As I type this, it’s actually Day 27 but we’ve had very spotty wifi that ultimately results in our blog just hanging and hanging when trying to load it. Tonight — in between some knock-em-down, sock-em fights with Piper — the internet seems stronger! My recollections of Lima are a bit blurry, likely given the fact that both Alvi and I were down for the count with a serious stomach bug. Notably, he was far worse than I. Poor muffin…
So what we were dealing with was likely a result of eating the salad on our bus ride! NEVER eat the lettuce. Do you hear me?? Unless you’ve used Clorox yourself to (bleach?!) disinfect away the bacteria, don’t do it!! The kids and I traipsed all over creation to try and find Alvi some chicken soup and had the fortune of taking in some of what Lima had to offer.
We were staying in the “safe” part of Lima, aka Miraflores. It’s a pretty town, with gorgeous little houses and lovely vegetation. The girls and I walked along the ocean boardwalk and were amazed at how modern and upscale it was. I confess not being prepared for the weather… I assumed that it would be sunny skies and warm since we were right on the coast, but it was cold, damp, often rainy and the sun did not shine the entire time we were there. Listless in Lima, indeed.
Nevertheless, here are some highlights, observations and other naturally occurring “gong show” mishaps experienced while there:
- Parque Kennedy: a nifty city park with the most dubious of inhabitants: at least 150 cats! Saffy (and Piper, too) was in heaven! They appeared to be well-fed and we are certain someone was in charge of this. Alvi took Saffy back there at least twice so she could try and find her favourite again. That girl certainly loves her animals!
- Traffic in Lima is RIDIC. I could never live there. I had googled an outdoor clothing shop to try and find some better hiking pants for Machu Picchu, convinced the fam to come join me. We hailed a cab and though it was only 6Â km away, it took 40 minutes to get there, and when we arrived, all they had were carabiners! Total bust. On the return back home (it was dark and late so no walking), it literally took TWO HOURS!!!
- We attempted to go see some Pre-Incan ruins near Miraflores and they were closed with no warning. CLASSIC!
- Always have a general idea what it costs to take a taxi to the area you’re headed before you get into the cab. These taxis have no meters, everything is supposed to be “set”, but it’s more like a negotiation. I got hosed big time! Paid 4x as much and when I asked the front desk lady at our hostel she was livid lol.
- On our way to the airport (Day 26), the driver told us to lock our doors and slouch down in our seats. WTF?!!! I guess it was literally NOT safe, and given the degree of stopping and starting with the traffic, ample opportunity for something to go awry. I was pooping in my pants for a solid 10 minutes.
That pretty much sums up Lima for us: a place where we were sick, it was cold and damp, but there were lovely cats and the people were very friendly. Highly recommend Hostal Jose Luis for anyone ever heading there… it was $66 and in a quiet area of the town. I know this, because when we were downtown I said a million silent prayers thanking God that our first taxi driver recommended this place. The centre square area of Miraflores is a serious action-packed, horn-honking, disco-sounding circus!
I recall feeling nervous but excited to be heading to the Sacred Valley where hopefully we could unpack, not be sick, and just “be”.
Unbelievably fresh fruit right outside our door.
A glimpse down the street our hostel was on.
Quaint little park near our hostel. NOT the cat park.
For anyone under the age of 20, this is called a PHONE BOOTH.
Just a few of the cats at Parque Kennedy.
Pretty eyes!
Post-Alvi sickness on our walk.
Piper getting in on the snuggling of cats action!
A girl in her glory.
Downtown Miraflores, Lima.
The Pre-Incan Ruins we couldn’t see because they were closed. HAHA! Got some pics, though!!! In your face, Business Hours!!!
More of what we “couldn’t see”. Leave it to Alvi to ignore the signs and pretend like he owns the joint!
Not sure what this is (giant urn?) but Alvi took a picture so it’s going in!
Back to the cats. They had quite the impact on us!
Listless in Lima…
Not sure what to make of all these cats.
This guy is loving life.
Love this picture of my girl.
Just chilling.
Happy young people!
Cool mural on one of the buildings.
Nice shots of cats and all of you, also the parks. Love the Blogs.
Saffy looks older somehow. I know that’s likely not what you want to hear! Is it the world travelling perhaps?
Xo Mel
Sorry to hear about you guys being under the weather. I learned from my trip to Egypt, unless it has a skin or cooked don’t eat. Also from the same trip, I learned when taking a cab negotiate the price and terms including luggage. A few ladies found out the hard way, they negotiated a price and on arrival at the destination, the driver tried and charge more for the transport of the bags.
Loving your a adventures, travel safe, and enjoy. 😻😻😻😻😻