Alive and bustling, a unique
culture with a quiet but evident pride and fantastic food. And also crazy
traffic and taxi drivers that make you feel like you take your life into your
own hands every time you step into a taxi. So far South America has a very
Europe-meets-Africa feel about it and the city of Lima personifies this to the
T.
Greetings from an almost
always cloudy and misty Lima in Peru! We have been here 12 days now and are enjoying
the opportunity to explore and experience another South American country and
city. Justin's 90 day Brazilian tourist visa was up and rather than being
illegal in the country, we came to Lima where Justin can work in the Royal
Haskoning DHV office here while we wait for our new Brazilian visas to be
approved and have them issued here. We have to have them issued outside of
Brazil anyway and Lima was a good option because of the office here.
We flew via São Paulo airport to Lima. What a contrast of airports! São Paulo
airport is very old, not well laid out and just plain ugly. There appears to be
scaffolding in the ceiling but on closer inspection it was designed to have a
half‑finished look. We noticed a lot of construction going on around the airport
and wondered if they would be ready for the soccer World Cup a few short months
away. I also remembered how so many people laughingly predicted that South
Africa would not be ready in time but we were and we gave a fine performance.
So I back Brazil and have faith that they will pull it together in time. Lima
airport by contrast has a very modern feel with lots of light and open airy
spaces. It took a while to get through but everything went smoothly. All our
luggage was scanned at customs which I haven't experienced before and found
odd.
We left the airport at about midnight and even so late at night there was a lot
of traffic, not only around the airport but in the suburbs as well. Our hotel
is in the district of Miraflores which is well known for being the touristy
side of town where all the upmarket hotels and restaurants are but is also the
safest area for tourists. It feels a bit strange living in a hotel with someone
making up the bed every day. All the staff know who we are now, by the fourth
morning already they stopped asking for our name and room number at breakfast. You
know you have been in a hotel too long when….
View from the hotel rooftop on an unusually clear afternoon
Not knowing how long we will
be here, we have used all the available time to explore this city. The first
Saturday after we arrived we took a taxi to the city centre, about a 20 minute
drive depending on the ever present traffic. Catching a taxi works differently
here: there is no meter system, you negotiate the price for the trip up front
with the driver. On this first trip into town we were definitely ripped off as
the new gringo’s in town. We have wizened up since then but I am saddened that
we are treated as walking money bags and people only see dollar signs when they
look at us. I guess it happens everywhere in the world but it’s still sad. We
have also learnt to always count our change, for everyone, from the taxi driver
to the supermarket to the fancy department store, will try and short change
you.
The historical city centre
of Lima is a UNESCO Heritage Site. We started in Plaza Mayor, the site where
Lima was founded by the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro and where independence from
Spain was declared. Plaza Mayor is a huge square with a central fountain and surrounded
by prominent buildings on all sides such as Lima Cathedral, the Archbishop’s
Palace, the Government Palace, Palace of the Union, and the Municipal Palace. The
most prominent and noticeable feature of the square is all the enclosed wooden
balconies; indeed there are 1600 of them in the historical city centre.
Plaza Mayor Lima
Lima Cathedral
Government Palace
Balconies of Lima
Boibs in Plaza Mayor
We wandered down to Plaza
San Martin with its monument in honour of General José de San Martin, an
Argentine general and leader of the struggle for independence in the southern
part of the continent. Important buildings here include the Colón Theater, the
Giacoletti buidlings, the Hotel Bolivar and the Club Nacional. We enjoyed
wandering around the historical city centre soaking up the Spanish colonial
architecture and getting our first taste of Peruvian Alpaca and other
souvenirs.
Plaza San Martin
When in Peru...
The remainder of that first
Saturday and Sunday was spent getting acquainted with our new area Miraflores. We
found the Haskoning office where Justin will be while we are here, about a 20
minute walk from the hotel. We enjoyed a walk through Parque Kennedy in the heart
of Miraflores. A relatively small park but beautifully manicured and well
maintained with lots of flowers, Kennedy Park is popular with locals and
tourists alike. The park is home to many cats apparently introduced to control
the rat population. They are chilled and friendly and let people pet them but I
did see one dash off into the safety of the flower bed when chased by an over‑enthusiastic
toddler.
