My introduction to Lima was a terrible traffic jam from the airport! I thought Bay Area traffic was bad, but this was about 10 PM, and the traffic was so stopped that my driver just turned off the car. We finally got moving, and I made it to my hostel, Miraflores House, which is run by the friendly and enthusiastic Francis. I headed straight for bed, but the next morning he spent a good 30 minutes with me going over the sights and tons of amazing restaurants.
He also explained to me the taxi system there, which is basically as follows: There is no meter. Ask the first taxi for the price, they will quote you an extremely high price because they see your blonde hair and therefore think you’re a millionaire. Make a big NO sign with your hands, and go to the second taxi in the line. That guy will also give you a way-too-high price. Wave NO again, and go to the third taxi who will by now see you know what you’re doing and give you the normal price.
Oh hi there would you like to get ripped off?
That all sounded a little too challenging, so instead I just called an Uber to take me to the historic center :) I put in the Gold Museum as my destination and after a 40 minute ride in a 90 degree, high humidity, no air-conditioned taxi (yes, I called an Uber, which ended up being a taxi….) we pulled up to….definitely NOT the historic center. Apparently there are two gold museums and I’d put in the wrong one. So, the guy agreed to take me to the town center for a fairly high price, but I didn’t exactly have a lot of options. So another 45 minutes of hot, sticky taxi ensued.
When I finally got to the town center I was sweaty and cranky, but it did feel pretty good to get out of that cab. I strolled around a little bit until it was time to see the changing of the guards in front of the presidential palace. The ceremony is accompanied by a great marching band, so that was pretty fun to watch.
Here is a terrible photo of the band
After watching the band play, I went to get some lunch at a restaurant recommended by Francis. I had a tasty ceviche, and then did a little more uninformed sightseeing in the center. Then it was time to try my taxi negotiation skills to get to a museum on the other side of town. It didn’t quite work as described, and I think I still got ripped off, but at least getting ripped off in Peru only costs you about $3.
The Larco museum houses a nice and well-explained collection of pre-Incan artifacts, including a whole exhibit of “erotic pottery” (definitely for adult eyes only!). The building is also a beautiful little oasis from the chaos of Lima. After the museum I headed back to the hotel to rest a bit before the main event of the day- dinner at Central.
From the non-explicit collection
Central is one of the top restaurants in the whole world, and probably the best one in Peru (though that’s very subjective of course!) It’s usually recommended to book weeks in advance, but I put myself on the waiting list and got a table for one. Score! The theme of their tasting menu is altitudes, since Peru has such diverse altitudes from sea level to towering mountains. I enjoyed 17 small tastes from different regions of Peru, each with its own poetic description like “Forest Cotton” or “Marine Soil.” Each course had vibrant flavors and interesting textures, and was a very cool way to sample (a high end interpretation of) Peruvian cuisine. I actually enjoyed having that dining experience on my own (and without any cell phone/wifi) because I was able to totally focus on the experience of the food. It may have cost more than a week’s lodging in hostels, but well worth it, I think :)
Almost too pretty to eat!
My Lima writeup would not be complete without sharing one of the highlights- the AMAZING GROCERY STORE. The grocery store had a huge selection of gourmet greek yogurt, and American delicacies such as peanut butter and Ritz crackers. I was extremely excited to stock up on some snacks for the next few days.
I'm sure the chefs at Central would be horrified by this photo
The next day it was up early for the next leg of my trip. I can’t say I left feeling much love for Lima. The food is great, but it’s hot, crowded, ugly, and the traffic is terrible. I was glad that I only spent one day there, and glad that I don’t have to return (except to fly out of the airport). Next up, I am trying something different on the Peru Hop bus.
Planning three months of travel is a lot- think about how much planning you do for a week’s vacation, and multiply that by 12! The Peru Hop bus seemed like a good way to see a lot of the places I want to see without having to figure out all of the details. The idea is similar to those hop-on-hop-off busses in big cities, but you can hop on and off in different towns on the way to Cusco (from Lima). They suggest how long to stay in places, but if you want to stay longer, the choice is yours. They also can help you with booking hostels and activities along the way. The reviews I read also said that it’s a great way to meet other solo travelers!
I just wrapped up my first day on the bus and so far so good. It’s definitely a very different style of travel to get used to. Even though it’s a lot of work, there’s a certain amount of pride in figuring things out for yourself. On the bus everything is as simple as “Want to do this activity? Okay just sign up and meet at the designated time.” I’ll still have a week in the Cusco area to plan on my own, so I think I should let myself just sit back, relax, and enjoy someone else taking care of this leg of the trip!