GE 2018: Playing with sea lions in Peru

We are now in Lima, Peru.  We’ve been here the last 2 days and we leave tomorrow morning for Miami, Florida (last leg of the trip...so very sad about that).

You got to admit ... the cool Peruvian hat (with flower) adds a real touch of class to the street vendor pose. 

I will start with the A+++, Triple WOW experience of the trip so those of you with short attention spans (I’m looking at you Rainey Booth) can read about that bonus scavenge, even if they don’t get any further.  Off the coast of Lima are a series of islands with NO vegetation. None. They look like icebergs from afar, but are actually just cream-colored rocks rising from the ocean (look behind Rainey’s shoulder).

On one of these islands lives 4,300+ sea lions (and I know this fact because they count them every 3 months using satellite photos and the most recent count came out last week). Every brown speck on the island is actually a sea lion.  

We went by boat (long trip, very rough waves) to the island and … here’s where it gets amazing… jumped in the freezing cold water and swam and played with them.  A real life National Geographic moment.  The water was actually so cold– and the dark, dark, dark water so filled with large slippery sea lion creatures - all around and underneath you  - was so intimidating that I had to start yoga breathing (to stop full out panic) when I first jumped in.  Then I talked myself off the ledge and relaxed.  The boat guy showed me how to float on my back with my two feet on top of the water up in front of me… and after a moment a sea lion came right and touched my feet with its whisker-y mouth (probably to make sure I was not a penguin and thus snack-worthy).  The sea lions were barking and frolicking and jumping out of the water all around me… It was incredible. 

Interesting sight: where the river meets the ocean (fresh water meets salt water) there is a clear line of green water touching blue water. I've never seen anything like it before.

Old man and the sea (with Lima behind him)

Last night, our last scavenge before we headed home, was to see the Magical Waters… which are dancing fountains in a park.  They move and change colors to music (similiar to the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas). There are park benches all around the fountains where you can sit and eat an ice cream and enjoy the night.

Scavenge: Try some Peruvian Coke

Otherwise known as Inca Cola, this is a super sweet, diabetic-coma-inducing soda that is a fluorescent color definitely NOT known in nature.  It is very popular in Peru.

Scavenge:  We had to find a policeman that spoke English and ask him some questions.  In this entire group, ONE had a rudimentary understanding of English (obviously still more than my Spanish, so no judgment).  The full riot gear (while very intimidating) was apparently just because they were guarding the president and not because they actually anticipated Armageddon. 

Scavenge:  Find the Peruvian Last Supper at Church of San Francisco and discover what Jesus is eating.

Apparently, on this continent, Jesus sat down for his last meal and chowed down on roasted guinea pig.  I know… yuck. And a little cultural appropriation. (No photos allowed inside the church)

This morning we went bike riding on the El Malecon (the wide boardwalk-like sidewalk that runs all down the coastline) to the Parque Del Amore (I think you can figure out why it’s called that).

As to the scores / rankings for this year’s competition. Since we joined in the middle of the trip, we are not in the official competition. But in the last leg (Argentina / Uruguay) we busted our butts and tied for first place with Marnie and Greg.  We actually turned in identical score sheets since we did everything together.  The actual first place winners of the entire event is the indominable SLO Folks team, who are now so far ahead of everyone else that they could take a nap from here to the end and still win.  So proud of them.  They have been working hard all around the world. Paula and Tom from San Luis Obispo (SLO Folks) are great competitors (good strategizers and they see the fun in the competition) and very much deserve to win. Plus – the best part – that means they will be back next year again and we will get to see them!!
Lima at night.. isn't she a beauty?