LAST DAY IN PERU, Lima, Peru
We took a morning flight back to Lima, stored our big backpacks at the airport and took a taxi to Museo de la Nacion. We came here specifically to see the Yuyanapaq exhibition on the 6th floor. Yuyanapaq means “to remember” in Quechua. It was an exhibition of black and white photographs documenting the Peruvian internal conflict from 1980 to 2000, in which thousands were killed in attacks by Shining Path rebels, government military, and other guerrilla groups. It was a touching experience to learn the recent history of Peru. It was hard to believe that the terror of bombings could happen pretty much anywhere in this country only a decade ago.
After some heavy realization of Peru’s recent past, we decided it was time for a good seafood lunch for this very last day of our trip. We followed the guidebook’s recommendation and headed to El Veridico de Fidel, which according to the guidebook, was a place of pilgrimage in terms of Peruvian seafood. Though the book forewarned that the restaurant’s neighborhood could be a little chaotic and rough. As a result we decided to take a taxi. El Veridico de Fidel was truly a seafood heaven. It was fully packed. We spent a long time looking at the menu. At last, we ordered a full table of seafood and a jar of chicha, a type of fermented corn beverage. The seafood dishes included leche de tigre (ceviche broth with shrimp, scallop, raw fish, octopus, and sea urchin), bi-colour tiradito (Japanese style ceviche without onions), ceviche platter (scallop, raw fish, whelks, octopus, and sea urchin), deep-fried seafood platter, baked scallops with cheese on top, and a red snapper sudado. The fish was fresh, and the soup very tasty.
After the heavenly meal, we taxied to the Plaza de Armas. We causally strolled around the plaza to appreciate the surrounding architecture. We headed to the main post office to send out some postcards. There was only a tiny door from the arcade into the post office. We tried to buy some collection stamps but the staff refused to sell as they were closing. After the post office, we walked around the area, stopped by a bakery for drinks, and then headed to Plaza San Martin. At Plaza San Martin, we tried to visit El Bolivarcito for its legendary pisco sour but because of the regional election the next day, they were not allowed to sell alcohol.
We ended up stopping at a nearby KFC, before taking a taxi back to Lima’s airport. One of our friends and us left Lima for New York and then Toronto that very night, while our other friend stayed at a hostel near the airport for another night before his flight back to Chicago the next morning. That was it. Uncounted fond memories of Peru: Andes Mountains, Inca history, colourful cultures, fantastic seafood, friendly people, funny llamas, mighty condors and sacred Titicaca. After these magnificent Peruvian experiences, our interest on South America grew as time went on, until the day came when we were determined to explore this magical continent once again in 2013, from the Brazilian Pantanal to Bolivian Altiplano, and from the bustling Rio and Buenos Aires to windswept Patagonia.
The Museo de la Nacion in Lima.
The interior atrium at Museo de la Nacion, Lima.
Back window of taxi, on our way to El Veridico de Fidel.
Leche de tigre (ceviche broth) with shrimp, scallop, raw fish, octopus, and sea urchin.
(Left) ceviche platter, which included a scallop, raw fish, whelks, octopus, and sea urchin. (Right) baked scallops with cheese on top.
(Left) deep-fried seafood platter. (Right) red snapper sudado.
After we finished, one of the staff came to pose for me to take a photo. His bowl of fish and crab soup seemed very tempting to us as well.
The Plaza de Armas with buildings, cathedral, Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, etc.
Plaza de Armas, with buildings, cathedral, Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, etc.
President palace.
Interesting balcony at President’s Palace.
Arcade at the main post office.
Tourist horse carriage at Plaza de Armas, Lima.
A ornamental church along our way to Plaza San Martin.
Late afternoon at Plaza San Martin, Lima.
KFC at Plaza San Martin where we spent the last hour in Lima, Peru.
