12 Hours in Lima
When I flew into Jorge Chavez International Airport on an early Friday morning, I wasn’t sure how to spend the day. I had exactly 12 hours and my only guidance was from my friend, who texted to suggest that I spend the day in Miraflores, the posh shopping and beach area in Lima. All I had heard coming into the city was that it was a potentially dangerous…and boring place. I was especially skeptical, having just had my ATM card defrauded in Cusco a few days earlier.
My impression didn’t get much better when the airport attendant advised me to walk down to the side of the highway and wait for the bus “with the nice windshields” and the man that would yell “Miraflores!” Luckily. my American sensibility kicked in, and my friends and I decided to split a taxi to our destination instead. A 40 minute cab ride dropped us outside Centro Commercial Larcomar, an upscale shopping mall built on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As much as travelers may not want to see the same things they can find at home, for three girls who had just finished a four day hike in the mountains, we welcomed the sight of Western-looking stores. Further examination of the mall listing proved that they were in fact all South American stores – very different from the usual suspects I find in New York. I was especially tickled by a jewelry shop called Aldo&Co, which unlike its synonymous counterpart in the States sells a range of ultra high end labels such as Hermes and Gucci.
We found ourselves at Cafe Cafe, a restaurant/coffee house, with an extensive menu of foods and beverages (and we noted, a daily happy hour from 1pm-7pm). Its great location overlooking the beach lends itself to be one of the trendier spots in the city – great for people watching and spending time with friends, or in our case, serving up a hearty breakfast. Here, we met another traveler who we befriended for the day and with that, set off on our Lima adventures.
Deeper in the heart of Miraflores are the traditional Inca Markets, the artesanales. Since we’d just flew in from Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire, we were slightly underwhelmed by the selection and prices at here. But for city travelers, the markets sells authentic, handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, sweaters and other Peruvian souvenirs at reasonable tourist prices – though be sure to bargain like a true local. I like to start at 50% of the asking price but usually end up around 70-80%.
After shopping, we headed back to the shore in an attempt to book a paragliding session. Paragliders take off a grassy bluff located next to El Parque del Amor (Love), a pretty seaside park that many people go to get married. Paragliding happens every day here, and costs range from $45-$50 for a 15-20 minute experience over the coast. The pilots that operate their business in this park are all experienced, but attempt at your own risk. We were sent away to return in the early afternoon when the winds were stronger. Unlike in the States, there are no release forms or guarantees, but I still couldn’t resist.
To pass time waiting for the winds to pick up, we decided to head into historic Lima’s Plaza de Armas, the colorful and busy square in the center of the Peruvian capital. In particular, we were searching for the Iglesia de San Francisco, home to the famous Catacombs, or open cemeteries where over 75,000 people are buried along underground tunnels. A fascinating sight indeed, but also an eerie experience as you are constantly within reaching distance of piles and piles of human bones and skulls. Entrance and tour of the church is only 5 soles, or $1.50, but the quality of the tour guides certainly vary. When searching for the church, it’s best to ask for “Iglesia de San Francisco” as the word “Catacombas” only registered blank looks from the various people we asked.
Opposite the church and plaza is a pedestrian-only street lined with some local shops, restaurants and tourist traps. Street peddlers sold my friend a map of Peru for 5 soles (and he’d bargained it down from 10!), and I jokingly mentioned that he would no longer need to print one off the Internet. As a New Yorker, I’m used to people stuffing things in front of my face so it’s best just to ignore them and keep walking.
In our cab ride back to Miraflores, we learned about Circuito Magico del Agua from our taxi driver, which we later visited as our last site of the night. This new water fountain park has already become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Every evening a series of water shows delight young and old. One of the fountains holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as tallest in a public park! The music shows puts the even Bellagio to shame, and everyone who visits the park lines up to walk through the orange water tunnel.
For dinner, we headed back to Larcomar to eat at a Mangos, an upscale Peruvian restaurant that serves up great fresh food and an astounding view. We watched the sun set over the ocean and enjoyed delicious fresh fruits, salad and company.
Lest you think we didn’t have a single hitch, we did end up having a very typical South American nightmare moment on our way back to the airport. Apparently there is only one road to the aeropuerto, and a major accident caused road closure an hour before our flight. Our already aggressive cab driver became exceedingly frantic and took us on a wild ride that had me sweating more than when I was hiking the Inca Trail. When we finally got to the airport, he charged us 20 soles more than our agreed rate, a small price to pay I thought for getting there alive.
If you are planning your own visit to Lima, more information can be found at peru.info.
Photos © The Daily Obsession
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Hello,
I’m glad to see that you had a more or less positive experience in Lima. I’ve been living here for 8 years and (contrary to popular belief) it’s a fantastic city once you know the ins and outs (I think you got a good taste of it).
Did you end up going paragliding? Ha ha! That would have been pretty adventurous.
Anyway, if you want to learn more about lima, check out my blog at:
http://streetsofperu.blogspot.com/
And if you want to swap links, I’m up for it, just leave me a comment with the URL you want posted or shoot me an e/mail.
Cheers,
Ben