Days 9-12

January 13, 2012 – Day 9 – In Transit to Trujillo, Peru

We had been told that a driver would come to take us to the airport at 7:30 AM. I was to get a Heparin shot at 6:00. We opted to get up at 5:30. I would get ready first. At 5:50, just as I finished dressing, the nurse arrived with my shot. This was perfect.

Alice and I were ready and waiting for breakfast, which usually arrives at 7:00. At 6:45 the driver walked in, and we departed for the airport. It was a beautiful and quick ride because we were going counter to rush hour. As a result, we were checked in at the airport by 7:30. Boarding for our flight to Lima was scheduled for 10:30. We had plenty of time to kill, so we stopped for breakfast. 2 muffins, a hot chocolate and a coffee cost $11.65. Don’t you love airports?

We found a great spot to read and/or people watch. People watching won out as fashions here are very diverse. The little children, like all little children, were fascinating to watch. We played the universal game of hide and seek with many. The little ones seemed intrigued by my white hair. They don’t see much of that around here.

Our mostly smooth flight to Lima on Copa Airlines lasted 3½ hours. It was right on time. They served a nice meal, and had an open bar cart. They offer a different rum every quarter. Ours was an excellent dark Panamanian rum. I Will be looking for it when we get home.

We deplaned, went through immigration, passed through customs and checked in for our flight to Trujillo. Leslie had not been able to contact the port agent when we last spoke, so I called her from the gate. Still no contact. We had no hotel in Trujillo or ride to the port, Salaverry. While I was on the phone, she used hotels.com to give me the names of hotels in Trujillo. I called Hotel Libertador. I was greeted in Spanish that quickly converted to English, when she heard me.  They had a room with a king sized bed and full breakfast for $110. We booked it sight unseen. They would send a driver to the airport to take us to the hotel. Bravo. Now we just had to get there.

Our on time flight landed on the only runway, after skimming over the ocean highway. We stopped at the end of the runway, and turned around to taxi to the terminal on the runway. No taxiways, but only 2 flights a day made us feel safe.

A driver with "FINN" on a sign greeted us in Spanish, and hustled us off to the city. A 30 minute ride for $7. Not bad. The hotel was beautiful. So was the room. We were too late to use the lovely pool, but no suits anyway.

The hotel was  directly across from the main square of the city. We dropped our stuff in the room, and headed out to explore. Wow! It was 7:15 and dark, but the well lit square was flowing with people enjoying a great Friday night. The plaza is about 2 blocks square with a large monument in the middle and marble walks that gleamed under the lights.

After a complete walk around the square, we crossed the street to the cathedral. It was brightly lit on the outside and still open. We went inside to discover a Mass in progress. The interior was fully illuminated. It was absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors, seven gilded altars and beautiful statuary adorned with fabric robes. We have been to many churches in our travels, but this one, in the small city of Trujillo, blew us away. We stayed for the Mass and were impressed by  the music.

We returned to the hotel and asked the desk clerk about a city map. She got one for us. and pointed out several churches and buildings. We had already discovered most of these. Then she dropped the bomb. Just the other side of the square was a walking street that ran for many blocks. She said that with many shops and restaurants it was very safe, even at night. Off we went again. Marvelous!

When we got back to stay, we inquired about a ride to Salaverry, the port about 10 miles away, where Prinsendam would arrive in the morning. She negotiated a fare with a local driver to pick us up at 9 in the morning.

January 14 – Day 10 - Trujillo, Peru

After a good night's sleep, not in a hospital bed, we had a super breakfast and went out for a last round of photos. We checked out at 8:45. The driver was already there. We headed off on an interesting ride through urban scenery to the pier. Arrived there at 9:30.

The ship looked beautiful! 


We boarded and went straight to our cabin. There we found a welcome back bottle of champagne from the captain and a beautiful floral  arrangement from Denise, in guest relations, who had helped Alice get off the ship. On our bed were hats from Panama night, the day we left, first aid kits that had been given out one night and rain panchos from another night. Our cabin attendants saw us coming and hustled to greet us. We were HOME.

We cannot say enough about how organized Holland America is for handling a medical emergency. They were so professional and so compassionate and helpful. We are really glad they are our cruise line of choice. We know that we do not have to worry about how we will be taken care of.

We had booked an 8 hour tour for today, but it had already departed. We asked to go on a 4 hour tour scheduled to leave at 10. We were told it was sold out, but we should wait on the dock in case of no-shows. We got the last 2 seats on the last bus. We were told that, although we had no ship stickers the ship escort knew we were OK. At the second stop I spotted this man. It was Dr. Horsley, who had sent me off the ship. We talked, and he told me there was never any question that he would allow us to come back. In fact, he had emailed the doctors to that effect well before they told us we were cleared to return. Much angst for nothing.

The tour was great. We visited the Temple of the Rainbow and Chan Chan, a large settlement with multiple palaces. These were pre-Inca ruins. Will do more research on them at home because they were very interesting.

Dinner was a treat. Our tablemates told us of the rumors that had circulated about us. They said that they got the straight story from our servers, who got the information from their boss. Privacy was maintained. They only discussed the schedule for our return. All the servers in our area of the dining room came over and celebrated our return. How nice!

January 15, 2012 –Day 11 - Lima, Peru

We have arrived in Callao, Peru, the port for Lima. It is very busy and highly industrial. We will be taken to the port gates by shuttle for safety sake. When we read this before leaving home, we thought it was a security issue. Instead, it is to protect us from being harmed by port equipment moving containers, cars, grain etc.

The ship also provided a shuttle all the way into suburban Lima about 45 minutes away. It let us off at a Marriott hotel in Miraflores. Directly across the street was a park with a multi-level mall below street level. It overlooks the ocean and beaches. This paralleled the ocean below. It includes nice shopping, many restaurants, movie theaters, game rooms etc. We spent a lot of time admiring the fountains and the view from street level before venturing to the lower levels. Even at the 3rd level down we were still well above sea level, atop the cliffs.

The shops were interesting, but it was just shopping. Then we saw several dress dummies adorned in Origami fashions. This was a free exhibit of astounding fashions all, done in Origami. We counted over 20 of these, each more beautiful than the last. We don’t think many of our fellow passengers experienced this, but we sure are glad that we did. It made our day.

January 16, 2012 - Day 12 – Lima, Peru

This is our 2^nd day at Lima. We do not leave until 10:30 tonight. Last night’s entertainment was a folk show provided by local performers. The singing, dancing and acrobatics were stunning. The costumes were absolutely beautiful.

Today we opted not to shuttle into town. After a leisurely breakfast, I got a haircut. Now it's time for reading and blogging. 


When I first thought of doing a blog, I wondered what I would have to say. Now I am wondering how to stop “saying” so you all won’t be bored to tears. Please, when I get to you, just page on.