Amazing Peru 2011: Miraflores and Lima

Feb 08, 2012 17:08

Our hotel is probably located in the most happening area in Lima. Allpa Hotel and Suites is modern, clean and most importantly close to all the excellent restaurants. Our tour guide in Lima is extremely proud of the fact that Limeños are food connoisseurs. Ah..that sounded like music to our ears and we couldn't wait for our our culinary adventure to unfold.

As mentioned it was close to midnight when we arrived in Lima and Miraflores was still bustling with people and noise. If there's anything that I have to complain about the hotel, it was the terribly high noise level even in the wee hours of the morning. That only informs us of the culture of the people who seem to socialize, dine and sleep late.

The tour started in the late morning, which we thought was really considerate since we got in late. First item on the agenda was to get our yellow fever vaccination shot because we were going to the jungle. Tip: It is much much cheaper to get the jab in Peru compared to the Bay Area and you could get it at the travel clinic at the airport in Lima.

At the appointed time Tino, our guide for the city tour met us promptly at the hotel. He surprised us when he greeted us in Mandarin! Later we found out that he is fluent in several languages and has a great interest in Chinese culture and would draw parallel between Peruvian and Chinese. Fascinating. We were equally impressed with the delivery and depth of his knowledge.

Lunch was at Costa Verde Restaurant, where they serve great buffet by the water front. The spread was extensive and we happily sampled the interesting looking food after a short description of them by the guide.

With a full and happy tummy, it was time to explore the Historic Centre of Lima, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It feels incredible to be in a place that has been in existence for more than 500 years! We spent a considerable amount of time at Monastery of San Francisco where we get to see the world-renowned convent's library and the Catacombs located below the monastery that contain an ossuary and some secret passageways.

The last place of attraction for the day was Museo Rafael Larco Herrera and it has the largest collections of ceramics and pre-Columbian art. In addition to the massive collections, the is surrounded by gorgeous gardens and the cafe is apparently very popular among the locals. You will understand why when you see the pictures. This rounded up our city tour nicely. Stay tuned for our gastronomy adventure at one of the best restaurants in the city :)






With our multilingual private guide, Tino at Costa Verde Restaurant.



Costa Verde's strategic location.



The Archbishop Palace at the Historic centre of Lima.



Balconies of Lima



Government Palace



Basilica and Convent of San Francisco (no photography allowed inside the building)



Colourful and massive slides with shanty town in the background.



Museo Rafael Larco Herrera



Pretty.



Pure and huge gold accessories!



Leading to the cafe.



Isn't this inviting? Too bad we didn't have time enjoy the cafe.

peru, travel, adventure, inspiration

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