Really long day, but another great day. Travel back to the ship took half the day, then a surprise (optional) tour of Lima for the world cruisers that was included since we didn’t get to go to Machu Picchu.
Trip back to Lima
Woke up early to get luggage outside the door by 6:30am. Then had to navigate the bus to the airport for the flight back to Lima. Pretty easy, but definitely more people in this airport and we shared the plane with non-cruise people on the flight back.
We had to decide on whether to opt into a tour of Lima when we got back to the ship for another 7.5hrs, but I decided why not….it’s included and I can sleep when I’m dead.
We eventually got back to the ship around 1pm. Thought about taking a nap, but probably would’ve been a little risky with how tired I was.
Lima Tour
We headed out around 2:30pm for the tour of lima. There were about 300 people that opted into the tour. I didn’t particularly care about anything other than the fountains, but I wanted to make sure that I got back in time for the ship before the shuttles stopped running, and the AirBnB experience I booked would’ve been a little tight. So I chose to go with the provided tour (and save a little bit of $$).
Larcomar Shopping Mall
First stop was at a shopping mall. Lovely view, but didn’t really shop much. Walked around and chatted with folks for a bit, and we found the food court that had a Ten Ren (but not the kind of tea I liked), and an interesting Haagen-Dazs building, but overall, probably could’ve skipped it (for me).
Parque del Amor
Next, we made a stop a the park of love. It was really a rather lovely space, but obviously, not really my cup of tea (at the moment :D). Some fun scenes all around, and particularly got a giggle at the two people in the O in the LOVE garden….like you specifically picked that space, and I guess you’ll be in everyone’s pics.
Parque de la Reserva (Magical Water Fountains)
Next, the highlight of the tour (for me). It took us quite a long time to get to the waterfountains, as the traffic was just awful, but the wait was well worth it. We ended up getting off the bus a little early and just walking the rest of the way cause the traffic was just that bad.
The fountains themselves were incredible. Honestly enjoyed the fountains and wandering around way more than the grand finale show at the end (just a lot of people and images displayed on water), but the other big fountains were awesome and walking through the grounds was a really relaxing time.
Peruvian Dinner
The final stop of the night was at a restaurant, and it was a little incredible how they were able to accomodate 300 people on such short notice. The hall was really nice and the food was awesome with family style and we got to share amongst ourselves and our new big family on the cruise. Overall, a great dinner, really loud in the hall (as you can imagine), but again, couldn’t have asked for more with the circumstances.
Back to Ship
We got back to the ship around 10:30pm (we were one of the first groups), and then I set up to do a little bit of photo editing before heading up to the top to get a nice little run in. It’s been quite a while since I was able to find some time to run, so getting back into it was a nice bonus.
Surprisingly, I found that I wasn’t tired at all — I truly am a night owl. Ended up watching some shows and finally sleeping around 2:30am.
Trip Review
Honestly, this little side trip was a fascinating time. The people watching in particular was fascinating, as I got to observe how people handle change in different ways. As a very high P on the MBTI, I don’t normally plan anything and I just go with the flow and see what I see.
Not seeing Machu Picchu honestly wasn’t a HUGE deal to me, as I figured I’d see whatever else was around, and if it’s in the cards at some point, I’ll see it when I see it, or I won’t and I’ll see other things in life. Most of my favorite moments in life aren’t actually at the biggest tour / touristy spots, but when I wander off the path and stumble into something unexpected.
The way that the guides were able to be flexible, somehow (still don’t know how, or can imagine the logistics from a data perspective) get us all to the different sites in different combinations was incredible. Big props to Royal Caribbean and the tour company for keeping us safe, and still getting us to places as much as they possible could.
Vibe Check
5 parts joy – very tired, but all in all, a great day
Feedback
Leave a comment or question if you have any thoughts! Anything you want to know about as we go around the world? Any things you want to share as feedback, or any images that particularly spoke to you. I’ll try to read all of them as time permits!
Matti 
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