Hi from Lima, where the sun is shining, the weather is hot and sticky, and the drinks are potent.
We woke up this morning not exactly well rested, after only about 5 hours of sleep last night. Our hostel is okay, but the room is quite stuffy without much air, so we tossed and turned a bit. Oh well, nothing that a bit of coffee couldn’t sort out.
We made our way across Parque Kennedy to the restaurant where our free breakfast was provided. It was nothing to write home about; toast, an egg and a small slab of cheese. But, along with coffee and juice, it did the trick.
A couple of practicalities sorted out — water, pharmacy stop — and we grabbed our bags and set out to explore.
Exploring the historical centre
Lima is a huge city, very spread out with many different neighbourhoods. We decided to spend the morning on a free walking tour of the historical centre of Lima.
I have done these tours in many cities, and they’re generally quite good; a great way to see a lot in a short period of time, and to get oriented in a new city or country. This one was no exception. We met up at Parque Kennedy with the usual assorted crew of Australian, British, Israeli, Norwegian, Irish, and Canadian tourists, and a cheerful guide named Jose.
We set out from Miraflores and got the public bus, transferring once. A word about the bus system: It’s more like rapid transit, and is very efficient, though it’s a bit tricky to use as a tourist since they only accept fare cards, not cash. On the way there, the guide paid for all of us on his card, collecting the cash from us afterwards. On the way back, we asked a friendly local to do the same. The people in Lima so far have all been lovely, by the way.
The city tour took in the main square, which resembles most main squares in Latin American cities: the Presidential Palace, the government buildings, and of course, the Catholic Church. The buildings in this one are quite a bit newer, since Lima is in an earthquake zone. But they’re still very pretty.
We took in the Changing of the Guards, which was weird in a few ways: The orchestra played pop music like the Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel, and the only vantage point anyone could watch from was surrounded by metal bars blocking our view.
Other stops on the walking tour included the Casa de la Literatura, a lovely church that I can’t remember the name of, a small museum dedicated to Peru’s gastronomy and culinary traditions, and a lot of cute little side streets with nice architecture. I have to say, when I started booking my trip, a lot of people ragged on Lima and encouraged me to get out of here as fast as possible. I think they’re wrong. This is a really nice city, very pretty with lots to see and do.
The walking tour wrapped up with a free pisco tasting. Peru and Chile will argue for the rest of their lives over who invented Pisco and who does it better. I’m staying well out of that debate, thanks. But the small cocktail samples we tried were really good.
The quest for a SIM card
Back in Miraflores, I set out on a quest to buy myself a SIM card, since I’d failed in the airport last night. Let me tell you, the bureaucracy involved in dealing with even the worst government office in Quebec has got nothing on what it takes to buy and register a SIM card in Peru.
First, I went to a supermarket where the guy at the hostel check-in desk had directed me earlier. No dice: The counters there can’t register cards. They directed me to a Claro office around the corner, but they couldn’t do it either. So I had to go to a third office, this one a main centre about a block and a half away.
When I walked in there, I knew I was in for it. First, I had to line up at one counter to take a number. They directed me to sit down in a waiting area where a big board flashed the numbers next in line, like at the passport or driver’s license bureau. When it was my turn, the guy took my passport and information, and then sent me to another lineup at the cash to pay 5 soles for the SIM card itself. That accomplished, I had to wait again to go back to speak to the first guy, who was able to register and activate my card.
He directed me back to the line at the cash to then pay for some recharge credit so I could add a data package. But the line had tripled since the first time, so I went back to the supermarket to buy the recharge package instead. They said they couldn’t sell me that either (and I still don’t know what all those Claro booths can do, exactly, if they can’t sell SIM cards or phone credit) but they sent me to the pharmacy, which could sell me the credit — after some misunderstandings caused by the language barrier.
Mission accomplished. Whew.
Beer tasting in Lima
I went back to the hostel for an hour to relax and meet up with the others, Then we headed out to a local pub to try some of the local craft beers. Nuevo Mundo is one of the most well known craft beer bars and breweries in Miraflores. We ordered two tasting flights, each with six of their beers on tap, and got a nice overview of Peruvian craft beers. I have to say, not bad!
Tennille, the Australian girl from the tour this morning, joined us for a few drinks and some quesadllas. And then a bit later, Meghan, the Canadian from Ottawa on our tour, also joined us. Tennille and Meghan wanted some dinner, so we made our way to restaurant row off of Parque Kennedy, which was pretty much what you’d expect for a tourist trap street: Touts doing the hard sell, overpriced mediocre restaurants, and strong drinks. We ended up at one such restaurant and got a round of “happy hour” Pisco Sours. Happy hour, incidentally, seems to be all hours of the day and night in Peru. It sure left us all feeling pretty happy, so I suppose it’s a warranted description.
We then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. All in all, our first day in Peru was pretty damn awesome. The bar has been set high; here’s hoping the rest of the trip can live up.