Up around the bend
An old Credence song came to mind as we plied our way down the river after leaving Natchez. Credence was singing about a road and meeting people ‘up around the bend’, all we met ‘up around the bend’ was more water and more bends.
Quite a few river barges passed us as well, carrying various cargoes up and down the river. It is an industrial and commercial waterway and has suffered ecologically from that experience over the last 150 years, it is starting to make a comeback. But a big job!
The Mississippi is the second longest river in the US at 3,766 km. It and its tributaries pass through 32 States. It rises in Northern Minnesota and flows south draining 2.98m sq km between the Rocky Mts in the west and the Appalachian Mts in the east. The Missouri is the longest river in the US, rising in the Rockies in Montana flowing east and south for 3,767 km, it is 1 km longer than the Mississippi an example of American precision! The Missouri joins the Mississippi at St Louis, more or less the middle of the US. The rivers form the fourth longest river system in the world. It truly is a big ditch.
Our first stop after Natchez is at St. Francisville and marks the transition from the dominance of cotton to sugar cane. It was around these parts that the sugar plantations would stretch for miles with immense wealth being generated from the application of slave labour before the Civil War in the 1860s. In St. Francisville we visit our first plantation mansion, a much restored property. The Myrtles, originally built in 1796. Quite a sight. And a great contrast with the slaves living conditions.
The plantation mansions were generally surrounded by huge oak trees, some are still here 150-250 years old. Many of the homes were destroyed during the civil war and others fell into disrepair. Later restored they have been turned into hotels and tourist attractions.
We had a short wander around St. Francisville, quite a small town at about 1800 people. It has its roots in Cajun country but there is a big English historical influence in the post Civil War Victorian homes that dot the town among a number of prewar homes.
Grace Episcopal Church also pre dates the war, the graveyard has numerous memorials to the fallen.
It was Veteran’s Day when we were there and the military had been through planting flags on all the graves of veterans, including those from the civil war.
Further down the river we called into Houmas House and Nottoway House. Their stories being much the same. Some readers may recognise the name Paul Ramsay, the Australian entrepreneur (now dead) behind the Ramsay Hospital Group. He acquired Nottoway House in the early 2000s for US$4.5m, subsequently spent US$14m restoring it for guests etc. In 2019, after his death, it was sold for US$3.5m. His plot for it hadn’t worked and he did his dough in a big way!
At the end of the Civil War the slaves were freed but in a lot of cases they really had nowhere to go. So they remained on the plantations as share farmers. Holding small plots that sold their crop to the former plantation owner who paid them. This money was then spent in the plantation store for food etc and also for supplies in order to plant the following crop. Not much if anything was left over. A bit like the English feudal system! The system eventually began to collapse with the advance of mechanisation in the years before and after WW1.
Nottoway was our last stop before journeying the last 140km or so down to New Orleans. We didn’t see much of this part of the river as we were asleep arriving in New Orleans at about 3am.
The trip has been an interesting experience. The river itself is not a ‘pretty picture’; its attraction I think is in the human history, the music story and the culinary delights that one passes through along the way. We did not see a lot of wild life on the river, even aboard the boat things were subdued!
Including us there were 8 Aussies aboard, a few from various parts of the UK and Ireland. The rest Americans. We tried to make up for them!
New Orleans awaits for a few days.
On our way
The morning after arriving from Memphis we headed off from the Terrene Landing on the bus to Cleveland, our first shore excursion.
There are 28 Clevelands in the United States. Named presumably after Grover Cleveland, twice President in the late 1800s. Quite a good stop in Cleveland. First off was the Grammy Museum, a branch of the Los Angeles institution. It is situated here in Cleveland because of its position on Route 61, the music trail from New Orleans to Chicago.
The museum documents grammy history with a mesmerising video about the Grammy Nights with excerpts from Grammy winners and their songs. The museum also tells the story of how ‘the blues’ morphed from its genesis in the slaved labour cotton fields into southern church music and finally big band music. The music seemed to seep its way up the highway. There are various landmarks along the route explaining its progress.
We then went to a rather good model railway housed in an old railway station. Amazing work and presentation. Tap the video below for all the action.
The final stop was at the museum documenting the role of Chinese immigrants in the local community. There was a tear jerker video telling the story of how two young descendants, living in LA, of a Chinese immigrant had discovered their family history at the museum. Quite a story. The Chinese immigrants from the mid late 1800s in the USA appear to have been subject to the some sort of prejudices as those in Australia at the same time. They had their own version of the White Australia policy.
Back to the boat for the sail away at 5pm and a night on board steaming down to Natchez. We had originally been scheduled to stop earlier at Vicksburg, the site of a major Civil War battle. This had to be cancelled because of water levels.
