South America In Style: Lima, Peru

After a sensational time in Cusco, on Tuesday 27 September, we were transferred to the airport by our Personal Guide Ericson for our onward LAN flight to Lima in Peru. Lima was a destination I was initially a little anxious about due to anecdotal stories of daylight car jackings and beach robberies. As we landed in Lima, we were brought back down to earth or to sea level (I must say, it was great having my breath back on our return from high altitude!) and met by our Personal Guide Omar, who transferred us to our wonderful hotel Casa Andina Centro.

As Omar spoke about all the things to see and do in Lima and how “gastronomical” it is, I began to wonder about the not so pretty picture of it that had been painted by others. Any doubts that I had about Lima went out the window of the transfer vehicle, as we drove past the sparkling beaches, vast shopping precincts and manicured parks and gardens in our upscale base of the Miraflores district.

We couldn’t check into our hotel quick enough before heading out to have a spot of KFC for lunch (they still have hot and spicy chicken and it was fabulous!), visit the picturesque Love Park, go for a sunset walk along the beach, have the most refreshing jugos frozen de pina, fresa y naranja or frozen pineapple, strawberry and orange juice for about AUD$3.00 and watch the paragliders over the ocean grace the sky for free. A fantastic introduction to Lima was topped off by dinner at “four fork” restaurant Fiesta. Beginning with a pisco sour cocktail that had just the right amount of acidity to it from the lime, and an appetiser of bread and fish prepared in lime, chilli and onion, I went on to enjoy a signature Peruvian main of arroz con pato or rice with duck Chiclayo style. Made with the “flor” variety of rice and coriander sourced from Illimo City, this treat for about AUD$20.00 was served “pato mechado” or in a clay pot with chickpeas and herbs using the traditional technique of “pasadito en agua” to give the dish a moist texture. After such a phenomenal main, I couldn’t resist a dessert of Blanco Guanbana or a fruit based extravaganza finished with chocolate for about AUD$6.00.

On the morning of Wednesday 28 September, excited by the fact that we had an entire day and night ahead to discover more of Lima, we recruited Personal Driver Coco for a mere AUD$35.00 to take us to and from the “downtown” area in the afternoon and then to and from the Huaca Pucllana Pyramids in the evening via the Magic Water Park. The downtown precinct was absolutely buzzing with people, markets, beautiful colonial buildings and squares (i.e. Plaza San Martin, Plaza Bolognesi and Plaza de Armas which is the main square comprising the presidential residence Palacio Gobierno and the Archbishop’s palace the Cathedral of Lima) and tucked away Melbourne-like laneways everywhere. We of course popped into some of the many markets where Nige was particularly happy with his purchase of a “Che Homero” t-shirt. From our return trip to the Lima downtown, three observations that are especially worth noting include: The timing of pedestrian crossings (great in terms of managing pedestrian expectations and creating a safer environment for crossing roads); separate lanes for buses (a very good traffic management initiative in a context where public buses are heavily used); and the use of major road lawns for advertising (a fabulous use of public space for revenue raising).

After several hours of pounding the pavements in downtown Lima, our next stop was the fascinating pre-Incan Huaca Pucllana Pyramids, set right in the heart of Miraflores with building views and an adjoining a la carte restaurant. In stark contrast to Incan ruins such as the Machu Picchu where steps and stones are common, these pyramids have ramps and are made from mudbrick (as it doesn’t rain in Lima). As much as I adore Incan ruins, an urban ruin (where it’s reasonably flat and one can have a coffee afterwards), is a good ruin in my view!

Our interval before dinner at the restaurant on the site of the Huaca Pucllana Pyramids was a sunset visit to the Magic Water Park comprising thirteen spectacular fountains including the Guiness Records highest water jet. Completing the fountain circuit wet our appetites and we made our way back to the restaurant where we had one of the best dining experiences of our South American adventure. The restaurant, which donates 6.1 per cent of its takings to the restoration of the pyramids, offers an uninterrupted view of the pyramids which are lit up in the evenings. Albeit completely booked on a Wednesday night, we were able to secure some of the best seats in the house outside overlooking the amazing backdrop of the illuminated pyramids. Life imitated art with an equally incredible main of shrimp in coco-curry sauce with eggplant chunks and fried rice for only AUD$15.00 followed by a dessert of hot banana rolls filled with chocolate truffles and cinnamon ice cream for about AUD$7.00.

Highlights of Lima include:

The location and quality of our hotel Casa Andina Centro;
Discovering a KFC with hot and spicy chicken;
The beauty of the Miraflores beach at sunset complemented by the paragliders drifting through the sky above the ocean;
Our dining experiences at Fiesta and the restaurant at the Huaca Pucllana Pyramids;
The colonial architecture, markets, laneways and buzz within the downtown precinct;
Initiatives such as timed pedestrian crossings; separate lanes for buses and lawn advertising; and
The allure of the Huaca Pucllana Pyramids and Magic Water Park