Our long flight landed in Lima early evening. Daylight was still on but the landscape was hazy along the Pacific ocean as predicted. Customs was a breeze and we headed to the exit door with our passports freshly stamped.
Scanning the crowd, we spotted a sign bearing my name in big letters. True reassurance among a sea of strangers. Our guide Manuel was a nice guy with good command of english, but I was eager to practice my spanish so I fought on with the hispanic language, fearless. Salutation exchanges. Bienvenido a Peru, blah, blah, blah… Then, we proceeded to the parking lot where a big van awaited just for the two of us.
Lima rush hour was congested. So glad we had a chauffeur
Jorge Chávez International airport is in the Callao district, which is closer to the historic center of Lima, while our hotel is in Miraflores, the more modern and touristy part of town which is full of hotels, cafés, pubs, restaurants and shops.
Miraflores streets and buildings look very much like Saigon
Crowded city bus
First night in Peru, a little cool and drizzling. We were a little on the alert as we started walking, but soon relaxed as we felt the city was pretty safe with pedestrians roaming around, laughing and talking.
We haven't had a chance to get any local currency since departing the US, so we stopped by a casa de cambios, a store specialized in exchanging foreign currencies into peruvian soles. I had originally planned on using ATM machines, but per my internet research, casas de cambios seem to be a better alternative.
This is the exact same store we stopped by but the photo is from Google maps
Bright lights, large official red sign, glass storefront with professional looking attendants behind counter and greeters in dark suit at entrance. Very safe feeling. Tres veinticuatro, said the man behind the counter. One dollard for 3.24 soles. In minutes, we emerged to the street with local money - a couple hundred dollards less but more than three times as much in peruvian soles - happy to have received a rate of exchange that was better than expected. And no fee. Sure to beat ATM anytime.
A few blocks from our hotel is main thoroughfare Ave José Pardo, leading to Parque Central bordered by large streets lined with numerous shops and restaurants. The atmosphere was festive, like one you would see in a hip downtown on weekend nights.
We really felt comfortable walking the streets after our first peruvian meal of chupe de mariscos at a restaurant we picked among the many, and which turned out to be a real good one. Must be my good luck, como siempre.
Wifi on the street
Chupe de mariscos - The egg seems to be a common thing added to a soup
