Lima, Day 2

Ahhh, how the time doth fly. Already I'm at the end of my third day in Lima, and I haven't even written about the second. Here goes:

I spent my first real night in Lima drinking Pisco Sours with my friend Andres, a Limeno who I first met in New York through CouchSurfing. Pisco Sours, cocktails based on Peruvian brandy made from grapes, come in many variations, the classic being lemon but several of which are based on fruits native to Peru, like lucuma and granadilla. They taste grand and pack quite a punch. Andres, being the great guy that he is, provided ample advice on how to spend my time in Peru and taught me how to haggle with cab drivers, an art I am proud to say I have picked up quickly.

Day 2 began in the wee hours with a recap of the night had by my two roommates, Cody and Richard, a young Parisian bus driver. Apparently, my evening ranked alongside a quiet night at home in comparison. It suffices to say, I laughed quite a lot upon hearing their stories, and I was sad to see both of them depart that afternoon.

After a good deal of sleep, I finally arose and joined Sarah, a sweet girl I had met the night before, in a healthy yet delicious breakfast of yogurt, bananas, granola, and mango. People eat a lot of yogurt in the hostel; apparently, the bacteria combats the possible effects of eating food foreign to your system.

Following a lovely morning of simply sitting around and talking, we ventured out for lunch with Jose, a Limeno who actually lives in the Casona Roja, my hostel. Like so many in Barranco, the district of Lima in which CR is located, the restaurant was a virtual hole in the wall with no sign and few tables. But Jose and Sarah knew the owner, and he treated us like family. There I indulged in my first dish of ceviche, a lemon-sauced raw fish entree. Marvelous. I was wary at first because of my dislike of sushi, but given my desire to experiment with food the world 'round, I decided to take the risk, which proved well worth it. Paired with the best lemonade I have ever tasted, it made for an excellent meal.

Afterward, I decided to wander down to el Puente de Suspiros, a bridge over la Bajada de los Banos, the path that leads to the beach.






On one side of the bridge stands a lovely church with terraced gardens.




A lovely overlook with a view of the ocean lies just beyond.


The main plaza of Barranco sits on the other side of the bridge.


Eventually, I wandered back to the hostel, in time to meet up with another CS friend, Miguel, who took me to Parque Reserva to see the beautiful Cicuito Magico de Agua, a display of fountains, lights and music, accompanied by a photographic exhibit on the excavation of Machu Picchu.




A path winds through the park, taking you past over a dozen of fountains, like this one, which would erupt with varying force, it's centermost spurt reaching a height of over 4 stories.






(That's the futbol stadium in the background.)

In the center of it all, hundreds of Peruvians and a few tourists stand to watch a light and water show set to classical and Peruvian folkloric music.


Videos of traditional Peruvian dances are projected against the water.



Crowds of people passed through this tunnel of water...


...including Miguel.



Toward the end of our stroll, we came to a fountain which withdrew and threw forth its water at set times, allowing people to run in and stand at it's center.


The celebrants of one of several quincineras for which pictures were being taken in the park crowded in amongst schoolchildren.









Upon leaving the park, we hopped onto one of the local Lima buses, quite a different animal from the city-run Metropolitana bus I had taken the previous day. On these contraptions, which fall somewhere between vans and actual buses, a conductor hangs out of the open door shouting out the route for that bus to people standing on the street. When you hear the route you want, you jump on, and the ride costs you 1.20 soles, or about $0.40. If you can sit, you sit, and if not, good luck balancing while the driver swerves this way and that, weaving in and out of traffic.

Eventually, we hopped off and had dinner in Miraflores, where I tried a steak and onions dish called lomo saltada, followed by salsa dancing in Barranco. Altogether, quite a fun night.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Miguel Grau, Barranco District,Peru