Lima

April 26th: Lima

I woke up early and showered, then took all my stuff out of the dorm room and tried my best to organize it. I bought two bottles of Pisco at the vineyard in Ica, and now had to expertly pack them so they wouldn’t break since I had to check my bag. Never my first choice, but one of the bottles I bought was a Pisco Cream of Cacao, so rich and choclately, I didn’t want to risk not finding it again, hehe. I spent the better part of an hour trying to organize my things and make sure I had what I needed for the travel day in my daypack and everything else in the soon-to-be-checked bag.

Once I was satisfied with my packing, I headed down to breakfast and to check-out. I’d be out and about from 9am until 6:30ish, when I needed to be back at the hostel to catch my ride to the airport.

The first task of the day would be to walk to the ocean! Well, pretty close to it, hehe. Turns out the neighboordhood I was in, Miraflores, is right by the water, but also on a pretty large cliff. I wanted to stroll along through some of the parks and chose this over walking all the way down to the actual shore. It was really foggy, and only I was only able to make out the water in a few places.

As I continued walking, the fog began to lift, and pops of blueish green came through the grey fog. I’m so glad I stuck around and waited! Hehe. I now had to make my way to the meeting place for the walking tour I signed myself and Kim up for. We would be doing the historic center, which was a good bit of distance from Miraflores. Our guide would help us take the bus into town and begin the tour once we got there.

On my way to the meeting place, I decided I needed just a bit more cash. I was wondering if a money change place would exchange a $20 bill for me, so I walked into one attached to a tourist information office. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t, but I went in anyways. And then I realized why….there was a gorgeous mural of Starry Night, but it had llamas, and it was set a Machu Picchu! Omg! Hehe Soooo coool! I never even asked if they’d change my $20, as I knew the world conspired for me to get there just to see this image. So I went around the corner to the ATM and pulled out $20 worth of the local currency, soles, for the day.

The walking tour was nice, primarily walking from one large plaza to the main plaza, learning a bit about the history on the way. The most interesting thing I learned was that although many of the buildings looked colonial, they were fairly recent, from the 1940’s! Hehe. There was a mix of colonial style with art deco and art nouveau, including one building that appeared to be influenced by Gaudi. Overall, the historic center was beautiful, and we got to witness the changing of the guards, which our guide said was pretty much just for show. Either way, still pretty cool to see.

After the walking tour, Kim and I decided to take the bus back to Miraflores, as we had noted earlier that the buses seemed way faster than the car traffic. This bus line went directly down the middle of the highway and bypassed many of the congested areas. Genius! We did have some trouble trying to get on the bus, as you need a bus card, and as we were trying to buy one to put money on, a local accepted some money from us and tapped us in. Cool!

We split ways here for a few hours while I went to a cooking class. I was a bit late, as the bus we wanted took a little bit of time to arrive, and when it looked as though I had reached tge cooking class location, I couldn’t see a sign for this place anywhere in sight! I did notice that there was a restaurant/bar called “Saha,” and we were given a coupon for a free pisco sour for this place, so I made a mental note. I also went in and looked around for someone to ask directions, but nobody was there. I headed back outside and asked some construction workers, but I’m not hopeful they’ll be able to help. One thinks he’s seen the place I’m looking for, “Luchitos,” on the previous block. So I run over there, can’t find anything, and it looks like I’m moving in the opposite direction on the GPS. Nooo! Haha. I really want to do this! Not to mention I’ve already paid, hehe. So I go into another store and ask if they know, and the guy working has no idea. Haha. Grrrreat. So I follow my GPS again, to the same spot by Saha. I wonder if I missed an alley entrance or something. This time, I went in, and there were people inside, so I asked them, and they happily ushered me upstairs. That was it. The cooking class was upstairs above Saha. Omg. Lol. You think there could’ve been a sign?! Nothing. I’m wondering how the others found the place, lol. I shoudl’ve asked them, but I never got around to it.

When I arrived, they had a spot saved for me with an apron and a name tag already laid out. I quickly washed my hands and took my place at the table. This was my first cooking class ever, and it was quite fun. Although we didn’t actually “cook” anything, we mostly just assembled ingredients, lol. We crafted “causa,” a traditional Peruvian dish made with mashed potatoes and shredded chicken and avocado layered in between. I hadn’t tried this yet, so I was extra excited to make it and taste it. Delicious!

Next up was a pisco sour…Pretty sure I can make this drink by memory now, lol. Seems like everywhere you go, there is a free pisco sample or a Pisco Sour making class. I guess that’s a good thing? Hehe I’m excited to try making one at home. See if it’s the same….lol

After we had fun with our pisco, the last dish we’d be creating was the infamous ceviche. Made with white fish, sweet potato, choclo (a large variety of corn), and small, almost popped corn kernels. This was so yummy, too. I added some extra spice to mine. Apparently, in Peru, there is a saying, “If it’s not spicy, it’s not ceviche.” Hehe. I love it! Haha

Overall, I had a lovely time at the cooking class. I wanted to do something culinary related while in Lima. Ideally, I would’ve gone on a food tour, but they were so expensive! I was quite surprised by this, and the cooking class ended up being less money than the majority of the food tours. I may not have tried as many things as I would’ve on the food tour, but I actually got to make them! I loved it!

My friend Kim found her way to Saha for her free Pisco Sour, and once I wrapped up with the cooking class, I met her below and we took advantage of one last Peru Hop ammentiy: the free drink hehe. We then headed to the market to do some last-minute shopping.

Afterward, we walk toward the park where we know we can find a famous Peruvian desert: picarones. A donut like desert made from sweet potatoes and served with a sweet honey. The woman in this park who sells these is actually Netflix famous! There was a documentary about Latin American street food, and she was on it! Hehe. So we had to go to Mary’s Picarones. And they were sooo good! The documentary is called “Street Food: Latin America” and the episode is Lima. Guess I know what I’ll be watching later! Hehe.

We enjoyed eating our picarones in a park filled with cats that the locals feed. It was like a cat cafe, but park edition. Lol. It was so relaxing, and a great way to finish off the day, and well, my whole trip to Peru. Kim and I said our goodbyes as she headed back to her hotel, and I went to my hostel and eventually to the airport.

I make it back to the hostel and grab my bags from storage, and end up waiting around a while before my ride comes. I’ve paid for a communal van ride to the airport, and I was picturing a bigger bus like the Peru Hop ones I’ve been enjoying the last several days, but this is one of those smaller, 15 passenger vans. Ahhh, yes, should’ve realized, haha. It was about 15 minutes late, and it took us around an hour and a half to finally make it to the airport. Phew! Glad I didn’t have to pee! Haha.

Check-in was smooth, and I stopped in a lounge for one last pisco sour and to sort through my bag, making sure what I’d need was handy. It was almost time to head to the flight, so I went to the gate and patiently awaited a seat assignment. The odds were looking somewhat iffy, but I could see 1 seat left in first class. It’s mine! Hehe. Unless it’s blocked off for some reason. I kept the faith, and soon, I was rewarded with a boarding pass for that very last first class seat! Woooohoooo! The best way to end the trip, hehe. I had a little dinner and threw my eye mask on, and I was out cold until the breakfast service began. What a beautiful way to travel, hehe. I’m so grateful!

I thought I’d have an issue getting onto the next flight to Bosotn, but that also went smoothly, and before I could process the fact I was saying goodbye to Peru, I was waiting curbside in Boston for the bus. And just like that, my Peruvian Adventure came to a close.

I wonder where my next adventure will take me? 🤗