Then we went for lunch
Dropped in for a "quick"
beer |
Yes, I HAD to do it, you
know I did! Traditional Peruvian delicacy as mentioned before is a
GUINEA Pig. So who would I be as an international traveler if I did not
try one?
Tastes like chicken...
not really, it tastes more like Cornish Game Hen - similar to chicken
just a little gamier - but good. Not a lot of meat on board, its kinda
like snow crabs - is all that work worth the reward? |
Our final
trip was a city tour of Lima - a city of 10 million people in a country
of 30 million residents - almost 1/3 of Peruvians live in Lima. |
We stopped off at an ancient temple built 200 BC right in the middle of
the city.
There was
a hairless dog there - it is a breed descendant from the ancient
Egyptians - they have no hair at all, look very regal. Peruvians have to
put sun screen on them so they don't burn in the sun!
Although
in Lima not so much of a problem, Lima only has 3 months of sun each
year and only for a few hours in the morning (summer). It also never
rains. Maybe a slight drizzle, but the last real rain Lima had was 2
hours of rain in 1972. REALLY!
In
winter, it is overcast every day, but with no rain. The cold current of
the Pacific creates almost a permanent fog over the city.
We then
went to tour the Old Downtown area of Lima. |
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The
downtown area in Lima is absolutely beautiful with well preserved
buildings dating back to the 15th Century.
The
Spanish Conquistadores were very wealthy from all the gold and silver
they found in Peru and built home homes with as many as 50 bedrooms.
They lived a great life back then with a multitude of servants and
slaves.
We
finally went to an old church where we had the opportunity of going down
to the catacombs below the church and saw all kinds of old bones.
The church was filled with middle age paintings including one from
Rubens and several from his students. No photography allowed sadly.
And so
our 16 days ended with a few hours spent at the airport drinking
Peruvian rum and getting some of the worst service at a airport
restaurant we have ever had.
The
craziest thing was that because we were so early for our 1am flight we
could not check in and had to sit in a bar before security where the
beers were $2 and the Empanadas were $2 and prices were in Sol.
Once we
went through security all the restaurant prices were in US $ and beers
were all of a sudden $6.70 each and the Empanadas were $8. WTF??? |
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Just as
we in America are politically correct and cannot call a toilet a toilet
like they do in Europe, we call it a "Restroom".
Peruvians
are the same! We all know that in Spanish a toilet is called "Bano".
Nope, they call it "Hygienic Services" instead!
So here
we are, back in Tampa after almost missing our connecting flight in
Lauderdale because the "luggage belt broke" and kept us waiting for 1
1/2 hours to get our luggage, but we made it just in time. |
So this
is our final travel blog. Our goal for those of you who are not aware is
to see all categories of the 7 wonders of the world. There are 4
categories making up a total of 22 wonders (6 can no longer be seen,
because they don't exist anymore).
Here is
our progress - we have seen 15 out of 22! Only 7 to go!
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The New Seven
Wonders of the World
(SEEN 5 OUT OF 7)
The Check marks signify that either Bruce or Wendy or both of us have
been to the Wonder of the World
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1. Chichen Itza, Mexico
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Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya
civilization.
Chichen Itza was a center of pilgrimage for the ancient Maya for
over 1,000 years. |
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2. Christ Redeemer, Brazil
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Statue of Christ the Redeemer is located at the top of Corcovado
Mountain in Rio de Janeiro city of Brazil. It is the largest Art
Deco statue in the world. It is 98 ft. tall and was built in
1922. |
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3. The Great Wall of China
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The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago and is
one of the largest building construction projects ever completed
stretching for 5,500 miles. |
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4. Machu Picchu, Peru
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Machu Picchu is
the site of an ancient Inca city, high in the Andes of Peru.
Located at 8,000 ft, this site is
often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas". |
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5. Petra, Jordan
NOT YET
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Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the southern
Jordan built in 312 BC. It is famous for its rock-cut
architecture and water conduit system. |
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6. The Roman Coliseum, Italy
NOT YET
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The Colosseum or Coliseum, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the
centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone
in 70 AD, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, |
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7. The Taj Mahal, India
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The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar
Pradesh, India. It was built in 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. |
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The Seven Natural Wonders of the World
(SEEN 5 OUT OF 7)
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1. Grand Canyon, USA
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The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado
River in the United States in the state of Arizona.
