Tag Archives: Peru

Peru Coastline

I got to see a lot of the Peruvian coastline. It was actually quite spectacular. The bus drive along the coast for several hours of the trip. The drop-offs from the highway were significant and a little scary at times. I read somewhere that there were 8,000 people a year killed in Peru in bus accidents. That didn’t make me feel really good. But the information was second-hand and it stated that the biggest problem was in taking the smaller, unsafe companies. Ormeno, the company I took, is well known as being one of the better bus companies in South America.

Peru Coastal Traffic

Traffic is a problem in Peru. On the highways there are slow-moving vehicles that jam up the road. I wouldn’t even consider renting a car in an urban Peru setting.

Lima Peru Hostel

I got lucky. I booked an $11 a night dorm room and it seems that the hostel was virtually empty, meaning I got the room all to myself. The hostel was nice. It was clean. The breakfast wasn’t very good, but it had some of the best tea I’ve ever had. The location was great. It was in a safe neighborhood with lots of eateries and only a few stairs away from the Pacific Ocean. The wi-fi worked well and the water stayed hot for a long time. What can you really expect for $11 a night?

Lima Peru Tiny Books

I went to Miaflores to do a little sightseeing. While there I discovered a book fair in central Miaflores.. They had lots of nice books that were written in Spanish. My favorites where the cute little mini-editions they had.

Lima Peru Plaza de Armas

The main square of Lima is known as the Plaza de Armas. It’s in the center of the old town. It’s where all the action starts for people who want to understand the history of Lima. Around the Plaza exist a grid of crowded streets, many of them pedestrian, that were laid out in the days of Francisco Pizarro. Included on those streets are many of the main tourist attractions of Lima. On the square is the Cathedral and the Palacio de Gobierno, residence of Peru’s president. The Plaza de Armas was the center the settlement founded by Pizarro in 1535. It was also the seat of government of the continent-wide empire ruled by the Spanish. Unfortunately, due to earthquakes, none of the original buildings survived. The only remaining feature is a fountain erected in 1650.

Lima Peru Diego

Diego was someone I met at the hostel in Lima. I asked him if he would like to show me around Lima for a while. I got to be the tourist and he got to be the guide. Occasionally I find someone who is a local and they speak English well enough to communicate with me and they have some free time on their hands. I get to be a tourist and they get to be a guide. It works out well. The best part is that I get to quiz them about what life is like where they live and I don’t get some politically correct canned answers. Sure, I get a biased slant, but I get a biased slant that’s probably a little more real than I would get with a professional guide. At a whole lot better price.

Lima Peru Street Food

They have lots of street food in South America. And in Europe, Africa and Asia. It’s one thing I miss when I’m home. There is some great street food in the world and we don’t have it in America. Granted, we have fast food joints, but it’s the surprise of never knowing what will show up around the corner to tantalize the taste buds that keeps me interested. I like the empandas. I can live without the churros.

Lima Peru White House

It’s the Peruvian equivalent of the White House. It’s located in central Lima. Peru is a democracy and has a system of government similar the the United States.

Lima Peru Lunch

Diego and I had lunch in central Lima at El Cordano. It seems it’s a Lima institution and Diego turned me on the subtleties of the humble potato and Inca Cola while we were there. .

Lima Peru San Francisco Church

The San Francisco church was the highlight of my visit to Lima. It wasn’t just all the pigeons who kept circling and making people wonder if there was a danger of getting attacked by wild pigeons. This was some church. I made the 40 minute English tour that was primarily of the monastery, the catacombs and the library. I was impressed with the Franciscan monastery found at the church. The monastery is most famous for its’ catacombs that are supposed to have witnessed as many as 70,000 burials. We got to see a lot of human remains. It also had a wonderful old library that supposedly housed texts that predated the Spanish conquest of Peru. .

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