Southern Peru-Bolivia Day 15

Day 15 - Sunday, November 9, 2014 - Tour of the City; Lunch at Local Restaurant; Salon de Independencia; Simón Bolivar Park; Parque Cretacico

We were able to sleep in this Sunday morning until 8:00 AM, as our activities did not begin until 9:30. The skies were overcast and gray, the temperature was 65 degrees and the humidity was 73%. The weather forecast predicted rain, not unusual for this valley.

Natalia was there at 9:30 to begin our walking tour of the city of Sucre. We began with a walk to the 25th of May Square, where in 1809 the first revolutionary activities began. She gave us much information about the statues in the square celebrating the Creoles who began to light the flame of independence.

Across the street is the Cathedral of Sucre begun in 1559 that took over 200 years to complete. Sunday Mass was going on so we quietly slipped in to see the relatively simple but elegant decorations.

The steeple has statues of the 12 Apostles and a functioning clock that is over 220 years old. We crossed the street again and walked through the park. We could hear the parrots in the trees and Vic was able to capture a photo of the scarlet fronted parakeet.

Directly in front of the park, facing the cathedral is the Casa de la Libertad, the House of Liberty, now a museum. Natalia explained the importance of each room, especially where Simón Bolívar declared Bolivia free.

Memorabilia from the South American fight for independence from Spain are housed in these rooms with no guards or securities. A copy of the Bolivian Declaration of Independence is on display. The original is kept in a bank vault.

The rooms are used during the year as a museum, but on August 6, the government comes here to celebrate the anniversary of independence. Dona Juana Azurduy, a Mestizo woman who fought a guerrilla style war against the Spanish is also recognized in the museum. She was honored as the only woman colonel in the war for independence.

We walked to the Central Market and had another look at the fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables of the area. Compared to the large supermarket by our hotel, the freshness and variety of fruits is unbeatable. No wonder the local people shop at the central market each day for fresh produce.

The place to go for Sunday lunch in Sucre was definitely El Huerto, The Orchard. Families from the city gather here after church and linger over a delicious meal of traditional foods. Our tables were outside under the umbrellas and the fruit trees.

Sabino, our driver, met us there to take us to Simón Bolivar Park, a fun family oriented garden. The Sunday activities; rides, food stalls, and games were a hit with the youngsters while teens were there to see and be seen.

Pepé had arranged for us to do an optional excursion to see the new dinosaur tracks museum outside of Sucre. Cal Orcko, or Parque Cretacico is a paleontological site miraculously found in a limestone quarry when a cement company found the soil unsuited due to its chemical balance.

Our enthusiastic guide, Juan Carlos took us through every stage of the discovery of the migration tracks of four different kinds of these huge thunder lizards. These tracks are found on the vertical cliffs of the quarry.

Due to erosion and pure luck, these tracks became visible and now provide a wonderful lesson to the people and children of the area. True to life size models of various dinosaurs decorate the park and there are activities for children to act as junior paleontologists and dig for bones.

Dinner was on our own this evening. We went to the supermarket to get money for our last few days in Bolivia and to purchase a light snack for dinner. A cool breeze blew through our room as the sun was setting over the city; a great end to our day in Sucre.

Tonight we pack for our drive to Potosi in the morning. We will go back to high altitude again tomorrow.

Parador Santa Maria La Real --- Meals: B & L

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

What a great -- low stress -- Sunday you had.

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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