John Edward Cooper’s Notes

[i] 18:55 according to “Your tour dossier”; 20:00 according to the e-ticket; the same 01:00UTC (i.e. 20:00) according to Flightradar24.com
[ii] next day
[iii] This first flight is a Boeing 767-300 with a seat arrangement 2–3–2.

DAY 13: Depart Lima to the UK B
Transfer to Lima airport for your return flight to the UK via Madrid, Spain

Janet wrote: “Restless. Some sleep. Not enough! [John] slept well despite coughing fits (hope that finally goes soon). Up 8.20am. Clearly very hot outside — looking at the people out there. At ca.9am we went for breakfast. [It’s a] really pleasant feeling knowing we have our room until 4.00pm and I can pack later. Yes!…”


Monday 23 February 2015, 10:31:42
Somewhat disquieting sign in the hotel: “Secure zone in cases of earthquakes”

“We returned to our room,” Janet continued, “then headed out around 10.30am. HOT! A nice breeze. Making the most of the good weather before we return to Dear Old Blighty and the bloody cold! We walked to a lovely small park, stopping en route to buy a couple of Inca-Kola Zero for 4 soles. The park was awash with pussies — and they were fed! [John] said later they were probably encouraged to keep the Sky Rats in check. Logical.”


Monday 23 February 2015, 10:58:12
Parque Central de Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:01:26
Parque Central de Miraflores: stylised bull and one of the many cats in the park


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:02:02
Parque Central de Miraflores: one of the many cats in the park

Then we walked about ten blocks southwards for nearly a mile, to look at the ocean. We found ourselves at a posh shopping centre, on cliffs high, high above the beach, with no obvious way down. So we contented ourselves with the view, albeit hazy, from there. The shopping centre had one use: Janet needed a loo.


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:09:24
Avenida José Larco, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:24:58
Sculpture and ventilator from the Larcomar shopping centre at the end of Avenida José Larco, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:28:50
Southerly view of the Pacific Ocean from the Larcomar shopping centre, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:43:14
Larcomar shopping centre, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:44:02
Northerly view of the Pacific Ocean from the Larcomar shopping centre, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 11:46:58
Parque Salazar between Larcomar and Avenida José Larco, Miraflores: guards riding Segway PTs

We walked back the way we’d come, wearied by the sun and the heat, but decided to go to the Vivanda supermarket before returning to the hotel. We thought it better to make the effort and do so now, than to return to the hotel and not feel like going out again. That was some six blocks westwards, and it was a struggle for me to make it there, and then back to the hotel.[iv] “We stopped at Vivanda,” Janet wrote, “for two bread rolls and two large bananas for my tea/supper (hope they don’t get confiscated at the airport…) and two ciabatta and some more of that ham for [John’s] dinner…”

[iv] I didn’t realise that I was suffering from anaemia induced by the new medication that Guy’s and St. Thomas’ had introduced.

Monday 23 February 2015, 11:47:24
Hotels at the southern end of Avenida José Larco, Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 12:08:38
Entrance to Parque Central de Miraflores from Avenida José Larco


Monday 23 February 2015, 12:10:04
Iglesia la Virgen Milagrosa opposite the south side of Parque Central de Miraflores


Monday 23 February 2015, 12:26:48
The Vivanda supermarket, Avenida José Pardo 715, Miraflores

Back at the hotel I transferred the 14 photos I’d taken to the WD Elements HDD (13:10–13:11), and rotated those that needed it (13:12–13:15). “We were back at the hotel… by 1pm,” Janet wrote. “Back in our room we had our dinner, then ‘chilled’. I did the packing and we relaxed until we left the room at ca.3.30pm. It was great having the room to chill out in until we left. Worth every penny of the £30 it cost.[v] At ca.4pm we all set off in the coach. At Lima Airport I said goodbye to Duncan, Lynn and Norris (although we saw them again): it was a real pleasure to meet them. Duncan had already called me eccentric (I guess I am!) but he said I had enriched his holiday. Norris is a real gentleman. I wonder if Duncan and Lynn will stay together. I’d seen them earlier holding hands. Saw Mary and Andy[vi] quite a few times. Before we departed, we completed a questionnaire about our holiday in Peru and were given a tiny wooden Peruvian figure — ideal for our “holiday cabinet”. Cute! We finally left Lima Airport at 8.00pm (Lima time).”

[v] Everyone else had checked out in the morning, though their luggage was stored in the hotel till the pick-up to the airport at 4.00pm.
[vi] Mary was from Malta. It made us chuckle when she was quite outspokenly opinionated on some controversial matters. Andy was quite a “fount of all knowledge”. He was “the guy across the aisle” on the train from Aguas Calientes on 20 Feb. 2015 (pictured, left, on the photo taken just then, “14:19:10”) in conversation with the “garrulous fellow”.

[Tuesday 24 February 2015]
[2015]