In 2013 my wife and I took a week-long trip to Lima. It was the first time I had traveled so far by plane. The other trips out of the country I had made by car to neighboring countries, Colombia and Brazil.
In the previous days I took care, via internet, of arranging everything concerning the stay. I hired an inn only for three days near the center of the city, if we liked it we would stay the rest of the time there and if not we would look for another place.
The trip to Lima was quite long because we had to make a stopover of several hours at the airport in Bogota. We left Maiquetía in the afternoon and arrived in Lima at about ten o'clock at night.
A cab driver sent by the inn was waiting for us at the airport. Two things impressed me at that moment. The first was that the cab driver was running like crazy, as if he was participating in a Formula 1 race. The second was that he was listening to Salsa, a very popular musical genre in my country. Being in that car was like being in Venezuela.
In the following days my wife and I dedicated ourselves to getting to know the city. We bought several maps and decided to use only public transportation. Riding public transportation is an excellent way to get to know the customs of a place. In all those days we only used the cab to go to the airport.
Every morning we went out very early to walk around the surroundings of the lodge, asking for recommendations on places to visit. Everywhere we went we had the pleasant experience of meeting very nice people, they treated us with kindness and showed their interest in us taking good memories of the city.
We loved the city from the beginning. Very close to the inn there were a series of parks, squares and very well maintained walkways. One of the things we liked was that there were many benches where we could sit and rest, ideal for us who were always taking long walks.
One of our first visits was to the Casco Historico, a really majestic area, with very well preserved buildings, and where there were very well informed tourist police officers who were able to answer any questions from tourists.
On the fourth day we went to see the coast. Lima shares a coastal strip with the Pacific Ocean. We were very impressed by the contrast between the coastal part and the city center. That part of the coast has a very modern urban development, with tall buildings, sports fields, and large shopping malls.
My wife and I saw that there was a lot to explore in that area and decided to move from the inn to a hotel closer to the coast.
One of the things that caught our attention were the huge cliffs that are located in the part that separates the city from the sea. For us that was a complete novelty, here in our country we do not have cliffs as big as those. In those days, mid-July, very few people bathed in the sea, it was winter days in the southern hemisphere and the water could easily be twelve degrees, which was still quite cold for them.
In all those days my wife also dedicated herself to taste the different flavors of the local food, which can be quite varied. She tried to order everything she did not know. I did not accompany her on this adventure for fear of my delicate stomach. So we usually ate at various places, some where she would try strange dishes and others where I could get a modest grilled chicken.
Although my wife and I walked many places, those seven days went by quickly. It is true that we saw beautiful places and were able to attend extraordinary museums and theaters where we witnessed concerts and plays. However, we were left with the impression that we still had a lot to see. We both wanted to return to that beautiful city at some point. That trip left us with very nice experiences.
I am publishing this post motivated by the initiative proposed by my friend @ericvancewalton, Memoir Monday, in its twenty-three week. For more information click on the link.
Thanks for your time.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version).
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