Daniel and Andre had been talking about going to Lima for a while, but they never fixed a date and kept changing their plans. But it was kinda clear that I would go with them, just for a couple days to get out of Huaraz, see something different and give Lima a second chance.
And then one Sunday afternoon, I just got a text that they would leave in about 30 minutes. I was just starting to make lunch and was a little surprised and not prepared for a departure so soon. But I somehow managed to cook, eat and pack my things within half an hour and off we went.
We were going by car and the hours passed by quickly – it took us only 5 hours to get to Lima, but 1 ½ hours to get through Lima to the part of Miraflores, where Daniel had an apartment in which I stayed the next few days. It was already getting dark when we arrived, so we didn’t do much more that day except sitting on the rooftop and chatting.
The next day we slept in, and I didn’t really have a plan what to do. But I knew that the beach was close, and in early afternoon Daniel dropped me off there. It was so nice to see the ocean after being in the mountains for so long, and I enjoyed just walking around there for a while. The view from the beach in Miraflores (the Costa Verde) is very nice and you can see lots of paragliders above you and surfers down in the waves in front of you. Later I went back up into the direction of the apartment, but I also spent some time walking around there. It was right next to Kennedy Park, a nice park with lots of stores and restaurant around it – it was such a different atmosphere than in Huaraz!
When I got back to the apartment I found out that the guys had started drinking, and Andre was doing pretty good in getting drunk pretty fast. I just had a few drinks so I was fine, but we ended up having a little drive around Miraflores in Andre’s huge car, which was quite an adventure, especially when he tried to park it in his condition.
Later at night some friends picked me up, and we went to another part of the city, Barranco, where we walked around a little bit and ended up going to a really nice bar. The decoration was fancy, and I enjoyed that a lot, since there’s not much art and decoration in Huaraz. I also tried Maracuja Sour (a drink with Pisco and, obviously, maracuja) for the first time, and found out that I really like it. I had a very good time hanging out with Miguel and Taya there, and it felt good not only to get out of Huaraz, but also being around other people for once in a while.
The day after that we also slept in (which really surprised me, because compared to Huaraz Lima is very loud and busy), and then Daniel and I drove around for a while. Since it was already more than time for lunch, we didn’t go back to the house, but went directly to a mall on a cliff to have lunch there. After that I spent some time reading and writing on the rooftop, and enjoying my vacation.
The only thing that was a little difficult for me was that I didn’t have a key and didn’t really know the area, so I depended on Daniel, who is a person with his plans changing all the time.
That night though, we went out again and, after getting some cheesecake, we went to the beach and walked around there. There was also a little pier, from where you could hear some dolphins chatter. Surprisingly it was a nice night, even though it was still pretty cold and you’re never really able to see the sky in Lima because of the smog that covers the sky. But just being able to see, hear and smell the ocean made up for that J
The next day I was by myself most of the time, not really knowing what to do. So I went to the beach again, and after that ended up finding a cool park above the sea, which reminded me a little of the Parque Gaudi in Barcelona (I was so enjoying all the artsy stuff here!). After a while, Miguel picked me up from there and we went to his house. There we had Mac’n’Cheese and Chicha Morada (a Peruvian drink made out of purple/black corn) and watched a movie, before I went back to the apartment.
