Live - SIlver Explorer October 25 2017, Guayaquil to Valparaiso

[jpalbny]

Probably a lot biased JP! :) It is really stunning (without the bias)!

 

It was my favorite too. I even bought a souvenir of Misti.

 

We once flew from Arequipa to Puno. The pilot flew a scenic flight through all the volcanos. It was quite spectacular.

 

Wow, that sure sounds like a beautiful flight path. Lucky you!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

Silversea now uses the Quiet Vox type devices for most tours and they work quite well.

 

We started in the Plaza de Armas, which is a staple of every Spanish colonial city. The massive cathedral occupies one full side of the square. Here is our first view of the facade.

 

 

And one of the towers, close up. And a picture of a tourist, taking a picture of the cathedral.

 

 

Not the actual cathedral, but part of the gate - the one I'm standing in, blocking Chris' picture, above.

 

 

The Plaza itself was a beautiful park with lots of greenery. We wandered in for a few minutes while the others were busy making a bathroom stop. The view of the Cathedral was quite nice. Interestingly, this is one of the sides, not the front. A bit of a different orientation.

 

 

On the other sides there are colonnaded buildings, where you can walk under the second floor balconies. A very traditional design, but very picturesque.

 

 

The sun was out and though there was a chill in the air, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. So far, this is a city that looks very inviting!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

Once everybody had been fetched from the washroom, we exited from the Plaza de Armas and had a quick stop at the Church of the Company of Jesus. It's on a narrow street off one corner of the Plaza, and our lens angles were not wide enough to catch it all.

 

 

Ornate stone work on the façade.

 

 

We ducked into the cloister, for a photo opportunity. A pretty fountain in the center.

 

 

Typical design, but nice columns.

 

 

An overview.

 

 

This was an unexpected sighting. What is this doing here? Can we stop?

 

 

Since it was only 10:00, we didn't storm the wine bar. And remember, it was only 9:00 in Arequipa, so it definitely wasn't open for business yet. The sun was brilliant on the white stone. Nice day for pictures!

[mysty]

What a beautiful place! Amazing photos!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

A few more shots of the cloisters. I really liked the beautiful decorative columns.

 

 

Detailed stone work.

 

 

Gargoyles! I'm surprised that they need them. The average rainfall here is 4 inches (96 mm). That's the total for a full YEAR! No wonder the stone structures look so pristine.

 

 

More columns.

 

 

And a vaulted ceiling overhead.

 

 

This church looks pretty good for being built around 1650.

 

Back out to the Plaza de Armas. Next stop is the mummy museum!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

Then we walked back across the Plaza des Armes for more photos. The cathedral and the mountains.

 

 

An overview from the far side of the Plaza.

 

 

More mountains. I couldn't get enough of this beautiful sky!

 

 

Next stop was the mummy museum. No pictures here - we had to store everything in a room that they set aside for us. So the outer courtyard is all that I have for you, before my camera and cell phone were safely stored away.

 

 

***

 

This museum is devoted to the mummies of Inca sacrificial victims, which have been found atop several high Andean peaks. The body of one of them (Juanita) is displayed inside a glass-walled freezer. It's a little foggy so you don't get a clear view, but you see enough. Her body is well-preserved enough to make it a little creepy.

 

The mummies were discovered by chance in the mid 1990s. After Sabancaya erupted, the hot ash fell on a glacier atop another mountain (Mount Ampato), causing it to partially melt, exposing the bodies. Juanita's body rolled partly down the mountain, where it was discovered by a climbing expedition.

 

Human sacrifice is by its nature a little twisted, and makes you uncomfortable, but the museum was well-done and interesting to see. There is an informational film which you see prior to visiting the exhibits, and the film attempts to explain, almost justify, why these children were sacrificed. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop judging their practices against a modern perspective, so it was simultaneously interesting and horrifying. Things were very different then.

 

The museum also contains artifacts from the burial sites, and is certainly worth a visit if you are here. Here is a link to the website, mostly in Spanish: http://www.ucsm.edu.pe/museo-santuarios-andinos/ but it has a few pictures including one of Juanita.