Vicksburg is located in a canal off the River and we couldn’t get up it to the landing. So it was a day of steamboating along the river. This was not a bad option because we got to see the river in daylight, the boat was to do most of the journey at night when we’re asleep.
The weather was very pleasant and we had some good views of the river banks, forests and sand bars along the way. The river flows quite quickly and is very muddy.
That evening we were entertained by a Mark Twain look a like, he regaled us in a monologue of snippets of his life. Really good stuff!
Arrived in Natchez in the early hours next morning and tied up at the landing below what is known as the ‘town under the hill’. In the old days this was the seedy part of Natchez, it is now gone having been washed away in floods. Natchez is one of the oldest towns along the river having been founded by the Spanish, before the French and later the English arrived. It was a major cotton plantation area in the 1800s.
The town sits atop a bluff with commanding views of the river in both directions, a strategic location. This was where the well to do lived.
We had a music adventure first up at the Big Muddy, a renovated Victorian era house. It operates as an inn and blues room. Quite a show was put on while we ate some canapés and sipped a Mimosa or two. Amy Allen pumped out a smorgasbord of old blues hits while thumping the piano and guitar. Best seen in the video above.
After lunch it was off to a functioning cotton plantation, Frogmore. It was formerly a slave property that has continued on to the present day. Changing farming practices along the way. Some museum pieces in the fields hark back to the 1800s, Allthego gets down and dirty picking some cotton.
The weather has been treating us kindly, sunny blue skies. The town residents though keep saying “never seen the river so low”. More about the river next time.
Post update
In the last post there was a bit about the ducks and a photo. The photo is actually a link to a video, tap the photo and it will take you to an exciting video!
Ducks and the King
Ahead of joining the American Queen on the river we had to move hotels to be where the cruise connection was located. Fortunately, it was a short one block walk to the Memphis Peabody Hotel and we were able to get there and receive an early check in.
The Peabody is perhaps Memphis’s oldest hotel. The original building was opened in the late 1860s and was later enlarged and remodelled in Italianate style in 1925.
It is an imposing building with a very ornate and elaborate foyer. It was the place to stay and be seen in prewar Memphis. It closed in the 1970s but was soon reopened and spruced up by new owners. Today the hotel appears a little tired, the décor and carpets a bit worn. But then most of the people staying there with us appeared a little tired and worn too. Just like us!
The big attraction though at the hotel are ducks. The world famous Peabody Ducks. Since 1933 ducks have marched on some red carpet from the elevators to the lobby fountain and back again. The ducks live on the roof of the hotel in the Duck Palace. At 11 am each morning they come down the elevator and march to the fountain. They swim around in the fountain until 5 pm when they get out and march back to the elevator and go up to the Duck Palace for the night. This show has been repeated every day since 1933, controlled by the Duckmaster. Quite a show!
Tap the picture and it will take you to a video.
The hotels French restaurant does not serve duck!
The next morning we headed off on an excursion to Graceland. This was included as part of the river cruise program. Allthego is not a huge fan of the King of Rock & Roll, a little before Allthego’s time. Graceland and the associated tourist complex across the road though is an eye opener to his influence and impact on the music scene.
The house itself, although large and with a few ‘gimic’ rooms, is relatively modest. The TV and music room is quite small and simple, apart from 3 TVs. He liked to have the 3 then stations on at the same time so that he didn’t miss anything. The pool room was unusual!
It took about an hour to tour through the house and some of the outside buildings which show cased the family history. The racquet ball building had been recently renovated and opened, this was like his personal squash court. It is where he played a game and later retired to the house and died a few hours later.
The outside walk then took us around to the area where Elvis is buried along with his parents and daughter Lisa Marie. Quite a simple area with some ornamentation.
It was then over to the ‘tourist’ complex for a couple of hours wandering around the exhibits, including Elvis’s two aeroplanes.
It was quite a display of his musical history; gold records, jump suits, motor cars all sorts of memorabilia, war time service details etc. The list goes on. In the background there is Elvis singing away as you look around.
One of the highlights though was having a quick lunch. It was hard to choose from the extensive menu of tasty treats. But we both settled on a plate of Peanut Butter and Banana toasted sandwiches.
These were one of Elvis’s favourite meals. Ours were toasted with butter, we passed on the bacon grease option. Probably would not go for these again. Not offensive in any way, just not the greatest taste.
Looking back on Graceland and the touristy stuff one senses that the King’s life and times have been sanitised a fair bit, there is none of the ‘blood and guts’ that happened along the way. But then, hey, why worry about all that stuff! The ‘family’ is telling the story, some rose coloured glasses are ok.
Back on the bus we returned to Memphis for a guided drive around the town before heading off to the boat. Our luggage had already been taken ahead of us.
