Lima
So, here I am, in the capital of Peru! And I have to say, for a city of 8 million it's actually quite nice. I've managed to visit some of the main tourist attractions (i.e. buildings and museums), but most of the time I've just been walking around, familiarising myself with place and getting the feel of it. It's the best way to experience a city - spend hours getting lost. I could give you a rundown of all the places I've been to, but that would just be boring, right? Most of them involve the fascinating history of Peru's ancient civilisations. There's so much more to it than just the Incas.
Arriving in Lima hasn't been as much of a culture shock as I expected. That will probably come once I get out to the more remote towns and villages. Peruvians are incredibly friendly people, but slightly reserved. They acknowledge the fact that we're gringos but make no obvious remarks about it. Cat and my combined attempt at speaking Spanish is just about getting us by, but we're doubling our vocabulary by the day. Just wait and see...we'll come back fluent! It's definitely a bonus that we can read the language. It makes it much easier to pick up phrases and expressions.
The hostel I'm staying at is in a very touristy, Americanised area, so there ain't much to see here. It's not far from the historical city centre though - only a 15 minute bus ride. Traffic in Lima is absolute chaos (as in cars narrowly missing each other), but the buses are surpisingly efficient! There seems to be a start and an endpoint to the route, but in between the buses pick up anyone who flags them down. The real highlight of the trip so far has been the hospitality of the hostel owner/manager, Francis. He's made it incredibly easy to settle in. There's a really good social vibe here and he introduces everyone to everyone. It's brilliant chatting to other travellers and hearing their stories. They give the best advice on where to go and what to visit. A lot of people are going in the opposite direction though: starting off in Brazil/Argentina and ending up in Peru. Francis loves his food. And his Pisco! It's basically grape brandy, and a good drink to get the party started. It seems like every other day he just buys a few bottles and everyone in the hostel gets together and has a few drinks. I can highly recommend the place (Albergue Miraflores House) if you're thinking about visiting Lima.
Arriving in Lima hasn't been as much of a culture shock as I expected. That will probably come once I get out to the more remote towns and villages. Peruvians are incredibly friendly people, but slightly reserved. They acknowledge the fact that we're gringos but make no obvious remarks about it. Cat and my combined attempt at speaking Spanish is just about getting us by, but we're doubling our vocabulary by the day. Just wait and see...we'll come back fluent! It's definitely a bonus that we can read the language. It makes it much easier to pick up phrases and expressions.
The hostel I'm staying at is in a very touristy, Americanised area, so there ain't much to see here. It's not far from the historical city centre though - only a 15 minute bus ride. Traffic in Lima is absolute chaos (as in cars narrowly missing each other), but the buses are surpisingly efficient! There seems to be a start and an endpoint to the route, but in between the buses pick up anyone who flags them down. The real highlight of the trip so far has been the hospitality of the hostel owner/manager, Francis. He's made it incredibly easy to settle in. There's a really good social vibe here and he introduces everyone to everyone. It's brilliant chatting to other travellers and hearing their stories. They give the best advice on where to go and what to visit. A lot of people are going in the opposite direction though: starting off in Brazil/Argentina and ending up in Peru. Francis loves his food. And his Pisco! It's basically grape brandy, and a good drink to get the party started. It seems like every other day he just buys a few bottles and everyone in the hostel gets together and has a few drinks. I can highly recommend the place (Albergue Miraflores House) if you're thinking about visiting Lima.
posted by Job @ 4/30/2006
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