 

***

 

A pretty nice hotel here, across from the museum. Would it be creepy to stay next door to the mummies?

 

 

After that we had a slow stroll across town for more sights, as we headed to the the Santa Catalina Monastery.

Edited December 5, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

Back through the Plaza de Armas. It's getting more crowded, as people meet up in the square.

 

 

Flowers in bloom, with one of the Cathedral Towers in the background. I love Spring.

 

 

From the Plaza, a pedestrianized street leads onward, towards the monastery.

 

 

And this little passageway - Pasaje de la Catedral. Looks like a nice place for a break!

 

 

We arrived at the monastery and gathered in the entryway. It suddenly looked a little darker.

 

 

This is a neat phenomenon! I love solar halos, or whatever you want to call them. The clouds are very high and thin, but they must have some ice crystals in them - beautiful!

 

 

Now, back to your monastery tour.

[RachelG]

We stayed at the hotel right on the plaza. There was a big political rally going on as the presidential election was getting ready to happen, and one of the main candidates, who won in the end, was making a speech. We got to watch it from our hotel.

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

After taking my time to photograph the sun halo, I had fallen behind the group a little bit. I hurried into the monastery, and caught up with them at a set of cloisters.

 

 

From a different angle.

 

 

There was a lot of artwork inside, tucked into the ceiling niches.

 

 

More of the artwork.

 

 

And vaulted ceilings. Look familiar? I like the exposed brick here.

 

 

Our guide took us to yet another set of cloisters. The courtyard of this one was painted a beautiful shade of blue.

 

 

We stayed here for while, enjoying the shade and the quiet.

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru - Santa Catalina Monastery

 

So the first cloister that we visited (plain grey pillars) was the Claustro Novicias - the Cloister of the Novices.

 

Now we are in the Claustro de los Naranjos - or the Cloister of the Orange Trees.

 

 

That must explain the blue color!

 

 

Outside the cloister, we passed some living quarters. Calle Cordova led onward.

 

 

The mountain views were incredible today, though. Beauty everywhere we looked.

 

 

Further on, next to the cemetery, was an unusual fountain. Water flowing down the central trough could be diverted into the side basins, for washing or other uses.

 

 

We moved on to a nice garden, where we relaxed for a time. A very pretty setting. There were benches if you wanted to sit and enjoy the ambience.

 

 

But, time to get moving. We might need to eat soon.

Edited December 6, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru - Santa Catalina Monastery

 

Onward, along Calle Sevilla. You can see the dome of the monastery's church from here.

 

 

And a bell, above a tiny chapel. This design reminds me of the small churches on Greek Islands.

 

 

The fountain in Plaza Zocodover. It's amazing that this monastery is like a little city. The walkways and plazas all have official street names!

 

 

We took the opportunity to climb up to a mirador, right near the dome of the church. The views were great today. Here is Chris, with Misti.

 

 

And Chachani. The steps to the mirador are steep and narrow, so be warned. But the views were worth it.

 

 

Almost done now. Back through another cloister, Claustro Mayor (Greater Cloister), and into the Pinacoteca (gallery). Some interesting art here, but not much time to look closely.

 

 

Now, I think we've earned our lunch. It has been a really nice visit to Arequipa. But it is 12:30 by the ship's time, and we haven't eaten since before 7:00. I think that they are trying to starve us!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

We walked about two blocks, from the monastery to Casa del Moral. After that effort, they had Pisco Sours for us at the doorway. We grabbed tables and washed up for lunch.

 

Lunch was tasty, and they served huge portions! The tuna causa here was an appetizer, but it was so big that it could have been a full lunch. It was too tasty to leave any, though.

 

 

The chicken course that they served as a main was very nice too.

 

 

And dessert - queso helado, which translates to "frozen cheese." However, "cheese ice cream" is the term that they used for it. The dish is reported to be a local delicacy. It was like a dense milk-based custard that had been frozen without being churned, so there were ice crystals and the texture was different.

 

Not bad, and it tasted similar to ice cream, but I was too full to finish all of it.

 

 

The lunch was served with your choice of wine, and they did come around to refill glasses, so it was a good meal all around. There was also music to accompany our meal.

