South American Tour Lima, Peru 1965

Saturday, January 9th Quayaquil to Lima

Up at 5 this morning. It seemed hopeless to get a hold of our passports and make 7 am plane. All of us started phoning. Millie contacted Miss Lola who said she had located our passports and gotten Velasquez's phone number. Millie phoned him and he just wouldn't cooperate, because we had gotten him out of bed and it was the railroads fault for not running on Friday, not his. She begged pleaded and cried but "no go." Then we tried Castro and called the American Consul. Finally, a change came over him a taxi showed up at the hotel, driver had note with my name on it and word "passport." I grabbed Tom Finnerty and away we went. The driver could not speak English so we did not know where we ended at Valasquez Office and he was sitting calmly at his desk. It was now 6 am. I had not even combed my hair...I don't know whether the taxi was the one Braniff sent or not. They had had one out all night trying to locate Velasquez and had found him and he had the four passports. He had taken Finnertys to get them a Peruvian Visa and supposedly the same for Millie and me. Although I had a Peruvian landing card and I already had one. The just wanted the passport for security until we paid for the tour. Finally he started to prepare the landing cards for the Finnerts (I filled ours out in Denver after buying the card from Steamship co. for $4.00 Tom's cost $5.00. then he made out a bill for plane to Quito etc. came to $102.00. It was ten minutes to seven. Tom had called Bea and told them to check out, pay the hotel bill and bring luggage to airfield. We arrived at 7, the girls were there. Then found the plane. It was a New York & Miami one would be an hour late. McBancroft, our ambassador was there also.

We Purchased our plane tickets from Miss Lola and thanked her profusely for the excellent help. She was really a gift from the gods when needed. (She had spent several years there and had some travelling difficulties of her own so she knew what to do with our problems). It took the jet one hour and 30 minutes to cover the 1000 miles to Lima, Peru. We had an excellent breakfast on the plane - the first meal we had had since breakfast in Quito. Off the plane and through immigration (good passport -- the next one is going to get an argument when he wants my passport) and customs. Customs just patted our bags and said OK. But gave Tom and Bea's a good going over. After buying some Peruvian dinner at the airport we took off in a hotel taxi for Gran Hotel Bolivar. Excellent rooms on sixth floor and then a couple of Pisco Punches in tap Room -- the first one on the house. Wives went shopping, Tom and I went for hair cut - Chinese barber spoke Spanish but no English. Karen, our granddaughter who is making a four month visit in Peru came to the Hotel with her Hostess Senora Lopez and her two daugthers, Ana who had spent four months in Karen's home in Tucson and Marie (13 years) also Jose the 15 year old brother. We had lunch in Hotel - $48.00  and they invited us over to their home for a surprise party for Karen's 11th Birthday. In the meantime Joey Murz phoned. We met him in Tucson he works for ASARCO and spent 10 years in Peru. He was going to the party and would pick us up. Then Heather Sprague phoned. They were also coming to the party and she invited the Lopez family, Karen aned us to Lunch on Sunday. We took a nap, dressed and left hotel with Joey for party, around 5. the party was an example of Spanish Culture and manners. There were 11 Peruvian girls there with adult friends dropping in all evening. Many of them brought Birthday gifts. The girls danced square dance, tangos, cha-cha etc. One played accordion. Food never stopped coming with soft drinks. The Lopez took us to hotel about ten Mr. Lopez who also works for ASARCO, is Caja Metro, 844 Kms north,  where the company has a branch. He is an Engineer.

Sunday, January 10, 1965 Lima

We were called at 8. Had breakfast, packed, checked out of hotel and left baggage at desk. The Lopez with Karen called for us at ten and we toured Lima and surrounding residential areas and the beaches ending up at the Spragues at 12:30 for lunch. Left Spagues with Lopez stopped by Hotel for bags and ran into Tom Finnerty. he said they had picked up a tour agent who was arranging trip for them to Cuzco and Machu Pichu, 3 dars for $109 and $30 more would get them to Ilo to rejoin ship. With the Comedy in errors on the Quito Andrean trip so fresh in my mind I wasn't too interested in the Spanish brand of tour agents but Millie warmed up to it as she wanted to see the Inca headquaters which was so well hidden that it wasn't discovered until 1911. So we told Tome to get two trips for us and then we left for the ship in Callao in the Lopez car. Mrs. Lopez parked car outside the gate and we picked up luggage and walked over to gang plank, there a guard stopped us and called a customs officer. Jose and his mother jabbered away in Spanish with the two officers. It appeared I couldn't take the luggage on board until it had been inspected by customs, this customs officer couldn't do it and the officer where it would have to be done was booked until Monday. The discussion went on for 15 minutes. I went on board to get the bursar, he went to get some one else. I returned to the melee when I notice Jose carrying the luggage up the gang plank. He said they had changed their mind they could inspect the baggage and would do it in my cabin. I opened one bag and that was it. It cost me two cartons of cigarettes. I still don't know what it was all about. The bags had been inspected when I landed the day before and carried the approval stamp.

At 6 PM the Bursars informed us we would have to let him know definitely whether we are staying on ship or taking another land trip. It appears the ship must carry papers as well as the agent with the exact whereabouts of their passengers. One cannot stay away over night without a definite reason for the police. This was news to us. Millie walked along the dock for 5 blocks to a phone ot call Tom Finnerty to see if he had gotten our reservations for Cuzco. Then she learned Tom had been inquiring around and found that the planes used on part of the trip were having maintenance trouble and were frequently delayed. The manager at the Bolivar Htoel told him it was not a trip to be taken on a tight schedule. Tom and Bea backed out and we considered our trip postponed.

Monday, January 11, 1965 Lima

Had a good sleep on the Porsanger. Difficult to get up for breakfast, but made it. Rays Mortin and wife had left at five for Cuzco trip. The Nelsons were going in a separate group but they had a joint Peruvian landing card and it wasn't acceptable to the powers that be. They had to wait for immigration to open. Dorothy Wilson is going with them. We walked five blocks to a phone to call Rod Sprague, mgr of Northern Peru Copper Co and tell him we wouldn't be in Ilo, Peru until Friday. He was trying to arrange a trip to the smelter. Also phoned Karen that we would send her camera which she had left on the ship, to the agents office in Lima. Later learned it went to agent in office in Callao. Hope the Spaniards can figure it out for her. The Finnerty's showed up at 11 am and walked aboard with their luggage without immigration looking there way. Shortly thereafter Senora Ida de Avirta and daughter came abroad. They were friends and neighbors of the Finnertys in Arcadia Calif. and now returned to live in Lima. Our 11 am sailing was set back to 3 PM so they took us for a ride around Callao, returned to ship at two. had sandwiches in our cabin. Ship took off at 3:15 pm for Huacho which is north of Callao but passed on the way south because too many ships were waiting. Then we took a nap until 5:30. had dinner on ship and chatted in lounge. Shipp approached Huacho at 8:45 PM and dropped anchor. The City Lights were very attractive. Will see the town in the daylight tomorrow. The sea is slightly rough due to the cold Humboldt current rushing north along the coast. Streams from the antarctic and cools off the coast line along the tropics and also makes for excellent fishing in Peru. It also rolls the ship somewhat in this unsheltered harbor.