Update #33 – Lima (PERU)

Dec. 22/12 – I had been warned by most of my friends that there was nothing to do in Lima and that there was nothing special about Lima.  Therefore, my hopes were low.  Thanks to their negative warnings, I didn’t have any expectations at all.  However, it turned out that we enjoyed our 5-day visit here very much.  I think the main reason is that we had local people, Jay and his girlfriend, Di, who were such awesome hosts since they know the city very well.  I really enjoyed Jay’s company and the laughs we shared both back in Buenos Aires and a month later in Lima. I guess this is another confirmation that “it’s not where you are but who you are with” that matters more….

Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru with a population of 9 million people.  Traffic is crazy and the pollution is bad.  I didn’t think there was another place on earth that would be smoggier than some cities in China and India until I landed in Lima.  I couldn’t stop scrubbing my eyes, thinking what was causing me not to see clearly things just 50 feet away from me.  That is, until Deon confirmed that it was indeed very smoggy, so it had nothing to do with my eyes.   Now I know why people call this place “Grey Lima” – the sky is always grey (well, minimum of 6 months a year anyway).  For this reason, I love Lima at night time more because it is so vibrant resulting from all different kinds of lights; especially in Central Lima area and the Kennedy Park area in Miraflores.   I also love the temperature while I was here, around 23 to 26 degree without any rain or humidity.  Perfect for Deon and me.  Lima is known to have “microclimates” which means it can be sunny in one place, then a mile away, it’s cloudy.  But there’s only an inch of rain a year which explains why there are no drainage lines on the streets.   It also explains why so many houses can get away without a completed roof.  I think a day of heavy rain will be enough to flood up this city despite of it being on a desert.

I can see myself coming back to Lima again on my next visit to South America to see other countries here.  But I don’t think I will go to the ABC (Argentina, Brazil and Chile) countries again but there are still quite a few places in Peru and Bolivia that I want to explore on my next trip.  I wish I had more time to spend here.  Actually, if I had known that this would be how much I would enjoy Bolivia and Peru, I would have cut short our stay in Buenos Aires.  Oh, well, I guess this just gives us a perfect excuse to come back to this part of the continent again.

Lima is our last stop.  Wish we could stay longer but we are packing up to go home for Christmas with family now.  Then we will leave for Asia on Jan. 10/13.

Here are the highlights of Lima for us:

SURFING – After Jay read how much fun we had jumping waves in Rio, Brazil last month, he told us that waves in Lima are way higher.  That was how we got inspired to take surfing lessons when we got to Lima.  It didn’t take long to find a few schools that offer private lessons and with pick-up services for US$20 to US$30 only for 90 minutes.   We ended up taking lessons with 2 different surfing schools.

My first surfing lesson in Pukana School (the more expensive one) was taught in Spanish and was conducted on a very rocky beach.  It was so bad that I thought I was done with surfing after my first class.  But since I had pre-booked a lesson with another school named The Surfing School over the email before I got to Lima, I didn’t want to cancel so I sent Deon to the lesson alone on the 2nd day.  When he came back, he insisted I should try another lesson again since Juan Carlos taught in English and that he was a really good teacher.  I couldn’t turn down my son’s suggestion after I saw the fun and excitement on his face.  Therefore, I decided to give surfing one more try on day 3.  I am so glad I did.  Instead of bringing us to a rocky beach, Juan Carlos took us to a sandier beach where the waves were up to my waist only.  This, indeed, made me feel so much more comfortable and confident.  I actually was able to stand up before my class was over!   The satisfaction of standing on top of the water was really cool.  I really enjoyed my time on the ocean.  Thank you, Juan Carlos, for making my 2nd surfing experience very wonderful.

Saying it was “so much fun” is an understatement for Deon for sure.  I had never seen him so passionate about any sports before.  Deon has always looked up to his older brother, Kelvin, so when I reminded him that surfing was now a sport he can challenge his bro on, immediately his enthusiasm about this sport increased.  Lol.  I look forward to surfing more on a sandy beach in Bali, Indonesia next month.  And if Deon’s interest in surfing continues, then I am prepared to take him surfing to anywhere else in the world in the future since that would be a perfect excuse to be somewhere warm again…. 🙂

PRISON – After I heard from another backpacker about his visit to the famous San Pedro prison in La Paz (famous because there was a movie and a book on it), I was inspired to visit a prison too but couldn’t since I didn’t know anyone who could arrange for that visit.  However, I was lucky enough that a friend recommended to us someone who was able to take me for a visit to Lima’s largest female prison.   The procedure for a visit was long and complicated.   Our journey started at 8am and didn’t finish till 1pm.  But it was totally worth the time spent.  Behind that green metal building and all the massive heavy duty locks, gates and bars live 1500 inmates.

This building is in the city but the community behind those large locked up metal doors is a whole new world.  As usual, I had my long list of curiosity questions for the inmates.   Of course, everyone had a different story behind why and how they ended up there.   I feel that after this visit, I gained more compassion for those that had been locked up for long time.  I now understand what being institutionalized means.  Boy, after the visit, I have much more appreciation for “freedom,” too.  I mean, choosing to be not free is one thing but being physically locked up to stop one from having freedom is a whole new story.  I know this is as close I would ever want to personally experience that world….

FOOD – Thanks to Jay for taking me to eat so much good food while I am here.  Now I understand why Lima won the international food cuisine award and why it is very well known for good Peruvian food and for international cuisines as well.  I haven’t had one bad meal during my stay here.  I am totally in love with their famous ceviche which is small pieces of raw fish (or mixed with shrimp or octopus) with lemon juice, coriander, garlic and unions.   So yummy!!

Originally posted on Amy’s travel blog: TravelwithAmy.ca