 

 

And a real surprise! When we were walking around after lunch, we saw a hummingbird in its nest, right in the tree that sits in the middle of the dining room! A rather unique photo opportunity, as we remember from Lima that these guys do not sit still very often!

 

 

It's not an illusion! I can't believe that this bird is just sitting in its nest while 20 people crowd around to take pictures.

 

 

We had about an hour of free time before the bus left for Matarani, so we decided to wander the city and maybe do some shopping.

Edited December 6, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

We headed out from Casa del Moral, and strolled along the pedestrian passageway behind the Cathedral which we had seen earlier. This cafe looks nice, but we're pretty full!

 

 

At the other end of the passageway, the Casona Tristan del Pozo, now housing a bank and an art gallery.

 

 

Beautiful building! It even had gargoyles. For a place with so little rain, they do seem to prepare for it.

 

 

Across from the Cathedral, in the opposite direction from the Plaza de Armas, there is a pedestrian street with merchants. Imaginatively named, Calle Mercaderes!

 

 

A few nice old buildings here - another one that is now a bank.

 

 

And the Municipal Theater of Arequipa.

 

 

We had some time for shopping time left after our little walk, which we used to full advantage. I had 19 Peruvian Soles from our last visit in 2011, and I found a cheap souvenir shop.

 

I managed to spend 17.5 of them on a ceramic figure, and a new hat. The hat might appear in future pictures. The ceramic figure must have been inspired by the Moche, so it's not making an appearance in this blog.

 

Now, back to the buses for the long ride home!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

We were back at 2:30 like we'd been told...or so we thought. We loaded up the buses and waited. The other buses started off. We waited while the guides counted and recounted the number of people in our group.

 

The last person showed up a little before 2:45. I thought he'd be thrown overboard by the rest of the passengers. But in his defense, the guide had first said 2:45, then changed it to 2:30.

 

So we headed out. The farmers were making hay at the edge of town. Or I assumed that's what they were doing.

 

 

Once out of the city, the roads were fairly flat and straight for a while. We did eventually catch the other buses, so no time lost because of the late departure.

 

 

The desert landscape was pretty in the afternoon light.

 

 

Then we got into the mountainous part of the journey. Time to hold on, as it's getting curvy here.

 

 

As we descended the coastal mountain range, the clouds came into sight.

 

 

Getting foggy again, just like this morning! These coastal mountains really block the fog. The weather up here is much different.

 

 

I think that's about it for the sunlight today.

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa and Matarani, Peru

 

Into the tunnel.

 

 

Here's my new hat. I hope Mysty likes it! Unfortunately I should have picked up a cheap pair of sunglasses, because I noticed that mine were broken shortly after boarding the bus. I hadn't brought a backup pair. Time to get out the superglue, I guess.

 

 

We passed by a local market in Matarani before reaching the pier. I didn't see sunglasses for sale. Probably not much use for them here!

 

 

We were home a little before 5 and thought we'd have a nice relaxing evening. The canapés in the suite tonight were eagerly welcomed.

 

 

We were surprised, but pleased, to see a nice handwritten certificate from SS in our room to commemorate the two of us achieving 100 sea days on board this journey. We had expected the invite to the Venetian Society party, but we were even more surprised to find an invitation to dine at the new Captain's table tonight!

 

You may recall that we had changed captains mid-voyage. They had brought the new Captain on in Guayaquil, but asked the old captain to continue on for a few days. So we’d just met the new Captain at the briefing yesterday, as I have written.

 

So we did a few laps around the deck, instead of doing many more like we had wanted, and got one last look at Matarani. Not much of a sunset tonight, I'm afraid. The fog is intense.

 

 

We got dressed up a little bit for tonight. The Venetian party was low-key, but we were recognized for our 100-day milestone, which was nice.

 

Dinner was the Venetian dinner, and it was quite tasty. Tonight's menu:

 

 

No food pictures, as I would have felt self-conscious taking pictures of our food during dinner with the captain, but the food and the company were great. The captain regaled us with all sorts of sailing and traveling stories, and it was very enjoyable, not formal or overdone like it could be. He seems like a super nice guy, down to earth, and very outgoing.

