Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts

11 February 2012

Where have I been?!

Ok, so I remembered that I have this thing called a blog... and realized that lately I haven't been too good and keeping it updated. Honestly, I knew it would happen. It always does. Any blog, journal, diary begins with the thought, "I'm going to write in it all the time! I will have such a nice record of what I did and what God is doing!" And that quickly turns into, "Well, I'll write in it once a week/month/quarter and that way I'll be able to summarize what's going on!" And then it comes time to write and you can't remember what you were doing that kept you so busy you didn't have time to write before, and the daunting task of trying to summarize all that has happened since the last time you wrote makes you procrastinate because you don't know where to start, ...aaaaand next thing you know it has been two years.

Come on, I know I'm not the only one who does this.

Part of my problem is that I always set really high standards for what I write. I want to craft these well-written insightful profound blog posts. Then things get busy and I don't have the luxury of sitting around thinking brilliant thoughts and coming up with witty wording so I default to not writing at all. Thus, I'm trying to be better about not putting that much pressure on my blog. It's supposed to be fun, after all!

So let's see...run down of the last month. As you are aware, we spent two weeks in Chile for meetings. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and meeting new friends and catching up with others. Right after we returned, a worker from Caracas, for whom we've been doing a project, flew down for a week to go over last details. That meant an intense week of me doing little but editing more of the some 1700 images I captured in Caracas and working on prayer slideshows, etc. Throw in hosting team dinner, teaching some photo lessons, and all the regular work and house work, and it was a pretty crazy week.

In the midst of that, I got a surprise message from a friend in the states asking to come visit. With her flying standby, we were able to work it out so that she could arrive the day we wrapped up the meetings for the Caracas project. I would have wished for more prep time so I could really play hostess, but Laura was great and understanding guest and we had a really good time catching up and exploring the city. Our pretty sunny weather has been mostly replaced by heavy fog and clouds again, but at least it's still warmer. I loved having an excuse to visit the parts of town I rarely do and hit up some shopping in the Inca Market of course! And exploring with Laura reminded me of how much I love Peru and its awesome culture. It was a lot of fun having a familiar face from home and getting to laugh about old stories and enjoy some new memories. Here are a few favorite photos from our explorations when Laura was here:

Touring the ruins of Pachacamac outside of Lima.
Cathedral in Parque Kennedy at night. 
A performer dances during a cultural festival in downtown Lima. 

Department of Justice lit at night.

Marshlands near Pachacamac in the middle of the desert. 

Summer flowers in a Miraflores park.

Cultural performers in downtown Lima. 

Tree silhouetted against Miraflores buildings in the fog. 

A woman walks by an abandoned building in the Chinatown district of Lima. 

11 July 2011

Welcome to Lima

 Saturday we joined Patricia, the Affinity Office's administrative assistant and our awesome tour guide, for our first journey into Central Lima. Had a great time checking out the historic center of Lima including the Government Palace and the national cathedral. We wanted to hang around for the changing of the guard, and as an added bonus caught a mini-parade and drill exhibition with music while a wedding was trying to take place. Then the Peruvian Navy guys came into the square to take pics with anyone who wanted. Enjoy some shots of the day and some of my guide book's descriptions!

La Catedral-
The Cathedral dominates the eastern side of Plaza Mayor. Conquistador and founder of Lima, Francisco Pizarro carried the first log for the construction of the original adobe wall and the straw roof structure on this site in 1535. Construction began on the current Baroque-Renaissance-style structure in 1564. However, work stalled due to lack of funds and the devastating earthquakes of 1687 and 1746. The reconstruction ended in 1758, but it had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1940.

The Cathedral has 5 naves and 10 side chapels, with the smaller ones dedicated to religious figures. The chapel of John the Baptist has a carving of Jesus, said to be the most beautiful in the Americas. The remains of Francisco Pizarro lie in the mosaic-covered chapel to the right of the entrance. A headless body thought to be his languished in the crypt until tests in 1990 proved that the wrong remains were on display.

Palacio de Gobierno­­­-
Known also as the Casa de Pizarro, the Government Palace was built by Pizarro on the land once owned by Taulichusco, a pre-Hispanic chief of the Rimac Valley. It has been the seat of political power in Peru ever since, undergoing major reconstruction in the 1920s and 1930s following a fire. Inaugurated in 1938, the palace is a grand example of Colonial affluence. Rooms are festooned with mahogany and cedar carvings, French glass, Carrera marble, and Czech crystal. A marble staircase dominates the Grand Hall, which is flanked by busts of key figures in Peru’s history. The gilded Salon Dorado (Golden Room) is modeled on Versailles Palace’s Hall of Mirrors.

Cathedral decorated for the wedding

Man decorating the Cathedral for some religious festival.

The Archbishop's House
Cathedral
Literally the "other side of the tracks."

The bronze fountain was commissioned by the Count of Salvatierra, and Viceroy of Peru, in 1650. 

Military performance on one side, wedding on the other!

Watching the Navy perform. + Shark balloon

Highly entertaining.


Yes. That IS a nun posing with the Navy guys and their guns...
Aww.
She was having a great time!

Too cute.
No age limit!
Yep. Adorable.
Cathedral at night. 
Pedestrian street at night.