Lima is situated on the
coast but has a cliff face directly in front of the pebble beach instead of the
expected beach front. The top of the cliff has been turned into green park
space where people walk their dogs (we saw a group celebrating a clearly
beloved dog’s birthday here), cycle, play with their children and relax. A
small part of this park is the Parque del Amor or the Love Park. A giant statue
of a man and women kissing is in the centre and the park is decorated with the tile
mosaics and romantic poetry. There is also a dedicated paraglider launching
zone on the cliff side. We enjoyed watching the paragliders swoop and glide
gracefully through the air. Our hotel room faces the ocean so we can also watch
their antics from the comfort of our hotel room. Further down is the upmarket
Larcomar shopping centre built into the cliff with many restaurants and cafés
offering unhindered views out over the ocean.
Parque Amor
Interesting art work in the cliff-side park
Peruvian flag flying proud
Lighthouse in the park
Views over the ocean from the park
Paragliders
View over the cliffs
View down to the pebble beach
Larcomar
Halloween seems to be very big here.
We saw lots of buildings decorated to some degree and the supermarkets all have halloween goodies for sale
Near to Kennedy Park are the
Inca markets with many souvenirs for sale including the Peruvian hallmark
Alpaca wool products. Favourite Alpaca items include woven hats, jerseys,
ponchos and scarves. The all important Peru t-shirt souvenir comes in many
variations and are all available at the Inca market. A whole street is
dedicated to the markets. Each market has so many stalls and they are all
selling the same stuff, how is it possible that they can all make a profit and
keep trading? It is important to remember to bargain at these markets and the
best tactic is to walk away as if you are uninterested, we had many prices
instantly lowered jut by seeming disinterested. We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon
amble through the markets perusing the tempting Alpaca and other goodies on
offer.
The week inbetween consisted of work for Justin and more relaxed exploring for
Bron. Bron’s favourite activities in the week include a take way lunch of
empanadas in Kennedy Park, bargaining at the Inca markets, investigating the
department stores around Kennedy Park and at Larcomar, and finding interesting
patisseries to chill and read in whilst enjoying a hot chocolate and a treat. I
also found the fresh food market on the border of Miraflores. It’s a really
cool market if you enjoy whole plucked chickens hanging from their feet and various
other cuts of red meat hanging about with flies everywhere. The smell wasn’t
exactly pleasant. I’m not sure I would buy meat there but the fruit and veg
looked really good, fresh and of a good quality. I did purchase some good
quality nuts and dried fruit for general snacking.
We also celebrated our 5th
wedding anniversary last week and shared a lovely romantic dinner at La Rosa
Nautica, a posh restaurant on the pier. Peru is gaining more and more
international attention for its cuisine and we have enjoyed trying the different
typical Peruvian dishes on offer. At Rosa Nautica we tried the tasting menu and
were served 3 classical and well‑prepared dishes for each course. During the
week we also had dinner with some of Justin’s colleagues and tried some
restaurants on our own. Peruvian specialties tried and enjoyed so far include
causa, mashed Peruvian yellow potato usually layered with fish or meat; cebiche,
raw fish marinated with lime juice and chilli; tacu-tacu, rice mixed with
puréed beans served with meat or prawns,
tuna steaks, beef steaks and others. However, we are not brave enough to try
roasted cuy (guinea pig), Alpaca steaks or beef hearts.
At Rosa Nautica we were also
introduced to Pisco Sours, or at least Bron was (our Chilean friends did the
honours for Justin in Cape Town). Pisco is the base for the cocktail and is a
brandy‑type liquor distilled from grapes. Chile and Peru agree to disagree over
the origins of and who produces the best Pisco. There are many cocktails with
Pisco as the base but Pisco Sours is by far the most common and popular. Lime
juice, syrup and bitters are the other ingredients of this cocktail and it is
topped off with a froth of egg white. It’s good but also strong. Not
recommended on a work night, at least not more than one.
La Rosa Nautica on the pier
Bron trying Pisco Sours
Anniversary dinner! Starters,
mains,
and desert!
Finally Friday again and
another weekend jam packed with exploring! On Friday night some of Justin’s
Dutch colleagues joined us to see the Magic Water Circuit in Parque de la
Reserva near the city centre. The park was named in honour of the reservists
that defended Lima during the Pacific War with Chile. In the park is a circuit
of 13 fountains, the largest fountain complex in the world, which are lit up at
night with continuously changing colour schemes. We arrived in time for the
laser light program showed 3 times a night over one of the fountains. We were
disappointed with the laser show and felt they could have done better to choreograph
the fountains with the light and music instead. But we enjoyed walking around
the park admiring the different fountains.
