Lima once again.

Feb 4-11 Paracas to Lima

We look forward to visiting friends in Lima and that helps us deal with the ridiculous drivers and volume of traffic as we get closer and closer to Lima. There are of course distractions along the way like trying to look back at the elaborate billboards. Roadside advertising is alive and well even though they are biased to traffic leaving the city and thus we have to look back to see some of the best ones. These are not digital billboards like we now have around Calgary, the most elaborate ones are 3D and multiple pieces to ad depth and dimension. But no time or place to be distracted by artwork. Traffic is moving quickly and a bit aggressively so we must keep our attention focused on that.

We know that we are staying at the same hostel in Miraflores as last time so it is easiest to just let the GPS do the navigating and just follow the directions given, even if it seems like a strange route. Regardless of where the GPS was taking us we did end up in the correct spot and very relieved to be off the bikes and out of chaotic traffic.

Miraflores, as expected, is an anthill of tourists and locals enjoying the dry heat of Lima. The beach is only a few blocks away so there is the occasional surf board being carried or strapped to the side of a bicycle. The sandwich shop on the ground floor of the hostel is as busy as ever and we figure it is the busiest sandwich shop in town as the line never subsides. The hostel looks across the street to JFK park which is also known as “cat park” because it has become a safe haven for stray cats. There is even a group that organizes adoption of the strays but unfortunately will not spay or neuter the cats so the population keeps growing.

Our hostel has a basic kitchen which is good as it provides a break from restaurant food and allows us to make coffee in the morning and keep the watermelon cool in the fridge.  Unfortunately there is 4 inch step up into the kitchen and Brenda being distracted by something tripped and twisted her ankle. The next few days are spent with and icepack and tensor bandage on her ankle trying to manage the swelling. This puts a slight damper on the sightseeing but allows us to catch up on other chores and even some route planning.

While Brenda is resting her foot my next order of business is to wash the bikes as the salt-spray along the coast is very corrosive and the chains already have some light rust showing. The hostel has a nice garden and we take advantage of the space and do our part to keep the grass green by washing the bikes on it. This became a very hot task as it is already in the high 20’s and no clouds. I soon regret not wearing a shirt or sunscreen as my pasty white skin is now bright red, but the bikes are clean.

Our friends from Edmonton, Perry and Ines, invite us out for lunch at a very popular restaurant in Miraflores. There are many restaurants in the area and Lima is known for its’ diverse and creative foods, many people plan their vacations by booking reservations at restaurants all over the city before they even arrive in Lima. At this lunch we also meet another Canadian family, Matteo, Suni and their daughter Sophia. We enjoy a nice afternoon of  fantastic food and company.

The next day we are invited to an afternoon pool party at Ines’s parents house. There is a nice gathering of family and friends and the afternoon is spent eating and playing in the pool. Koki, Ines’s brother, has a slack line (tightrope) set up so that adds entertainment value as the boys all take turns trying to make it from one end to the other. Good thing it is only 18 inches off the ground or we would have had some serious injuries, as you can imagine learning to walk on a tightrope takes a bit of time and few tumbles. Ines’s sister Himena and her husband Kos are here from Amsterdam, it is nice to see them again and to catch up on their travel stories. They also own some real estate and it is interesting to hear of the different rules they have to deal with as investors. Sophia, being only 18 months old, steals the show when she takes to the pool with Ines. She is quite the little fish and her big smile lights up the yard. Time slips away and before we realize it the sun has set and it is now dark. We usually do not ride after dark as things get even more hazardous in the dark, plus my signal lights don’t work. Thankfully there is not much traffic and we make it to the hotel without incident.

There is a young Australian man, Ryan, at the hostel who we have seen over the last couple of days but did not really talk to him. Once we had the opportunity we find out the he is waiting for his motorcycle to be repaired. It was running roughly and upon investigation it was found that the rings were shot and the carb was heavily fouled. I walked with him to the bike shop in hopes that they had an oil filter for our bikes. They can’t help me with the filters but Ryan’s bike is ready to roll, he is very happy that he can get moving again as the pit stop in Lima has been a few days longer than planned. He rides off and I walk back to the hotel. That evening we are surprised to see that Ryan’s bike is still at the hostal, he said he was leaving but the bike would not start. I offered to look at it with him to try and figure out the problem, after some probing with the multi-meter it was decided that the battery was weak. During this process we also got to visit with Frank, an American about our age, who is enjoying early retirement due to some wise real estate investments. This naturally leads to a long real estate conversation that elaves Ryan a bit confused. We laugh it is like listening to a different language.

Dog of the Day

Sunday night in Barranco is an opportunity for local talent share the stage via an “open mic” format at one of the area’s oldest live music clubs called La Noche. We are invited to attend and make an evening of it by starting with more great food at a vegetarian pizza joint, very tasty and somewhat healthy. Then it is on to the club to enjoy some lively Latin music. The band is made up of professional and amateur artists accompanied by a pretty lady who does the occasional dance. To our surprise part way through the evening Ines is asked by the lead singer to join them on stage to add some Flamenco dance to the music. Ines has been a dancer since she was a teenager and being very passionate about her dancing has kept her busy putting on shows in Canada as well. We later found out that the lady on stage is Ines’s dance instructor. This was a very unique experience for us as this was the first time we have had the pleasure of seeing Ines dance.

Abandoned building in Baranco.

My dream car according to a Facebook survey.

Some other notable mentions around town.

Carlo Vellutino's 2015 Dakar Bike at he local KTM dealer.

 Well with all this visiting and chatting we find out that dental work is very affordable in Lima and Ines’s dentist is very good. Brenda had chipped a tooth when an exercise band broke and hit her in the mouth. We extended our stay a couple more days and made an appointment for a checkup and tooth repair.  This extension of our visit also allowed us one more visit with our friends and some delicious Sushi with great friends and one ex-president of Peru. He and is entourage were also enjoying some Sushi. We missed the opportunity to get a photo with him but we were told that he was not very popular with the people due to some issues that were dealt with while he was in power. We all joke that it is unlikely we would ever see a former Prime Minister at a Sushi bar in Canada.

A little piece of the entertainment.