Blogs from Barranco, Lima, Lima, Peru, South America - page 3

Foreign tourists safely roam in the midst of the bright lights of Miraflores. They’re in a comfort zone. The posh coastal district of Lima calls them to what is achingly familiar. Need a pair of shoes? There is Payless. Don’t like the powdery dust that passes for instant coffee at your guesthouse? Then pick up a double mocha flat cinnamon decaffeinated latte with an imported caramel twist at Starbuck’s. Hungry? Kentucky Fried Chicken is right around the corner. Miraflores glistens with casinos, high rise apartments, and terribly beautiful women. It is where most non-Peruvian tourists come to enjoy the nightlife in Peru without having to plan for anything, including their safety. Circling the tastefully manicured centerpiece of the floral trimmed Parque Kennedy once, even I have let my guard down for the first time in Lima. ... read more

It is a city where I have never been, but one with which I am all too familiar. Lima does not wake up gently. Dawn brings about a concert of revving diesel engines, incessantly piercing jackhammers, and overly sensitive car alarms. Overstuffed minivans wobble as they race through intersections lacking stop signs, traffic lights, or a traffic officer. The limeño version of the classic scene of a golden retriever taking in the breeze out the passenger window differs. In place of the canine, it is one of ticket agents protruding his neck out to scream at pedestrians to see if they too wish to subject themselves to several minutes in a contorted position among new friends. Some passengers lean over the side in order to catch a breath of the solid exhaust particles wafting in the ... read more

Ich habe die Foto-Ordner ein wenig umgestaltet. Hier die Fotos von Peru, frisch aktualisiert: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30751865&l=adb002196b&id=1461556997 Und die Fotos von Ecuador sind hier: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026010&id=1461556997&l=1c668a7e4e Viele Gruesse aus Lima! Alex... read more

The bus trip to Lima was uneventful though somewhat tiring, I slept for a few hours on and off and awoke around 5.30am to see the beginning of the sun rising over the desert. It had mellowed as was less symmetrical with its cliffs and deep quebradas and had smoothed out into rounded windswept dunes and gentle contoured vastness as far as the eye could see it threw of hues of pinks browns and oranges as the sun rose further and another day dawned. First impressions of Lima were not positive, the eternal grey sky did nothing to help the look of the structures of woven grass walls, tin or grass roofs that greeted us at the far north of Lima, litter decorated each street with dogs and grimy little children playing in the dirt, this ... read more

Finally got out of Lima Tuesday morning. It surprised me as a pleasant city for such a large place. I admit i stayed in the safe districts of Barranco and Miraflores most of my time. Miraflores is where all the gringos hang out with a large park, street markets, airlines, fastfood, small smoky cafes, lots of live music lots of nightlife. Barranco is smaller more bohemian neighbor, with a nice plaza surrounded by shops and day time activity, with plenty of nightlife. Lima is on the pacific, where they have good surf break, beach restaurants and bars. Just above are the cliffs where hangliding is a regular sport. I met many interesting people mostly travellers but a few locals that I will keep in touch with. Took a day trip to Lunahuaco, where a group ... read more