Lima Peru
Trip Start
Feb 15, 2008
1
2
57
Trip End
May 31, 2008
Lima,
Peru
Monday, February 18, 2008
We arrived at Lima at 7.30 am and my first impression as we landed was of how dry the city is. Lima lies between the ocean and the desert and receives an average of only 0.70 ml of rain per year; and we thought Sydney was dry. Even though this city is so dry it currently suffers no problems with supplying its 8 million residents with water, or green electricity for that matter thanks to heavy rainfall in the Andes, well placed dams and hydro-eclectic power stations
Driving in Lima with Milagros, my navigator
.When I arrived at the airport terminal I discovered that my friend Milagros had not received my message about the delay and had been waiting for me till 2 in the morning, went home then returned again at 7 am. We picked up the hire car I'd booked and set off to her family's home which is located conveniently close to the airport in the port district of Callao (pronounced 'ky-ow'). Lima is like most other Latin American Cities; chaotic traffic, roads in what we'd consider a state of disrepair, a bit dirty though one can tell that the city is trying to make an effort to improve, dogs walking around the streets and a mix of modern well constructed buildings, historic buildings and half finished houses (the all too common problem of big dreams but little money). Lima has no commuter rail system and most people don't have cars. The majority of Lima's residents travel in mini buses though I think that full size buses would be more practical. There are also heaps of taxis which are generally not the most reliable looking vehicles, though they're cheap; for a foreigner.
Being the weekend, Milagros' whole family were home. These people generally build their homes 3 stories high with living areas down stairs, bedrooms upstairs and often the 3rd floor is a separate residence. In this way the extended family can be accommodated. Milagros lives with her parents who are retired, her three brothers, two sisters in laws, two nieces and one nephew
Milagros, Me, Tonio and Marie
. The home, however, is far from crowded and such a living situation makes organising a baby sitter easy. Even though Lima lies not far south of the equator it shares a similar temperature to that of Sydney - summer maximum temps are around 33 degrees and winter temps generally reach a max of 15. At the time of my visit Peru was experiencing pleasant, warm summer weather.That evening we went with Tonio, one of Milagros' brothers and his wife Marie to a club called 'Del Carajo' and it was a thoroughly entertaining a night. There were 3 different live music groups with a DJ to fill in the gaps. But what made the night so great were the games. First the staff danced - the door staff, the bar staff, then the cooks and they were all fantastic; I think it just runs in their blood or something. But then could you believe it, the security guards came to perform their routine. These were two BIG boys though they danced so well, it was hilarious. Later there was a short random singing contest where people would attempt to complete certain lines of songs but what topped it was when they called up all the foreigners in the crowd to dance to win beer! So naturally I went up. There were foreigners from Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Porto Rica, Spain, the US and one from Australia, me. Somehow I pulled it off too and won our table a bottle of beer.
Sunday was a bit of a 'tranquilo' day - that's rest, take it easy. We went for a short trip over to Minka Shops, which are a bit like a cross between a market and a department store, to pick up a few things for lunch which was ceviche. This popular Latin American seafood dish consists of raw fish, onions, lemon, lime and chilli, served with rice and corn. It sounds gross but it's really good.
