HERIBERTO SEDENO EXPLORES PERU AND CHILE

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HERIBERTO SEDENO EXPLORES PERU AND CHILE
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On a previous article, Heriberto Sedeno, M.D.
Visits South America, he recounted his
experiences travelling on the cruise ship ms
Veendam that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida in
route to Valparaiso, Chile. As he explains to us
from Guayaquil, Ecuador the cruise ship continues
its voyage to Trujillo, Peru. There he takes a
tour of the major archeological sites nearby. He
visits El Brujo, a mysterious archeological
remnant of the Mochican culture. It is located 20
miles north of Trujillo in the Valley of Chicama.
El Brujo excavations began in 1990 and
continue to this date. From there, he visited
the ruins of Chan Chan citadel, the most
important cultural nucleus in the Chimu nation.
This citadel is the largest adobe city in the
world and a UNESCO world heritage site.
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Visit to Callao

• The next port of call is Callao, entry port to
  Lima, Peru. Lima was once considered as the
  Spanish government center in the New World. Its
  beautiful colonial palaces, museums and churches
  protect precious treasures. On a drive thru
  Lima, Heriberto Sedeno visits the modern
  districts of San Isidro and Miraflores and the
  traditional district of Barranco facing the
  Pacific Ocean. On the way back to the piers of
  Callao, Dr. Sedeno visits the Pedro de Osma
  museum of colonial art and the Casa Solariega de
  Aliaga, perhaps Limas oldest house which is
  inhabited by descendants of Geronimo de Aliaga
  who was one of the first Spanish conquistadores
  to arrive in Peru. From Callao, the ms Veendam
  heads to Coquimbo, Chile.

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Driving to Elqui Valley

• At Coquimbo Dr. Sedeno takes a shore excursion
  driving on the Pan American Highway heading to
  the Elqui Valley. This is an astonishingly
  fertile area at the very heart of an arid desert
  plateau irrigated by the Elqui river. From
  there, the Cerro Tololo Inter American
  Observatory is easily reached within a one-hour
  car ride. This amazing facility is the largest
  astronomical observatory in the Southern
  Hemisphere. After visiting the observatory, Dr.
  Sedeno headed to Vicuña the main town in the
  Elqui Valley where Gabriela Mistral, the Nobel
  Prize-winning poet was born in 1889.

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final leg of cruise

• On the final leg of this cruise, the ms Veendam
  departs Coquimbo to Valparaiso. From this citys
  hilly old town, Heriberto Sedeno takes an
  excursion to the fashionable resort of Vina del
  Mar. At this resort, he admires its best-known
  landmark, the famous floral clock and the
  impressive Casino built in the 1930s
  surrounded by beautiful gardens. His tour
  continues to the Casa Blanca Valley famous for
  its vineyards and ends in Santiago de
  Chile.Santiago was founded by Spanish
  Conquistador Pedro de Valdivia on 12 February
  1541.After this wonderful exploration of the main
  sites of Peru and Chile, Dr. Sedeno heads back
  home to Austin, Texas.