Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Tennis courts, golf course, shopping malls, casinos, and a country club. Miraflores and the adjacent neighborhoods are quite different from the typical Peruvian clichés. But the real highlight of the neighborhood was the coastal promenade, the Malecon, which sits more than 50 meters high. Although the city often disappeared into a misty haze, limiting visibility to a few hundred meters in the distance and five to six floors high, the promenade in Miraflores was still particularly impressive.

The Pacific Ocean crashed against the shore, enticing numerous surfers and water sports enthusiasts to the rocky beach. I spent the weekend strolling around and managed to make up for the sleep deficit typical of hostels with afternoon naps. By this point, my sleep schedule had adapted in such a way that I would wake up between 7 and 8 am every day. As a result, I enjoyed the limited agenda of things to experience in Lima, such as walking along the coast.

All the people I met in this part of town, outside of my hostel bubble, came from a similar background where speaking English and traveling to Europe were natural. In addition to the usual travelers from Germany, the Netherlands, and Israel, I met Italian women at the hostel. Furthermore, there was a young man from Ukraine sharing my room. I was taken aback and began to stutter... apart from expressing my solidarity, a real conversation didn't materialize. The traveler worked remotely, and naturally, he answered affirmatively when I asked if he thought about returning home. After all, he didn't have any military training and wasn't worried about being drafted. Finally, he shared some absurd anecdotes, such as the fact that the Russian army actually believed they would achieve victory in a few days and brought parade uniforms for the victory celebration in Kiev instead of supplies.

At Sunday evening's beer gathering, the hostel staff encouraged us roommates to play card games, which was a better alternative to the impossible 'beer pong'. Jenga was eventually brought out as well, as it was a staple in all hostels. As always, a diverse group gathered and chatted tipsily. Everything remained vague since I would be traveling again the next day anyway. Among the players was a young man who revealed himself to be Russian as the game progressed. This situation was almost more uncomfortable than with my Ukrainian roommate. Aside from his remark about being looked at distrustfully as a Russian and unsure when he would return, we didn't delve further into the topic.

Once again, Lima surprised and provoked me to think.