48 Lima - Day 1 - City and Fountains Tour

Our sail into Callao (pronounced Kay Yow) was everything we expected it to
be: overcast. Having spent two weeks in Peru last year we knew that Lima
is cloudy more times that it is not. It has got to do with the cold
currents that come from the polar regions. The ocean water is cold and when
the air temperature is hot it creates the fog that rises and gives Lima a
constant overcast appearance. Unfortunately, these clouds do not produce
proper rain. Although it looks like threatening rain, the only people who
walk around with umbrellas are the clueless tourists. If you see a tree or
anything green, know that it has been transplanted from somewhere else and
then all manually watered.

The best contrast to the grey skies were the wonderfully colourful markets
that were being set up on the dock as we approached our berth. Peruvians
love colour: reds, blues, greens, beautiful knitwear being pulled out of the
big red and blue strip plastic bags. Being true to form I managed to
purchase a lovely red cardigan in the 15 mins we had before meeting our
group, and I wore it all day!

Callao, being a very large working port, we were once again restricted from
walking anywhere. Two shuttles were on offer. One shuttle was to the Real
Plaza Salaverry, a shopping mall that could be any mall in Sydney. The
second shuttle was to the port gates, basically for those who have arranged
private tours. There is no way that you would venture anywhere on your own
from here, not just because of proximity, but a bit too dangerous for us
unsuspecting obvious tourists.

We didn't arrive until 12pm, so our tour was geared around touring a few of
the highlights of the city, dinner then the Magic Fountains, which was the
main reason we joined.