Livin the Lima Loco

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Before we update our late travel blogs, we want to express our concern and sympathy to those affected by the senseless bombing at the Boston marathon. We were shocked and saddened when we learned about this.



City life in Lima in early April

Throughout our journey we were continuously advised to either skip or shorten the Lima stay. Just another big city. Perhaps after weeks of small towns and cities we were ready for a big city, as Lima was a pleasant surprise (at least in thee districts we visited). There are about 47 districts (neighbourhoods) in Lima, with a total population of about 10 million. Many Peruvians we met mentioned that Lima could be a country in itself because the city is widespread with diverse districts.



We began our Lima experience in the more local/non-tourist district of Lince. Lince had nice local markets and our area was fairly quiet. Quiet, except for the ever barking dog that we seem to always encounter in Peru! We were told by Peruvian friends that there are some sketchy parts of Lince and moved onto Miraflores the next day.

Miraflores is a Mecca of western touristic comforts in Lima. Well, western comforts with a Peruvian twist! Such as, a stunning high end mall built into the side of a cliff overlooking the beach. Here, Glen luckily found a reasonable replacement shell for the one that got stolen in Huaraz. Also, Starbucks and other western fast food places were mixed in with great international and Peruvian restaurants. We ate at delicious Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Peruvian restaurants, and even found some good gelato!



There was much to do in Miraflores. We walked and biked the long beautiful boardwalk along the sea. The boardwalk had a bit of everything... skateboard park, dirt bike park, gardens, and even a lovers area (see picture). Along the cliffs there was paragliding available, which we tried to sign up for but the winds were not right on those days. Actually, the days we were there, the weather was perfect! Warm days and nights with little wind or mist.



Miraflores even has a surfing beach! We walked down the cliffs to arrive at a busy and fun stony beach, with the water filled with hundreds of surfers. The shore was lined with surf schools offering lessons and beach vendors. There was also a gorgeous restaurant situated out on the water overlooking amazing views.



We simply had fun walking around the Miraflores district and hanging out at the park at night. At night a plethora of cats came out to hang out in the park with people. These cats have food and water provided by who knows, but are very well taken care of city cats.



On another day we went to the downtown district in the main square. Gorgeous brightly coloured buildings and churches surrounded a water fountain in the square. We arrived before noon and traffic was blocked off. This gave a great photo range for the changing of the guards at the government house at noon. This event started about 11:45am with mainly a brass band playing a medley of classical tunes (including Stravinsky's Rites of Spring). The band was flawless! We were enchanted by the uniforms, excellent music, and coordinated marching moves. The changing of the guards took place on the dot at noon. Perhaps about the only thing that takes place on time in Peru! LOL. We then explored a franchescan church filled with pigeons outside and with European style artwork on the inside. There were also catacombs in the church which were basically neatly stacked bones organized by body parts (skulls in one area, femurs in another area). Interesting.



Many locals told us that any area of Lima can be unsafe, but we had a lovely visit and felt comfortable exploring these three areas in some perfect weather.



We wrote this late update on the bus and have finished a phenomenal week in Arequipa/Cabanaconde/ Colca Canyon, followed by a homestay on the islands of Lake Titikaka. No wi-fi for some time now. Our next stop is Cusco and meeting up with a friend from Huaraz. We'll post when able.

G&R

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Comments

[Peter, Barb and Jensen]

Hi guys!
Thanks for the great posts and awesome photos! We feel like we are right there with you...well, maybe not when we are heading off to each work in the morning ;) Keep the stories coming - have fun!!! P,B & J

[Dolena and Keith]

Hi you love birds...
Glad to see you got back on line even for a short time. The photos are fantastic. you 'went' in a church even if it was to look at bones...The birds come out in daytime while the cats sleep I guess. We haven't heard of any disasters overseas so I guess all is well there. I think your just as safe there as we seem to be here. Your experiencing what the rest of us can only dream. Keep up the fun. Too bad about the wind Glenn I would have loved to hear about that trip...that would be #one on my list...(D)..