5/5/2025: Lima, Peru
Yesterday was a long travel day, lasting from around 6AM to around 11PM (local times). We arrived at the hotel, checked in, and slept well.
Our day began with a 6:30AM buffet breakfast at the hotel. We ate on the balcony overlooking Lima:
By 7AM, we loaded on to our bus with guide Renato and driver Walter:
We drove about 90 minutes through heavy Lima traffic, through the Atacama dessert, to the village of Pucusana. This village is known as the hub of a family fishing industry. We walked along the docks, a bit overwhelmed by the colors and sights and sounds and smells, and divided into two small boats. We motored our way into the harbor and around and island to view the wildlife:
We saw sea lions, boobies (blue-footed and Peruvian), Inca terns, Peruvian pelicans, blackish oystercatchers, black crowned night herons, neotropical cormorants, red-legged cormorants, gulls, and everyone's favorite: the Humboldt penguin (endemic to the South American coast served by the Humboldt current). The wildlife viewing was wonderful!
Upon returning, we walked through the fish market, where this biology/history nerd was thrilled to see some Humboldt squid:
We enjoyed viewing the beautiful village in the bright sunshine. The weather was perfect, around 75F, sunny, with a slight breeze.
We reboarded our bus and headed back toward Lima, stopping for lunch along the way. Peru, like several other South American countries I have visited, has a wonderful sandwich culture. The roasted pork and shredded chicken sandwiches (all served with a healthy topping of traditional Peruvian condiment aji amarillo [yellow pepper sauce]) was pretty great:
Any culture that values a great sandwich goes up in my estimation! (Who's with me on this?!?)
Next, we took a walking tour of the central historical district of Lima, led by our guide Renato:
Our first stop was the first house built in Lima in the 1540s and now occupied by the 16th generation of the same family. It operates as a museum covering Lima's deep history, highlighting the cultural contributions of many different cultures to modern Peru.
Next, we visited the historical central square, home to the presidential palace and the main cathedral:
I am happy to report that, for the first time on this trip, the students invoked Eric's Rule: Any time we walk past an ice cream shop, it's on Eric! We enjoyed a local specialty of condensed milk ice cream topped with cinnamon and goldenberry (a local berry similar to a cherry) sauce:
It was flavorful and delicious (if a bit icy for my palate).
Next we visited a local church famed for it's catacombs, which were filled with crypts displaying artfully arranged human skulls and femurs. (No photos of those here.)
After some more walking around downtown, we headed back to the hotel. We've got about 90 minutes of free time, and then off to dinner tonight. Afterwards, there should be some free time to explore the nightlife of the city. The neighborhood we are in (Miraflores) is a tourist/hotel district that is known to be safe and fun, so we encouraged the students to go our together (in groups, of course!).
Tomorrow, we leave at 5:20AM for our 8AM flight to Cusco. I hope to post another update from Cusco tomorrow night.
Everyone is happy and healthy and living this experience to the fullest. Thank you to New England College for providing this opportunity to our students!
As always, feel free to leave comments below, and I will communicate them to the students. Best wishes from Peru,
- Prof. Eric J. Simon (esimon@nec.edu)
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