On my last day in Lima, even though I didn’t know it was my last day back then, I went to the Parque Kennedy to figure out what to do and when to go back to Huaraz – the time in Lima just had passed by, without me even knowing what I was doing a lot of the time (I really spent a lot of time just hanging out on the rooftop, or walking around the beach, the park or once also a big Feria Artesana). And since I’d been there for almost a week, I decided to go back on Saturday night the latest. But there was a slight chance that Daniel and Andre would go back too, so I waited for them to make up their minds. That took a while, but at least we spent that day in another part of Lima so I could see some more of the city. We went to the center, had Chifa (chinese-peruvian food) there for lunch and then we drove up a hill, from where you have an amazing view over the city (you’d be able to see even more, if there wasn’t so much pollution…). On our way back we stopped at one of the parks in Miraflores that are above the ocean and watched the paragliders for a while. And I was happy that I finally got to see something else than the area around the apartment J
In the late afternoon the guys decided that they would go back to Huaraz too, and were first talking about going back that same night. That didn’t happen though, because they also decided to have a party (which costed me one of my shoes, because some drunk person had the great idea to throw it off the rooftop). But surprisingly we really left on Saturday in the morning, and I was kinda looking forward of going back to Huaraz and being more independent again, even though Lima was a nice change of scene and I liked it a lot better than the first time I was there. I had just been more used to Peru already at that time, and also got to see a very different part of the city, which makes a big difference because the contrasts are huge. It really is incredible how big this city is, and how many parts it has that all are a little bit like their own city.
And then one Sunday afternoon, I just got a text that they would leave in about 30 minutes. I was just starting to make lunch and was a little surprised and not prepared for a departure so soon. But I somehow managed to cook, eat and pack my things within half an hour and off we went.
We were going by car and the hours passed by quickly – it took us only 5 hours to get to Lima, but 1 ½ hours to get through Lima to the part of Miraflores, where Daniel had an apartment in which I stayed the next few days. It was already getting dark when we arrived, so we didn’t do much more that day except sitting on the rooftop and chatting.
The next day we slept in, and I didn’t really have a plan what to do. But I knew that the beach was close, and in early afternoon Daniel dropped me off there. It was so nice to see the ocean after being in the mountains for so long, and I enjoyed just walking around there for a while. The view from the beach in Miraflores (the Costa Verde) is very nice and you can see lots of paragliders above you and surfers down in the waves in front of you. Later I went back up into the direction of the apartment, but I also spent some time walking around there. It was right next to Kennedy Park, a nice park with lots of stores and restaurant around it – it was such a different atmosphere than in Huaraz!
When I got back to the apartment I found out that the guys had started drinking, and Andre was doing pretty good in getting drunk pretty fast. I just had a few drinks so I was fine, but we ended up having a little drive around Miraflores in Andre’s huge car, which was quite an adventure, especially when he tried to park it in his condition.
Later at night some friends picked me up, and we went to another part of the city, Barranco, where we walked around a little bit and ended up going to a really nice bar. The decoration was fancy, and I enjoyed that a lot, since there’s not much art and decoration in Huaraz. I also tried Maracuja Sour (a drink with Pisco and, obviously, maracuja) for the first time, and found out that I really like it. I had a very good time hanging out with Miguel and Taya there, and it felt good not only to get out of Huaraz, but also being around other people for once in a while.
The day after that we also slept in (which really surprised me, because compared to Huaraz Lima is very loud and busy), and then Daniel and I drove around for a while. Since it was already more than time for lunch, we didn’t go back to the house, but went directly to a mall on a cliff to have lunch there. After that I spent some time reading and writing on the rooftop, and enjoying my vacation.
The only thing that was a little difficult for me was that I didn’t have a key and didn’t really know the area, so I depended on Daniel, who is a person with his plans changing all the time.
That night though, we went out again and, after getting some cheesecake, we went to the beach and walked around there. There was also a little pier, from where you could hear some dolphins chatter. Surprisingly it was a nice night, even though it was still pretty cold and you’re never really able to see the sky in Lima because of the smog that covers the sky. But just being able to see, hear and smell the ocean made up for that J
The next day I was by myself most of the time, not really knowing what to do. So I went to the beach again, and after that ended up finding a cool park above the sea, which reminded me a little of the Parque Gaudi in Barcelona (I was so enjoying all the artsy stuff here!). After a while, Miguel picked me up from there and we went to his house. There we had Mac’n’Cheese and Chicha Morada (a Peruvian drink made out of purple/black corn) and watched a movie, before I went back to the apartment.
