Gallivanting Grandma

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Lima, Peru is an unusual place. ‘The City of Kings’ is a desert located on the Pacific Ocean but the air is heavy with humidity and overcast most of the time with slight variations in temperature. We were told, “It never rains in Lima. Just a drizzle.” I thought of Coleridge: “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”

Today was our day to explore the Miraflores District so we walked to Avenue Larco, the main commercial street, and followed it as far as Parque Central.

Heavy traffic clogged the avenue and very few street lights made crossings a challenge. There were numerous banks and each one had an armed guard posted outside the door wearing a bulletproof vest. Familiar fast food restaurants were all represented.

An interesting fact about Lima is that most of the buses were privately owned. The city recently instituted a public transportation system so there are designated bus stops and city buses now. We saw a wide variety of buses in many different sizes, colors, and exterior decorations.

The Park Central aka Kennedy Park was lovely with exotic trees and flowers but was overrun with cats.  The cat in the photo above seemed to be hunting for birds.

We found El Museo del Cacao y Chocolate on Calle Berlin but unfortunately the workshop wasn’t in operation. We tasted cacao tea and bought a variety of small chocolates to taste.

We had a delicious lunch in a Peruvian restaurant called Tanta and sampled a couple of traditional foods.  Papas Rellenas and Aji de Gallina pictured below:

It was fall here south of the equator so the days are getting shorter. The sun set at 5:50 pm today. We explored the neighborhood around the hotel and then prepared for our big day tomorrow when we meet the people on our tour and begin to see more of Peru.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Our day began yesterday so it had been a very long day. We arrived in Jorge Chavez Airport about 7:15 this morning. The weather was overcast and humid, in the 60s. A 30-something Peruvian man named Johan met us and, after recommending a potty stop, led us out to the waiting car. The driver was Mr. Morales who had forty years experience driving in Lima’s crazy traffic. Leaving only centimeters between his car and the next, Mr. Morales threaded through heavy rush-hour traffic at top speeds. Johan kept apologizing as we raced through back streets, on the beach, and down back alleyways. It was exhilarating to pass through many of Peru’s forty-three districts at breakneck speeds.

Lima from the air:

Residential Neighborhoods:

After almost an hour driving along the Pacific coast, we reached the Miraflores District and our hotel, the Belmond Miraflores Park.  We were warmly welcomed but our room wasn’t ready so we left our luggage in the lobby and went out to explore.

Spanish Colonial Church:

Our Hotel:

View of the Pacific:

There was a beautiful park across the street from the hotel on the high bluff above the ocean. We strolled along the rim to Larcomar Mall on the opposite side of Parque Domodossola.

Larcomar Mall:

We found good coffee and sat outside to enjoy the morning air. Later, after we secured a room and rested a while, we ate a scrumptious late lunch outdoors on the deck of the hotel.

Ceviche and Causa:

Johan had told us there were 3800 kinds of potatoes grown in Peru. The papa amarillo pictured above was delicious. We enjoyed a quiet afternoon and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. Tomorrow we explore Miraflores.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

I look out of the small window into the darkness of the airport. The time was midnight and the plane was still sitting at JFK airport plugged into the terminal. I’m on my way to Peru to finally see the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. The Lost City of the Incas has been on my bucket list for almost fifty years, but I was too tired to be excited. In eight hours, I would be in the capital city of Lima.

Jeff joined me for this adventure but when the car service to take us to the airport was twenty minutes late, he looked as if he was having second thoughts. 

Our driver to the airport, Roberto, was a pleasant young man who coincidentally was Peruvian. He apologized for being late and gave us a thorough introduction to his country during our ride to JFK. We learned about Peruvian food, especially cuy, the Spanish word for guinea pig, and other tasty dishes. Roberto also recommended ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime juice. 

I told Roberto we had planned to arrive a day before our tour group to see the sights on our own. He said we should stay in the Miraflores neighborhood of our hotel because downtown Lima could be dangerous for tourists. At the airport, Roberto wished us well and assured us we would enjoy our visit. He gave us his email in case we had any questions or problems. He said he had cousins who “spoke English and were nice people to help us if we got into any trouble.”

Fortunately, Jeff fell asleep after we boarded and didn’t notice that the plane was still on the ground an hour after it was supposed to take off. Undaunted and filled with curiosity and anticipation, I tried to sleep on the long bumpy flight to South America and cuy country.

Sunrise in South America: