Picture This

Today was our last day in Lima and it was a more relaxed, leisure filled day.  We decided to walk to Burranco, which is one of Lima's 43 districts.  The beginning of the walk took us back along the ocean.  I never tire of an ocean breeze or an ocean view. 

Burranco is charming and picturesque. It is considered romantic and bohemian. We wandered the streets with nothing specific in mind, other than to see what we could discover.  We discovered quaint streets and a walkway to the ocean. 

There was an area of stately homes. 

There was a church that had been destroyed in an earthquake in 1940, that only had the front restored.  The unrestored portion shows the original construction materials, dating back to around 1750. 

We found a great patio at a restaurant where we had a leisurely lunch and coffees. 

Tomorrow morning we fly to Cusco.  Check back for more Peruvian adventures. 

Blood, Sweat and Fears

Domingo, November 2nd, a day that became very sunny and warm. We did a lot of walking - 10 miles to be precise, as told to me by my Fitbit.  Walking in the hot sunny day explains the 'sweat' part of my title. 

Firstly we walked to the sea (aka the Pacific Ocean). Lima is built on the cliffs above the ocean and we had wonderful views of the ocean, waves, surfers.  

Then we went to the huge market that sold all manner of food products and household items. The food products always have a strange allure, despite the various animal parts on display and fishy smells.  We ate in the market with the locals and I had some food that had some questionable meats in it but tasted quite good, although a little tough. ? Guinea Pig. I didn't want to know. 

While walking we happened upon a parade of a band on horseback, dressed in full regalia. 

Our highlight of the day was going to a bullfight, which has been on Dale's bucket list apparently.  The arena was in a poorer part of Lima and as we got closer we observed tenements on a steep hillside. 

When we got to the arena we mingled on the streets with the crowds of (mostly) men drinking beer and numbers of people grilling meats and frying donuts. Most of the people were obviously from the area and we were obviously in the minority being Caucasian, English speaking women. 

The bullfight. Fascinating and interesting but also brutal. Six bulls were killed.  As the matador performed his ritualistic moves, cheers of "ole" rang throughout the arena and when the bull dropped to it's death, with blood dripping from it, more cheers were heard. The "fears"were mine.  I feared for the bull's death, actually  hoping at one time that the bull would be the winner.  Matadors did get knocked down, one got thrown in the air and was was gored but all got up to continue to fight. 

One bull toppled over a picador and his horse. The bull was always the loser. 

A great day. Until the next post.....

Ole

Lima

Dale and I arrived in Lima, Peru late this morning.  The city is massive - 8.5 million.  Compare that to Vancouver's 600,000. It is loud with the honking of horns and traffic is chaotic.  There were a lot of vehicles that were old and rusty and beat-up looking, especially a lot of taxis. We had a ride in a taxi this afternoon that one could only describe as a death trap. I am not sure what was holding it together.  The interior was dirty, the seats were torn, and when I sat down I thought I was going to land on the ground. We chose better the next time. 

We checked into a beautiful room at a B&B that opens out onto an enclosed courtyard and I am very happy to call it home for a few days. 

I think I should have spent more time learning Spanish.  Every other place I have been I tried to learn some of the language only to find English widely spoken.  I was surprised at how little "Inglis" was spoken today but we managed to get by, thanks mostly to Dale. 

We spent the afternoon going to the Historic Centre of Lima and looking at the buildings, marveling at the cathedrals and taking a guided tour of the San Francisco Monastery and it's catacombs. The photo shows skulls and bones laid to rest at the bottom of a "well".  

We did the usual North wandering through parks and plazas. There is a Parque Kennedy, that is in the Miraflores district that we are staying in, that is home to about 80 cats that roam the park.  They are taken care of by volunteers and look healthy and happy. This evening we found many of them sitting by  lights, possibly for the warmth.  This was also the park that featured a lot of artists selling their paintings. I am sure I shall own a new piece of art before the end of my trip. 

