January 18, 2019

Matarani, Peru

From the looks of it, there is not much to do in Matarani.  The ship offered a shuttle to Molendo, a 40-minute drive.  (I heard later that there was not much to do there, either).  I was glad I had chosen a tour called, “Arequipa Sightseeing and Shopping”.  It was an eight-hour tour but four of those hours were riding the bus back and forth.

The tour met at 7:15 for a 7:30 departure.  (Way too early for me!)  We left a few minutes late.  The landscape for most of the ride looked like mountains of rock and dirt with an occasional cactus.  I will have to admit I spent a great deal of the ride snoozing and missed some of Lizzie’s (our guide) commentary.  I was, however, not the only one nodding off. 

Once we arrived in Arequipa we went to Mundo Alpaca.  They have various species of alpacas and llamas and even a baby llama that was just born yesterday.  We were given greens to feed them and they were very friendly.  Next, we saw some of the sorting process and a demonstration on weaving.  As usual, you left by the store where I purchased some wool but no picture as it will be used for Christmas presents.

It was then about a 5-minute walk to the main square, Plaza de Armas.  After Lizzie gave us a little information, we had about two hours to wander on our own.  I looked around the square and along some of the pedestrian zones.  About 11:30 I was getting hungry so I got a Coke from McDonald’s and a wonderful berry muffin from Starbucks.

Arequipa was founded in 1540 and is the second most populous city in Peru.  The city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is referred to as the “White City” because of the white volcanic stone used to build some of the major buildings.  Some have been rebuilt more than once because of earthquakes.

We met back up at 12:45 and there was a small miscommunication as to where the bus was going to be so we did not start our journey back until 1:10 arriving back to the pier around 3:20 (all aboard was at 3:30).

There was a sail-away party featuring Pisco Sours as the “Drink of the Day”.  I had one and it was very good. 

Trivia was a at 4:00 and we had 15 but two teams tied at 15.5.

1) True or false – Skateboarding will be an Olympic sport in 2020?

2) In what year did Panama gain its independence from Colombia, the first Crayola Crayons were sold (5 cents), and the first Tour de France took place?

3) Which one movie monster has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

4) True or false – Green, black, and white tea all come from the same plant?

5) Which two countries share the longest uninterrupted border (1240 km) in the EU?

6) (And just for the “Bridesmaids”)  By whom was Medusa beheaded?

Evening trivia was at 7:30. We had 9 out of 17 and I forgot to write down what the winners had since we had such a dismal showing.

1) Which French Polynesian island did John Michener dub the world’s most beautiful?

2) What type of oil did da Vinci use in the world’s first high intensity lamp?

3) What is the only continent to have black swans?

4) Which country’s highest point is Mt. Logan at 19,850 feet?

5) What do peacocks mate with?

All present for dinner.  I had French onion soup and sweet and sour shrimp.  I left early for Name That Tune, skipping dessert.  The theme was TV theme songs with Stevie the piano guy.  We had 15 out of 16 correct and tied for the win.

From my deck...

On the road between Matarani and Arequipa...

Arequipa...

Plaza de Armas

a craft market (no yarn)

mural in the McDonalds

the Cathedral

I cam out of a store and this woman handed me her lamb and said, "picture, picture".  So, I handed the lamb back (she was very sweet), took a picture, and gave her a dollar.

We have not had a time change yet this cruise but are more than making up for it tonight.  We lose two hours of sleep!

Afternoon trivia

1) True

2) 1903

3) Godzilla

4) True

5) Spain and Portugal

6) Perseus

Evening trivia

1) Bora Bora

2) Olive oil

3) Australia

4) Canada

5) peahens

Smooth sailing until next time!