Peru (1): LIMA

04.01.

1. Tag

Arrival in Lima: Since I heard so much beforehand that it's better not to take a taxi directly from the airport as they are often involved in robberies, I booked a shuttle in advance. Unfortunately, the driver wasn't there and didn't show up after 2 hours either. Expensive contact with the agency, trying to reach the driver. But they also can't reach him, so they ask me to just take another taxi from there... Great start. But what can I do. When the seemingly 50th taxi driver approaches me and insists on his service, I agree. And it turns out: He is even much cheaper than the shuttle. And nice and relaxed and everything is good. After he took me to the hostel "Suspiros del Inka" (Sighs of the Inca), I am welcomed by the extremely mumbling host, I can hardly understand him, but he takes me to my room, which is already prepared, even though it's only 8 in the morning.

After I quickly changed, I go downstairs and he shows me the things I need to know. Bathroom, locker, wifi. There are a few girls and a guy sitting at the breakfast table. I greet them.
Then I sit in the lounge for a moment to check emails. An email arrives and says: We're going to Centro Histórico now. Are you coming? I: Sure.

So quickly pack my stuff and head towards the bus stop with Jana, the red-haired Spanish woman who asked me, and Sian, the New Zealander, and then to the historic center.

There we visit Plaza de Armas, the main square of Lima, and then walk along the pedestrian zone. At the third Claro store, we finally get prepaid SIM cards. Mobile. Yeah.

Continuing towards the San Francisco Church. We visit it first and then take a guided tour of the catacombs, where around 25,000 people are buried, you can see skulls and bones neatly lined up everywhere in the catacombs. Poor people are still being buried there today. It is said that when they are buried under the church, they are closer to God.

Afterwards, we grab a bite to eat. I have Ceviche - raw fish. Traditional Peruvian dish, and also Pisco Sour, claro!

Back at Plaza de Armas, we book our Mirabus ticket, a kind of city tour, and start the journey after a quick Americano Cortado. The entire tour is in Spanish and so distorted that you can't understand it. So put the buttons in your ears and listen to the city soundtrack. A stop at Plaza del Amor in Miraflores. A statue consisting of a couple in love, naked, falling over each other between colorful mosaic walls. Beautiful.

We continue to Barranco and Chorrillos, where we watch a man waving and then diving into the pounding waves from a cliff. He does it every day and it's a tradition. Centuries ago, there was a couple in love, but her parents didn't want him as a son-in-law and took the daughter away in a boat. When he saw this, he waved and jumped into the water and drowned. When she saw this, she also jumped into the water and drowned. So they are now united in the afterlife... how romantic... well, another Romeo and Juliet.

But the jumper didn't drown, he came to us afterwards and asked for a donation.

We continue the journey.

We walk to a supermarket, where I finally find empanadas again, then back to the hostel. It's 5:15 p.m.

I do some work and take a quick shower - cold, then I'm off again. We drive back to the center to Circuito Mágico del Agua. It's beautiful. Many, many water fountains in the park, illuminated, accompanied by soft music.

We walk around the park a bit and then take the bus back to Barranco to find a nice bar.

We walk through the streets and finally find a shop that plays a lot of salsa and reggaeton, even though we're there early. We have a Cuba Libre and I dance a round of salsa with Jana, because she's good at it and she shows me a few moves. Then we buy a beer on the corner and go to the hostel, chat for another hour, and then off to bed. That's where I am now. Great first day!

05.01.

2. Day

I'm woken up at a quarter past 8. "Desayuno" - breakfast. Yes, I'm coming. Normally, everyone can decide for themselves when and if they want to have breakfast, but today there is a special situation. From 9 a.m. until evening, there will be no electricity in the entire Barranco district, as work is being done on the power lines. So I quickly freshen up and go down for breakfast. Sian is already there and a few other guests. Sian and Jana plan to visit a few museums today, but I'm not in the mood for that. I decide to spend the day alone and walk along the Malecón to Miraflores. The Malecón is the path right along the cliffs, which leads through beautiful parks here and there. It's beautiful.