 

I had beef carpaccio, bucatini cacio e pepe, and a delicious rack of lamb. Chris had caprese salad, gnocchi, and mushroom risotto. Desserts were tiramisu and panna cotta. Even the wines were Italian tonight; they served a nice Pinot Grigio and a Primitivo.

 

After dinner we headed straight off to bed, as we have a 12-hour trip tomorrow which will take us to 4500m altitude. And we lose another hour of sleep tonight, because of the last part of the time change. Peru and Chile are really only one time zone apart, but Chile uses DST and Peru does not. So Chile is 2h ahead, and we complete that time change tonight. Sweet dreams, I hope!

[mysty]

Congrats on the 100 day milestone JP and Chris! Beautiful pictures! And amazing hat! Love it!

[spinnaker2]

Welcome to Free Laundry!

 

Thanks to you I am enjoying Peru all over again...great pictures of a great trip!

One of those trips where everything just seems perfect, or darn near close to it.

How wonderful for you both!

[jpalbny]

Congrats on the 100 day milestone JP and Chris! Beautiful pictures! And amazing hat! Love it!

 

Thanks M! Chris thinks my hat looks goofy. But it did keep me from frying my ears in the tropical sun! :cool:

 

Welcome to Free Laundry!

 

Thanks to you I am enjoying Peru all over again...great pictures of a great trip!

One of those trips where everything just seems perfect, or darn near close to it.

How wonderful for you both!

 

The free laundry is going to be great. Can't wait to try it out on our next cruise! We had free laundry with our upgraded suite so that was a nice preview. Otherwise we would have had to pack a lot more.

 

This trip really was spectacular in many ways. The itinerary was so interesting and the stops, and the tours, were well put together. The crew was great too, and the food and wine aspect of the cruise was the icing on the cake. I was a little nervous about that going in, as I've read other reviews saying that Explorer doesn't do this type of cruise very well. But that was not our experience here. It was astonishingly good, and much better than I expected.

 

And the whole time, we kept thinking to ourselves...this is essentially a repositioning cruise! They travel this way once or twice a year - and they are doing such a great job of it. We came away really impressed with SS all over again. And we wondered why we had waited three years since our last cruise before coming on this one. What had we been thinking?

 

**

 

So now, we have reached the halfway point of the cruise, and it's time to leave Peru and head to Chile for the second half. We all have been pretty impressed with the cruise so far.

 

Food has been better than expected. Wines are good but they are almost all Chilean, though if I could nitpick I'd have liked to see some Peruvian wines. They do exist but I guess not in quantities sufficient to satisfy a Silversea crowd?

 

Staff has been outstanding as per SS' usual standards. The guest chefs, and David Bilsland, have done a super job engaging with the passengers, and the special lunch meals on the back deck are something new for us. David and/or the guest chefs have been cooking in the dining room frequently as well.

 

I have long since given up on moderation for this cruise. Bring on the food and wine! There will be time for being sensible when we get home.

 

Explorer herself is a quirky little gem of a ship and we felt like we were back at home. I love all of the hidden spaces on Deck 7 where you can go and usually be alone. We put a lot of time in walking on Deck 6, and I liked that the deck isn't all on the same level - you have a few steps to climb on every lap. It keeps it interesting!

 

This cruise we actually went in the hot tubs a few times, and we went to the gym. So we took full advantage of most of the amenities, though we never went to the spa. I actually found something useful at the boutique as well.

 

Of the places that we visited, I found myself drawn very strongly to Arequipa. I am usually not enamored of most cities in South America, but this one seemed different. I don't know why - maybe it was the setting? But both of us want to go back.

 

***

 

Back to the blog, once I get more pictures organized... Lots to come, from Chile, and also Easter Island!

[RachelG]

Congrats on 100 days. Bring on the free laundry. George and I are at 82, so getting close. Will make it not on our next cruise but the one after.

[carefreecruise]

Congrats on 100 days. Bring on the free laundry. George and I are at 82, so getting close. Will make it not on our next cruise but the one after.

 

and don't forget the extra 5%....

[jpalbny]

Congrats on 100 days. Bring on the free laundry. George and I are at 82, so getting close. Will make it not on our next cruise but the one after.

