What little we did get to see of Lima we really enjoyed! Though Lima is sprawling, polluted and totally chaotic, we both love big cities and Lima has a lot to offer - impressive museums, well-preserved colonial architecture, and great restaurants. We stayed in the neighborhood of Miraflores, and we LOVED it! It´s very pleasant, clean and safe, and there are tons of nice restaurants and bars. Miraflores is located on the coast, and we spent an afternoon taking a really nice walk along the ocean. There are other lovely neighborhoods along the coast that unfortunately we did not get a chance to explore.
Here is a summary of the places we did get to check out in Lima:
Plaza de Armas
Lima’s Plaza de Armas (or Plaza Mayor) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the prettiest main plazas we have seen. Running along two sides are bright yellow arcades containing shops. From here it was easy for us to explore other sections of the colonial section of the city on foot.
Cathedral
We went on a guided tour of Lima’s main cathedral, located on the Plaza de Armas. The Cathedral is beautiful both inside and out.
The tour we took was much longer and more detailed than we expected, but the guide spoke excellent English and pointed out some interesting things. She showed us the site where Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador that founded Lima, is buried. She also showed us a ridiculous royal family tree that the Spanish had painted depicting them as the direct descendants of the Inca rulers in order to convince the Inca’s of the Spanish’s authority to rule them. I’m sure the Incas thought it was a bunch of BS.
When we stopped by the beautifully carved choir, our guide pointed out little seats that allowed monks to give the illusion that they were standing and singing for hours. Those sneaky monks were sitting all along!
San Francisco Church and Monastery
This is a pretty baroque style church. The monastery is famous for its Sevillian tiles and centuries old murals that were discovered when paintings that covered the walls were taken down for restoration. However, the most fascinating part is the catacombs. People from Lima were buried in these catacombs for centuries before the city had a cemetery. During the tour we got to see thousands of bones in different mass graves. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. Today the catacombs are still used as burial site for the monks of the church.
We took a guided tour during which Minh sneezed repeatedly due to all the dust and mold. Minh´s sneeze is surprisingly loud and it can scare toddlers into crying. On this occasion it caused the tour guides in the church to giggle, after initially being startled.
Museo Larco de Lima
This museum has an amazing collection of pottery, gold, silver and textile pieces of Peru´s various indigenous populations. The museum is very well organized, providing information about the customs and beliefs of Peru´s pre-Columbian communities organized chronologically and geographically. You do not need a guide to visit this museum - there are detailed explanations of each piece in several languages, including Spanish, English, German, and French. We were very impressed by this museum, though we did feel a bit overwhelmed with the vastness of information available - its impossible to read all of the descriptions.
The final section of the museum, located in a separate building, contains a big collection of pre-Columbian erotic ceramics, some depicting male or female genitalia, and others showing different sexual acts. We found this to be the most interesting part of the museum - goes to show where our heads are :)
Since Minh's mom reads the blog and looks at the photos, we have chosen to exclude photos of the erotic ceramics :(
The museum is housed in an old mansion and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. There is also a nice-looking restaurant with seating in the garden, but we did not try it out.
Centro Comercial Larcomar
This is a fancy mall in Miraflores containing the same type of stores you’d find at Roosevelt Field in Long Island or Tyson's Corner in Virginia. However, the real charm of this place is its beautiful ocean view. The mall contains lots of restaurants and cafes, all with seating that faces the beach. We sat at a cafe and had some coffee and pecan pie while relaxing and enjoying the view.
Where we ate
Due to our stomach ailments, we did not get to explore as many restaurants as we would have liked. However, we managed to have a fantastic sushi lunch at Maido, a Japanese restaurant in Miraflores. It was a hot day so we showed up in flip flops and shorts not realizing this was a fancy establishment - everyone else was in business suits. The staff did not care how we were dressed and the service was excellent. On my way to the bathroom, a waiter gave me a little tour of a large traditional Japanese dining room that can be reserved for special events. We ordered a large sushi platter to share and our mouths could not have been happier! The tuna might just be the best we have ever had - it melted in our mouths! We were so happy with the food that once we were done we asked the waiter to bring back the menu so we could order some more rolls. I´m not sure what Maido means, but the entire restaurant staff sort of yells it to customers as a greeting when they first walk in - I must admit that it startled me a bit. The next time we are in Lima, we will definitely return to this place... probably more than once.
Where we stayed
B&B Miraflores Wasi: We enjoyed staying at this B&B. The rooms were pretty basic, but very clean and comfortable. The B&B is in a great location, on a quiet street in the lovely neighborhood of Miraflores. It was also a great price for Miraflores, at USD $40 for a double room, private bathroom with hot water, and breakfast included.