On my last day in Lima, even though I didn’t know it was my last day back then, I went to the Parque Kennedy to figure out what to do and when to go back to Huaraz – the time in Lima just had passed by, without me even knowing what I was doing a lot of the time (I really spent a lot of time just hanging out on the rooftop, or walking around the beach, the park or once also a big Feria Artesana). And since I’d been there for almost a week, I decided to go back on Saturday night the latest. But there was a slight chance that Daniel and Andre would go back too, so I waited for them to make up their minds. That took a while, but at least we spent that day in another part of Lima so I could see some more of the city. We went to the center, had Chifa (chinese-peruvian food) there for lunch and then we drove up a hill, from where you have an amazing view over the city (you’d be able to see even more, if there wasn’t so much pollution…). On our way back we stopped at one of the parks in Miraflores that are above the ocean and watched the paragliders for a while. And I was happy that I finally got to see something else than the area around the apartment J
In the late afternoon the guys decided that they would go back to Huaraz too, and were first talking about going back that same night. That didn’t happen though, because they also decided to have a party (which costed me one of my shoes, because some drunk person had the great idea to throw it off the rooftop). But surprisingly we really left on Saturday in the morning, and I was kinda looking forward of going back to Huaraz and being more independent again, even though Lima was a nice change of scene and I liked it a lot better than the first time I was there. I had just been more used to Peru already at that time, and also got to see a very different part of the city, which makes a big difference because the contrasts are huge. It really is incredible how big this city is, and how many parts it has that all are a little bit like their own city.
Back in Huaraz I was happy to have my own house and kitchen and room again, but I was already planning on going back to Lima with Maria some time in November to visit friends.
I had spent a week in Huaraz, gone to school, partied, and also did some hiking, when it was time for Daniel and Andre to leave Huaraz again, but this time for a longer time. On a rainy Sunday we all said our goodbyes, since we knew that we probably won’t see them again. And two days later I got a call that Daniel changed his flight to Canada and was still in Lima – Maria and I were already thinking about going to Lima this week, because we had a lot of school stuff planned for November, and so I decided to go to Lima again, even though I’d just been there. I took a bus over night the same day where I made that decision, and the day I arrived I spent at Daniel’s place again because he was leaving that night – it was hard to believe that this time saying goodbye would be real, because he had changed his plans so many times.
But waking up the next morning, I was all by myself and I was going to enjoy that day just like that. So I got some good breakfast and then went down to the beach and sat there for a while. Later I met up with Miguel to bring my backpack to his place, and together we went to pick up Maria from the bus. It felt good having her in Lima too, and I was really looking forward to the next days because it would again be a whole different Lima-experience. But that night we just stayed in, had Mac’n’Cheese again, and watched a movie.
In the morning on the next day, Maria and I went running for a little bit, and then I showed her around the area where I’d always hung out when I was in Lima the last time. On our way back we took a different route, and of course we managed it to get lost – so instead of being away for an hour, it took us two hours to get back to Miguel’s house and by that time I was already starving and couldn’t wait to have breakfast. After that little adventure and a good breakfast we took the Metro (a bus that has it’s own line on the “Expresa”, and is so independent from the else terrible traffic) an went to the center of Lima.
There everything looks very European, because many of big buildings are still from the colonial times. We went through a park, passed the Contemporary Art Museum of Lima, and then met Ale (another friend) during her lunchbreak. Together we went to one of the big plazas in the center and had lunch at the very same Chifa place I had been two weeks earlier. After that Ale had go back to work and we met up with our friend Kato at the Plaza the Armas – from there Miguel continued being our guide and showed us around the center – the big central market, Chinatown, some more parks and also museums, and after it had gotten dark we went to a waterpark. That was just a park where you could walk around through lit up waterfountains – a nice ending for a quite long day. On the bus back to Miguel’s house we got stuck in traffic (what a surprise!) and I almost fell asleep because I was so exhausted. But that night we still also had to get to Ale’s house since we would stay there for the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday we all slept in, and then enjoyed the luxury of a nice hot shower, and a delicious breakfast that included peanut butter. In the morning I also used the chance of a good internet to skype with my family, and after that Ale took us up on the hill in her neighborhood from where we had a great view over the endless city of Lima and the crazy big houses in the area.