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Read other posts on Peru Trip 2010
LIMA
1. Peru Trip 2010
2. Bumpy Arrival, Lima & Arequipa, Peru
AREQUIPA & COLCA CANYON
3. Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
4. Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
5. Volcanoes and Vicuna, Pampa Canahuas Natural Reserve, Patahuasi, and Patapampa, Peru
6. Yanque, Colca Canyon, Peru
7. Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru
8. Farming Terraces, Colca Canyon, Peru
PUNO & TITICACA
9. Road to Titicaca, Colca Canyon to Puno, Peru
10. Afternoon on Taquile Island, Titicaca, Peru
11. Morning on Taquile, Titicaca, Peru
12. Inka Express, Puno to Cusco, Peru
CUSCO & SACRED VALLEY
13. Pisac & Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
14. Salinas de Maras, & Moray, Sacred Valley, Peru
15. Lucuma Milkshake & Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru
16. Saksaywaman, Cusco, Peru
INCA TRAIL
17. KM 82 to Wayllabamba, Inca Trail, Peru
18. Wayllabamba to Pacamayo, Inca Trail, Peru
19. Pacasmayo to Winay Wayna, Inca Trail, Peru
20. Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, Peru
21. Machu Piccu, Inca Trail, Peru
22. Machu Picchu in Black and White, Inca Trail, Peru
23. Afterthought, Inca Trail, Peru
LAST DAY IN CUSCO & LIMA
24. Farewell to the Incas, Cusco, Peru
25. Last Day in Peru, Lima, Peru
BUMPY ARRIVAL, Lima & Arequipa, Peru
Our 17-day journey didn’t start off as smoothly as we wanted to. Our Toronto-New York-Lima flight was unfortunately hindered by awful delays. The flight to New York was an hour late, but then the worst didn’t come until we arrived at New York JFK. Time ticked way beyond the scheduled time but our LAN Peru plane was nowhere in sight. That night, no special weather alert was reported but the plane never came. LAN Peru ended up sending all passengers to an airport hotel to rest. In the next morning, we finally got on a plane for Lima, 11 hours beyond the scheduled time.
It was past dinner time when we arrived at Lima Airport. Our taxi sped through the streets of Lima for Miraflores District, where our friend from Chicago was waiting for us at Kokopelli Hostel. After we met up with our friend, we decided to grab some supper in the neighborhood. It was a quiet neighbourhood with dim street lights; but there was one street interaction where people clustered around a food cart with a bright lamp. It was one of the most renowned street food carts in Peru, Dona Grimanesa Vargas’s anticuchos skewers. We joined the locals with great expectation. The beef heart skewers didn’t disappoint us. They were tender and juicy, but it took us over two hours queuing on the street with empty stomach before we could even place our orders. The famous owner, Tia Grimanesa, represented the icon of Lima’s street food for almost four decades; and we recently found out that visitors can now enjoy her anticuchos at her new restaurant.
In the morning, we checked out Kokopell Hostel and headed to Lima Airport again for our morning flight to Arequipa. At the airport, we met up with our other travel buddy who just arrived from Toronto to join us for the trip. The four of us boarded a LAN Peru plane for the 1.5 hour flight. At 10:30 we landed at Arequipa. Our journey up to the Peruvian highlands officially began. Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, lies at about 2,300m above sea level. In the area around Plaza de Armas, there are a number of splendid colonial buildings, churches and plazas from the Spanish era. Just around the corner from Monasterio de Santa Catalina, the biggest attraction in town, we checked in at our bed and breakfast Torres de Ugarte, a delightful hotel with colourful walls and a relaxing atmosphere.
We wouldn’t know what seemed like a short delay at Toronto Pearson Airport would end up to be an 11-hour belated arrival at Lima.
Our 11-hour flight delay was followed by an 2-hour wait on the street at Miraflores, Lima for Dona Grimanesa Vargas’s anticuchos skewers.
The renowned beef heart skewers were very delicious. Though if we knew it would turn out to be a 2-hour wait, we would probably go somewhere else to fill our bellies.
Dona Grimanesa Vargas (right) has been selling anticuchos on the street for about four decades. Today, she has moved her business into a restaurant.
The atmosphere was causal and friendly at the Kokopelli Hostel in Miraflores, one of the most popular and safest neighborhoods in Lima according to guidebooks.
Miraflores is a relatively affluent district in Lima, Peru’s biggest city with a population of over 8.4 million.
From the plane, the surrounding landscape of Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, seemed dry and arid.
The Rodríguez Ballón International Airport of Arequipa is surrounded by mountains and arid landscape.
The main arrival building of Arequipa’s Rodríguez Ballón International Airport.
On our way from the airport to our bed and breakfast Torres de Ugarte in the heart of the historical city centre in Arequipa.
A small lovely courtyard in Torres de Ugarte surrounded by guest rooms.
