Home Base in Perú
I am in Cuenca, Ecuador right now as I sit here writing my first blog post about Perú only 7 weeks late. Lima was my resting and eating hub and I unintentionally ended up there 5 separate times and staying there for 8 nights over those different stays. I didn’t use Lima as a place to socialize with backpackers. I never stayed in a hostel; 6 nights were in a hotel and 2 with a lady friend. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense that I ended up in Lima so many times, especially when most backpackers try to follow a straight line to avoid air travel, but this happened partly due to poor planning, partly due to unexpected events, and partly due to having a friend visit. I’ve started saying that my route in Peru was my own version of the Nazca lines (mysterious geoglyphs in the Nazca desert of southern Peru that total over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures, and 70 animal and plant designs; some lines running up to 30 miles).
My first time in Lima was flying in from Bogota as my initial stop in Peru. I got a nice hotel for 2 nights and used it as an opportunity to decompress my Colombian experience as well as catch up on some admin things in life and call friends at home. I wandered around Miraflores a bit but mostly stayed in my hotel. My second time in Lima was just one night at Marie’s parent’s place because we didn’t get back from Oxapampa until midnight (more on that later) and then I had a bus at 7am the next morning so this barely counts. The third time really doesn’t count because I took an overnight bus back from Huaraz which got me into Lima at 5am then I went straight to the airport and flew to Arequipa at 11 that morning. My fourth time was when my friend Matt came to visit. After spending nearly his entire 2 week stay in Cusco and the surrounding area, we came to Lima for his last day in Peru before he flew back to the US. We ate a bunch of good food and drank all afternoon. Then I ended up spending another day in the hotel lying in bed hungover and watching classic American movies like Armageddon in Spanish. My fifth time in Lima was after Huacachina on my way heading up north. The first day I lied in bed in the hotel once again hungover watching movies. The second day I roamed around Barranco then met up with Marie that night for dinner and stayed at her new place in Miraflores. I ended up staying a third day at the hotel because I wasn’t quite ready for the 21 hour bus ride to Mancora. So all in all I didn’t explore the city as much as it sounds like when I say I spent 8 nights there. It was more a place to eat and sleep in between other trips.
The City
Immediately I felt a much different energy from Colombia when walking around Lima. It’s interesting how quickly the brain picks up on being in a new environment – the sights, smells, interactions of people, architecture, and general feel of being in a new country is felt right away. I learned very quickly that wearing a mask is way more important in Peru than anywhere that I’d been in a long time. Most people are even wearing masks outdoors and in the streets. Turned out to be a trend in the entire country. Peru got hit one of the hardest in the world with percentage death rate so everyone still takes wearing a mask very seriously. Planes and even some grocery stores required either a N95 mask or a double mask.
Lima is the capital of Peru and is an absolutely massive city with a population of 11 million people (1/3 of the entire country) and stretching over 1,000 square miles. The city is mostly flat with the Pacific Ocean to the west and desert land surrounding the rest. I never thought about Lima having a surfer scene but since it’s right on the Pacific the waves are big and the beaches are full of people in wetsuits with surf boards in hand. There are many miles of beaches along Cto. de Playas Highway, some of which have decent sand and others that are rocky; and the water is pretty dirty. Could be nice to sit on the beach in the summer but this time of year better just to walk next to it along the boardwalk. There is both lower and upper boardwalks with a giant sea wall separating the two to protect the city from tsunamis. Need to commit to the lower boardwalk because it can be awhile before there’s an opportunity to go back up, it seems like there is only one entrance per neighborhood.
It’s currently wintertime in Peru and the weather was mild temperature with very cloudy, gray skies every time I was there. Like many big cities, it is compromised of many different neighborhoods that have a distinctive look and feel ranging from the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores to less developed areas on the outskirts. About a third of Lima’s population lives in squatter settlements called “pueblos jovenes” (young towns) or “barriadas” (shantytowns). The city has many cultural museums, historical buildings, beautiful parks, and incredible restaurants to dine at. I think you could easily be satisfied spending just 2-3 days in Lima or you could spend weeks here eating and exploring new parts.