For the afternoon, Maria and I first wanted to go to Barranco, a part of Lima that we had heard of to be very nice and that I had only seen at night before. But, as it happens a lot here, plans changed and we ended up going to the house of a friend of Ale’s, where we started drinking early in the afternoon and then went to the Ex-Alumnos Party of their school. The funny thing was, that that was THE German school in Lima – so everybody there could (more or less) speak German, and we didn’t stand out as gringas at all. There was also German food, like Brezeln and Schwarzwälderkirschtorte, mixed with Peruvian music and drinking habits. We had a lot of Pisco, danced, and by 8pm we felt like we had partied enough (we already started to get sober again, and I couldn’t even smell Coca Cola anymore) and called a taxi to go back home. There we found the perfect way to end the day and watched a movie, before going to bed – so we managed it to combine a crazy party and a comfy movie night in one day/night.
On our last day in Lima we really wanted to go to Barranco, and so we got up a little earlier and after getting our bustickets for the night, we went there. We met up with Kato again and then just walked around. I liked Barranco a lot more than Miraflores – it has a lot of really nice houses and cool bars/restaurants, and is a little more quiet and not as commercial and touristic as Miraflores.
Since it was a nice day, and you were actually able to see the sun through the clouds, we also went down to the beach and Maria and I went swimming, which was really cool. After that we decided to get some lunch and Ale took us to an amazing restaurant, where we even had to wait to get a table because it was so busy. But the food was delicious, and the decoration of the place was something quite worth seeing.
Before going back home, we decided to go shopping for a little bit, and so went to Miraflores and spent some time just around where Daniel’s apartment was. Then we went back to Ale’s house and everybody got some time for themselves, which Kato and I used to drive up the hill (I was so glad it was a quiet neighborhood with nearly no traffic, otherwise I probably would have crashed the car) in the neighborhood again to see the sunset from up there. But since we got lost a couple times we got there when it was already dark – which was probably even more amazing than the sunset anyways.
After getting back, we had dinner together, and then packed our stuff and called a taxi to take us to the bus station. And, as a nice last adventure, we almost got robbed just two blocks away from the bus. We were waiting at a red light, when suddenly a man came up to the taxi, opened the door on my side and tried to pull me out. While that, another man tried to open the door on the other side, and all three of us were just screaming. Luckily I managed to close the door and the guys didn’t take anything – but that was definitely a little scary and from now on I’ll never forget to lock the door in a car again.
After getting on the bus, we all went to sleep, as far as that’s possible on a bus, and started out journey back to Huaraz where we arrived at 5am the next day.
I had spent a week in Huaraz, gone to school, partied, and also did some hiking, when it was time for Daniel and Andre to leave Huaraz again, but this time for a longer time. On a rainy Sunday we all said our goodbyes, since we knew that we probably won’t see them again. And two days later I got a call that Daniel changed his flight to Canada and was still in Lima – Maria and I were already thinking about going to Lima this week, because we had a lot of school stuff planned for November, and so I decided to go to Lima again, even though I’d just been there. I took a bus over night the same day where I made that decision, and the day I arrived I spent at Daniel’s place again because he was leaving that night – it was hard to believe that this time saying goodbye would be real, because he had changed his plans so many times.
But waking up the next morning, I was all by myself and I was going to enjoy that day just like that. So I got some good breakfast and then went down to the beach and sat there for a while. Later I met up with Miguel to bring my backpack to his place, and together we went to pick up Maria from the bus. It felt good having her in Lima too, and I was really looking forward to the next days because it would again be a whole different Lima-experience. But that night we just stayed in, had Mac’n’Cheese again, and watched a movie.