The weather is perfect with temperatures hovering in the mid to high teens. Cool enough to be great for endless walking and warm enough for outside eating. Time to get a good nights sleep as last night was spent on the plane. 

BLou  

Eat, Walk, Shop

Three days in Vancouver and I really did very little other than eat, walk and shop. On one day alone I walked 24,077 steps, or 15.72 kilometers. This is according to my Fit Bit. I walked from downtown to the West End, to Gas Town and Chinatown. Glorious walking weather with the warmth of the sun and the slight coolness of the air joining to create a perfect temperature.  

Along the walks were street performers, artists and a "Gumhead" which is a seven foot high head created by Douglas Coupland as an art instalation outside the art gallery. It is an interactive piece of art where people have been sticking their chewed chewing gum all summer.  The result is Gumhead. 

Another walk took me past the apartment building I lived in in 1968/69. It looks a little worn but is still standing. It holds many wonderful memories. 

Every trip to Vancouver involves several restaurants. This one was no exception. There was Japanese food at Osaka Sushi, Malaysian food at the Banana Leaf, Thai food at Sala Thai, and Ukrainian food at the Ukrainian  Village. 

Dale and I discovered a new restaurant on Main Street called The Wallflower that serves delicious tofu dishes for breakfast and Chill Winston did not disappoint with its food or its wonderful patio. 

 

No visit to Vancouver would be complete without having something to eat from one of the many food carts. My choice this time was Mr. Shawarma, that served a very delicious Middle Eastern wrap. 

I love eating from food carts and although Vancouver has some good carts it cannot rival Portland, which has been dubbed the best place to have street food, with hundreds of carts throughout the city. 

I tried a few in Portland last year but it would take several,trips there to make a dent in their selection. 

My next trip will be to Peru in a month's time so stay tuned.........

Salt Spring Island

It was a relaxing three hour ferry ride from Tsawwassen to Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island.  We stopped at Galiano, Mayne and Pender islands before disembarking on Salt Spring.  The day started out with rain but the clouds parted and the sun shone and it was nice to be on the outside decks with the ocean's gentle breeze and the warm sun, marvelling at some of the majestic homes along the way. 

We checked into the Salt Spring Inn, which is on the list of historic buildings, having been built in the early part of the 20th century.  The Inn has only seven rooms and we had one of only two rooms with a private bath. On our first night we were awakened at midnight by a fire alarm and proceeded outside to escape a possible inferno. It turned out to be some smoke in the kitchen that was easily explained away, but I cannot recall the details of the explanation. 

The major reason for my visit here was to visit Gwen and she accompanied us as we explored the island and was an excellent tour guide. The island has many artists and artisans and eclectic shops with names like 'Stuff and Nonsense'.  We ate seafood at Vesuvius Bay and clam chowder at Fulford Harbour. We visited the Saltspring Island Cheese Company where the tasting room provided one with enough samples to call it a lunch.  We watched the boats come and go in Ganges Harbour and made sure we didn't hit any of the many deer that roam the island. 

Yesterday we walked along an enchanted trail in search of a faerie village. We wandered through a tropical paradise with trees too tall to let the sun in, where moss covered everything and it was so quiet that not even a bird was heard. We walked past doorways, garden doors and interesting mossy creatures and finally came upon the faerie village. 

We continued to walk until we ended up at a little pebbly beach at the edge of Ruckle Park. It is secluded as it is only accessed by hiking or boating. 

My favorite photo from Salt Spring is the one with the fog over Ganges Harbour.

Next stop Vancouver. 

The long and winding road

I am en route to the coast to cross another destination off of my bucket list, that destination being  Saltspring Island. Gwen, how many years ago did you move to Saltspring?  It would be about that many that I have told you that I was going to visit.  Well, the time is now. I am currently in a hotel in Tsawwassen and will be catching the ferry tomorrow morning. 