Fountain in Parque de la Reserva
Fun interactive fountain
We all piled into a taxi and
headed to the district of Barranco, the next disctrict just south of
Miraflores. Barranco was a fashionable beach resort for Lima’s wealthy in the
1800s and is still the home and workplace of many artists and musicians. Justin’s
colleague Jan, taxi negotiator extraordinaire, introduced us to the simply
named Burrito Bar: a Mexican restaurant run and owned by an Englishman in Peru!
A lovely relaxed evening ensued over bean-filled soft-shell tacos, burritos,
and margaritas. Barranco looks like a lovely place for exploring and we hope to
make it back here in the daylight sometime.
Margerita time!
Bron, Jan (taxi hailing extraordinaire) and Johan
On Saturday morning we went
to see what Huaca Pucllana is all about. In the midst of Miraflores is Huaca
Pucllana, an archaeological complex that was the administrative and ceremonial
centre of the Lima culture between 200 and 700 AD. We joined a guided tour
around the complex and learned a bit about the people who lived here and built
this multi-layered pyramid from hand-made mud bricks. The Lima people,
worshippers of the moon and sea, arrived first followed by the Wari people, who
used the site as a burial ground, and finally the Ichma people, who made
sacrifices of frogs. Hauca Pucllana was in the news recently (last week) for
the discovery of two previously unknown mummies on the site in on going archaeological
studies. We enjoyed our visit here but found it sad that conservation efforts only
started here in 1981 and much of the pyramid and site had been destroyed or damaged
by then due to the city growing around it.
Tiered pyramid of Huaca Pucllana
Looking down from the pyramid
Boibs at Huaca Pucllana
Lima is a surfer’s paradise since
there are almost always good waves to be had all year round. On Saturday afternoon
we were cajoled into taking a surf lesson by Justin’s colleagues and fellow
surfers, Jan and Jan. For 50 Soles each we were kitted out with a wetsuit,
booties, board and our own instructor for an hour or so. We started with some
warm ups and basics on the beach, I should say pebbles, and then it was time to
hit the water! Our instructors came with us, chose suitable waves, got us lined
up and gave a gentle push to get us going. Justin did really well and was
choosing and catching his own waves by the end and standing really well. Bron
however still needs a lot of practice!
Justin looking like a pro
Bron looking like she needs a lot more practice!
On Sunday we were suitably
stiff after Saturday’s adventures in the waves and decided to take it easy with
a visit to Museo Larco followed by a nap. Housed in an 18th century
vice-royal building surrounded by beautiful gardens, the Larco Museum showcases
chronological galleries giving impressive insight into 3000 years of Peruvian
history. On permanent display are the ceramics, culture, gold and jewellery,
metals, and textiles galleries. The Larco is also well-known for its gallery of
pre-Columbian erotic pottery and is one of few museums in the world that gives
visitors access to the storage area of a further 45 000 objects. We enjoyed our
time at the Larco and found it fascinating how these ancient civilisations did
so much with the limited technology and resources they had at the time. They
were real artists and smiths and master weavers long before any modern
instruments. However we really struggled to wrap our minds around the human
sacrificial ceremonies so entwined with this culture.
Ceramics at the Larco Museum
Inca ear plugs
Inca gold!
The erotic pottery gallery
These two do not look very happy....
Now we are back into another
week with Justin at work and Bron fighting an obligatory new country cold. But we
are looking forward to a trip to Cusco and Machu Pichu this weekend! Initially we
were only supposed to be in Lima for a week which left us no time to explore
anywhere outside of Lima city, but with all the delays and further requests for
new documents from the Netherlands, our stay here has been extended to at least
3 weeks. This coming weekend is a long weekend due to the Day of the Dead and
All Saints Day public holiday and with it our opportunity to see more of the
country. We are super excited and glad of the opportunity.
News from Cusco next week!
x
PS: these are two great websites
we found very helpful in planning our trip to Lima and Peru:
www.limaeasy.com
www.roadsandkingdoms.com (also
has an interesting section on South Africa)