The Mississippi River is currently running at very low water levels and travel along it is being hampered significantly. Some of the ports can’t be entered and our itinerary has been changed a little.
Unfortunately, the steamboat can’t get up the river to Memphis and we have to be bussed south to Cleveland to join it there for the night. It took a couple of hours to get there and board as the sun was going down. The luggage had also arrived ok, so we were all set for a week of steamboating.
Memphis
We have arrived in Memphis for a few days before joining the American Queen paddle boat on its journey to New Orleans down the Mississippi River. We have actually now left Memphis and are on the boat. So this is a little catch up on our time in Memphis.
Memphis is an old cotton town and dates back to the early 1800s, named after Memphis on the River Nile (also but a much older cotton town).
Today, Memphis is still big in cotton but the cotton comes no where near the town like in the old days. Today it is from the farm direct to the transport, with no physical trading and wholesaling. A bit like wool is done in Australia.
’s rooftop.That is enough about cotton. Memphis is also famous for its food and Beale Street. A reinvigorated touristy area with plenty of eateries. Pork in various forms is everywhere, distinguished in its preparation by the eateries own special marinades and sauces.
Pulled pork burgers, bacon, ribs and bones abound. Then there is the deep fried chicken specialties, again with various sauces. Hot dogs. Shrimp. Chips. And finally catfish, fried and grilled, rounds out the main fare offerings. We have had a go at a few of these to get into the spirit of the place. Steak and three veg were around but low down on the menus.
With the food comes the music, another Memphis draw card. Blues, Soul and Gospel have their roots in this part of the Deep South. We had lunch at the BB King’s Blues Club, named after the legendary singer. A band was playing full blast, at times we couldn’t hear ourselves eating!
We got up and down Main Street, and it is the main street, on the trolley system. $1 each way. This took us to the area where Martin Luther King was assassinated, the Lorraine Motel.
The Motel and surrounding buildings are much the same. There is a permanent wreath on the railing outside the room where he was shot. The National Civil Rights Museum is housed there.
Memphis is also a town of murals. Celebrating music, musicians, civil rights themes, football, basketball and stuff you can’t work out! They abound on buildings in many streets and alleys.
The biggest attraction though in Memphis is the King of Rock n Roll; Elvis Presley and Graceland.
But more about him and this extraordinary place Graceland, next time!
O’l Man River
Off to the United States today for a month. Visiting Mitchell in Houston.
This is our first international flight in four years. COVID interrupted travel has kept us on the ground. The joys of airports abound in having to get there three hours before take off, participating in the technological revolution of contactless checking in, a long wait in a queue if there is some issue that the machine can’t cope with, like multiple stops on the way to the destination.
Then there is of course the need for a tea and coffee and some overpriced raisin toast to fill in some time before the plane opens its doors. On the other hand getting through security and border control was a breeze! Now sitting at the gate with an hour to go.
Before Houston we are heading for Memphis to join a paddle wheeler on the lower Mississippi River down to New Orleans for seven days. One of those bucket list trips. It will be worth the airline tucker to get to Memphis, going to take about 30 hours including stopovers in Auckland and Chicago.
Graceland and Elvis in Memphis ……..here we come!
Back in Brisbane
We have arrived back home in Brisbane and have been perusing the held mail pile that has been delivered. Slobro is puzzled about all the post cards we have received from some people signing as ‘R & L’ travelling overseas.
“They have been to the very same places we have just been to”, isn’t that strange? Allthego suggested it was just an odd coincidence. Slobro has now been put in a cupboard until next time.
On the sail across the ‘ditch’ from New Zealand we experienced the heaviest seas of the whole cruise. Some 4 to 5 metre swells and strong winds, the ship was getting along at 21 knots for most of the time. A bit of harmless rocking and rolling with the occasional ‘bump’ as the ship nosed into a wave.
We had planned to rise early for the sail through the Sydney Harbour Heads, timed for about 5 am. Slobro rose early around 4 am, but rolled over and didn’t wake us till after 5.30. We were coming into Circular Quay, next to the Bridge and opposite the Opera House. Great spot but we had missed the sail in!
We had 1200 or so fellow passengers getting off the ship here, to be replaced by a similar number joining us for the ongoing cruise after Brisbane. We had planned an easy morning aboard the ship before walking around to the Opera House to see the current run of Miss Saigon. The rules in Aus are similar to what we experienced in New York, everybody off the ship to go through immigration and then you can get back on! Duly done we returned to the ship for a light lunch before heading to the show.
‘Miss Saigon’ was a block buster a really spectacular spectacle of stage, light and sound. Singing pretty good too! Allthego liked the holographic helicopter scenes when the evacuations were being done from Saigon at the ‘end’ of the war. The theatre was filled with the throbbing of engines and blades. Amazing work!
