My Favourite Place In Lima Peru Is A Surprise
After seeing Machu Picchu and having a great time in Cusco, it was time to check out Lima, the capital city of Peru. I arrived in Lima at night so I didn’t want to wander around too much but I knew the Miraflores area where I was staying was pretty safe even after dark. So I used this time to walk down to the coast and find Parque del Amor which is a park dedicated to love and the video below will show you why.
I went to the coast in the morning to see it in daylight and then walked over to the next district called Barranco which was less upscale than Miraflores and sort of more bohemian with graffiti art. Here I walked over the Bridge of Sighs where legend has it that if you can cross the bridge holding your breath, good fortune will come.
After Barranco, I braved the local public transit bus because the traffic congestion in Lima is terrible and they have an express lane only their metro on a line that gets me near the historic city center called Plaza des Armas.
The Plaza des Armas square was predictably very touristy but quite nice. I knew that the immediate surrounding area would be filled with tourist trap shops and restaurants so after getting my photos and video of the square, I wandered a bit off to find a more local place to have lunch and I was successful as I found a small eatery with no other tourists around. The soup they served me had chicken liver and a foot in it but it tasted pretty good. I also got this mystery drink that I also had in Cusco which tasted like some juice and learned that this is a beverage known as chicha made from purple corn.
The Stray Cats Of Parque Kennedy
After seeing the historical city center I made my way back to Miraflores to check out Parque Kennedy which was very close to my Airbnb. Parque Kennedy is a public park where there have been generations of stray cats living there. Interesting thing about this park is that local volunteers have been taking good care of these cats with food, water and boxes for shelter. As a result, the cats are healthy and get vet care when needed.
Another result is that many of these stray cats are quite friendly and will come seek attention from humans. I even saw some cats sleeping on laps of locals sitting on park benches. Parque Kennedy has become like a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of a busy, chaotic city. I was worried that some cats might wander off into the busy traffic but apparently they do not and stay within the park itself.
After dinner, I decided to return back to Parque Kennedy because I like it so much and wanted to see how the cats were during night time. This is when I saw many of the cats eating dinner that a few local volunteers brought. As a former long time pet owner, I wished that more places would have similar programs to take care of stray cats and dogs. To my surprise, Parque Kennedy became my favourite place in Lima.
Lima was my last stop in Peru and for me although Machu Pichhu was great, it wasn’t the number one highlight in this country. Instead, it was the Peruvian cuisine that made Peru memorable for me. It was easier to get the real local Peruvian experience in Cusco rather than in Lima which is not surprising since Cusco is much smaller and more remote.
Lima is a giant city full of traffic and noise plus was very crowded. The main area of Miraflores where most tourists stayed was a bit bland in my opinion. Although it was super safe even at night, there wasn’t much of a cultural experience as it was more like a typical city suburban area with a lot of Spanish speaking people. To get to the more local areas in Lima for more cultural experiences, one must venture into less touristy and sometimes sketchy areas.
So for me, the real Peru was more in Cusco but Parque Kennedy made spending some time in Lima worthwhile. It’s weird but I would have thought that Machu Picchu would be my overall number one highlight in Peru. Don’t get me wrong as it was a magical experience for sure but I would have to say that my top experience in Peru was all of my local cuisine samplings I had particularly in Cusco. For me, Peru was all about eating.
My next and final country would be Panama.
