When I arrived at the optical place to pick up my glasses, a new saleslady informed me that my glasses would not be ready for another 3 days! I was pretty locked into the planning that I had done, and I was very chocked at this communication breakdown, and I told her so...not that she cared, or that she even recognized that their misinformation was costing time and money. When I left the store with the strongest expletive I could muster, I think she got the message.
Reflecting on my actions, it is pretty clear that I have got myself into a habit of riding and more riding. I have had three days since that encounter to think about myself and my trip, and hopefully I will be able to pick up my glasses tonight and get on the road tomorrow.
I have had a full week in Lima, and I have managed to get a better sense of the city, as well as a better and deeper understanding of the history of Lima and of Peru. My enforced layover has also allowed me to slow down and take a look at the people that make up this city, and particularly the area surrounding Miraflores and the Parque Kennedy, which is adjacent to my hostal, the Flying Dog.
Yesterday, I took an all day tour of the city. I had prepared with sunscreen and water, but I also picked up a bug at breakfast, so I was not far from a toilet for most of the tour. It amazes me how quickly my stomach reacts to a bug. I ended up getting some medicine, with more on that later...
My ride for the day
JFK enjoying the morning sun
Our Flag..
Some colonial buildings in the old part of town..
Fortaleza Real Felipe....
These four girls were on duty, I think....
The Kings Tower was the highpoint of the fort, and after a couple of hours, we would get there...
Lots of statues of guys with swords and guns....
This is a military fort and the main defense for Lima....so lots of cannons and stuff....
Another view of the Tower....
These guys lobbed shells at the Chileans in their latest war...
This guy did not go quietly into the Night....
I don't think I could have lifted this sword, let alone swing it in anger....
Apparently the pirates were an ongoing threat to Lima, because of the gold shipments and other treasures. I think a lot of the pirates were also English privateers....
A huge anchor in the square from the 1700's....
There was a terrible earthquake and tsunami in 1746, virtually wiping out the city. I believe that this same wave wiped out an Nutka village in North Western Washington state....The quake must have been huge..
More artillery pieces
some tanks...
Cannons...
Heading towards the Kings Tower. The fort parapets are constructed in such a way so that there is a field of fire for the cannons which covers all of the approaches to Lima....
Remembering of course that the fort was built as state of the art defenses in 1748, and therefore the defenses are somewhat static...
The Kings' tower is approached by a series of tunnels which encircle the interior of the Tower..
The top of the Tower gives a view of the whole harbour....
Can you see the conning tower of the Sub in the distance??
The Lima docks...
A static display of the present-day Police vehicles, including motos...
Moto rumours have it that there is a brand new KTM lost somewhere in the depths of the Lima docks...ship from Lima at your own peril...
It took a crew of 8 to man each cannon, so at least the defense of Lima was labour intensive...
An interesting feature of the Tower were the "light tunnels" which were built into the construction, in order to draw sunlight into the deepest depths of the Tower...
We stopped for Lunch at a very up-scale scene, which turned out to be the social club for naval officers, police officers and others of that class. Swimming pools and a very "country club" atmosphere. The military and its cousins hold a high place in Lima society....
Next stop was a nearby Naval Museum. This is a model of Thor Hyerdahls' raft, the Kon Tiki. He completed his voyage in 1947, and I remember reading about him in elementary school. Of course, in those days, we were still taught that Mesopotamia and Egypt were the beginnings of civilization as we knew it. There never was any discussion of the civilizations that were flourishing in South America concurrent to, and in some cases, before the Pyramids...
I believe this is a model of the Thermopylae...
Tommy's gun....
A 12 ga. used as a line gun...
A more "modern" Marine...
Sketches of a pre-Colombian navy guy....
These guys are fishing for their dinner...
I think that this guy has caught more than he bargained for...
I can relate to getting my lines in a knot....
There was a map showing the different research stations in Antarctica...
Looks more like a suit for a Canadian winter than the Antarctic...
And then some girls who lived on various bowsprits...
Early tools to find the Tropic of Capricorn, and other important Latitudes...
Some examples of different cannons and their balls... The 500 lb cannon could lob that big one over 4000 meters. That is pretty serious artillery by any standards...
Outside static display of a Police chopper...
Elevation wheel for a 500 pound cannon...
Down to the docks for another display: the propeller end of a torpedo...
One big torpedo. The Peruvian navy had functional submarines by 1850.....
That profile sure looks like a 28' Hourston to me...
Diving planes on the for end of the sub...
The conning tower...
At the business end, with two torpedo tubes...
Lots gauges to keep the submariners busy....
Not much headspace...
Communications guy...
Watertight doors...
State of the art communications...
The periscope...
Depth sounder and fishfinder...
Steering....
Up to the conning tower....
Where's the biffy??
Somebody has been on the john for a long time...
Pollo...
Diesels....(I am guessing here)
This is not meant for tall guys...
Whats that leaking sound???
Aft torpedo tubes...
I know a couple of pirates from the Nanaimo/Duncan area who could use this flag....
I finally received my new glasses. Another screw up, but I cannot wait any longer. They are fine for reading and watching my gauges, but they aren't any good for distances, so I guess I will be peering over them while riding. I think that my eyeglasses have been the biggest pain in the ass so far this trip. When I broke two pairs in one day in Mexico, I began to realize how much I depend upon them for reading and the like. The past week has been frustrating, to say the least.
I was going to talk about the people that I have met during my interlude in Lima: the drifters, scammers, hookers and pickpockets. I think that rather than discussing what people seem to have to do to survive in this city, I will talk a little bit about a guy I met today....
His name is Miguel, and he was born in Lima, but went to New York city when he was 3 or 4. His mom took him and his sister from Lima, through South and Central America to Guatemala and Mexico. His Dad, who was in New York, had to pay the Mexican coyotes $10,000.00 to get the three of them across the border into the States. He says the terrorists here in Lima during the 80's were killing people, and his Mom had to get out. She somehow managed to get herself and two little kids from Lima to New York. Now, that is a story of courage..
I have planned a route north, into Ecuador. Some of the routing is questionable, largely because of issues around coca growers in the region close to Amazonas, as well as the state of some of the roads. Blondy and I don't like mud much, and we will consider the route as it unfolds. I hope to be able to avoid the hot coastal PanAmerican, as Uli and I rode it down, and there is not sense in going over old tracks...we shall see.
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