South America

Lima, Peru: The Grey City

June 18, 2018 /

To begin my month-long backpacking trip in Peru, I hopped on a plane headed to the country’s capital: Lima. Unfortunately, we arrived in their winter; however, the summer is incredibly warm so it may actually be a positive! One thing to note is that in Lima, it doesn’t “rain” in the winter. There’s a damp grey mist that hangs around and doesn’t really leave. This gives everything a permanent state of wetness!

Day 1: After white-knuckling it on the cab ride to the hostel and having many close calls with incoming vehicles, we arrived slightly haggard and a little tired from our 16 hours of air time. Hunt down the clinic in the airport to get your free Yellow Fever Vaccine. This is definitely better than the $325 vaccine in the states! Sam ordered the famous ceviche, raw fish marinated with citrus juices (A Peruvian classic).We walked around the city ourselves and eventually wound up at the unmissable Punto Azul for dinner! We did wind up at our hostel bar for several beverages and then the Bazaar Club after. 

Day 2: Starting our day off early, we headed to Lima Bike for a biking tour of the city. It was just Sam and I, so we could ask our guide as many questions as we wanted. Ronny was awesome and after seeing the “El Beso” statue, giving us fun facts about the city, stopping to take pictures at the famous street art, and expertly weaving us through the bustling streets took us for fresh squeezed juice! Banana juice is quickly becoming my new favorite. 
Well really, all juices are here becausethey’re fresh squeezed. It was an awesome experience! We then walked to the ruins of Huaca Pucllana. They’re actually pre-Inca (500 A.D.) and weren’t really preserved at first. People actually used to tear their dirt bikes up and down them until the city stepped in. There were even human sacrifices held here, and were mostly young women. It was a brief but entertaining tour and only coast about 5 Soles. Last but not least, we hailed a taxi to take us up to the Statue of Jesus (Christo del Pacifico). We wound up narrow sandy roads, holding our breath as the cab tumbled along close to the edge of a precipice. While you can bike it, it gets dark around six in June and is not recommended to walk after 5pm. You can also see more of the parts of Lima struck by poverty on the way up to the statue. This is far different from the center of Lima and very eye-opening.

The next morning we caught a Cruz Del Sor bus and headed to Ica at 7am. On the way to Ica, you would see so many small empty towns with dust roads, dirt floors, crumbling buildings, barely held together shack homes, and random food/ drink stands between the roads.

Overall, Lima is a city that offers much to certain types of travelers. For instance, we met a couple who said that Lima has some of the tope restaurants in the world and they partook in a lot of food tours. We found our own things to do, but quickly became ready to leave the city and depart for our next destination. Lima is a city you cannot skip, but only need 1-2 days there. A big plus is the exchange rate. For instance, $1 USD= 3.57 Soles! Always buckle up, take reliable taxis, try new intimidating food, buy bottled water and NEVER drink from the tap,and avoid getting squashed by incoming busses! Buenas tardes, my traveling friends.

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