September 20th-26th
I am behind in writing! For the past month I've been suffering from (sorry for the information) intestinal parasites. Not worms, thank goodness, but little protozoa called Giardia Lamblia. Because I've been fighting parasites, I was completely wiped out from all energy. I ended up in the most peaceful hostel in Lima, and host family in Cusco, so I could do a lot of healing and sleeping.
My time in Lima, albeit sick, was lovely. I stayed at a hostel called Chaski Lodge in Miraflores, which isn't quiet opened yet, and therefore extremely quiet. The hostel is owned by a couple composed of one American and one Peruana who are the the best of hosts. They went above and beyond to welcome me to their city. I hung out a lot with the couple and their two kids, wandering around parks, feeding cats and playing with babies. The dueño Americano is a professional chef, so I was completely spoiled with amazing gourmet breakfasts every day. Basically I loved my life, even though I had to go to sleep every night at 9:00 because I had no energy.
My favourite part of Lima was Boranco. It's a bohemian vibes reeled me in, and I enjoyed many a adorable cafes sipping the best hot chocolate I've ever had. I also had a bit of shopping problem in Lima, as the country is inundated with alpaca products, and I am basically obsessed with blankets, sweaters, scarves, and jackets.
I took one of those lame red bus tours to go see the centre of the city because I was too tired to navigate by myself. It was actually interesting, though the tour guide was awful. We drove through all of the neighbourhoods and saw the favelas of Lima in an unfinished sprawl climbing up the hills. We also went to the gold museum, where a security guard turned into my tour guide and explained, among many things, that the pre-inca women were buried with dildos. How sexually aware!
The food market and the cat park in Miraflores were awesome. The park, Parque Kennedy, quite literally has > 1000 cat residents. People can be found cuddling cats all over the place. The park smells like cat pee, naturally, but it is something pretty special.
I met a friend who is a Canadian Peruvian bird watcher tour guide, and he took me to his favourite ceviche joint in Lima. I ate ceviche every day, and grew to love it even more. The food in Lima is unbelievable.
The last day I rented a bike and did a 8 hour bike ride along the cliff overlooking the ocean, with many food stops along the way. Biking in Lima is safer than in Toronto! Segregated bike lanes, beautiful ocean lining paths. Wow.
Lima is totally worth spending some time, especially if you like eating.... and especially if you like eating ceviche.