Back on board the ship we sailed away around 7 pm as the city lights were coming on. Truly one of the great harbours of the world! Disappeared into the blackness as we passed through the Heads and turned north for Brisbane.
On the last night before Brisbane we managed to get in another episode of ‘The Love Boat’. Dear readers will recall this classic show from way back dealing with life and love aboard the Pacific Princess. What characters and plots, days before political correctness. We managed to see about 24 episodes. Allthego has refreshed his joke repertoire with some classics. Just has to remember the punch lines!
We have been blessed to have seen much on this cruise. Snapshots of places we will probably not get to again. A few bucket list places; Iceland and Greenland, Easter Island, the Suez and Panama Canals. Along the way we also saw places where the ‘other half’ live and work. ‘Other half’ though is more like 70%. We live in a fortunate part of the world and should do a lot more for our own perhaps 15%.
‘It’s good to be back home’, that’s a John Denver song Homealone recalls.
Land of the long white cloud.
We have left Tahiti for Auckland. On the last leg home! But it will take 6 sea days to get there. Allthego finds these long periods of sea days a little wearing. I think I have previously said that one can sit in the lounges, shut your eyes and not know you are moving. Time stands still until you realise it is lunch time. Still, I have read 4 books on this cruise. Haven’t done that for a long time! Homealone focussed on craft to while away the time. A daily game of trivia tests the memory.
On the second day out from Tahiti we have a change of course due to a passenger medical emergency. The poor woman has to be offloaded at the earliest opportunity and we head for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. We will still make Auckland on schedule.
The sea conditions off Rarotonga are far from ideal with a heavy swell and a brisk wind. To add to the drama one of the ship’s dining room staff has had a bad fall and needs to be stretchered off as well. Normally, you get in a tender at sea level (Deck 4) but because of the difficult seas the tender is loaded with the patients and medical staff at Deck 7, which is about 8 metres above the waterline. The tender is then lowered to the water and heads off as soon as possible bobbing around in the swell.
The whole process was done very professionally, no hiccups. We later hear that the operation was successful and the staff member was OK.
The cruise ends in Auckland for most of the Kiwis on board so the ‘Knitters and Natters’ put on a display of their work during the cruise. Quite impressive, Homealone participates with her Physi rug, Allthego’s Iceland beanie and some other bits and pieces. Someone wanted to buy the Physi rug (which is to be a prize for our local Physical Culture Club) but got knocked back.
Passengers can wander around and observe all the Knitters nattering and also check out the work.
The six days at sea came to an end as we sailed into Auckland Harbour and docked at Queens Wharf right amongst all the action on the waterfront.
We had planned for a quiet morning having a look around and lunch before Allthego completing the Harbour Bridge climb in the afternoon.
The climb was very interesting with great views of the city skyline and harbour. Some commentary about the politics of its construction was provided. The Bridge was completed in 1959 and was the last major bridge to be constructed in the world with the old girders, welding and rivets techniques. Three workers died during its construction. Safety equipment was negligible back then, two plunged into the harbour falling off the girders. The other was unaccounted for and it is thought he fell into the concrete being poured for one of the pylons.
The climb took about two and a half hours all up. Not super demanding but a little stiffness of limbs set in later that night.
We sailed north that night for the Bay of Islands. Another easy day planned here no tours just a wander around Paihai, the town where we are taken ashore in tenders. Much calmer compared to Rarotonga!
The Bay of Islands is a wonderful place, blue sea dotted with small islands and sandy beaches. Made famous in the 1920s for Marlin fishing by Zane Gray! For those who remember the old TV show ‘Pic a Box’ I think the hosts Bob and Dolly Dyer also fished here? We were also here a few years ago on a cruise with Homealone’s siblings and partners, but we didn’t go Marlin fishing.
The place doesn’t seem to have changed much! We had lunch at the Zane Gray restaurant, best fish n chips yet!
We upped anchor mid afternoon in brilliant sunshine and set off to round the northern tip of the North Island bound for Old Sydney Town.
Tahiti
Tahiti is sought of in the middle of nowhere, sitting more or less midway between South America and Australia. We arrived here in promising weather, notwithstanding the threat of rain in the ship’s weather forecast. The Coral Princess docked up pretty much opposite the main street of Papeete, the capital, running along the waterfront. No need for shuttles, either water or buses. Apart from the local Polynesian language, French is the main lingo here. Seems out of place so far from France! Maybe the locals think it is, but most of them voted to stay with good old France in a not so recent referendum.
There is some blue sky and a light breeze as we set off on our ‘circle the island’ tour, the plan is to be back for a late lunch on the ship.
The trip is an interesting journey along the coast taking in some of the sights. There is a Grotto beside the road, the water disappears into the back of the cave.