The park covers 1,217,262 acres and is the United
States'
15th oldest national
park. |
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2. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
NOT YET
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The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system
composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands
stretching for over 1,600 miles.
The reef can be seen from outer
space. |
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3. The Harbor at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro was created by erosion from the
Atlantic Ocean and is also known as Guanabara Bay. The famous
Sugar Loaf Mountain at 1,296 feet overlooks the harbor.. |
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4. Mt. Everest, Nepal
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Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain, located in
Himalayas. Its peak is 29,029 feet above sea level and the 5th
furthest point from the centre of the Earth. |
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5. Northern Lights
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Northern Lights is a common name for the Aurora Borealis in the
Northern Hemisphere.
They are
actually collisions between electrically charged particles from
the sun. |
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6. Paricutin Volcano, Mexico
NOT YET
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The volcano is unique in the fact that its evolution from
creation to extinction was witnessed, observed and studied by
human beings. The volcano grew 1000 feet in just one year. |
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7. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
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Victoria Falls is a waterfall in southern Africa on the Zambezi
River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the largest
waterfall in the world with a width of 5,604 feet. |
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The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
(SEEN 4 OUT OF 7)
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1. Channel Tunnel, England / France
NOT YET
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The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometre rail tunnel linking
Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom with Coquelles,
Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France beneath the
English Channel. |
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2. CN Tower, Canada
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The CN Tower is a,815.4 ft concrete communications and
observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on
the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976, |
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3. Empire State Building, USA
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The Empire State Building is a 103-story skyscraper located in
Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of Fifth
Avenue and West 34th Street. Built
in 1929. |
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4. Golden Gate Bridge, USA
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The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the
Golden Gate strait, the mile-wide, three-mile-long channel
between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. |
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5. Itaipu Dam, Brazil
NOT YET
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The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River
located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay.
The dam is the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. |
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6. North Sea Protection Works, Netherlands
NOT YET
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Nearly one-third of the Netherlands lies below sea level. The
Netherlands has created new land from the North Sea through the
use of dikes and other barriers to the ocean. |
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7. Panama Canal, Panama
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The Panama Canal is a 48 mile long ship canal in Panama that
connects the Atlantic Ocean via the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific
Ocean. Locks raise ships 85 feet above sea level. |
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The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World
(SEEN 1 OUT OF 1 )
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1. Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
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The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three
pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza,
Egypt. It was built in 2584 BC and stands 455 feet high. |
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only wonder of the ancient work
that is still in existence.
Below are the other six wonders of the ancient world, but they
cannot be visited as they no longer exist: |
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq
Supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around
600 B.C. to please his queen, Amuhia. They are also associated
with the mythical Assyrian queen Semiramis. Archeologists
surmise that the gardens were laid out atop a vaulted building,
with provisions for raising water. The terraces were said to
rise from 75 to 300 ft. |
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Turkey
Built in about 350 B.C., in honor of a non-Hellenic goddess who
later became identified with the Greek goddess of the same name.
The temple, with Ionic columns 60 ft high, was destroyed by
invading Goths in A.D. 262. |
4. Statue of Zeus, Greece
was made of gold and ivory by the Greek
sculptor Phidias (5th century B.C.). Reputed to be 40 ft high,
the statue has been lost without a trace, except for
reproductions on coins. |
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Turkey
Erected by Queen Artemisia in memory of her
husband, King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor, who died in 353
B.C. Some remains of the structure are in the British Museum.
This shrine is the source of the modern word mausoleum. |
6. Colossus of Rhodes, Rhodes (an island in the Mediterranean
Sea)
A bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about
105 ft high. The work of the sculptor Chares, who reputedly
labored for 12 years before completing it in 280 B.C., it was
destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C. |
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt
Built by Sostratus of Cnidus during the 3rd
century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the coast of Egypt. It
was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century. |
See you next trip!
Cheers,
Bruce and Wendy
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