The People
Lima has that big city feel where everyone in the streets is moving fast and minding their own business so you really don’t interact with too many people. Although everyone in the Inca markets is very personable in an attempt to get you to buy from their stand. And throughout my time in Perú I met quite a bit of people from Lima around my age that travel around the country and stay in the big party hostels; and some became really good friends. Also I met a girl that I was quite keen for but more on that in the next stories. So overall I have a good impression of the people from Lima.
The Food
Lima (and Perú in general) is well known around the world for its cuisine and the city did not disappoint. Whether you go out for fine dining at a fancy restaurant or eat menú del día at a little hole in the wall, your almost guaranteed to eat something delicious. There was also a lot of very westernized chains like Taco Bell, Subway, Chili’s, etc but no need to eat that type of food with so many other great options. Going out to eat in Lima reminded me of New York City where there’s so many options that it can be overwhelming so going somewhere nicer is definitely better if you do some research first to narrow down the selection.
During my multiple stays in Lima, I ate at some very tasty restaurants selling typical Peruvian cuisine like ceviche, lomo saltado, and chaufa (more on this when I talk about Huaraz). A few that stand out are: Punto Marisko (great seafood and cocktails), Cosme (fine dining small plates), Cala (fancy seafood restaurant directly on the water), and Costazul Seafood (delicious ceviche).
And of course I drank many Pisco Sours because that’s just a weekly requirement when staying in Peru. Like anything, some were better than others. My go to cheap beers were Cusqueña and Pilsen, but I also had some good craft beers.
Miraflores
Miraflores is the upscale neighborhood in Lima that most tourists tend to stay in and the architecture is a combination of old buildings and trendy, new high rises. It has a very pleasant feel to it with a pedestrian walkway running through the middle of Avenue José Pardo. The Mercado Indio is a great place to shop if looking for any alpaca merch (blankets, sweaters, scarves, backpacks, you name it), artesanal goods with the Inca style patterns, and jewelry. Since lots of shops sell similar goods, everyone in the market is trying to sell you their particular stuff being super friendly asking your name and where your from. Parque John F Kennedy and Parque 7 de junio are surrounded by high rise buildings and restaurants; and they provide a great place to sit on a bench and people watch. Parque del Amor is on the boulevard above the sea wall where you can watch surfers riding the large Pacific Ocean waves and paragliders flying over the water.
Barranco
After staying in Miraflores my first few times in Lima I decided to get a hotel in Barranco on my last visit. It’s the artsy, hipster neighborhood. I preferred the vibe here to touristy Miraflores. Much more local feel. It’s a neighborhood where you can get lost walking down side streets looking at street art and colorful buildings. There are many small galleries and restaurants lining the street and lots of little gardens, parks, and trees. There are many new, modern apartments on the boardwalk above the sea wall with waterfront views.
Puente de los Suspiros is a popular destination with a local legend behind it. A rich young woman falls in love with a street sweeper. Forbidden by her father to be with the love of her life, she spends her days sighing from her window hoping to see him again. Another legend has it that if you can hold your breath while walking the length of the entire bridge, which is 144-feet (44 meters) long, your wish will come true. I’m still waiting on that one. I wanted to check out the Museum of Contemporary Art but it was closed on Monday’s.
Cristo del Pacifico
On my last day in Lima instead of doing normal touristy things like going to a museum or the historic district, I decided to walk up to a mirador with a view point of the city. I walked through Barranco and Chorrillos not knowing my end destination but with the intention to head up the hill. After Chorillos the walk went up along a narrow dirt and rocky trail where it was just me and the runners who want a more uphill climb than the boardwalk. It felt more like a dusty plain in New Mexico than Lima. I stopped at Cristo del Pacifico which is a giant Jesus status and has nice views of the city: high rises along the sea wall overlooking the Pacific and the more rundown buildings in the hills. On a nice day one would be able to see the whole city clearly but I don’t think those exist here, or at least not in the winter. There’s a constant haze in the sky. It gave me a good feel for the sheer size of the city.