In the morning on the next day, Maria and I went running for a little bit, and then I showed her around the area where I’d always hung out when I was in Lima the last time. On our way back we took a different route, and of course we managed it to get lost – so instead of being away for an hour, it took us two hours to get back to Miguel’s house and by that time I was already starving and couldn’t wait to have breakfast. After that little adventure and a good breakfast we took the Metro (a bus that has it’s own line on the “Expresa”, and is so independent from the else terrible traffic) an went to the center of Lima.
There everything looks very European, because many of big buildings are still from the colonial times. We went through a park, passed the Contemporary Art Museum of Lima, and then met Ale (another friend) during her lunchbreak. Together we went to one of the big plazas in the center and had lunch at the very same Chifa place I had been two weeks earlier. After that Ale had go back to work and we met up with our friend Kato at the Plaza the Armas – from there Miguel continued being our guide and showed us around the center – the big central market, Chinatown, some more parks and also museums, and after it had gotten dark we went to a waterpark. That was just a park where you could walk around through lit up waterfountains – a nice ending for a quite long day. On the bus back to Miguel’s house we got stuck in traffic (what a surprise!) and I almost fell asleep because I was so exhausted. But that night we still also had to get to Ale’s house since we would stay there for the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday we all slept in, and then enjoyed the luxury of a nice hot shower, and a delicious breakfast that included peanut butter. In the morning I also used the chance of a good internet to skype with my family, and after that Ale took us up on the hill in her neighborhood from where we had a great view over the endless city of Lima and the crazy big houses in the area.
For the afternoon, Maria and I first wanted to go to Barranco, a part of Lima that we had heard of to be very nice and that I had only seen at night before. But, as it happens a lot here, plans changed and we ended up going to the house of a friend of Ale’s, where we started drinking early in the afternoon and then went to the Ex-Alumnos Party of their school. The funny thing was, that that was THE German school in Lima – so everybody there could (more or less) speak German, and we didn’t stand out as gringas at all. There was also German food, like Brezeln and Schwarzwälderkirschtorte, mixed with Peruvian music and drinking habits. We had a lot of Pisco, danced, and by 8pm we felt like we had partied enough (we already started to get sober again, and I couldn’t even smell Coca Cola anymore) and called a taxi to go back home. There we found the perfect way to end the day and watched a movie, before going to bed – so we managed it to combine a crazy party and a comfy movie night in one day/night.
On our last day in Lima we really wanted to go to Barranco, and so we got up a little earlier and after getting our bustickets for the night, we went there. We met up with Kato again and then just walked around. I liked Barranco a lot more than Miraflores – it has a lot of really nice houses and cool bars/restaurants, and is a little more quiet and not as commercial and touristic as Miraflores.
Since it was a nice day, and you were actually able to see the sun through the clouds, we also went down to the beach and Maria and I went swimming, which was really cool. After that we decided to get some lunch and Ale took us to an amazing restaurant, where we even had to wait to get a table because it was so busy. But the food was delicious, and the decoration of the place was something quite worth seeing.
Before going back home, we decided to go shopping for a little bit, and so went to Miraflores and spent some time just around where Daniel’s apartment was. Then we went back to Ale’s house and everybody got some time for themselves, which Kato and I used to drive up the hill (I was so glad it was a quiet neighborhood with nearly no traffic, otherwise I probably would have crashed the car) in the neighborhood again to see the sunset from up there. But since we got lost a couple times we got there when it was already dark – which was probably even more amazing than the sunset anyways.
After getting back, we had dinner together, and then packed our stuff and called a taxi to take us to the bus station. And, as a nice last adventure, we almost got robbed just two blocks away from the bus. We were waiting at a red light, when suddenly a man came up to the taxi, opened the door on my side and tried to pull me out. While that, another man tried to open the door on the other side, and all three of us were just screaming. Luckily I managed to close the door and the guys didn’t take anything – but that was definitely a little scary and from now on I’ll never forget to lock the door in a car again.
After getting on the bus, we all went to sleep, as far as that’s possible on a bus, and started out journey back to Huaraz where we arrived at 5am the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment