Plaza de Arma, Lima

Lima, Perú

Steve and I decided to take 5 days to explore & rest in Lima.  Some know, I have been experiencing some back pain since Quito, and by the time we reached Lima I was waking up numerous times with back spasms.  So we although we did do some sightseeing in Lima, we also took this time to take advantage of a beautiful apartment and rested.  We woke up late, went to bed early, spend half the day in pajamas and watched Rocky Balboa.  We also took some time to plan out the next few weeks, bought flights, train tickets, and booked places to stay.  We Facetimed with family, and caught up with e-mails and bills.  It felt good to rest and catch up with life.

Lima reminded me a bit of San Francisco and Los Angeles.  We stayed in Miraflores, which we have been told is the “Beverly Hills” of Lima.  It is a huge shopping area, with lots of restaurants and parks.  We are just a short walk to the beach, but it isn’t like beaches in Southern California.  The water is cold and the waves are large, so most people wear wetsuits and surf.  There is a huge surfing culture here.  Public transportation is a work in progress.  There are numerous bus lines, and they are working on their underground subway.  Traffic is how you imagine a city of 9 million would be – horrendous.  We enjoyed our time interacting with locals, and visiting the sights in Lima.

 

How We Got Around

From the airport we were hoping to take Uber to our apartment.  Be prepared if you fly into Lima for what can only be described to a foreigner as “chaos” when you step out of customs.  There are hundreds of people waiting for loved ones or customers.  When you make it outside, everyone gets in your face asking you if you want a taxi.  It can be a bit much to handle.  We thought we had outsmarted all this by requesting an Uber via the free wifi.  After several attempts and insanely long pickup times, a taxi driver who was not screaming and yelling approached Steve and told him Uber was not allowed to do pick-ups at the airport.  After a little negotiating, we got in his cab and he drove us to our apartment while Steve and him enjoyed conversation in Spanish.

For everything else, we caught Uber.  Even we traveling around, were able to locate a Wifi spot easily to hail an Uber.  The Taxi’s are fine too.  They are not metered, so everything in the Taxi is negotiated before the trip.

 

Where We Stayed

We LOVED our apartment in Miraflores!  LOVED IT!  It had a comfortable bed, hot shower, and a fantastic kitchen.  Steve and I cooked every night while in Lima and felt right at home here.  There was a 24hr doorman who was always friendly and helpful.  We even chatted with a few of the neighbors who were also quite nice.

 

Our Favorite Eats

Miraflores is an expensive area to eat at, so for that reason, we enjoyed shopping at the local market and cooked dinner most nights.  We did venture out to try a few local favorites:

Peruvian Ceviche – This is not a dip – fish, corn, onions and sweet potato.  So simple but delightful.

Peruvian Ceviche
Peruvian Ceviche

Pisco Sour – Pisco is brandy made from grapes, popular in Chile & Perú.  The Pisco Sour is a popular drink here in Lima, consisting of pisco, lemon, egg white and syrup.

Pisco Sour
Pisco Sour

Chicha Morada – We first heard about this drink from a tour, and knew we had to try it.  The drink is made from purple corn, fruit, cinnamon and sugar.  It tastes sweet, and delicious.

 

What We Did

Huaca Pucllana – We visited this giant adobe pyramid, which was a 20-minute walk from our apartment.  To visit the ruins, it is S/10, and you have to wait for a guided tour.  We waited about 30 minutes for the next English speaking tour.  The ruins are still being explored today, as much of it was destroyed over time and with the building of Miraflores surrounding it.  The tour was about 45 minutes and was fascinating.  The guide talked about the Lima culture, the war with the Wari people, and how life existed for people living nearby.  They had reenactments in various areas of the ruins, and vegetables and fruits growing how they would back 2,000 years ago.  Although these ruins are considered small, and not that impressive, we thought it was a good first stop for our visit.

Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana

 

Parque de la Reserva – This park is in the Guinness World of Records for most fountains in a park.  We had read that their night show was something to be seen.  It costs S/3 to enter.  There are 13 fountain features, including a tunnel, kid’s areas, and a massive fountain similar to Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.  Every hour starting at 7:15PM they do a nighttime laser & fountain show.  Here is the deal – if you go expecting Disney World of Color – you will be disappointed.  You should appreciate it for what it is – a creative light show, highlighting Perú destinations and culture.  Steve and I spent 90 minutes visiting this park.  I have to say – this place must be a popular spot for the local dating scene – there were lots of make out sessions, cuddles, and hand holding.

Parque de la Reserva
Parque de la Reserva
Parque de la Reserva
Parque de la Reserva
Parque de la Reserva
Parque de la Reserva

 

Plaza de Armas – The main square in the old town was decked out in Christmas decorations.  It was quite the sight.  From the main square you can see the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral of Lima.  The area is well guarded by local and military police.  The entire area has lot of tourists and felt very safe.  From here, there is shopping nearby, and you can also arrange to hop on city tour busses.

Palacio de Gobierno
Palacio de Gobierno
Plaza de Arma, Lima
Plaza de Arma, Lima

 

Catedral de Lima –  We were quite surprised we had to pay to enter the church, but happily paid the S/10 to enter, and after going I would do it again.  The church is massive, and can easily be compared to one you would find in Europe.  In addition to the church, they have rooms used as exhibition rooms.  We saw original choir books, artwork and gold pieces.  We were surprised at how much time we spent there.  If you are in Lima, go, you won’t be disappointed.

Catedral de Lima
Catedral de Lima
Inside Catedral de Lima
Inside Catedral de Lima

 

Monastery of San Francisco – This church was once home to over 300 Franciscans, and now it houses 46.  The church was completed in 1774 and has survived several earthquakes, including the last “big one” in 1970.  We did the tour for 10 Soles each.  The tour went through the old quarters of the Franciscans and the catacombs.  This was my first experience entering a catacomb.  They estimate 25,000 bodies were laid to rest here.  Throughout the living quarters there are handmade art pieces made out of cedar wood.  The wood was shipped in from Panama.  The only disappointment we had on the tour, was we were not able to take pictures.  Throughout the years art pieces were damaged from the use of flash on cameras, and they decided 8 years ago to stop photos completely.

Iglesia de San Francisco
Iglesia de San Francisco

 

Miraflores Walkway & Beach Area – on our last day we took the opportunity to explore our own backyard.  There is a pathway that runs over 6 miles along the edge of the cliff, below is the highway and the beach.  There are various parks, statues and vistas along the path.  There is also a place where paragliders launch from, which was enjoyable to watch.  We even walked down to the beach and watched the sunset.  This whole area is very popular with the locals, who walk with families, children and dogs all while enjoying the well-kept outdoor spaces.  It was a lovely walk and evening.

El Beso
El Beso
Miraflores Lighthouse
Miraflores Lighthouse
Sunset in Lima
Sunset in Lima

 

What’s Next

Cusco, Perú!

Andrea

Loves adventures with Steven, family & friends. If not adventuring with loved ones, I am usually running half marathons, reading books, trying new food, cuddling with Sparky, Brady or Tachy, hiking, playing ice hockey, or rooting for a local bay area sports team. “...when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

2 thoughts to “Lima, Perú”

  1. I’m glad you had a little downtime to recharge your batteries! Lima looks wonderful! Hope your back is better!

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