We had not expected to like this stop much and despite a chaotic city from the airport to the area where we stayed we found Lima to be surpisingly lovely and clearly showing signs of growth.
The tougher part of town felt like we landed back in Addis, but we certainly were in South America. The largest of Peru's cities, Lima is the gateway for a variety of Peru and South American destinations.
The dish of choice is ceviche, which is tough with some food concerns particularly with a stomach bout in Ethiopia. But the food scene in Lima is famous and we enjoyed a beautiful and spicy tapas lunch that was memorable. S loved the cliffside crepe stands and got us there more than once. At our age we can only watch and admire crepe eating:-). Also, little known fact that Chinese Peruvian fair, called Chifa, is supposed to be exceptional here.
We took advantage of the free city walking tour, and again found this option a home run. This one included a 20 min public bus ride and a tour group member had her phone snatched right from her hand.
The city plaza is lovely and only was permitting limited tourist groups as apparently the citizens arent that psyched about the government at the moment per our guide and protests have been frequent.
We tried Pisco Sour for the first time, the national drink which comes in many flavors. Without flavors it resembles harsh grappa. With flavors it resembles a margarita. Lima abutts the Pacific Ocean and the city sits up high on cliffs. We would hate to see a bad rain storm here. Yet the weather makes that unlikely, with a highly dry climate. Our free walking tour was compiled of people from across the globe. It was the most eclectic mix we have seen. We parricularly loved the Barranco district with its awesome art murals and the Museo Pedro D Osma which was the most beautiful french country home turned museum we have seen. We stayed in the quite nice Miraflores district and could see the ocean from our room despite a classic 'gray' sky making sites less vivid. All in all Lima was worth the stop.
South America is giving K and S an opportunity to start their spanish work which is fun to witness. K's spanish has certainly been coming in handy!
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