Lima 2. Tag

January 30, 2024 Lima

Today I left the ship again shortly after 8 a.m., but this time I took a shuttle bus that went to the Miraflores district. The drive through the grueling traffic took about an hour, then we reached the Larcomar shopping center in Miraflores.

The shopping center is architecturally very interesting. It is located below street level and is built directly into the coastal cliffs, giving great sea views from many of the shops.

I looked at the modern shops, some of which also offered international luxury brands. But there was nothing that made me want to buy. So I went back up to street level.

There the taxi driver Henry (with two "r's") spoke to me and I told him my desired destination. Then we drove off to the coast of Magdalena del Mar, a district we had already passed by on the bus. We spotted my destination and drove onto the beach.

There was a pavilion where young people offered flights with their two paratrikes. These aircraft are a bit more professional than the paraplane that I had so much fun flying over Fortaleza: They have a chassis with three wheels. We got the timing right and I was able to start right away. Here too, the pilot was behind me and I was strapped into the seat in front of him.

And off we went. After just a few meters on the beach, the paratrike was in the air. We flew along the coast and were able to spot many swimming pools on the high-rise buildings in the neighboring districts. We turned around at a lighthouse. The whole time I was filming myself with an action cam on a pole. This device was handed to me before the start.

I suspect the pilots get a kick out of watching these movies. They probably find it funny when the passengers start to panic. There's no other way I can explain why the pilot suddenly made the paratrike sway violently back and forth, flew wild turns and shot low over the waves. My video will disappoint him because instead of being afraid, I had fun doing it. We landed safely and I drove back to the mall with Henry in great spirits. On the way, I told him that I would like to try a Peruvian specialty: guinea pig. Henry immediately called a friend and restaurant owner and arranged my visit for 2 p.m. After a short detour to the “Inca Market”, which I absolutely had to see, we parted ways at the shopping center.

I used the time to visit JFKennedy Park. There were a suspicious number of cats hanging around there. A sign explained the reason: Cats can officially be cared for there. Kind.

At the agreed time I met Henry again and we drove to the restaurant and I got a pisco sour and the guinea pig I had pre-ordered. Its skin was nice and crispy, but otherwise it consisted of more bones than meat. It tasted something like chicken. Still an interesting experience.

Afterwards I was ready to take a taxi and shuttle bus back to the ship. A little after 4 p.m. I was able to recover from my adventure. I skipped a planned visit to the “Magic Light Show” that was supposedly worth seeing.