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Published: January 17th 2023
Easy Lima Shore Excursion – Callao (Lima), Peru
The Buildings Have Less-than-Spectacular ArchitectureI had signed up for the U.S. State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) in 2019 in preparation for the aborted 2020 European holiday. It’s a worthwhile program that provides information on current topics and alerts regarding safety and security concerns for U.S. citizens traveling abroad, including relevant non-security issues like road closures. I updated my profile after I returned from Europe, and almost immediately was emailed information about political unrest in Peru. I haven’t explored any of the emails in depth as I decided that if the situation was treacherous, the ship’s captain would bypass Lima altogether or I would just remain on the ship. I had learned that the President of Peru was impeached and that strikes have shut down inland railroads, amongst other morsels, but I adopted a wait-and-see posture. Well, the wait is almost over, so let’s see!
Cruise Day 10, Thursday, January 12, 2023, was another day at sea, as we made our way towards Callao (Lima), Peru. Even though my destination was Lima, the ship’s destination was Callao. Callao is the port for Lima (and most of Peru), and the two cities share a border. As an aside, Callao is a great place to
see a major working port in action. The captain announced that, for safety reasons, all Holland America shore excursions to Machu Picchu had been cancelled because of the political unrest and strongly recommended that those who had made private sector travel plans cancel those reservations. Arguably, the premier tourist destination in Peru is Machu Picchu. Indeed, some folks travel to Peru with nothing else on their docket. The ship’s itinerary had us arriving in Callao on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 1600 hours and spending two nights in port (departing on the third day at 1800 hours) so, it would seem, passengers would have sufficient time to visit Machu Picchu. For some passengers, the news was upsetting. At an elevation of 7,970 feet, I had decided long ago that my lungs would not tolerate merely sitting on a bench at Machu Picchu let alone walking or climbing; so, there was no ruffle in my feathers when the captain made the announcement.
When I attended Port Talk: Callao (Lima), Peru in late morning, the cruise director spent much of the hour updating the dynamic political situation in Peru, and, immediately following his presentation, the shore excursions guru
provided updates on those excursions remaining on the docket. I had not yet made any shore excursion reservations because of the unrest; however, I decided that the situation was stable enough for me to venture into the metropolis to sample the flavor of Lima and signed up for
Easy Lima on Friday evening and
Lima by Night & Magic Fountains on Saturday night. With an
Easy Lima departure on Friday at 1600 hours, I decided to grab a burger and fries for an early supper at the only place open between 1400 and 1700, the “Dive In” poolside eatery.
From the Holland America shore excursions web page:
“Enjoy a panoramic drive through Lima, the City of the Kings. You will visit the historic Plaza de Armas, where you will see the Government Palace, City Hall, the cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. You will also glimpse the San Francisco Monastery -- a beautiful example of colonial architecture.
Continue with a drive through the residential districts of Miraflores and San Isidro to take in a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and Salazar Park.
Watch for the Bohemian district of Barranco before heading back to the pier.”
Easy Lima Shore Excursion – Callao (Lima), Peru
The Embodiment of a Political Demonstration Warned of by the U.S. State Department The cruise director had warned that traffic in Lima was horrendous. That might have been the understatement of the month, at least during rush hour on a Friday. We crawled along at a snail’s pace for about an hour before we reached the downtown area where the highlights of the “panoramic drive” were located. Generally, guided tours are dependent on, first, the content and, second, the tour guide. Our tour guide had a fantastic English vocabulary with a VERY heavy Spanish accent, so much so that I had to be an active listener to understand her monologue; however, her almost non-stop, longwinded presentation was very disjointed and random. The tour surely would have been more enjoyable with a different guide. Luck of the draw! We did see peaceful protests in progress and plenty of police at the ready, but there was nothing of note that aroused my security concerns. When we were about three hours into the tour, someone asked about a bathroom break, and the tour guide responded that no stops were listed on the itinerary she was given but that it was alright to use the facilities on the coach. That’s right folks, on a 4-hour “panoramic“ tour
Easy Lima Shore Excursion – Callao (Lima), Peru
Nothing Noteworthy Here Except the Electrical Infrastructure we never left the coach for a photo op. Every shot I got was through the moderately clean windows of the coach with or without sunlight reflections. To be candid, I enjoyed the slides offered by the cruise director in Port Talk: Callao (Lima), Peru much more than those I took from the bus.
After the disappointing shore excursion on Friday and after realizing I would miss “
Un Peru para Todos – Peru, Land of Customs and Traditions” performance on the ship’s World Stage and after noticing that the entire non-coach time would be walking or standing and after realizing that the NFL playoffs would be occurring simultaneously, I somewhat regretted not totally skipping the
Easy Lima tour and booking the
Lima by Night & Magic Fountains for Friday evening instead of Saturday. With a 1930 departure, I donned my Levi’s and took along my jacket. Our tour guide provided short, interesting narratives in a slightly accented but well-pronounced, easily understood English as the coach made its way through the “non-rush hour” traffic to Parque De La Reserva (Park of the Reserve), the location of the Magic Fountains (Circuito Mágico del Agua). When we left the coach to enter
Easy Lima Shore Excursion – Callao (Lima), Peru
The Parks Along the Coast in the Affluent Miraflores Area of Lima Are Nice the park, he walked very slowly so everyone could easily keep pace. Again, the tour guide you get is luck of the draw. We arrived at our viewing point about 15 minutes before the performance began. The light show depicted Peruvian history and was totally phenomenal!!! Since I cannot embed videos in my blog and since embedding a hyperlink to the entire 10:30 YouTube performance has been giving me fits, I will merely include a couple of stills to whet your appetite. You will have to Google “Circuito Mágico del Agua” yourself.
A multi-day stop in Lima, Peru is almost obligatory for the cruise ships; however, I can only find one reason for the independent traveler to visit Lima and that is to use it as a means of getting to Machu Picchu. The city is crowded, congested and unkempt, and the landmarks I saw were less than impressive; however, if one is here out of necessity, don’t rent a car, but enlist a day-tours service to take you from the hotel to the Circuito Mágico del Agua. You won’t be disappointed.
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