The Grotto is set among some attractive gardens and waterfalls, displaying native vegetation. We have stops further along at the Arahoho blowhole. The sea swell though is coming from the wrong angle today and so the blowhole is a bit quiet.
Slobro enjoys the nearby black sand beach and tempts fate sitting on a rock as a wave rolls up the beach.
By this time we are starting to get some rain sprinkles, but the rain holds off for our stop at Venus Point. This where Cook went to witness and record the transit of Venus across the Sun in 1769 and then later went on to sail up the east coast of Australia.
Today the location is a popular spot for the locals to enjoy the parkland and black sand beach. The Mutiny on the Bounty is also remembered here with an obelisk. As we continue around the Island the rain starts in earnest and the spectacular view from One Tree Hill over Matavai Bay is shrouded in cloud. Cook used a red flowered tree on the top of the hill as a navigation aide.
We made it back to the dock on time and after a quick lunch we returned ashore for a wander around Papeete. Being a Saturday most of the shops, including the Market, had closed at 1pm. We were still able to buy a stamp in a general type store for the usual postcard back to Australia. The shop had a small box with a sign promising to post our mail for us.
We had a quick look inside the Papeete Cathedral, very different to the European ones we have seen. Back on the waterfront there was the big replica sea going canoe pointing out to sea.
Time for an early dinner snack, so we enjoyed some tapas selections at a bar jutting out into the harbour. Great views as the sun set over Moorea island just offshore.
It seemed to us that we had just scratched the surface of Tahiti, let alone the other islands that make up French Polynesia. Might be worth another visit!
We now head for New Zealand and four days at sea before reaching Auckland. We have to cross the International Date Line on this sector and Slobro is pondering what this means. Hopefully, it will all be clear soon!
Pitcairn Island
Pitcairn Island is our next ‘place of interest’ on the cruise. We did not go ashore here but cruised up to Bounty Bay and lingered there for awhile to take photos of this iconic spot.
There are I believe at the last count 49 people living on the island, many of whom are descendent from the Bounty Mutineers who had settled there. The current mayor though is a recent arrival from the UK.
We have on board a fellow cruiser who is related to one of the residents. The ship arranged a call to the island so the two could speak, some of the conversation was broadcast over the ship’s PA system. Interesting chat, particularly the strange variant of English spoken which is a blend of Polynesian and 18th century English.
We have been ‘blessed’ by some onboard lectures about Captain Bligh and the Mutiny, including his epic row to present day Indonesia from around Tahiti somewhere. Long way in a little boat with 18 companions. It seems that those movies with Clarke Cable, Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson played with the truth a bit and overly demonised Bligh.
We spent about an hour and half offshore the island, including a sail around it for a full view of the landscape. Quite an impressive hideaway and a spot to get away from it all, but there no retirement villages.
Back in our cabin we found Slobro in quite a lather. He was examining the map and was quite distressed as he had observed that we were now quite close to the edge of the world and the places we had visited over the last couple of stops were not even on the map.
Convinced him that we would reach New Zealand OK and that he needed to look backwards in order to see that we were going forwards because the earth wasn’t flat like he had thought. Just can’t wait to explain the International Date Line to him in the near future.
We are now headed for Tahiti, with three days at sea. It is a big ocean indeed.
Rapa Nui
Rapa Nui is the indigenous name for Easter Island, the remotest populated island in the world. It is a volcanic island which rises 3000 metres above the sea floor, the area of its base on the sea floor is 50 times bigger than the area on the surface. It is about 2300 miles from Chile’s coast and 2500 miles east of Tahiti.
It is a triangular shape with three dormant volcanoes of various ages at each corner. The land mass between the volcanoes was slowly formed following eruptions from the numerous cones, mounds and vents within the triangle. It is quite a dramatic landscape.
It is a bit of pot luck as to whether we were going to be able to get ashore. The ship has to anchor offshore and there is frequently a swell that prevents tenders from getting ashore. We are in luck though and whilst there is a bit of a swell it is just short of the size that would prevent us getting off. People though who are ‘unstable’ on their feet are discouraged from the attempt and some are just stopped by the crew. The tender boat does jump around a bit beside the pontoon making it a little concerning for Slobro.
We have stopped here to have a look at the famous massive stone carvings known as Moai (statues). They are quite fascinating and one wonders why and how they were made in the first place. Let alone how they were transported from the quarry where they were carved to where they were erected. Up to 18 kilometres by a society that had no mechanical aids. Then why were they all knocked over, in the main ‘face first’?
The answers to these questions we were told are far from fully understood. It is believed that the island was settled by Polynesians from other parts of the Pacific around 800-1200 AD. The Moai are thought to be representations of these people’s deified ancestors. They were erected on flat rock platforms where the ancestors were buried.
