Mi Primer Dia (En Lima)

Note: Sad news... all my photos and video from my small camera were deleted. :( I´ve found some pictures on the internet, but for the missing ones you´ll just have to use your imagination.

First of all: (I will insert a funny video here after I retake it... stay tuned).

Now that that´s out of the way...

I arrived last night (Monday) @ 10:30PM and took the taxi provided by my guesthouse. Although Hostal El Patio is no Ritz Carlton, I´m pleased that 1) it´s clean 2) there´s agua caliente (hot water) and 3) it´s only $25 a night! It´s located in a posh neighborhood of Lima by the Pacific Ocean called Miraflores (literally translated "Look at the flowers"). Plus, it has a great lush garden patio.



The day started with a shower @ 7:30AM, followed by breakfast a few blocks away @ the sidewalk Cafe Haiti (one of Miraflores´ oldest cafes with great coffee). Breakfast consisted of a roasted beef sandwich with brown sauce and onions & french fries (Hey - I wanted to try a "Peruvian" breakfast).

After breakfast, I took a taxi to the Monestario de San Francisco in Central Lima.



I got there about 30 minutes after they opened and luckily "beat the crowds" (shout out to Leah and Melody). I am proud to say that I did the Spanish speaking tour (I understood about 50% of what the tourguide said). This turned out to be the better option as the Spanish-speaking tours run more frequently, are smaller, and aren´t packed with annoying teenage tour groups.

Next, I walked a few blcks to the Plaza de Armas and happened to catch the daily Changing of the Guards infront of the President´s House.





After that, I walked down the pedestrian shopping street of Juron de la Union to the Plaza San Martin.



In the middle of the plaza is a statue of General San Martin with an overlooked statue of Madre Patria, the symbollic mother of Peru. Commissioned in Spain under instruction to give the good lady a crown of flames, nobody thought to iron out the double meaning of the word flame (llama) and the hapless craftsmen duly placed a delighful little llama on her head... Baaa haaa... I had a great picture of this, but alas, this stupid computer in the internet cafe erased all my pictures from its hard drive after I had already erased them from my memory card. :( But here´s one I found on the internet:



Next, I walked to the Gran Hotel Bolivar to sample their famous Pisco Sour. It tasted like a Tom Collins... not my cup of tea. (FYI - Pisco is grape brandy. It´s made in wine-producing regins of Peru & Chile and is the most widely consumed spirit in Peru).




Then I took a taxi to the sophistocated neighborhood of San Isidro and had lunch at Segundo Muelle. Lonely Planet says "Ceviche is a lunchtime dish in Peru and it is eaten with full seriousness." I ordered the ceviche de mariscos a los tres ajies (shellfish in three-chili sauce) and it was excellent... very tender. It was nicely paired with Peruvian corn (different from American corn - sweet large white kernels) and sweet yam. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful and I´d definitely recommend this restaurant.

After lunch I took yet another taxi (it seems to cost me 10 soles ($3.30) no matter where I´m going) to the Mercado del Indios back in Miraflores for some shopping - but I didn´t buy anything... I´ll pick stuff up on my way home - no reason to carry it with me for the next 4 weeks).



Then I walked down Av Jose Larco to the overlook of the Pacific Ocean (still in Miraflores). There is an outdoor mall build into the cliff (LarcoMar).





Next, I caught yet another taxi to have dinner at the upscale La Rosa Nautica, which is a white tablecloth restaurant at the end of the histric Playa Costa Verde pier on the Pacific Ocean below the cliffs of Miraflores.






I sat on the patio outside and enjoyed listening to the waves. They had portable heaters for each table outside (it´s about a constant 60 degrees in Lima), but I had to ask them to turn it off... my ice breaker shirt kept me warm (thanks mom & dad). I enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc and grilled seabass with Peruvian potatoes and a cream leek sauce... estaba buenisimo! This meal was a splurge at $30, but I´ll soon be hiking and camping for four days in the Sacred Valley, so I figured I´d better enjoy a nice meal while I can.

Random observations throughout the day:
- I love being in a country where I can (partially) understand the language (unlike my travels to India and Thailand). Speaking the lauguage of the country I visit adds so much more to the experience.
- The pollution (think exhaust from buses & cars), 30 year old taxi cars, and crazy driving in Lima remind me of Delhi, India.
- I´m surprised by how much Spanish I remember from high school... the vocabulary words just come to me naturally somehow. Perhaps it´s like riding a bike - you never really forget. Although, I am rusty with verb tenses.
- This is my first time in the Southern Hemisphere and South America. I think it gives a whole new meaning to "Southern Girl."

So that about does it for today. Tomorrow morning I´m flying to Cuzco in the Andes Mountains. I´ll go from sea level to about 10,800 feet in 45 minutes. Since I´ve heard unplesant stories about altitude sickness, I´m going to start my preventative medicine tonight.

Signing off for now... more to come tomorrow night (with real pictures).