Lima

Hola Gente Maravillosa!

Lima was the last stop on my month long whistle stop tour of South America. I hadn't heard great things about the city, mainly that it was pretty unsafe and there wasn't a fat lot to do there. It’s safe to say that Lima isn't the nicest looking city in the world, and has an extremely run down feeling to it. We stayed in Mira Flores, one of the safest and nicest areas of the city as we didn't want to risk staying in any dodgy areas. One of our friends got mugged at gunpoint in Lima, so we were pretty wary about where to stay and where to go. However, our stay in Lima was completely trouble free and we found enough things to do to keep us entertained for a few days.

We stayed in an amazing hostel right in the centre of Miraflores called Pariwana (check it out here). It was a huge hostel, with a roof terrace and rooftop bar that also sold food also. I really loved this hostel, it had such a great atmosphere and there was always something going on every night, ranging from drinking games to football or table tennis tournaments. The hostel also had a free basic brekkie, or you could buy a fancier one from the rooftop bar. The food at the hostel was great value, really tasty and the portions were massive! There was also a tourist desk in the main reception of the hostel where you could rent bikes or book trips in the rest of Peru. If you’re staying in Lima, I couldn't recommend this hostel highly enough, I loved it!

On our first day we went for a wander around Mira Flores and down to the cliffs that overlook the beach. We also went to an Inca market that was a few minutes walk from our hostel. The market was super touristy, but sold some pretty cool things. I treated myself to a leather bound bottle of Pisco and my friend went mental and bought pretty much everything there. I think her total shopping haul came to: a flute, a bottle of pisco, some wooden instruments, a few pairs of Alpaca socks, shot glasses, two bags, a purse, some photographs, bracelets, a wine glass holder, a belt, a wallet, a creepy doll and a bottle of wine. I am not even kidding and I've probably missed a few items off the list too. It’s fair to say, she’s probably kept them in business for the next few years.

On our second day we went to Huaca Pucllana which was an ancient temple, only discovered around 30 years ago that actually pre-dates the Inca empire. The structure is a huge clay pyramid that served as a ceremonial for the Lima Culture between 200AD and 700AD.  We had a guided tour around the ruins which was really informative and lasted around 45 minutes. 

After our tour of the temple we went on a guided bus tour of the city, that started just around the corner from our hostel. We got to see lots of the sights and buildings of central Lima and also had a tour of the main church. It wasn't the most thrilling tour I've ever been on, but it was nice to see different parts of the city.

I really want to go back to Peru to do the Inca trail. If I ever do go back, I don’t think I’ll bother staying in Lima for too long. I feel like I've seen most of the city now and done what there is to do. I enjoyed my time there, but fell there’s no real reason for me to go back.