Lima - on the home stretch

This is Day 31 of our South America Highlights Tour.  Tomorrow is officially our last day.  The group will disperse.  Some will go home while some will continue their adventures elsewhere - surfing in northern Peru, camping in Colombia, seeing the Mayan ruins in Mexico.  I am going to spend 3 extra days in Lima, then go back to New York City to spend time with my family.

I booked a hotel in downtown Lima, reasoning that I want to see the museums and cathedrals more than I want to see the beautiful buildings and condos in Miraflores.  However, after the unpleasant experiences at the last couple of hotels and roughing it on the Inca Trail, I decided that I want to stay at some place nice and comfortable.  I decided to change my hotel reservation to a Doubletree Hilton Hotel in the center of Miraflores.  It turned out to be a wise move because I was able to get some rest, get some good food at the hotel and nearby restaurants, and catch up on my blog.

We flew into Lima from Puerto Maldonado, a flight of about one and a half hours.  A bus was waiting for us and dropped us off at the Hotel Santa Cruz in Miraflores.  That night we had a farewell dinner at the El Parquetito restaurant in the John F. Kennedy park.  After the team dinner a couple of team members left because they have early flights the next day.  The rest of us continued on a walk towards the beach and enjoyed the beautiful view.

The next morning our tour leader, Christian took us downtown to visit the Basilica of San Francisco. We had a guided tour of the 17th century church with its old paintings being restored and underground, a network of catacombs.  A lot of the influential people in the city were buried in these catacombs during the colonial period.  It was a fascinating 2-hour tour, with the guide explaining much of the history behind the church and how the catacombs were designed.

Basilica de San Francisco

Catedral de Lima in the Plaza de Mayor in downtown Lima

Don't know why but there were a lot of police in the downtown area

One of the churches near the main square

Another church

About 2 blocks from the Main Square of Lima is Chinatown.  I was fascinated to learn that there is a Chinatown here but I heard that the Chinese have been here for generations.  The few blocks that comprise Chinatown is a very busy area with all kinds of businesses.  What was interesting to me is how popular Chinese food is here.  As we drive around Lima I see many Chinese restaurants, known locally as Chifa.  In Chinatown there are even more and everyone of them was packed.  The prices are very reasonable but I guess you get what you pay for.  Some restaurants even have Chinese roast duck or pork hanging from the windows.  I even see some selling dim sum snacks.

I had this dish at a clean-looking Chinese restaurant

Chinese roast duck

The gate to Chinatown

A Chinese restaurant menu

A very busy street in Chinatown

Chinese egg-tarts

One of the places that was highly recommended to me is the Larco Museum.  I had to take a taxi there because it's not anywhere near any public transportation.  In fact Lima does not have good public transportation.  I see the Metro (bus) running but the stations are always very crowded.  I saw mini-vans picking up the locals.  Taxis are cheap.  The ride from the hotel to the museum costs 20 solares, about US$6.  The Larco Museum has some of the best pre-Columbian art.  It was founded by (obviously) the Larco family.  It is not a very big museum.  It took me less than 2 hours to see the whole museum but the exhibits were very well done.

Largo Museum Entrance

Story of the Inca Empire

One of the old artifacts

A nice display

There are two Lima's - the poor and the one with money.  The one with money lives in San Isidro and Miraflores.  The poor live in the rest of Lima, especially central Lima.  The contrast is quite stark.  You can tell by looking at the buildings.  In central Lima the buildings are old and rundown.  In Miraflores and San Isidro, high-rise condos line the ocean-front.  The shops and restaurants are nicer and the parks are full of people nicely dressed.

Condos by the ocean in Miraflores

A fruit vendor in the poorer part of Lima

Wong - a high-end supermarket in Miraflores

One of the things I enjoyed a lot traveling in Peru is the food and fruits.  I don't think I remember eating quinoa before until I was in Bolivia and was served quinoa and chicken soup.  South Americans have been eating quinoa for hundreds of years and recently, the West found out about this high-protein grain.  It is usually served in soup or part of a main dish, just like rice or potatoes.  One of my favorites was a dish that used quinoa just like rice, fried with chicken and topped with an omelette.  Simple but tasty.

Quinoa, cooked like fried rice, with omelette on top

A very popular and tasty soup - Caldo de Gallina

Chimoya.  In SE Asia, it's called soursop

Inside of a chimoya, which is sweet.

This is called tuna.  They look like prickly pear cactus, but they are not.

Inside of a tuna when it's cut open.  It's sweet

Inside of a fruit that's similar to a passion fruit

I also had the opportunity to meet a friend of my neighbor.  Jonathan opened a bakery about 7 years ago and now has two restaurants and getting ready to open a pizza restaurant.  His bakery is one of the most popular in Lima, called El Pan de la Chola.

El Pan de la Chola on Av Mariscal la Mar in Miraflores

Jonathan and I at his second restaurant in San Isidro

I am glad I had a chance to relax and enjoy Lima before flying back to the US.  Although the tourist attractions are limited I enjoyed walking around Miraflorest and enjoyed seeing the shops and the restaurants.  The staff of the hotel also treated me very well and I felt safe walking around the area of the hotel.