Journey:

We paid S.30 each for our journey from Trujillo to Lima. We were told it would take about 8 hours but this was nearer to 11 in the end (as usual add on at least 2 hours to the time they say.) The price was very cheap for such a long journey (the company was Linea), however the bus had blacked out windows so you couldn’t see outside. For such a long journey it would have been nice to look out the window, even if all you could see was desert.

Accommodation:

Kaclla: The Healing Dog Hostel. Lima is much bigger than I first thought and we chose to stay in the Miraflores area. This is definitely the wealthiest part of Lima and it feels very safe, clean and pretty. However, it is also the most expensive area and to get into the centre it takes about half an hour.

The hostel we stayed at was really nice, it wasn’t big but had a good TV room, well stocked kitchen and a yummy breakfast (basically I just want to eat the homemade peanut butter all day long.) Also, there is a resident Peruvian hairless dog who has a lot of character and likes to stare at you until you give him some food. (I do that to Thomas all the time.)

Sights/activities:

MALI: Lima Art Museum

This was a pretty expensive S.30 each (the same price we had just paid for a bus journey) but having heard good things about it we decided to go along with this. We shouldn’t have. It just contained a lot of pottery which I can safely say is really not very interesting after a while.

Surfing

There’s plenty of surf spots just a short walk from Miraflores, and more further down the coast. Waikiki beach is perfect for beginners, although equally the water is cold – wetsuits are definitely needed.

San Francisco monastery

We hadn’t really planned to come here and sort of accidentally stumbled across it, but it’s by far one of the most interesting things to see in Lima. It’s only S.10 each and inside is the old monastery of the San Franciscans. Key features are the old library with an abundance of books, and the catacombs which are home to a lot of human remains (only surpassed by those in Paris.)

Huaca Pucllana

This is a pyramid construction by the Lima culture (located in Miraflores), with the purpose of being an administrative and ceremonial centre.

A lot of the site has been restored and burial grounds have been found onsite. These burial grounds were from the Wari people, who took over the site later on and used it to bury important people.

It costs S.12 per person and includes a guided tour in English (or Spanish.) It was a worthwhile visit and considering it was built in 500 AD contains some very impressive architecture.

Plaza de las Armas (Plaza Mayor)

Lima’s historic central square contains the Presidential palace, La Catedral and other notable buildings. It is one of the grandest central squares I have seen in South America and is very bright (and yellow.)

Food

Food is very expensive in Miraflores – To give a rough idea it was S.20 for a small bowl of pasta – so we ended up cooking at our hostel more often than not. On the other hand, in the centre food was a lot cheaper and it was S.8 for a drink, soup, and a main.

Summary

Lima was a surprise. A good surprise. I had heard very negative things but I thought it was one of the better capital cities we had been to. The attractions were a little lacklustre but the San Francisco monastery was a highlight.