Apart from one case the Moai all face inland and away from the sea and the people tended to gather in a village in front of the statues, as if the statues are looking over them. In one case seven statues look out over the ocean, it is thought these statues (the seven explorers) are looking towards where they have come from across the sea. Who knows!
The misty rainy weather we experienced in the morning gave way to sun and blue sky in the afternoon. So we have seen the Island in both moods.
Then around 1500-1850 the carving stopped and the Moai were all knocked down, perhaps part of some change in society structure or beliefs.
On our walk around the ‘quarry’ area we saw numerous partly finished Moai, including one where the statue was partly carved and still in place in the rock bed. It is all a bit complicated to explain, but once the carving was partially complete and the statue ‘released’ from the bed rock it was slid somehow down the hill into a hole so that it could be stood up.
The workers would then complete the finer details before then transporting it somehow to the prescribed destination. We saw many of the statues still in the holes on the side of quarry, the carving aborted, staring out across the landscape. Some were also partially buried with the holes having filled with debris and earth over the years.
There have been many theories as to how they were moved. From being rolled along on logs to the current favourite of being ‘walked’ much like we ‘walk’ fridges around houses today. Ropes were tied to the Moai’s head and it was then rocked to move it along. There was a team on either side to do this and another at the back to stabilise the movement. This theory follows the traditional belief of the people that the Moai walked themselves through spiritual power.
Archaeologists have reerected about 50 of the Moai, there are about 850 remaining in their knocked over positions.
All quite fascinating.
The last group of Moai we see are the famous 15 that we often see in tourist magazines. They sit beside the sea where they have been reerected. Quite a spectacular sight!
Our tour was a bit late back to the pier and we got back onboard about 7.30pm. We are setting a course for Pitcairn Island, it will take a couple of days to get there and already Mutiny on the Bounty tales are being told.
Sand and Sea
Overnight from Lima we moved further south to Paracas, south of Pisco. Pisco was devastated by an earthquake in 2007 and has not really recovered since. Pisco is where the Pisco drink originated. It is a type of brandy distilled from grape juice, but a clear liquid unlike the golden colour of traditional brandy. It was in Lima that the Pisco Sour was first served in the early 1920s.
We have acquired a small bottle of Pisco to inflict on visitors back home. The Pisco Sour is a mix of Pisco, lemon juice, egg white, sugar syrup, ice and bitters. Refreshing!
Paracas is more remote than Pisco and is located on the Paracas Peninsular, near the Port of San Martin where we tie up, and a little north of the border with Chile. It is a stepping off point to view some Inca ruins and where a number of our fellow passengers return to the ship after a couple of days overnighting to Machu Picchu.
We have chosen to get out of ‘suburbia’ and visit the Paracas National Park for the morning. This area is the northern extremity of the Atacama Desert, which is predominantly in coastal Chile. It is the driest place on earth and receives little rain and is devoid of vegetation.
The desert runs right down to the sea. The part we visited seemed to have little sand covering and was mostly a rocky platform being eroded back from the sea. I suspect sand was being blown inland by the wind.
There are some great views of the coastline here that was greatly effected by the earthquake.
The rock formation known as the ‘Cathedral’ used to be connected to the mainland but was separated by the earthquake action. The desert stretches away behind the coastline in a series of rolling hills.
In one particular area there is an exposed rock surface containing hundreds of fossils of conical sea shells, attesting to its former sea bed location.
The ‘donkey belly sky’ of Lima was prevailing here as well. Towards the end of our tour, around midday, the sun started to creep out and we had some pale blue skies for the drive back into Paracas. The rules of these tours mean that you have to return to ship after the tour and not get off in other places on the way back. It is a bit of a pain because it means retracing your steps, absorbing time. On this occasion it was like 20 minutes back to the ship and then 20 minutes back to the Paracas township for a late lunch.
Lunch was ‘fish n chips’ Paracas style, flaky pieces of fish deep fried with yucca chips and some dips. And a Pisco cocktail (not Sour). The yucca chips were a bit marginal, fibrous and pasty, I think they are ‘cassava’ by the more local name ‘yucca’. A very nice ambience though among the locals in one of the restaurants along the waterfront.
A pelican, very different beak colouring to Aussie pelicans, cruised the beachfront. It was difficult to visualise a 5 metre Tsunami , following the 2007 earthquake, ripping through and destroying this town.
Slobro enjoyed a photo-op with all his mates at a tourist shop. A group of gollywogs were looking out for photos at a dollar each! Wouldn’t get away with this political incorrectness back in old Aus.
