Lima travel diary

Lima

Having left Tegucigalpa, practically almost an entire day in the plane awaited us. We made two technical stopovers and took three planes before reaching South America. In fact we landed in Lima late in the evening, around 22:30, in a totally deserted airport. Even the usual disembarkation formalities took place with a strange smoothness and much accommodatingness. Fortunately as soon as we crossed customs, we were welcomed by some nice young ladies who worked for one of the largest Peruvian travel agencies. They briefly explained to us how to get around Lima and in general in Peru, also finding us a hotel for the night. We parted with the promise of seeing each other again the next morning at the tourist office to plan our stay in Peru. Escorted by a luxurious taxi, after a long journey we reached the Miraflores district, one of the most touristy in the Peruvian capital.

A family-run hotel, welcoming and at the same time too expensive for our pockets... it was too late to change, we would think about it the next day. No sooner said than done, the time to put down our backpacks and we headed toward the centre to eat something. Frightened by the price of the hotel, we were equally worried about restaurant prices, but fortunately a sign with Chinese ideograms lit up a little corner of the centre. We darted there and even ate very well paying a paltry sum. One thing we forgot to tell you... the temperature in Peru was completely different from the one we had left in Honduras. In Lima it was cold and in the beds there were thick blankets; we pulled the sweatshirt out from the bottom of the backpack aware that it would not be enough for the continuation of our journey in the Andean Cordillera.

As planned the following morning after a warm nap wrapped in our sleeping bags, we had a rich breakfast included in the hotel price, after which we set off in search of cheaper accommodation. Once again Chinese hospitality came to our aid. A short distance from our hotel, there was a hostel run by a Chinese family that offered us a private room (three metres by two) at half the price we were paying before. We didn't have to be told twice and having packed our bags we moved, to the great surprise of the owner of our previous accommodation, who was unable to make sense of it. Having found the new accommodation, we proceeded toward our second goal of the day: the travel agency. Located right in the city centre, the office was full of tourists busy organising their holidays. A short wait and we were welcomed by an enterprising big man who spoke our language quite well.

After some pleasantries, we went straight to the point... we already had in mind what we wanted to see in Peru, it was just a matter of making our wishes coincide with the time available and above all with our finances. Right away we understood that we wouldn't get away with little and that we would probably have to give up some stop we had planned. After almost two hours of close negotiations we reached an agreement that made both parties happy. With a sum of 350.00 euros (almost) all inclusive we would stay in Peru for about twenty days, going to visit almost everything we wanted. Having paid our debts we returned to our hostel to lick our wounds. Toward evening we went out for a stroll around the centre of Miraflores and went to dine in a chic restaurant, to celebrate the sum we had just spent a few hours earlier.

For our night walk we went as far as the Largo Mar, a very nice place tastefully built right on the ocean. There were little shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs but the most beautiful and evocative thing was the view one could enjoy over the immense ocean wrapped in a thick mist.

The following day we decided to venture as far as the centre of Lima. With a taxi we plunged into the very congested city traffic and in half an hour we got out in one of the two most important squares of the city, connected to each other by a crowded pedestrian street. Walking with camera in hand, like good tourist-directors, we went along the pedestrian street until we arrived at the Plaza de Armas, where the presidential palace and the immense cathedral stand. We wanted to visit the interior of the cathedral, but it had already gotten too late to start the tour with a guide. The alternative was a little tour of the surrounding streets until we made our way into the incredible city market. More than a market it can be described as a city within the city, where it is possible to find practically everything.

We too to tell the truth were there looking for something: we needed clothing suited to facing the cold that would inevitably accompany us for the continuation of the journey. We bought high-necked wool sweaters, gloves, scarves and knee-high socks and maybe even more. With our hands full of shopping bags and our wallet lightened, we returned to base to take a shower and go out to dine this time in a small restaurant with a tourist menu: good and cheap! After dinner we discovered a fabulous place: "Dove Vai" an Italian pastry shop-ice cream parlour with ice cream and cakes to make your head spin!!! With a succulent ice cream in our tummy we went to bed.

The following day, this time early, we found ourselves again in the centre of Lima to visit the cathedral. Thanks to the help of a very good guide we fully appreciated the beauty and history of this building, built at the same time as the city and commissioned directly by Francisco Pizarro. After the cathedral it was the turn of a city tour, which besides explaining to us the history of the city and its main buildings, led us all the way to the top of "Cerro San Cristobal", the hill that dominates Lima. It is a harsh hill, completely devoid of vegetation and colonised by unauthorised shack-buildings that as a whole, however, offer a decidedly typical and interesting picture. The sensational thing about the cerro San Cristobal, however, is the view one can enjoy from its top: it dominates the entire city, wrapped in the typical mist, even more beautiful as darkness falls.

Having returned to the hostel we were exhausted but we had another goal in mind: Barranco, the second most important tourist district of the city, where we had planned to spend an evening, given its renowned nightlife. And so it was, we wandered along the main street entering from time to time some little place with which it was dotted. We couldn't stay out until morning because we were really too tired. The following day, having packed our bags, we returned to Barranco to admire it also in daylight, but only for a fleeting visit: it was already time to leave the capital and begin our tour of Peru. First destination: Arequipa!