That is an exciting perk! Especially since we are considering a weeklong pre-cruise trip next time. Will be great to board and have laundry available without fighting for an empty machine.

and don't forget the extra 5%....

Absolutely! So nice to see that deduction on the invoices for our next two cruises. :D

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Arica, Chile

 

I woke up around 4:00 for a bit, because of a tickle in my throat and an annoying cough, but managed to get back to sleep again until 6:00. The ship has been moving a lot and this has seemed to interfere with our sleeping too.

 

Oh well, there's a long bus ride for more sleep if need be! Today is a 12-hour excursion. Not the longest one planned, as they are breaking us in gently. This is a "training run" for the 16-hour odyssey to the Atacama Desert in a few days.

 

 

 

We were already pulling into the port by 7:00, so it made for less movement while we were getting ready, which was a welcome change. Showering is much easier when you have both hands available!

 

After a quick breakfast we thought we had ample time to pack up for an 8:00 departure, but at 7:30 they announced that we could disembark whenever we wanted. Of course, in our mind, that means now! So we ran out and grabbed a nice looking bus. Looks comfortable enough...but I hope that they have packed wine! ;)

 

 

In my haste to get everything ready, I had not put my good camera into our backpack, and I forgot to grab it. Luckily I saw that it was missing while we were still at the pier before we left, and I was able to make a mad dash back on the boat to grab it! Today should be some amazing scenery, if I am not too hypoxemic to enjoy it!

 

I ordinarily would not have been worried about the altitude, given that we've been to almost 14K feet before without issues. But we are both getting over those nasty colds that have been going around, and I seemed to get it worse than Chris did. So I wondered whether that might affect my altitude fitness. Only one way to find out! Onward, and upward! Let's climb!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Arica, Chile

 

We headed out at 8:00 and made a number of stops to break up the climb. It was misty by the coast, as usual in this part of the world.

 

 

Pretty mountains in the distance, just catching the early morning light. Not the Andes yet. Only the coastal range.

 

 

There were geoglyphs to see, here on the dry sides of the Lluta River Valley. Llamas, or another camelid species?

 

 

Giant human figures in the distance, and other animals as well.

 

 

Not sure what all of these geoglyphs are supposed to represent. The big one looks like a condor to me.

 

 

Back into the bus. 8:30AM. Only eleven and a half hours to go.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Arica, Chile

 

At 9:00 we arrived in the village of Poconchile. It doesn't look like the Poconos to me. We were here for a stop at the Church of San Jeronimo.

 

 

The graveyard behind the church was decorated very nicely, as yesterday had been All Saints' Day. So the people here had been busy, cleaning and decorating the graves of their relatives. It was very colorful here!

 

 

Even here, only 1800 feet / 550 meters above sea level, and 15 miles (25 km) inland, the sky has cleared nicely. Looks like another beautiful sunny day. Hoping for some great views!

 

 

There was a bathroom stop here if need be; can't comment on the quality. We loaded up and pushed onward. We drove along the Lluta River for a while, enjoying the contrast between the green valley and the dry slopes surrounding it.

 

 

Then we started climbing, and passed through a few switchbacks. We gained another 500 meters in the blink of an eye.

 

 

We are now way above the valley floor.

 

 

And still climbing! But, only one quarter of the way up. Lots more elevation to gain, and many miles to go, before lunch.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Arica, Chile

 

The climb seemed to go on forever. It never let up.

 

 

After about a half an hour, we saw cactus plants at the side of the road. We are over 2000 meters now - halfway there.

 

 

Another rest stop. We hopped off the bus and walked through a dry riverbed to get a closer view.

 

 

This is a candelabra cactus. It has a complicated life cycle. It flowers only at night, and is pollinated by bats. The fruit falls off and is eaten by mice, who disperse the seeds.

 

 

Since all the other tourists were posing for pictures, we decided to join the fun. Just don't step on any mice at the cactus fruit buffet!

 

 

This plant in the riverbed is joyweed. The red parts are not flowers; they are colored leaves. The flowers are tiny and white.

 

 

Back to the bus. 10:30 now. Are we there yet?