Lima

After 10 wonderful days together, Lara and Jonas returned to Germany and we continued to Lima, Peru. Based on recommendations from other travelers and some travel blogs, we only booked 2 nights in Lima, as Lima doesn't have much to offer and it's better to spend time elsewhere.

Arriving at the airport, the previously reserved taxi was already waiting for us to take us to the hotel. Good thing, because otherwise we would have had to choose a lucky one from the chaos of taxi drivers in front of the airport, who tried to outdo each other - with volume and prices. Some older men even sprinted to be the first to a potential passenger. During the drive to the hotel, we noticed the many casinos lined up. Not quite as spectacular as Las Vegas, but still with typically eye-catching lighting. When we arrived in Miraflores, a district of Lima, we immediately noticed the cleanliness and safety of the streets. Cleanliness and safety were something that was often lacking in Panama and especially in Costa Rica, so we longed for western standards a little. Since we arrived in Lima at night, we could only start exploring the city on the second day. After a few minutes on the streets, we quickly decided to extend our stay for another night. Lima had captivated us. Finally, there were also large supermarkets that met Leonie's high standards of selection, order and cleanliness. So we could finally prepare delicious cheese sandwiches at noon. We hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying them since Mexico, as the cheese was either incredibly expensive (3 slices of cheese for €3) or the hygiene standards were so abysmal that we didn't want to take any risks. However, we had an interesting experience at a mobile phone provider's stand before that, as we had to buy a new SIM card as we do every time we arrive in a new country. We heard that Movistar or Claro have the best network, so off we went. The next stand was in the high-class supermarket, so we thought it would be a reasonable provider. Far from it! The guy actually cheated us from start to finish, so in the end we paid 80 soles, which is about €20, for an old SIM card on which, as we later found out, instead of the promised 10 GB, there were only 1.5 GB and that for 1 week instead of 4 weeks. Fortunately, we only found out about this after enjoying the delicious cheese sandwiches, otherwise it would probably have spoiled the enjoyment. With cheese sandwiches and anger in our stomachs and a pre-typed message in Spanish, we went back to the Movistar stand in the evening. When the young salesman saw us approaching quickly with an angry face, he probably already knew what was coming. Leonie handed him the phone angrily with the very clear text. After quick words in Spanish with his colleague next door, the crumpled 80 soles were passed to us under the counter until they ended up with us. He removed the SIM card with trembling hands. Good! We are aware that as 'gringos' we always pay more than the locals, and that's absolutely okay given the high salary difference, but being blatantly lied to and ripped off was new to us as well. Still a little angry, but also satisfied that we got our money back, we went to a bar, because in the evening we were meeting two former colleagues of a friend who all worked at a German school in Lima. After a fun evening at the bar, we walked late at night through the streets for the first time on our trip and actually felt quite safe. A feeling that we missed late at night on the previous trip.

The next morning, together with another German couple we met in Costa Rica, we signed up for a free walking tour of Lima's old town. After about 30 minutes by public bus, we arrived. Our guide led us through Lima's old town for about 4 hours. In addition to some interesting facts about the city, we were especially impressed by the buildings with their vibrant colors and magnificent facades. After the tour, we followed our guide's advice and had lunch at one of the restaurants in a side street. We also tasted typical Peruvian specialties. We started with Pisco Sour, which we had already tested 2 during the tour. Pisco sour is a cocktail made with Pisco brandy, lime juice, sugar syrup, and a foam topping made from egg white. Then we continued with the appetizers. We had Ceviche, THE national dish, consisting of various types of raw fish marinated in lime juice, vinegar, oil, spices, and herbs. It is also accompanied by tomatoes, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and corn. Another appetizer was Papa a la Huancaína, boiled potatoes topped with a creamy sauce, garnished with an egg. For the main course, we chose dishes with rice, salad, and fish or meat. After a short walk, we came across a small bakery that made traditional churros. We had to try them, and they were delicious, as expected! In the evening, we could finally fall into bed, exhausted and satisfied.

Three other must-dos in Lima are a visit to the Inka Market, strolling through the artist district of Barranco, and admiring the water fountains and the light and water show in Parque de la Reserva at night. The Inka Market is a fairly large, covered and confusing market where one souvenir shop follows another. Textiles made from alpaca wool are particularly common here, but there are also small souvenirs that the locals want to sell to the gringos. Except for a small bag with strikingly beautiful embroidery and a few Coca candies, we managed to resist the call of the vendors. We wanted to get the candies anyway because the Coca in them helps with the altitude, which awaits us in Cusco, the next city. It widens the blood vessels, allowing the body to be better supplied with oxygen. Very helpful at an altitude of 3400 meters in Cusco. The next day we set off for Barranco, Lima's artist district. Here you can't get enough of impressive works of art on walls or even bridges, so we strolled through the district all afternoon. After a refreshing drink in one of the chic cafes in Barranco, we went to Parque de la Reserva in the evening to see the water fountains and the light and water show. In addition to numerous illuminated water fountains, there was even a tunnel of water sprinklers that you could walk through - of course not without getting a little wet. After sunset, the light and water show started in the middle of the square. The show was truly impressive, as the fountains sprayed the water very finely into the air, creating a kind of wall. This area was now used as a screen to project moving images onto and accompany them with music. In this way, the history of Peru was brought closer to the audience. The show lasted several minutes and was not only a successful end to the day but also a successful farewell to Lima for the time being.

And now, finally, to the exciting things: SNACKS! What was initially just meant as a joke seems to have actually been missed by some readers. Therefore, I, Leonie aka Snack Officer of this trip, am thrilled to revive this category. In the shopping basket in Lima we found: an Inka Kola, Piqueo Snax Original, Chin Chin Galletas, Cua Cua mini, and two varieties of mini Picars. And let's not forget something healthy: a pack of granadilla.
Let's start with the mini Picars, both of which unfortunately rank last with only 3/10 stars. Mini Picars are small donut-shaped cookies covered in chocolate. Neither the cookie nor the chocolate tasted good to me in both varieties, as it wasn't sweet enough somehow. Slightly higher ranked are the Piqueo Snax Original, a mixture of four different types of chips. It's actually pretty cool to offer a mix of different flavors in one bag. However, the downside is that the flavors start to taste similar after a while. Conclusion: You can give it a try to taste them all, but it wasn't that great and definitely doesn't compare to Hungarian chips. Roman gives it a solid 7/10 stars, while Leonie gives it only 5/10 stars. Next up is the small yellow package, the Chin Chin Galletas. By the way, galleta means cookie in Spanish. They are covered in chocolate and colorful sprinkles, which provides an extra crunch. In addition, the cookies taste somehow like speculoos, which leads to an amazing rating of 10/10 stars. Truly a delight! Alongside the Chin Chin Galletas, the Cua Cua minis also stand out. They are small chocolate-covered wafers and achieve an outstanding result of 10/10 stars. Surprisingly, this time it was Roman who was almost unable to contain his excitement and put the wafers back in the shopping cart on the next shopping trip. Now for the first drink in this category, if I'm not mistaken. Inka Kola is really popular here and is offered at least as often as Coca Cola, both in fast food chains and at street stalls or in cafes and restaurants. The taste may not suit every tourist, but we already knew it because Inka Kola tastes exactly like Arlekino or Kicos, which some people may know. In the ranking, Inka Kola gets 8/10 stars from Roman and 6/10 stars from Leonie. Last but not least: Granadillas. It is practically the sweet version of passion fruit and tastes delicious if you don't let the peculiar texture of the fruit distract you. Without a doubt, 10/10 stars!