A city full of surprises
Trip Start
Dec 14, 2007
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166
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Trip End
Mar 16, 2009
Lima,
Peru
Sunday, November 30, 2008
We did, however, have one unexpected surprise in that we were on the top level of the bus and I got terrible motion sickness when reading or watching the TV. It was very strange as I don't get sick on boats, flights, even small light aircraft, but I could not get used to being rocked from left-to-right and back again in my seat
First class bussing
. Ryan, who is more prone to getting motion sickness on boats and flights, was surprisingly fine, (might be that he's more sensitive to the ups and down's where I'm not good with the side to side motion?)The 17 hour bus ride was mostly during the night so we were able to get a little shut-eye and also had plenty of time to read-up on Lima, the ominous Peruvian capital with a population nearing 9 million I might add. According to guidebooks and fellow travellers, Lima is just about as dangerous as it gets and we were quite unsettled by the time we arrived - 10:30am on a Sunday morning. Passing many scary looking shantytowns on our way in didn't help our apprehension, being South Africans we probably should have been used to this sight but its hard not to feel sad and a little fearful of these informal settlements when you realise it's a sign of unemployment and poverty.
We stayed in one of the more tourist friendly areas near the beach, Miraflores, but some of the back streets still looked a little eerie and deserted. Once we found accommodation after trying a few listed hostels we settled in had a shower and caught-up on some sleep, after which we started seeing the city through very different eyes. The sun was out and many Lima inhabitants were out and about enjoying the Sunday afternoon in the parks and side walk cafes
Peruvian landscape
. Ryan found a night bus tour of the city which sounded interesting and promised safety and security (our current key concern), so we decided to give the tour a go. It was a great way to see the city - and it is much prettier at night with all the buildings lit up. We drove through the Miraflores neighbourhood to the Huaca Huallamarca ruins; a restored Maranga adobe pyramid built 500 AD, passed many historical buildings and museums with beautiful architecture to downtown Lima with its amazing wooden baloneys, plazas and churches. Plaza Mayor and Plaza San Martin were our favourites and we couldn't help but notice the police actively patrolling these squares.
Our tour included a visit to the Circuito Magico del Agua (magical fountains), a new 13 million Soles (approximately USD 4 mil) addition to the city. It was a wonderful experience and the best fountains we've seen on our trip!
On-route back to Miraflores, we drove along the beautiful coastline and passed all the parks, including the Parque del Amor (Love Park) with a huge sculpture of two lovers by a Peruvian artist, along the way. This park had a strong resemblance to Gaudi's work in Barcelona, we decided to visit the park the following day to enjoy it in day light
Lima
.What a surprise Lima turned out to be! There is so much history, amazing buildings, many gifts from other countries on the celebration of their 100th year of independence in 1921. The architecture in Downtown Lima has a strong European influence and has been preserved very well, while the business district and coastal suburbs feel modern with many luxuries. People dress very well, modern and seem to be very brand conscious. With all the amazing malls, one even overlooks the sea, who could blame them.
We decided not to read too much into the "Dangers and Annoyances" section in the guidebooks anymore and enjoy each city for what it is (cautiously though). In many capitals across the world there is crime, beggars and more so in countries where unemployment is high, in these cities it is important that simple common sense prevails. We loved Lima and would recommend to anyone to visit this fascinating city and consider doing one of their well organised bus tours - it's well worth it.
