We rearranged some of our plans to spend a bit longer in Lima, which meant a couple of long buses in a row to get there. Fortunately, one of these was a luxurious night bus where the seats felt like little beds – maybe more so for me, being the height of the average Peruvian man (we looked it up), than for Chris, being a little taller…
We spent a week in Lima using it as an opportunity to rest and recoup a bit as we reached the midpoint of the trip. Lima is a city of districts and we enjoyed exploring a few of them: the central old town, Miraflores, Barranco and a bit of San Isidro.
Weather:
Lima has the perfect climate. It barely ever rains and is consistently in the low 20°s.
Where we stayed:
We wanted to have the chance to cook more of our own food in Lima, so we found a flat in a modern apartment block that had its own kitchen, living area and little balcony. It was in the Miraflores district, which is the middle/upper class area for locals and one of the main areas tourists stay. We made the most of the rooftop pool too, even though it was chilly!
It was great to have entirely our own space for a week and to be able to cook (in a kitchen I’m pretty sure had never before been used). The bonus was the big TV screen opposite the bed, so we caught up on some films we’ve been wanting to watch:
- We Live in Time: went into it expecting a real tear jerker but was somewhat disappointed. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield were excellent though.
- A Real Pain: funny, sometimes painful to watch. Really good.
- Queer: wowza, what a ride.
Best thing we ate:
Other than my fantastic cooking, we tried a few different places for lunch and our favourites were La Bodega Verde and Terminal Pesquero, both in the Barranco district.
The first was a cute cafe that served sandwiches and salads and crucially had gluten free bread! At the end of our first visit we were greeted by a gorgeous cat who came and sat on our laps and made it very difficult to leave.
The Terminal Pesquero was a suggestion from a Peruvian friend and we are so glad we made it on our last day! We had the recommended ceviche norteño which was delicious (and huge) and I also had their own homemade beer.
Coolest thing we did:
We’ve picked our top 3 things for this, because it’s hard to choose!
Changing of the Guard: not something I thought I’d say! We happened to be in the main square not long before the changing of the guard was due to kick off at 11.45, so we thought why not. It turned out to be a full musical performance, with marching band, shouting, high-kicks and various sword movements. There must have been over 70 people involved in the 45 minute display. Incredibly well choreographed, until the end when a few of them seemed to have a debate about who was actually on guard duty next.
Museum of Contemporary Art Lima: there are a couple of art museums around Lima, but this one was just a short walk down from where we were staying towards Barranco. It had a lovely setting and while I wandered around, Chris stayed in the gardens reading. There were a couple of artist-specific exhibitions, Moico Yaker and Rafael Pascuale, as well as a larger, longer term display of Peruvian art.
Cycling up the coast path: on our last day we decided to rent the city bikes and cycle up and down the path that ran alongside the coast. Lima is up on the cliffs, so we never actually went down to the beach, but the views along this road are amazing. The dedicated cycle path meant it felt safe and thankfully it was pretty flat!
Bonus:
In the Parque Kennedy in Miraflores, they have a very sweet resident cat population. You can adopt un gatito, which I assume pays for the little cat houses, food and water that’s left out for them. Less endearing was the resident Michael Jackson dance impersonator who drew surprisingly large crowds for his underwhelming skills…
Next up is a quick night in a desert oasis for some fun activities… stay tuned 👀
Besos,
Florence and Chris