Lima

Lima is the capital of Peru. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, the modern city is a curious mix of the modern mega city with some 'islands of modernity', large but orderly slum areas and colonial architecture in the city center. Lima was, with Mexico City, the seat of the Spanish rule during 300 years, and as such it has wonderful churches, cloisters and monasteries that are worth a visit.

Lima is also the best place to try the wonderful Peruvian cuisine, which has a huge variety of ingredients from coast, mountain and Amazon regions. The cold sea current in front of Peru's large coast makes the sea very rich in fish and seafood, which have a great taste due to the special plankton they eat. Fish and seafood restaurants are therefore the best, and not expensive.

Lima has also a great subtropical climate, it is never too warm or too cold. People in Lima do not know what a raincoat or umbrella is, since rains are rare. In fact, Lima is built upon a valley surrounded by an extremely arid desert.

Understand

Metropolitan Lima is an extended city of almost 8 million people. Most of the people have migrated from the Andes mountains to find work in Lima, without success. For that reason there is widespread poverty in the city center and in the peripheral areas. If you fly into Lima, the first thing you see is this type of poor neighbourhoods between the airport and Lima's historic centre.

Lima's pre-hispanic and colonial architecture are interesting and the city has several museums that tell the story of a country with a long history that produced a large number of coastal and Andean civilizations (such as the Moche, Chavin, and the Incas) and many local cultures. There are several archeological sites both within and around the city (locally known as "huaca"). The largest archeological complex is located in Pachacamac, about 10 km south of Lima.

Get In

Be wary of the taxi drivers at the airport, they will charge hugely inflated fees. If you need transportation at the airport hire it inside the reception area, and do not use the "informal" taxis outside of it. The Best Western in the Miraflores section offers free airport pickup.

Get Around

In the city center you can easily walk around from one place to another. This also allows you to see both the hectic and tranquil parts of the city away from the main tourist attractions.

If going further, a taxi ride between adjacent neighbourhoods costs about $2, whereas a longer ride may cost from $3 to $5. A reasonable price for a taxi service between the airport and Miraflores is about $7 to $8. Be sure to negotiate the fare prior to getting into the taxi; be also very discerning about which taxi you choose.

See

The beautiful Plaza de Armas: A place not only for tourists

• Plaza de Armas, is the main square of downtown Lima.
• Museo de la Nacion, along Av. Javier Prado
• Museo Larco Herrera, archaeology, in the Pueblo Libre borough. Popular thanks to its ample collection of erotic pottery from the Mochica culture.
• National Museum of Archaeology and History, also in the Pueblo Libre borough, quite good and very didactic; the area surrounding it is worth a walk.
• Museo de Oro del Perú, Alonso de Molina 1100, Monterrico. Open mon-sun 11:30-19:00. Peru's gold museum contains a huge collection of beautiful, if at times gaudy, gold works. The entire museum is in a huge basement vault and covers works from the earliest cultures and forward. Not the best place to learn about Peruvian precolumbian cultures.
• Museo de Arte, permanent and temporary exhibits of Peruvian art, covering pre-hispanic, colonial, republican and modern art
• La Iglesia de San Francisco, Fans of colonial churches will be pleased with the architecture of this well-known church in downtown Lima. However, the more compelling reasons to visit this cathedral include underground catacombs featuring hundreds of real human skeletons arranged in artistic patterns, and also a beautiful library with mysterious, oversized books and spiral staircases in Harry Potteresque form.
• Instituto Riva Agüero, in Jirón Camaná, holds two museums: an interesting collection of popular arts, including masks and costumes from current festivities in the Andean region; and a small but nice collection of archaeological artifacts from Lima sites. The Instituto is housed on a very old colonial townhouse, one of the few of its kind open to the public.
• Larcomar . It's like a mall,where you con eat, shop, go to the cinema, it has two nice discotecs for the night. The discotecs are open thrusdays, fridays and saturdays, and in summer (january and february) also thuesdays and wednesday. Larcomar's principal atracction is its location. It is located in Miraflores, in a high hill where you can see the beach while eating or just walking.

Cruise

Sea Lions on Islas Palomino

• To Islas Palomino (Palomino Islands) are located at short distance from the port of Lima, Callao. These small islands are inhabited by small colonies of sea lions, Peruvian boobies and Guanay cormorants. This is a reasonable alternative excursion to famous Ballestas Islands in Paracas if you are spending some days in Lima and can not travel south to Pisco and Paracas.

Do

• If you are used to boring clinical supermarkets, drop by one of the markets to experience something very different. Take care with raw or uncooked food.
• Try Lima's beaches, a paradise for surfers. However, not recommended for swimming or sun bathing, because of thieves and poor water quality. Actual Lima beaches tend to be very cramped on weekends, but the southern beaches, farther away, are better, and safer in all senses. There are some very upscale beaches down south, specially in the area known as Asia, but are mostly orientated towards residents than day trippers.

