Blogs from Miraflores, Lima, Lima, Peru, South America - page 6

Hola! Today I was supposed to go paragliding but there wasn't enough wind so it got cancelled :(. I could just imagine trying to paraglide with unpredictable low winds, would probably end up in the ocean or stuck to the side of a cliff, so was best to not go today (just hoping the weather is ok for handgliding in Rio though). Today I slept in, had my omelet for breakfast then just walked around the streets and went window shopping. Peru has the most amazing colours in their traditional clothing, apparently they only wear dark clothing if they are in mourning. They had these ladies knitting this beautiful, bright coloured cloth in one of the shops, it looked amazing! I also went back to the cat park today, there are so many beautiful parks around ... read more

I made it! Over 13 hours of flying and managed to not get bombed, hijacked or disappear, things are looking good (Although I have another 5 flights left so who knows). On my first flight they actually asked if there were any nurses or doctors on the plane as they had a sick passenger. I slowly disconnected my earphones and took my time pausing the movie, was about to offer my help when someone else got up (yusss!). I had a stopover in Chile (managed to find the right gate), and the airport had a nice view which looked over some mountains with snow on them. From there I landed in Lima which is where I am now, I wasn't going to blog until my last day in Lima, but I've already got a few things ... read more

I flew into Lima from Cusco on a Sunday morning. I'd arranged a pick up with my hostel and for once everything went smoothly. I was staying in Miraflores, the main tourist and restaurant area to the south of Lima city centre. I had a restaurant tip for lunch, so set out to find Punto Azul - famous for its ceviche. Food generally, and ceviche in particular, had played a big part in my decision to come to Lima. It had been a long time since I'd been close to the ocean (Ushuaia) and I was really looking forward to a large plate of seafood swimming in a sharp citrus dressing with a chilli kick. Punto Azul did not disappoint. Once I´d fed and watered I went for a wander to get my bearings. After Cusco, ... read more

I had arranged a cycling tour for my first day, which started at 9am. I walked to the meeting point, only 10 blocks away. On my way there, I found a French bakery and had a cafe mocha and un chocolate pan. Mucho gusto. I sat watching the workman repair the ancient solar site in the middle of Lima, while drinking my coffee and croissant. The pre-Incans covered a hill with mud brick and raised platforms to the pray to the sun. This site is now covered in crumbling mud, rather than bricks, so they are returning it to it's original state. The bike guide joined me and gave me all the history. We were driven to the outskirts of town at the top of a hill overlooking Lima. There is a stature of Jesus that ... read more

After a surprisingly brief and simple taxi negotiation, we were making our way through the heavy Lima rush hour traffic doing our best to put up with the continual frenetic beeping from the taxi drivers. 20 minutes or so later and we were dropped off in the heart of the affluent district of Miraflores. Surrounded by McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks, we felt a long way from the serenity of only 24 hours earlier. With expectations of dilapidated buildings and crime ridden streets, it came as a huge surprise to be able to comfortably stroll the clean and pleasant streets in the surrounding area. We decided to take a stroll along the two main streets en route to and from the beach. Once reaching the boardwalk, we walked from the lighthouse on the far right, ... read more