The sun is really strong... After about 45 minutes, I reach Lacromar, a kind of shopping center, but with only shops that I feel like I'm not even allowed to enter. I treat myself to a coffee and an empanada (!!!) anyway, before I continue towards Kennedy Park. I stroll around and enjoy not having a plan. The police officers on the way, who patrol the area, greet everyone, they can do that more often in our country. Since I'm here anyway, it's not far to get to the ruins of Huaca Pucllana, so I continue. A one-hour guided tour of the former Inca site, mostly destroyed, in the middle of the city gives an exciting insight into the culture of that time... I think... because I didn't understand much of what the lady was saying. Her English sounded like Spanish.

Then I walk back home for another hour and make a few stops at the artisan markets with Peruvian articles. Hundreds of shops. And each one sells exactly the same thing.

Short break at home. I spontaneously decide to extend my stay by one night. That works.

What I still need to learn:

Here, you don't throw your paper in the toilet, but in the trash can, like in many other countries. But damn it, I always remember too late!! And despite the subsequent mess that I have to clean up every time, it doesn't register in my head. The moment when you drop the paper, become painfully aware of it, and frantically reach into the bowl to prevent worse... and the shared toilets in the hostels are usually not super clean either...

06.01.
3. Day

Relaxed wake-up, have breakfast (always 3 rolls and a spoonful of strawberry jam), and first chat with Lisa on Skype. My laptop's charging cable is broken. Such a pain. So I take the bus to the city, on the way I can't avoid buying sunscreen, as I already got a sunburn yesterday. Riding the bus in Lima is similar to riding in China. It's pushed and squeezed to the maximum, and you won't believe how many people can still fit on a bus that is already bursting at the seams before 5 stops. But since I'm an above-average tall person in Peru, I'm not bothered by it. At home, I always have my nose in between people's ribs and armpits. Yeah, I almost enjoy being squeezed here.

In Miraflores, I visit the IShop, where I find the cable I need... it costs: Attention: the equivalent of 150 EUR. One cable. Because of electricity and all that. I decide to try repairing the cable first. I still have band-aids at home.

Back in Barranco, there is a big tent on the main square where local street food is offered. A food festival. I try something that I don't know. It's something with meat, rice, banana, and fried egg. Tastes pretty good though, with Chicha Morrada, a drink made from the juice of red corn with cinnamon and cloves. Then I stroll around in my "hood". I'm glad I chose Barranco and not Miraflores, Barranco is an artistic neighborhood, lots of art and music, very relaxed, Miraflores is even safer, but just a bit too fancy for me. No thanks.

At least once, I have to go to the beach, Barranco is the only district with natural access to the beach, all other neighborhoods are cut off by the high cliffs. I'm often approached while walking, mostly just: Hey, Blanca! (White)... well, better than in Mallorca, where they always try with "Barbara, Stefanie or Christiane" right away.

The beach is absolutely crowded. It's Saturday and all the people from Lima are there. Admittedly, it's not a particularly beautiful beach. Black sand, here and there rocky, but who's complaining. It does take a while to make your way to the water through the obstacles of beach chairs, umbrellas, and sandcastles.

Just dip my feet in the water for a moment and then I have to head back. I had inquired about a food tour in Barranco, they told me it was already fully booked. But now apparently another person has signed up, and the tour will be conducted with 2 people, so I meet Pepe, the tour guide, and Margerie from Brazil at 4:30 p.m. at Plaza de Mayor. They are both super nice and funny. We start at the old family restaurant Juanito to eat Causa, a kind of lemony mashed potatoes with tuna on top and octopus, served with a sweet sauce. Delicious. And no, the octopus didn't get stuck to my tongue, although I always thought so. The next stop was a street stall for Inkacola.

I had already tried Inkacola before... but it has absolutely nothing to do with cola. It tastes like gummy bears or chewing gum. On the way from one restaurant to the next, Pepe shows us a lot of Barranco, it's incredible how much he knows about the history of Barranco and the food and the art... well, actually it seems like he knows everything. We walk past many painted walls, there was a contest here years ago. One picture more impressive than the other.