Today was a beautiful autumn day to be driving and with Charlotte as my traveling companion we headed out on the Crows Nest Highway, more familiarly referred to as the Hope Princeton Highway.  It is a slower, more scenic route and we stopped along the way at Olalla, Keremeos and Hedley. The trees are beginning to turn color, and even though they are not in full color, the fruit stands in Keremeos displayed their autumnal pumpkins and gourds. 

I love stopping in Hedley. It is quaint and charming......well, sort of, and maybe just a little weird, but that only adds to its allure.  It has a gold mining history so I could add it to the gold trails and ghost towns I have been to this year. 

No drive along this route would be complete without a stop in Hope at The Blue Moose.  They have delicious soups, scones and sandwiches and they brew a great cup of coffee.  That is a lot of customer satisfaction. 

We arrived at our destination in Tsawwassen and imagine my surprise when i walked into the lobby of the hotel and saw my name on a board declaring me the special guest of the day. This meant that I got a goodie bag and was upgraded to a suite. Woo Hoo. 

A great first day of a new road trip and Charlotte, if you read this, you have been a great traveling  companion. Don't let it go to your head though, we have a few days left together.  😉

The Road Home

It was just another BC highway but to me it was a road never travelled so i looked forward to the drive. 

It was the road that people associated with hot springs - Radium, Fairmont, which apparently are big attractions  -  but not to me.  I could never see the appeal of sitting around in a pool of water, half naked, with a bunch of strangers.  Besides, I don't own a bathing suit.  About 20 years ago I had a photo of myself in a bathing suit in Hawaii and decided not to wear one again. Oh, to have that body now!

Let's get back on track, to the trippin' down the highway.  We did stop and have a look around Radium Hot Springs. There were a bunch of half naked people sitting shoulder to shoulder in a pool of water, and the setting was next to the highway ....... enough said. 

The drive was lovely. We screeched to a stop to get a closer look at a beautiful green lake.  On closer look I think it was the reflection of the trees that gave it the green color but it was the perfect opportunity to stop and enjoy the scenery.  

Dale had been lamenting the lack of wild life seen on the trip when we came upon a moose grazing along the highway. Undeterred by the numbers of people stopping to look at it, we were able to get a photo. 

We drove into a little place called Canal Flats. I believe it is home to a sawmill and a few hundred people, and this .......

Kimberley, BC, dressed up to look like a Bavarian mountain town, was charming with it's architecture and the smells of bratwurst wafting through the air.  We wandered through the pedestrian streets and put money into the town cuckoo clock, which is apparently the largest cuckoo clock in the world.  One dollar will get a moustachioed man to come out of the clock and begin yodelling. 

We decided to spend the night in Creston and found a little room at the Creston Hotel, above Johnny's Bar.  An unassuming room, it was located downtown which was perfect for evening strolling after dinner.  We found a restaurant called Real Food Cafe, which specialized in local meats, cheeses and produce.  If you are ever in Creston you really should go there. 

The evening stroll resulted in this photo taken in the gloaming.  In this instance the Norths were not wandering but rather "roaming in the gloaming". 

In the morning  it was time to start the final drive home. A drive into Salmo and a stop at the Dragonfly.  Oh my god, the Dragonfly......not the inn, and Lorelai would not be there to greet me, but the name alone was enough to stop.  It was a coffee shop and it was .....okay, i need to find some synonyms for quaint, charming, delightful. 

It is time to wrap up the trip.  We saw more wild life.......

.......and enjoyed the scenery.....

 and of course we had borscht in Grand Forks and stopped at the antique store in Rock Creek,

and, a drive on that stretch of highway would not be complete without a stop in Bridesville.  There are no businesses, no services and only about 30 residences. A google search says very little other than there is a scrap dealer there. I have never seen anyone there, although we did hear a dog barking, so there is life. 

I have driven many miles (miles still sounds better than kilometers) on British Columbia highways this summer. More to go........Pat, a trip to Terrace is still on my to-do list but it may have to wait until next year.  

Thanks for trippin' along with me 

Lou.