption. They want people to appreciate them as pets.
Mrs. Struve- "What season are you in there in Peru? Is the standard of living similar to us in Iowa?"
Answer- March is late summer. There have been a couple of quick and light rain showers. It is an old belief that when it rains this time of year the world is coming to an end. Well, so far, I'm still here. The minimum wage here is $275 per month. Police officers and teachers make $600-800 per month. There is no welfare since they believe that need is the mother of invention. People find honest ways to make money. The economy is booming now. Mining is the largest industry; construction is the second largest. Tourism is important but no longer the largest money maker in Peru.
Tuesday we will be flying inland to Cuzco! It is the second largest city in Peru, nestled in the Andes Mountains. The temperatures will be cooler, like what you probably had today in Iowa! There is no humidity compared to 100% humidity here in Lima. We will be shopping and spending time riding to Urabamba where we will stay for three days.
Have a great day!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
First Day!
After traveling for 25 hours, I finally arrive at our hotel in Lima, Peru, at 8 A.M. this morning! My group of 15 met our guide, Alvaro Del Aguila Silva. His family name, Del Aguila, means eagle. Al, as we shorten our guide's name, tells us some important information to make our traveling in high altitudes problem free. He highly recommends the coca plant. This plant is a highly spiritual plant for Peruvians. Coca leaves are added to hot water to make a tea or one chews the the leaves. It has medicinal properties in the leaves which helps to increase blood flow to the brain and aids in breathing easier.
My meals today were eaten outside at restuarants. I ate chicken and rice for lunch. The appetizer was fresh vegetables which they named "mixed salad." Dessert was a piece of apple pie. It was wonderful. For dinner tonight, six of us went to a restaurant named "Cafe Cafe" in the Lima mall. I ordered ravioli with goat cheese and spinach. Yum! Then we went to a few stores in the mall. The photographs are from shops. We finished our long day with some gelato. Guess what flavor I chose? Chocolate, of course! Incredibly delicious...
Monday we will be going to a Peruvian museum and then to their Chinatown.
Answers to your questions:
Mrs. Dinderman: What are Peru's sunrise and sunset times?
A: Sunrise is at 6:10; sunset is at 6:25.
Today's sunset was unnoticeable. Lima is the capital city along the Pacific coastline so it tends to be a hazy city. The temperature today was around 82 degrees which was quite a shock to me. As I write this, the temperature is still at 72 degrees. The lovely, warm breeze will make it difficult to come back to Iowa's cold.
Have a great day!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Preparation
Nine days until I leave record cold temperatures
in Iowa to begin my Peru Adventure!
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| Peruvian girl weaving handspun yarn |
Highlights of my trip include Peru's capital city, Lima, on the western coastline of the Pacific Ocean, Cuzco in the mountainous interior, and Machu Picchu, one of the eight wonders of the world!
My 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Vinton, Iowa, will be monitoring my adventure. They will be emailing me questions that I will answer on a daily basis through March 19.
All the photographs on this blog are ones I have taken. Students will be able to copy them into their projects at school. If you decide to keep a copy for yourself, I would appreciate my name being attached. I hope you enjoy my journal!
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