"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 19 Callao (Lima), Peru Day Three January 16, 2014 Thursday Partly cloudy, 79 degrees

Bill's private visit to Machu Picchu.....really???

We have never stayed two nights in Callao before this trip. The reason for the extended stay is mainly for the guests who went on overland tours. Most of them arrived on time at about 10:30am, looking a bit worn around the edges. They had been up since 4am to get to the airport in Cuzco for the flight to Lima. Looking forward to their stories.

Not too much traffic this morning

Provisions for the ship

Two HAL ships

Potatoes....lots of them

Lettuce

Foxy lettuce from California

There was not much to do off the ship this morning, because the all aboard time was 11:30am. Our shuttle bus was gone, and only being used for the Prinsendam folks.

The Peruvian Market on the pier

We decided to take a walk to the reduced-size Peruvian Market set up on the pier. The few vendors that are left were selling the same items we saw in the Indian Market in town two days ago. There weren't as many shoppers as there were people trying to access the free wifi here. Crew members and passengers alike were crowded side by side trying to get online. At this point, we did not know that the ship's new service had been shut down. So many problems with the internet have popped up, that an IT tech had to be flown here to join us enroute to Easter Island to fix the bugs. We cannot figure out why this switch of services has been implemented on a Grand Voyage? We turn into the worst complainers when they mess with our internet....some more than others. One of the major problems is the internet shutting down while you are in the middle of something online. Many times, we have had trouble logging off, while the clock ticks away minutes. So if you do not see the blog being posted daily, it means we have lost the ability to log on, and the entire system may be shut down.

Many souveniers

Very nice silver jewelry, but expensive

Clothing, purses, hats, and dolls

All we did was window shop at the market, comparing prices with those of the big Indian Market, then walk back onboard. We did have a brief meeting with former hosts, Wendy and Steve, before they had to board a bus for a tour. After today, our paths will not cross again on this trip.

The sailaway was delayed due to the fact that a new group of entertainers for French Polynesia were joining a half hour later than expected. A new concept was used at the sailaway party today. The Cruise Director had a drawing for some local beer and some Peruvian souvenier items. The chance of winning something sure brought the folks outside.

One member of the new band, Serendipity

Also, the new band that joined us, Serendipity, were performing for an hour at the aft pool. Now their music was our type of music, and obviously everyone else's. People were clapping and dancing to the tunes of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and the Beach Boys, etc. We appreciate the change of music, since we have been asking for this for many years now. Someone has listened.... finally.

Barbara Haenni in the orange shirt

Some snacks served

The further away we got from Callao and Lima, the cooler it got. In a short time, the back deck had cleared, and it was quiet once again. In fact, we left the shroud of haze and light fog that hovers over the city most of the time, but picked up the wind. As we sailed out of the harbor, Captain Jonathon went into some details regarding the less than efficient internet system. He promised that the technician from the new provider company will resolve the problem, but it may take a few days. We feel bad for the library team, that has had to take on the extra task of the internet, since those experts have been dismissed. Their jobs...eliminated.

We had company for dinner this evening......the guest chef, George Geary, a most popular repeat demonstrator. He will be onboard until Tahiti, and will conduct several cooking classes while here. Being that we are 5 star Mariners, we are eligible for one complimentary cooking class. It would be nice to do one with George, because despite being a professional, he is a lot of fun. An extra bonus with the class is receiving a free culinary arts apron.

By 3pm, we were getting hungry. So we decided to check out the new menu at the Terrace Grill. Now you can get seasoned fries, with or without sauce. Sorry, no more sweet potato fries. There are three types of hamburgers, one portobello mushroom or veggie burger, and a chicken sandwich. The dogs are Nathans and are served three different ways. What is nice is that the sandwiches are wrapped in a foil wrapper, and the fries are served in a disposable cup. All the food is placed on a metal tray, instead of plates. And so far, we liked what we ate, and will go back again.

The new look of the Terrace Grill

The "dogs"

The fries

The burger choices

Did we mention that the special coffees at dinnertime in the dining room have a charge attached now? In the past, they were free. Now the espresso costs $1.25 and the cappuccino will cost $1.75. Never thought we would see these changes on any grand voyage. Guess we are not as special as we are led to believe.

The entertainment was Groove Tonight, the first performance of the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Will report about the show tomorrow. By the way, the rehearsal at 11:30am was open to the public. Sometimes that works better for us.

We have several days at sea now until we reach Easter Island. Hope the weather holds up and stays nice.