Buy

Drink

• For a bit of fun in Miraflores, try the small street between Parque Kennedy and Bellavista, locally known as the "calle de las pizzas" (pizzas street). It is one big tourist trap, but on the other hand you are guaranteed to meet other travelers in high spirit. Close by is the LarcoMar amusement area, with spectacular views of the beaches, about 40 m. below it, and the Pacific Ocean.
• The Haiti cafe in Miraflores is the meeting place for intellectuals.
• Barranco is a neighborhood south of Miraflores with many clubs and cafes, popular among college students in Lima. It's most probably the party heart of town, where you can find most Peñas, music clubs that offer folkloric music shows, in particular Afro Peruvian and Criollo gigs.
• For live music, Barranco is also top. Some of the best clubs for rock music include El Dragón, Mochileros, and La Noche, the three of them within a few blocks. For jazz music, instead, Miraflores holds a couple of good options: Jazz Zone and Satchmo.
• The Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru, made with a type of fermented grape juice called Pisco. It is highly recommended that all adult visitors to Peru try this drink at least once before exiting the country. Visitors might be amused to learn that a controversy exists between Peru and its neighbor Chile over whose country really created the Pisco Sour.
• People say if you dont drink Inca Kola at least once, you havent been to Peru, the most popular drink in Peru, the only soda that Coca Cola couldnt defeat in the world, its a yellow-fruit falvoured drink, Peruvians are really proud of that brand, so if your tourist guide invites you an Inca Kola, accept it, they will be more than happy with your geasture.

Eat

Gastronomy has always been, since the days of the Spanish viceroyalty, an essential aspect of life in Lima. During the last few years, however, the city's dining scene has experimented a huge leap. The offer in Lima is nowadays most varied and covers a wide range of types and cuisines, both regional and international.

Notwithstanding the wide range of choice, ceviche is surely number one on the list of dishes to taste. There is at least one cevichería in every neighbourhood, so it won't be hard to find one. Moreover, most criollo restaurants include ceviche on their menus; indeed, many restaurants do, even the more upscale nouveau-cuisine.

A second must goes to Asian cuisine, both Chinese and Japanese, which, predictably, has a strong Peruvian influence. Chifas -that is, Chinese restaurants-, which can be counted by the hundreds if not thousands, are usually down-to-earth neighbourhood eateries, offering a fare rich in seafood and chicken. Japanese restaurants, on the contrary, are less widespread, and more upscale and expensive. Their forte is, of course, a year-round supply of the freshest and most variegated seafood.

Be careful: Peruvian food is spicy and heavy. Try it with method and ask if any dish is "picante" (spicy), and if you are not fond of that, avoid it since it may be really picante. A full meal may be really heavy and cause problems even if it's perfectly nice and well prepared with fresh ingredients.

Israeli and Arab tourists longing for a delicious falafel or shwarma sandwich will be pleased to learn there is an excellent cafe along Parque Kennedy that serves these type of middle eastern foods at reasonable prices.

Sleep

• Hostel Espana, budget dorm beds for 12 soles, close to Plaza de Armas in central Lima.
• Hotel Continental, Puno 196, Lima. OK mid price place in central Lima.
• Bellavista de Miraflores, Jr. Bellavista 215, Miraflores, Lima, Phone: (51-1) 445-7834, Email: hostalbellavista@hotmail.com. Nice mid price place in central Miraflores.
• Miraflores Suites, Av. 28 de Julio 425, Miraflores. Charming two self catering apartment for tourists. Minimum 1 week of rental. Two bedrooms for 4 people: http://charmingapt.allday.at/. Also one bedroom for 2 people: http://mirafloresapt.allday.at/

Stay safe

While there is not much violent crime against tourists, theft is rampant. Watch out for pickpockets constantly. Don't use gold jewelry. If you carry a purse, a camera, a backpack or just a pair of sunglasses hang on to them at all times, even when eating indoors at a nice cafe, otherwise they will disappear.

If you witness a crime being committed, DO NOT intervene unless you are really sure of what you are doing: many criminals, even pickpockets, carry guns and may use them if feeling threatened.

Avoid the surroundings of Soccer / Football stadiums before and after big matches, since "barras bravas" (hooligans) can be very violent. Ask for advice if you plan to go there or thereabouts.

Some areas of Lima are safer than others: Miraflores and San Isidro have large populations of well-to-do and wealthy Peruvians, not to mention large tourist groups, so they have large police presence to protect the population. Other districts, such as La Victoria, are much much more dangerous. Visitors would be well advised to stay out of these areas unless accompanied by an experienced native or visiting busy areas during daylight hours. Downtown Lima is normally well patrolled but be careful anyway. Callao (the port, technically a different city) is rather rough: ask for advice before going there if you plan to.

Staying safe for adults can also require an understanding of the sexual climate of Peru. In general Peru is a highly conservative country.

1) An important Peruvian concept to be aware of is the "pepera". This term signifies a woman, usually attractive and aged 16-25, that will meet foreign tourists and encourage him to go to a bar or club. Once there, she will spike his drink with a sleeping pill and rob him. Usually peperas work in groups of two, although smaller and larger groups are known. Unfortunately, a similar concept exists where male peperas spike the drinks of women, and the robbery is often accompanied by a rape. Peperas in general are found in areas of dense tourist presence, such as Park Kennedy in Miraflores or the Plaza de Armas in the central area of Lima.

2) Another Peruvian concept is the "brichera" (or bricheros; it is not only women). There are two types of bricheras: women that are genuinely looking to meet foreign men in the hopes of dating or marriage or even a quick fling, and the second type, women that search for foreign men hoping to exchange sex for small gifts or a trip to the supermarket. This second type of brichera is risky, because it is a type of prostitution and these bricheras do not reliably use contraception and therefore are at higher risk for transmitting STDs.

Get out