In the Juanes restaurant, we have Anticuchos, grilled beef hearts with a view of the sea. It's amazing what you eat while you're away...

On the way, we see the beautiful sunset over the Pacific and walk across the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge once connected the church with the home of the priest but was destroyed twice, once in an earthquake about 150 years ago and then again during the war. It is said that when you walk across this bridge and hold your breath all the way, you can send your wishes to the universe. When you reach the other end, you exhale with a loud sigh. Hence the name "Bridge of Sighs".

At "Tio Mario," we have Lomo Saltado, strips of beef with onions and tomatoes in a sauce based on Pisco. My highlight is the street stand of Obdulia, the Emolientería.

She makes incredibly healthy drinks that drive you crazy. We got a power drink that contains almost everything that's healthy in some way. I can't remember everything anymore, but it's something slimy, then aloe vera, moringa, three different chia seeds, and about 120 other stuff. It's drunk warm. I'm so excited that I want to have something for the next day too. She says the stand won't be open, but she'll bring me something to the hostel. Cool.

At the next street stand, we have dessert. Also something Morrada-like, slimy, also made from red corn, but also tasty. The last official stop is Juanito again, where we drink Pisco, the traditional Peruvian drink, in a different variation. It's already 9:30 p.m., the tour was supposed to end at 8 p.m., but we just had too much fun talking.

Since Margerie still wants to walk to Miraflores, she says goodbye. Pepe and I decide to go to the brewery next door and chat some more. We try various beers from the local brewery... to be honest, I didn't find them particularly tasty... somehow they were all sweet, whether it was lager or wheat or stout. But since we're in Peru and especially in Barranco, which is known for its nightlife, we decide to go salsa dancing. Couples are dancing everywhere, but it's mostly reggaeton rather than salsa. We dance until two o'clock, Pepe takes me back to the hostel, and now I'm also exhausted. But it was a very nice last day in Lima.

07.01.

4. Day

Packing is on the agenda. A girl brings me the promised bottles of Emoliente to the hostel. I say: Greetings to Obdulia

She says: But I am Obdulia.

I say: Oh, I thought that was the woman at the stand yesterday

She says: Yes, that was me.

I say: Oh my God, you look so different today with your clothes and your horse. (Horse: caballo, Hair: cabello)

...I guess we won't be friends anymore... she quickly left...

Anyway, the drink was delicious again and I'm bursting with energy. However, the consistency is really something to get used to, a bit like snot with small pieces.

Pack my things, top up my phone credit, and Carmen orders an Uber taxi for me, which takes me to the Cruz del Sur bus station.

If you want to take the bus in Peru, you have to check in your luggage properly, just like at the airport. Upstairs in the cafeteria, I find none other than Jana, the Spanish woman from the hostel who is now on a group trip through Peru and then will travel for a few more weeks all the way to Rio. We chat a bit more. As I observe this group (most of them are my age), I'm sooo happy to be travelling alone. Not cool at all. You hang out with the same people for weeks, whether you like it or not, there's no freedom at all, it feels like being treated like a child, and... nooo... the group leader explains the tickets very slowly and gently: You can read here: 'hora', that means 'hour' and is the time the bus departs... It's all good to know, but... nooo... tiriliiii, I'm free!!!

Before boarding the bus, all the luggage is thoroughly inspected again. Safety first. I sit in the front row upstairs on the bus. It's driving very slowly and I have a great view of the desert. Me gusta. Even a complete menu is included in the cheap price. However, it's really hot on the bus and I'm constantly sliding back and forth on the faux leather seat.

We've been standing here at a gas station for half an hour. Then the bus attendant comes and tells us through Google Translator that the bus is broken and we have to wait another half an hour for a replacement bus. Alright then. We'll just stand here in the desert for a while. Nice. After over another hour, the replacement bus arrives and we switch. There are huge cracks in the windshield right in front of me, apparently someone tried to patch them up with some kind of glue... That immediately makes you feel safe, as if nothing ever happens on the narrow, unpaved roads in Peru...?!

Continuing along the Panamericana towards Paracas.

... continue reading in Part 2: PARACAS