Peru – Miraflores
Travelling through Peru, starting in lovely Miraflores.
We had heard good things about kiting in Peru and, as it was one of only a few flight options out of Puerto Rico, seemed like the next obvious choice of destination in our travels.
We booked a hotel in Miraflores, a lovely part of Lima. However, our flight didn’t get into Lima until 00.55hrs in the early morning, and the hotel didn’t allow check-ins at that time of the night. So, I had the bright idea of staying in an air bnb with 24 hour access, to make things easier.
We have a very conscientious tax driver to thank for eventually getting us to our destination. This was after getting lost in the middle of an extremely run down area near the airport at 3 am. Most of the buildings had no roofs or windows, and looked like a war zone.
Our taxi driver spoke no English we spoke no Spanish. Despite buying e-sims specifically for Peru, I could get no internet to use translation services.
The entrance instructions did not match the address, the air bnb owner was not answering the phone, and we were stood in the grey, dusty, unmade road in the early hours with a dog barking constantly, feeling quite anxious.
I realised we were totally in the hands of this taxi driver, who thankfully eventually managed to get hold of the rental owner, find out the correct address, and drive us there.
The room had a solid floor and ceiling, so we got into bed at 4 am and slept until 8, when we hired an uber to take us to our hotel in Miraflores. Later, I looked online and read that tourists are advised to stay away from this area of Lima, as it is dangerous, especially at night.
Lima is a vast city, population of 11.3 million people, and approx the size of the whole of the Dominican Republic.
The huge grey cliffs near Miraflores are quite a sight along the coastline, are covered in netting, 60 metres high and run for 10 miles.
After booking into our hotel we walked towards the sea, passing a more affluent area, with tennis courts and palm tree lined roads.
and found Parque del Amor, filled with flowers…
and giant sculptures…
like El Beso – the kiss 💋
There are fabulous views,
and pretty mosaics in this arty bit of Miraflores.
Descending to sea level it is a surfers beach with endless waves and small grey stones. Not really suitable for bathers due to the steep angle. Note the tsunami evacuation routes.
Nice little stop for coffee at La Rosa Nautica on the pier,
while bird and crab watching.
This is one of the wealthier parts of Peru.
Walking back through Kennedy Park they were hosting a flower festival.
But the park is famous year round for being a cat sanctuary.
With cats lying around absolutely everywhere.
They are fed in an organised way, and protected, with little cat houses throughout the park. They are found on the benches, in the trees and lying in the middle of the paths. They get a lot of attention.
We participated in a guided walking tour of historical Lima,
which took us round the main squares,
lots of churches and some Unesco preserved buildings,
including art deco features
It was good to see these grand old buildings,
admittedly some in better shape than others.
Peru gets on average 200 minor earthquakes per year. However the last major one happened in 2007 and reached 8 on the scale, causing a lot of damage.
The vast majority of housing in Peru is built informally. That is 80% that are unfinished, with no complete upper floors, no roofs, and some don’t even have running water.
Residents live in the lower floors, with the idea that the upper floors will be finished when more funds become available. Most are uninsured and many would probably not survive another major earthquake.
Back through the flower festival to our hotel room,
which has a luxurious jacuzzi bath – thank you Paul xx
The next day we took a cooking class with a tour round the local food market first.
The guide introduced lots of different exotic fruits to try.
before we got down to preparing 3 peruvian dishes.
- Papa Rellena – stuffed and shaped potatoes
2. Aji de Pollo – chicken in a creamy yellow pepper sauce
3. Ocopa – a nutty, chilli sauce to have over a variety of potatoes.
Peru grows over 3000 different types of potatoes!
I would recommend doing a cooking class which was informative and fun.
Back through the flower festival again, which was a trade fair, free to the public and seemed to get bigger each day.
That evening we went to a fountain show on another guided tour in Lima.
There is a fountain park in Lima, open only in the evenings. Lima has virtually no rain – it rains on average 4 mils per year. It is situated on the edge of the Attacama desert, and everything is grey and dusty, as a result.
It does seem a little incongruous that the fountain park exists –
But it is joyful and partly funded by ticket entry.
Huaca Pucllana is the archelogical site of a massive 7 storey adobe and clay pyramid, belonging to the pre-inca Lima culture.
They had a ceremonial and funerary function, and tombs, pottery and mummies have been excavated from the site.
25 meters high and composed of 7 platforms, it isn’t hollow inside, like Egyptian pyramids, and has a flat top.
This structure was probably built to honor their god, Pachamama, which is the Andean equivalent to Mother Earth. Other deities were God of the sea, symbolised by the shark. This vessel is decorated with a shark mouth.
About 5 hectares of site are currently preserved.
You can’t visit without trying the churros – either stuffed with chocolate or dulce de leche, or dipped into a hot chocolate drink 😋
We then spent the rest of the day at the very helpful tourist information centre in Miraflores, booking our trip to Paracas and onward to Machu Picchu. ⛰️
