Photographic Meanderings/Around the World with National Geographic

Dr Swart gave us an hour long lecture on PreColumbian and Columbian history and art in flight to Lima, Peru. Paula became a good friend during our trip, sharing stories of her many trips and experiences. She recommended that we consider a trip to Bhutan in the future.

  Carsten Stehr, our Expedition Leader, has made 50 trips around the world. He own a champagne bar on Micanos, his present home, called Jacky O’s, which serves champagne from all over the world.

Carsten was organized beyond belief, advising us of every turn, and supplemented by agents of TCS who directed us through airports, customs, and to the various WCs.

We were well fed on the way to Lima, including snacks, adult beverages, careful attention. Each meal on the plane included the starter ( for this meal, tomato and mozzarella) followed by the entree.

   These are the seats that we will occupy for the first half of the trip; we’ll move from row 16 to row 1 at Cambodia. These seats were just aft of the wing, providing some great pictures which you will see on approaching Easter Island.

After clearing Peruvian Customs, we toured the Larco Herrera Museum, housing the largest ceramic collection in the world with concentrations of the Moche Dynasty, predating the Inca civilization.

This was probably a carpet in a priest’s dwelling woven about 2000 year ago. The Mochetas were indigenous people predating the Inca’s.

  The Mochetas had a method of embalming and wrapping the body in the fetal position for burial. The bundle had a head fashioned to indicate the position of the body inside.

The Mochetas would decorate their dead with gold plated copper.

This is the view out our window, approaching Cusco, Peru.