* * *
Read other posts on Peru Trip 2010
LIMA
1. Peru Trip 2010
2. Bumpy Arrival, Lima & Arequipa, Peru
AREQUIPA & COLCA CANYON
3. Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
4. Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
5. Volcanoes and Vicuna, Pampa Canahuas Natural Reserve, Patahuasi, and Patapampa, Peru
6. Yanque, Colca Canyon, Peru
7. Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru
8. Farming Terraces, Colca Canyon, Peru
PUNO & TITICACA
9. Road to Titicaca, Colca Canyon to Puno, Peru
10. Afternoon on Taquile Island, Titicaca, Peru
11. Morning on Taquile, Titicaca, Peru
12. Inka Express, Puno to Cusco, Peru
CUSCO & SACRED VALLEY
13. Pisac & Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
14. Salinas de Maras, & Moray, Sacred Valley, Peru
15. Lucuma Milkshake & Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru
16. Saksaywaman, Cusco, Peru
INCA TRAIL
17. KM 82 to Wayllabamba, Inca Trail, Peru
18. Wayllabamba to Pacamayo, Inca Trail, Peru
19. Pacasmayo to Winay Wayna, Inca Trail, Peru
20. Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, Peru
21. Machu Piccu, Inca Trail, Peru
22. Machu Picchu in Black and White, Inca Trail, Peru
23. Afterthought, Inca Trail, Peru
LAST DAY IN CUSCO & LIMA
24. Farewell to the Incas, Cusco, Peru
25. Last Day in Peru, Lima, Peru
PERU TRIP 2010
In the next little while, we will engage in recollecting the delightful memories of our journey to Peru in 2010, and post our travel photos to document our first ever travel experience in South America.
In September 2010, with two of our best friends, we made a trip to Peru. Like many others, the iconic picture of Machu Picchu emerging from the mist of Andes represents our first impression of Peru. Through pre-trip research, we learnt that this South American nation actually has much more to offer than just a postcard image: the Andes mountains, Amazon rainforest, Lake Titicaca, Nazca Lines, ancient cultures, fabulous cuisine, etc.
With Peru’s friendly people and breathtaking scenery, our Peruvian experience was a great introduction to the fascinating continent of Latin America. For almost three weeks, we made a small loop in Southern Peru, starting from the national capital Lima, then southeast to the colonial gem Arequipa and the mighty Colca Canyon, further east to Lake Titicaca and the peaceful Taquile Island, then west to the Inca capital Cusco and the ruins and villages of the Sacred Valley, trekking the famous Inca Trail with the grand finale at Machu Picchu, and returning to Lima to complete the loop.
The Peru trip was not our most challenging journey, but it is certainly one of the most remarkable and delightful travel experience we have had, especially when we could share the wonderful moments with our two travel buddies.
High up on the Andes, the lost city of Machu Picchu in front of Huayna Picchu captivates everyone’s imagination.
Our route was a classic tourist loop at the southern part of Peru, taking in Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu.
* * *
Read other posts on Peru Trip 2010
LIMA
1. Peru Trip 2010
2. Bumpy Arrival, Lima & Arequipa, Peru
AREQUIPA & COLCA CANYON
3. Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
4. Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
5. Volcanoes and Vicuna, Pampa Canahuas Natural Reserve, Patahuasi, and Patapampa, Peru
6. Yanque, Colca Canyon, Peru
7. Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru
8. Farming Terraces, Colca Canyon, Peru
PUNO & TITICACA
9. Road to Titicaca, Colca Canyon to Puno, Peru
10. Afternoon on Taquile Island, Titicaca, Peru
11. Morning on Taquile, Titicaca, Peru
12. Inka Express, Puno to Cusco, Peru
CUSCO & SACRED VALLEY
13. Pisac & Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
14. Salinas de Maras, & Moray, Sacred Valley, Peru
15. Lucuma Milkshake & Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru
16. Saksaywaman, Cusco, Peru
INCA TRAIL
17. KM 82 to Wayllabamba, Inca Trail, Peru
18. Wayllabamba to Pacamayo, Inca Trail, Peru
19. Pacasmayo to Winay Wayna, Inca Trail, Peru
20. Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, Peru
21. Machu Piccu, Inca Trail, Peru
22. Machu Picchu in Black and White, Inca Trail, Peru
23. Afterthought, Inca Trail, Peru
LAST DAY IN CUSCO & LIMA
24. Farewell to the Incas, Cusco, Peru
25. Last Day in Peru, Lima, Peru
Blue Lapis Road 