South for the Summer: LIMA

Lima, Peru

I arrived in Lima on Saturday around 5pm, and was greeted by a taxi driver holding a sign with my name on it. The woman I was staying with, Giovanna, sent him to pick me up. My first views of Lima were at dusk, and I was ecstatic to see the Pacific Ocean again! We drove along the cost for a little bit, and I have to say it reminded me of the northern CA coastline a bit. It was overcast, and there were surfers in wetsuits in the water.

My first night in Lima Giovanna took me out to a restaurant called Mangoes in the famous posh mall called Larcomar. The mall is right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. I can only imagine that its an awesome place to hang out in the summer time.

Quick note about the weather: right now it is winter, and the city is covered in a blanket of clouds. I read in my guidebook that this is typical for this time of year, and that the sun doesn’t break through the cloud cover until summer arrives. Its not super cold, definitely not as cold as it gets in CA during the winter, but I have been breaking out my pea coat (which I only used once when I was in Bogotá).

My first meal in Peru was a raw seafood fest: we ordered an appetizer that came with two types of ceviche (spelled cebiche here), octopus, and two other Peruvian fish apetezers that I cant remember the name of right now. I also had a pisco sour to wash it all down.

That night we went to a friend of Giovanna’s house for a surprise birthday party, and afterwards we went out dancing at one of the big casinos in Miraflores. Unfortunately, I was exhausted (having gone to my “fiesta de despedida,” going away party, in Bogotá, the night before), so we ended up going home a little early (3 am). Apparently, its typical for the clubs here to stay open till 5 am or later.

The next day I went and explored downtown Lima, El Centro. I walked around the plaza de Armas, the plaza San Martin, and went on a bus tour of the Cerro San Cristobal. The bus tour was pretty cool. We drove through one of the largest favelas in Lima, and I, being the only white girl on the bus, was sitting in the front seat, with huge windows for all to see. Go figure. I did get great views though of the favela and all the buidlings we passed on the ride.

Unfortunately, I’ve been having some huge internet connection issues, and so my third day in Lima I went to the gym with Giovanna, and then spent the afternoon trying to fix my computer. I then gave up and headed to an internet café to get things done. I did manage to have lunch in Miraflores though: ceviche, and french onion soup. Lima has had a greater variety of food, with a cheaper price tag than Colombia.

My last day in Lima, I spent the first half in Miraflores, and the second half in Barranco. I loved both Miraflores and Barranco. Both are really nice neighborhoods with high rises facing the ocean. I took the 45 minute walk along the boardwalk from Miraflores to Barranco. On the way I got beautiful ocean views, and saw paragliders. My walk ended at the Puente de los suspiros, the bridge of sighs, in Barranco. It was an overall georgeous day, with views.

A few notes about Lima that are different from Bogotá:

Colder weather.
The ocean! It keeps air cleaner by blowing away pollution, and reminds me of SF.
Inka Cola: it’s the national Peruvian rival to Coca-Cola. Its yellow, and its delicious!
Ceviche, ceviche, ceviche, among tons of other fish dishes. I was in heaven!
KFC, Chili’s, Starbucks. All chains here.
There’s a huge Japanese and Chinese population here. Hence, there are Sushi restaurants, and a type of Chinese-Peruvian fusion cuisine called “Chifa.” (haven’t tried it yet, but hopefully soon).