Discoveries in Lima

After arriving in Lima, we check into the hotel and leave our luggage there before heading off to breakfast in Barranco - one of the younger and hipper districts of the city, characterized by small shops and beautiful graffiti. After breakfast, we let ourselves drift and go for a walk: across the Parque Municipal de Barranco, the Puente de los Suspiros and then walk through the alleys of the district to the coast. From there, we can look down on the surfer's beach and stroll through the butterfly park (I'll remember that for my Lima run when I'm back here in two weeks). We've already lost a few girls while walking, but Callie and I walk on into the Miraflores district to get a picture of the popular part of town.

Equipped with an iced coffee, we head back to our now booked walking tour, where we take the bus to the center of Lima. We start at Plaza San Martín, see Peruvian dances in the pedestrian zone and pass by the Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima and the City Hall. Just a few streets behind is the Basilica and the Monastery of San Francisco and San Domingo, where we can walk through the catacombs and learn a lot about the culture and connection to the church and the saints for the Peruvians. On the way we stop for a quick Pisco tasting in the pedestrian zone - I would have preferred four shots in the evening rather than at 4 p.m. in this weather, but you have to celebrate the holidays as they come, right?

After the many steps today, we naturally devote ourselves to our favorite activity after the walking tour: shopping in the supermarket. We start again with water and snacks and browse through the aisles. Now we really still have a bit of time before we meet for dinner. Today is my last official evening with the group and I really have mixed feelings. In my two weeks with the others, it quickly became apparent that the clothes I brought with me (from the mix & match principle) were made up of black, white, brown and beige - always to the amusement of the others. So today I'm unpacking what I bought with the others for the last evening: my colorful top from Máncora and my red earrings from Cuenca. And of course the others said something about it and were proud of this play of colors. Before we go to dinner in Barranco, we stop off at a bar for a Pisco sour and enjoy the colorful fairy lights in the courtyard of the Ayahuasca Restobar (no, the name doesn't say it all). After dinner, we follow Alina's recommendation and go to Boulevard Barranco, where there are a few bars and clubs. We find a "beer house" that we head for euphorically, but there isn't a single German beer in it - disappointing. We spend a few more relaxed hours there anyway, before I say goodbye earlier this time, as I'm leaving at 6 a.m. the next morning. The others are staying for another day and will meet the "newcomers" who are joining us tomorrow. Luckily, the farewell in the bar isn't too emotional - we'll see each other again the day after tomorrow in Huacachina and we'll be together again in Cusco in a few days. When I pick up my room key at the hotel, I see that Alina has written each of us an individual message and I'm so incredibly grateful to have been able to spend the last two weeks in this group with these great people!