No Beans About It: The Food in Lima is Muy Excelente!

We arrived in Lima around 430am on Wednesday morning and, after breezing through customs (not having any checked luggage) headed for our hostel, and a little shut-eye (as neither of us was able to sleep on our red eye from Miami). Upon exiting we were inundated by cabbies, chose one randomly, and agreed to the standard fare of 45 soles without haggling. (They say you can get a better deal outside the terminal but you also run the risk of being taken somewhere and robbed.)

When we arrived at the address of our hostel there was nothing to indicate it was indeed a refuge for international travelers. A couple of shady looking dudes were loitering about in the street and I was a little worried. But our very friendly cabbie used his cell to call the hostel owner, Felipe, who quickly let us in, showed us our room and wished us a good sleep.

Lima is a bustling metropolis of about 9 million people and exhaust fumes fill the air, while cabbies and buses zoom down the road, making the pedestrian feel a bit like Frogger. It can be a bit intimidating navigating the city streets, to say the least. So, on our first day, after a sufficient nap, we merely walked around Barranco, the neighborhood of our hostel. It is known as a bohemian district, with lively nightlife and numerous artists. We are blocks from the ocean, but only a few brave souls were out there surfing, as it is the heart of winter here.

For lunch we looked for a place busy with locals and found just that in a very non-descript restaurant with about 8 tables and one server. Lunch was just over $3 each and consisted of soup, rice, chicken, salad and a cola. It is, by far, the best bargain we've had in Peru. But we've enjoyed lots of other meals. We've feated on traditional anticuchos (skewered meat) at a lovely restaurant suggested by our host, Felipe. While strolling in a park home to a bunch of feral cats, we shared a little dessert known as mazamorra con arroz con leche, which is served warm and consists of rice pudding and a purple corn starch. And, right next door to the hostel is a lovely little bakery with some of the yummiest treats I have ever seen or tasted, and all for a song. There we've enjoyed lemon meringue pie, donuts cut in half and filled with all kinds of goodies and a caramel-filled trumpet looking pastry, not to mention some grubbin' empanadas filled with ham and cheese. We've also tried the national drink of Peru, a Pisco sour, which tastes a lot like a Maragrita and is made with Pisco (a Peruvian liquor), lemon juice, egg whites and simple syrup. This place is a gastronomical delight and, for that reason, I wish we could stay longer.

The people here have been very friendly too, especially towards a couple of tourists who know very little Spanish. And the kids REALLY love seeing a couple of gringos. On two occasions we became the attraction for students, despite being at some very cool places in and of themselves (the changing of the guard at the House of Government and the National Museum). The kids at the changing of the guard even asked for our autographs. I thought it was neat, but after obliging one I had to sign about 30 more!

As for the town itself, we mainly stuck to three districts: Barranco, Miraflores and central Lima. In the center we saw the aforementioned changing of the guard, and also visited the monastery & catacombs of San Francisco, a 17th century church which is the final resting place to some 25,000 Peruvians (and on the tour you get to see a bunch of femurs and skulls) as well as an impressive library of historic significance. In Miraflores we stuck to Kennedy Park, where we caught a guy busking with a unicycle and Heidi drooled over the cats which live in, and roam freely throughout, the park. (Felipe said that a few were placed in the area many years ago to tend to a rat problem, but the felines multiplied so the city just made them the main attraction of the park.) In Barranco we mainly chilled in the square, ate and tried the Pisco Sour mentioned above.

Today we visited the National Museum, which houses a number of fascinating artifacts from indigenous cultures throughout Peruvian history. It is also the home to a sobering photo display recounting the internal conflict in Peru, which is still going today and has cost more than 70,000 people their lives. (The conflict has wound down significantly since 2000, but is still a factor in some areas.) The trouble started when the communist party, known as the Shining Path, sought to replace what it termed as the bourgeois democracy with a "New Democracy". More Peruvians have died in this conflict than in all wars combined in the previous 182 years of independence!

After the museum we hopped on a city bus to Miraflores (this can be quite daunting for the non-native) and visited Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid built around 500 AD right smack dab in the middle of Miraflores. Sadly some of the complex was destroyed by housing construction, before the government stepped in and protected the remainder. And earlier in the day we even came upon an impromptu, but very colorful, parade.

As for navigating the city, it's most easily done by taxi. The city buses are manageable, but you have to be brave and willing to ask other passengers for help. The city also just opened something called the Metropolitano which is a slick rapid bus service with dedicated lanes, so you zip right past the gridlocked traffic. I understand a lot of Limeños opposed the Metropolitano, but it is very easy to navigate, clean and modern.

We head to Pisco in the morning, via a four-hour bus ride. Buying the tickets was much easier than anticipated and, hopefully, the ride will go just as smoothly!

One last note: If you are coming to Lima soon, feel free to skip MALI, the local Museum of Art...at least right now. They have an exhibit consisting of videos, some of which are quite disturbing. One was a 2 minute short of a naked woman, shown from the knees to shoulders, standing on a beach hula-hooping with a barbed-wire hoop! It ended by zooming in and slowing down, so one could see the marks left on the woman's naked torso as she hooped it up. I understand art is subjective, but are they serious here?