Lima Beings

Peru's natural beauty is breathtaking-the mountains, oceans, lush valleys, but the first thing we learned upon our arrival in South America is that the cities don't always have the same charm. We spent three lovely days visiting friends in Lima, touring all the top sights and eating all the local specialties, but our recommendation is that you take a quick tour of Lima, eat at least one meal and move on. There's too much to see in South America to spend much time in a city that's usually cloudy, crowded, congested and considered unsafe.

If you do find yourself in Lima, we can suggest a few things you must try. We stayed at Peru Star, a lovely apartment hotel tucked away on a side street in San Isador, one of Lima's nicest areas. A two bedroom apartment with full kitchen, living room, dining room and a bath and a half will run you about $139. Standard rooms for 2 start at $69. a night. If you have U.S. currency don't bother changing money. Everyone in Peru accepts dollars, and your change will often be in soles, the local currency.

Locals love their food-talking about where they'll have the next meal before they finish the one at hand, and the best restaurant in town, La Bounboniere, is less than a block from Peru Star. While there, be sure to start with a Pisco Sour, the beloved South American aperitif that was created right there in Peru. Before you finish that drink, a jug of purple juice will appear on your table: it's chicha morarda, a non-alcoholic beverage made from purple corn with a touch of lemon and cinnamon. It's surprisingly good and filled with antioxidants. Food specialties you must try include whole roasted pig, Rocoto relleno (local peppers stuffed with meat and vegetables and topped with cheese), locro (potato, corn, cheese soup topped with avocado), several versions of ceviche, corn, and potatoes.

A word about Peruvian corn and potatoes: there are sixteen kinds of corn grown in Peru and over a thousand varieties of potatoes. We tried to sample all of them, but ran short of time. The corn comes in several colors and different kernel sizes. The potatoes come in sizes from marble to coconut, colors from palest white to deep purple, and textures from flakey to moist. The only thing they have in common is that they are delicious.

 

A good place to start your tour of Lima is the Museo Larco, the storehouse for treasures discovered in temples and ruins all over Peru.  Private English language tours are a bargain at $15. Marcos, our guide, took us through thousands of years' worth of Peruvian pottery and artifacts, giving us the proper background to appreciate the culture of the people who built Machu Picchu and other wonders. The museum is housed in a beautiful colonial building occupied at different times by Peru's liberators San Martin and Simon Bolivar.  The layout makes it easy to follow the country's history and admire all the gold and silver and woven goods. There's also some rather shocking inka porn, but Marcos assured us that it was used only for ceremonial purposes.

 

The old part of town has beautiful squares and well-kept Colonial buildings. The most important cathedral in Peru, Santa Maria Magdalena, is a jewel box of a church, with every intricately carved inch gilded and adorned.

Take an appetite and enjoy your time in Lima, it's a good place to start your Peruvian adventures.