Blogs from Lima, Peru, South America

Lima I arrived in Lima in the evening after the boat tour and stayed in a cute area called Barrenco which is super hipster with lots of restaurants, bars and cafes, street art and has a really cool atmosphere so I spent the evening walking around there. The next day I explored Miraflores and had a nice, steady day which was great as I have been go, go, go for a week and I haven’t slept in the same bed for more than 1 night in a row! I was surprised by Lima as I expected it to just be a big capital city but it had lots of character, charm and the Miraflores/ Barrenco region was green and had lots of parks and a great sea promenade for walking, running and cycling. I really liked ... read more

On our last day in Peru, we had another early morning start. We had to ride from Urubamba to Cuzco for a morning flight to Lima. But that meant we had some additional time to do some exploring around Lima. Our hotel in the Miraflores area was the same hotel we'd had before and we were treated to the beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean on our drive along the Malecon. After checking in, we decided to explore the Parque Kennedy area this time. The avenue where the park is located was a typical business center type street lined with shops and businesses for the most part but, at one end of it, we came across El Parquetito, a cute Café with outdoor sitting where we decided to have lunch. The essential Pisco Sour accompanied a ... read more

Poet, novelist, and travel writer William Graham resides in Stowe, Vermont. Many of his works of fiction have been inspired by his trips to the southern hemisphere. See his South American Novels series on Amazon. Several feet above the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean flew millions of birds called skimmers that were flying to spend summer in the North American continent. From horizon to horizon, the avian convoy stretched and undulated like a giant snake. It was a marvelous display of nature’s beauty. And where did I see it? In a wildlife refuge in Lima, the sprawling capital of Peru. For many visitors to Peru, the number one travel goal (and with good reason) is to visit the Incan sites in and around Cuzco and then make the journey to the iconic Machu Picchu. Expl ... read more

Lima - 22nd December 2020 The Main Square of Lima is located in heart of Lima, founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535, is a World Heritage Site, declared by UNESCO. The Square was the headquarters of the Spanish Colonial Government and was heavily damaged during the earthquake in 1746. Lima is the second largest desert capital city after Cairo in Egypt. The city is located on a desert strip between the Pacific Ocean and Andes Mountains. The Government Palace was originally built by Francisco Pizarro, governor in 1535. The most recent alterations to the building were completed in the 1930s. It was interesting listening to our guide,Vanessa, talk about the distinctive balconies. During the Spanish Colonial rule of the 17th and 18th centuries, the stand-out features of public and private buildings was the addition of balconies ... read more

For the last full day of our holiday, we decided to wander around Barranco, the funkiest and most attractive part of Lima we have found. Like St Kilda, it was once a seaside resort when the city was contained in what is now the centre, buy today its old buildings have been converted into restaurants, bars and galleries and in the streets are filled with street art, bougainvillea and bohemian young people. There are several small museums and galleries. We visited MATE, the gallery of photographer Mario Testino. He is best known for his glamorous celebrity shoots and fashion photography, including the last portraits of Princess Diana, and those works are certainly impressive. But our favourites were his stylised colourful images of traditional Andean costume - which makes anything b the modern fashion world invents seen ... read more