Rolling Through Lima

written by osheagt December 24, 2017

Lima, Peru
12.0464°S, 77.0428°W

Before saying goodbye to Peru, we made a two-day stopover in Lima en route to Chile.

Lima, Peru’s capital, is located in the middle of the country’s coast. Nearly a third of all Peruvians live in Lima, a city with a population of over eight million. We weren’t sure how to spend just two days in such a massive city, or where to stay, but we had a few people in Cusco tell us that the neighborhood of Miraflores would be our best option.

More Reasons to Love Peru

We arrived late at night at our Airbnb and crashed as soon as we arrived so we could get up and explore the city by foot the following day. We were definitely happy to be back at sea level, in a place where we didn’t have to worry about losing our breath from overexerting ourselves. The weather in Lima was warm and humid but there was lots of sun which we loved. We learned that Lima has an odd climate because of its geography. While it’s cloudy much of the year it gets very little annual rainfall – less than half an inch – even though it’s located so close to tropical climates (obscure 90’s R&B reference to follow).

It never rains in….Lima

Look at the Flowers

Miraflores means “flowers view” in Spanish, and there are beautiful flower arrangements throughout this part of the high-end area of the city. In Miraflores, rents are lofty and most residents have good paying jobs. While the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood is not a fair representation of the entire city (Lima has a relatively high level of poverty), Miraflores is really is beautiful with expansive views of the sea and tree-filled parks nearly everywhere.

Views of the Pacific Ocean from Miraflores

Exploring the city

So many flowers

View from Miraflores of La Rosa Nautica restaurant and shops along the pier

Little midday workout….

Paddington Bear is evidently originally from Peru. This statue is only a few years old and commemorates his journey to England.

Lima is well known for its restaurant scene, which highlights the diverse range of Peruvian food. Ceviche is very popular in Lima, as it is in Cusco and other parts of the country. Lima’s access to the Pacific Ocean makes for all kinds of seafood variations and we tried to get as much eating in as we could in 48 hours. We enjoyed the food so much we didn’t even bother to do our standard pre-meal food photos, except for a few ceviche dishes (below).

Octopus, shrimp, lobster, and fish ceviche

Tuna ceviche served with corn and sweet potato

Seafood fried rice from Don Cevichero in Mercado de Surquillo

Don Cevichero in the Mercado de Surquillo

Enjoying my first Inca Kola on the rocky beach as the surfers look on in admiration. The drink looks like urine but tastes very sweet.

Also in the Mercado de Surquillo

Enjoying an Inca Kola on the Lima’s rocky shores. The drink looks nearly identical to urine but tastes really sweet.

Lima by Bike

For our second day in Lima, we booked a bike tour through Miraflores and into Barranco, another coastal neighborhood in the southern part of the city. We used Lima Bike Rental and Tours, and our guide Ronny couldn’t have been better. The bike tour took us to many of Lima’s popular tourist attractions, including the Huaca Pucllana archeological site, La Ermita Church in Barranco, and a few of the parks along Lima’s coast.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Posing for a pic in Lima’s famous El Parque de Amor (Park of Love)

And this is why its called El Parque de Amor… Bonus Santa pictured as well.

Huaca Pucllana archeological site

Views of Playa Las Sombrillas in Barranco

Murals under a bridge in Barranco

Checking out Barranco

Suspicious eyes murals

There’s a fairly big surf culture in Lima

Parque el Faro (Lighthouse Park)

This one’s been following me for the better part of five years….

Still there….

still there….

Did I lose her?

Nope

La Ermita Church in Barranco

Still going!

Sarah made me post this, I think she’s making fun of me.

Thanks Ronny!

Goodbye Peru

Our days in Lima came and went much too fast. While we wished for more time to explore the city, we were glad we decided to spend time seeing at least part of Lima. We put it on our ever-growing list of places we want to return.

Sarah and I left Peru for Chile the week of Christmas, neither of us able to believe that 1) Christmas was only a few days away, and 2) we only had one month left of our time in South America (and before we go back to Boston!). Time has been flying by faster this year than any other we can remember, so we’ve felt a growing sense of urgency to soak in as much as we can. We were hopeful that our week in Valparaiso, Chile would give us the chance to relax and absorb some of our many incredible experiences from Peru…and, of course, celebrate Christmas!