Lima, travel diary

 

Lima

Tegucigalpa left, we waited almost an entire day to spend in the air. We made two stops and technical piglia three planes before they reach South America. In fact, we landed in Lima late in the evening, around 22:30, at an airport totally desert. Even the usual practice of landing took place with a strange slenderness and very compliant. Fortunately, just crossed the customs, we were greeted by the nice ladies who worked for one of the largest travel agencies Peru. We have briefly explained how to get around in Lima and in Peru in general, we are also a hotel for the night. We left with a promise to review the next morning at the tourist to plan our stay in Peru. Accompanied by a luxury taxi, after a long journey we reached the district of Miraflores, one of the tourist capital of Peru. A family-run hotel, warm and at the same time too expensive for our pockets ... was too late to change, we thought we would the next day. That done, time to put the backpacks and we were directed towards the center to eat something. Frightened by the price of the hotel, we were equally concerned about the prices of restaurants, but fortunately a sign to Chinese ideograms illuminated a corner of the center. We sling it well and we ate very well paying a derisory figure. One thing we forgot to tell you ... the temperature in Peru was completely different from the left in Honduras. In Lima was cold and the beds were covered in thick, we extracted from the bottom of the backpack plush aware that it would not be sufficient for the continuation of our journey in the Andean Cordillera.

As planned the next morning after a warm nap wrapped in our sleeping bags, we consumed a hearty breakfast included in the price of the hotel, after which we made in search of cheaper housing. Once again the Chinese hospitality we came to help. A short distance from our hotel, there was a hostel run by a Chinese family that has given us a private room (two to three meters) to the mid-price pagavamo first. No one was we made repeated twice and packed your bags we moved with great surprise the owner of our previous arrangement, which has not been able to take a right. Find new accommodation, we proceeded toward our second goal of the day: travel agency. Located in the city center, the office was full of tourists busy to organize their holidays. A short wait and we were greeted by an enterprising enough omaccione who spoke our language well. After some exchanging pleasantries, we went immediately to the point ... we already had in mind what we wanted to see in Peru, it was only to match our desires with the time available and with our finances. From now on we realized that we would not take off lightly and that we should probably give up some stage that we had budgeted. After nearly two hours of lock-negotiation, we reached an agreement that was both happy counterparts. With a sum of 350.00 euros (almost) all-inclusive we have stayed in Peru for about twenty days, going to see almost everything we wanted.
Paid the debts we returned to our hostel to lick the wounds. Towards evening we left to make a tour through the center of Miraflores, and we went to dinner at a restaurant sciccoso to celebrate the figure just spending a few hours before. For our night walk, we moved to Largo Mar, a very nice built with gusto a peak at the ocean. There were small shops, restaurants, bars and discos but the most beautiful and striking was the sight that we could enjoy sull'immenso ocean surrounded by a dense mist.

The next day we decided to go to the center of Lima. With a taxi, we immersed in the heavily congested city traffic and in half an hour we stood in one of the two most important squares of the city, connected with each other by un'affollata pedestrian street. Walking with camera in hand, as a good tourist-directors, we walked the pedestrian street until you reach Plaza de Armas, where the presidential palace and the huge cathedral. We wanted to visit the interior of the cathedral, but it was already late to begin the tour with a guide. The alternative was a trip to the surrounding street to go nell'incredibile marketplace. More than a market can be defined as a city within a city, where you can find practically everything. We, too, to be honest we were there in search of something: a needed clothing appropriate to address the cold that we would inevitably accompanied by the continuation of the journey. We bought wool sweaters in a high neck, gloves, scarves and socks to the knee and perhaps even more. With hands full of shopping bags and wallet lightened, we returned to base ourselves for a shower and go out to dinner this time at a tourist restaurant menu: good and cheap!
After dinner we discovered a fabulous place, the "Where to Go" a pastry-gelato Italian ice cream and cakes from dizziness! With a succulent ice cream in Pancino we went to bed.

The following day, this time of morning, we again found in the center of Lima to visit the cathedral. Thanks to a very good guide to the best we have appreciated the beauty and history of this building, constructed in the same city and sought directly by Francisco Pizarro. After the cathedral was the turn of a national tour, which not only explain the history of the city and its main buildings, led us to the top of Cerro San Cristobal ", the mountain overlooking Lima. This is a bitter hills, completely devoid of vegetation and colonized by abusive barracks buildings that together provide a framework but definitely interesting and typical. The sensational thing of cerro San Cristobal, however, is the view that one can enjoy from its summit: it dominates the entire city, surrounded by the typical mist, even more beautiful in fall of darkness. Returning all'ostello were exhausted but we had in mind another goal: the Barranco, the second most important tourist district of the city, where we plan to spend an evening, saw its renowned nightlife. And so it was, we wander to the main road entering from time to time in a few clubs to which he had scattered. We were unable to pull the morning because we were really too tired. The next day preparations luggage, we returned to Barranco to admire it even in daylight, but only for a fleeting visit: it was already time to leave the capital and begin our tour of Peru. First destination: Arequipa!