After lunch and a look around for the Post Office, which didn’t exist , we returned to the ship. It was odd to learn that Ecuador and Peru are devoid of mail services for the local populations. They don’t use them. There are post offices, but they are in city centres and it is difficult to buy stamps let alone find somewhere to post the item. Allthego’s rare postcards for Ecuador and Peru will have to await another landfall, maybe Tahiti in a weeks time?
We are now finally turning west and heading out across the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island and will be home around 22 September.
Captain Kirk flew the ‘final frontier’ and the deep blue Pacific is certainly that for us !
Lima on foot
Our second day in Lima was dedicated to a two hour guided walk around central Lima. Central Lima is basically the old historical Spanish colonial district. Peru gained independence from Spain in the early 1820s.
The bus took the same route as before, along some narrow crowded streets, taking about 50 minutes to reach the drop off spot from where the walk started. It was a fairly leisurely walk on flat surfaces, bit of dodging around the masses going about their business on a work day.
These are a couple of photos of mid 1700s Spanish style houses, well preserved. Brightly coloured houses are a long historical response to Lima’s climate. For about eight months of the year, April to November, the sky is very grey. It looks like it is going to rain but it stays dry. The guide referred to it as ‘Donkey belly sky’. Caused by the Andes rain shadow over the coastal strip and currents running up the coastal waters. We were fortunate in the sun coming out around midday for awhile and some pale blue sky. Otherwise things look a bit drab!
The police are very obvious in these parts. Don’t mind their picture being taken though! But not many smiles. We have noted that when our bus leaves the port security gates a police motor cycle will follow us for several kilometres through the old port area. We were also advised that it was unwise to wander around there.
Lima is modelled very much like European cities of the same era, the Spaniards wanted it to feel and look like ‘home’. So the streets in the city centre are laid out in large grid patterns, stretching away into the distance. Authorities are also trying to get rid of cars from the centre so many of the streets are pedestrian only.
School children were also out and about in numbers and they are very inquisitive about ‘white skinned people’, where we come from etc. They also don’t mind a wave and photo!
By chance we are in Lima on the 28th of the month and witness a long tradition. St Jude’s day, every month on the 28th people line up for blocks to get into the big Franciscan church to pay their respects, bring flowers and make pledges to St Jude. Flower sellers do a great trade it seems.
The complex dates from the 16th century and the catacombs beneath it are said to contain upwards of 75,000 bodies. Although, I saw another estimate of 25,000. Still a lot!
Homealone had an interesting conversation with a local about Australian coins, he had a few in a collection including one with a platypus. Asked whether we had one with the new King yet, hoping to get one I suppose! Very friendly chap.
Our walk ended up in the large central square surrounded by large colonial buildings and the Presidential Palace. As mentioned earlier the sun came out when we reached the Square, considerably brightening everything up.
The guide had timed things well as the daily changing of the guard ceremony was in full swing. It was difficult to get up close as the Square had been closed off by police due to a largish demonstration taking place nearby. But we did get a reasonable view through the iron fence work.
This walk had been one of our best excursions on the trip. The guide was really good and easily understood.
We headed back to the ship for a late lunch and to put the feet up ahead of a late sail away. We are headed further down the Peruvian coast to the area around Pisco.
House hunting
We have two days at sea on the way south to Lima in Peru. The port of entry is at Callao, it is a big industrial port and about an hour from there into the centre of Lima. Lima is a large city of some 13 million people.
Homealone thought it was a good idea to have a look around Lima’s housing situation, there could be some bargains available to downsize into.
So, we go off on a tour to check out some houses and learn something of the economics of the place. It quickly becomes apparent that there are big contrasts in living conditions, like many cities in less developed countries. The road into the city is through the old port area and then some very run down former industrial areas. Housing is very basic in these parts. There is no rail and everybody is on the road getting to and from work, for many it is up to two hours each way on the clogged roads. A metro is under construction. The workforce has little time for R&R, it is a 48 hours, 6 days a week effort for all. If by chance your employer only does 5 days, it is still 48 hours. Average wages are about $US400 a month, living costs for a family of 4 $US1000 a month. So there are multiple bread winners in households in order to have enough to get by on. Pensions and social security are basically non existent. Retired parents live with their working age children. Our guide tells us there are some though on up to $US15,000 a month, a good number in between. It makes for wide living standards. Some 2 million people do not have tap water to their homes! We ponder these figures and can’t but help think how fortunate most are back in old Aus. Puts all the dramas about ‘cost of living’ back there into perspective.
The first house we are taken to doesn’t seem to be an option. The same mob have been in Casa Aliaga since 1535. Home to 18 generations of descendants from the early Spanish colonial days. Very comfortable.
The second home was Casa Garcia Alvarado, built in 1912 and remodelled in 1932. It is a sprawling home of interconnected rooms showing how Peruvian elites lived between the wars. There was an expansive outdoor area for entertaining 100 plus of your closest friends on those special occasions!
The final stop was at Casa Luna, a contemporary double story house in a well to do area. We didn’t really get to see the living areas of this house, apart from a look into a sitting room. We were actually spell bound by the tour of the upper level. Hundreds of nativity scenes from all round the world were on display, together with a few other nick knacks. The owners are fanatics of nativity scenes, what a display. Some might say over the top! How would you keep the dust down? Makes Homealone’s cabinet of stuffed animals look spartan! We made a relatively quick exit from here and headed back to the ship.
Back at the ship we had a light lunch before rejoining a shuttle bus to take us to Miraflores, also an hour away but out on the coast.
This is a well to do area and a popular destination. It is a shopping and eating destination, the main area is tucked into the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Think of about two Westfield Shopping Centres side by side.
Row after row of shop and eateries. The usual range of fast food food courts, but also some cafe/restaurants with great views over the ocean. We both enjoy having meals out in foreign parts to get an appreciation of the foods and flavours of the destination. Good for people watching as well. What turns the locals on!
In the complex we discovered a supermarket and dropped in to replenish our stock of on board peanuts. Having done this Allthego was distracted by a stand with bottles of Pisco, all in Spanish of course with a wide range of price points. Pisco is a spirit type drink made from grapes and is used for the famous local drink Pisco Sour. Maybe he looked a bit perplexed and this engendered some help from a young local couple about which Pisco to get, advice taken. They also offered eatery recommendations, real Peruvian food. So we took the recommendation up and enjoyed some local food with a fellow traveller from the ship.
Got back to the ship with our fellow traveller about 10 pm after a lengthy interrogation by security at the port gate. We weren’t in the usual big bus, but a four seater that catered for disability people. Our fellow traveller was a lady on a motor scooter. A bit of a drama as Slobro needed to get to a loo and all the sitting around was placing a lot of pressure on his stamina in that respect. Thankfully, we finally got back on board and reflected on the house hunting experience. Glad we hadn’t been able to put a deposit down!
Another day in Lima to come!
Manta
After leaving the Canal the journey takes us down to Ecuador and the port town of Manta.
Ecuador is famous for the Panama hat, it originated there and not in Panama. They are one of the country’s largest exports. Got the name ‘Panama’ apparently at the time the Panama Canal was being constructed, Europeans wore them there for sun protection. US President Roosevelt wore one and the craze took off.
In our tour we visited a place where ‘all things Panama hats’ was revealed. Claimed that all genuine hats are hand made in Ecuador. The process was explained. Quite a back breaking job for the women who make them.
It takes a day to make a basic hat, they start at around $US50-60 prior to striking a deal. More elaborate hats, made using very fine lengths of palm fronds, can take up to three months to make and go for in excess of $US500-600. These ones are very smooth and less textured than the basic ones.
There are hats everywhere, so there must be quite a workforce working to get all these hats made if the making times claimed are correct. There are no machines that make them. The Chinese have had a go at mechanisation, but have failed. Much to the pleasure of the guide!
There was also an explanation of the use of the nut from the Tagua palm, ‘vegetable ivory’. All sorts of things are made from this hard white coloured nut; buttons, jewellery, carvings etc. The chap who demonstrated a carving had the onlookers guess what he was going to produce after making some initial cuts. Homealone, being crafty, immediately proclaimed ‘an owl’ and yes it was to be an owl. Upon completion she was presented with the finished item for ‘guessing’ correctly. Well, Slobro was peeved at this. He had been seething over the last couple of days at not being included in the poster photo on the Canal and for that matter not being allowed to get a Panama hat. Also some narky comments that the blog about the Canal had been too technical. In a real grumpy mood and had to be put in the back pack.
After a drive around town, the electrical installations are an amazing sight, and a short stop at a museum it was back to the ship and the afternoon ashore for lunch and a look around the water front. Ecuador is the worlds largest exporter (but not producer) of bananas, also big in shrimp.
Manta is also known for its large tuna boat fleet and canning capacity. It claims to have the worlds largest tuna operation. Boats everywhere, we witnessed fish being unloaded into trucks from our ship’s deck. Industrial scale of operation.
On the waterfront there were rows of artisan souvenir shops and restaurants, all specialising in seafood. We randomly picked one out and enjoyed lunch. Allthego went for a deep fried whole fish and Homealone prawn and fish with a coconut cream sauce.
Both were spiced up and very tasty. Some Sangria washed it down. The beachfront was a quite wide expanse of sand, beach goers huddled under rows of shelters along the high water mark. It would get very crowded in summer.
We had an excellent stop over here in Manta, the sun had come out in the afternoon and it made for a pleasant sail away as we headed out to sea bound for Lima.
Allthegobro 