Miraflores, Lima

I arrived safely into Aeropuerto International Jorge Chavez in Lima. Immediately, my cell phone showed text messages from E with the hotel and taxi info. Having heard horrible stories about taxis in Peru, I was anxious to get to the hotel. I walked out of the baggage area and prepaid for the cab ride at the Taxi Green counter to Miraflores, an upper class neighbourhood where our hotel, Hotel Radisson, is located.


The taxi traveled through Callao to  San Isidro and then along the coast to Miraflores. The extent of poverty to wealth was evident. Some parts of Callao around the airport are still without running water and electricity. It looked like another typical weekday morning with early commuters jaywalking across the streets or waiting for buses on the sidewalks. As we approached Miraflores,decorated signage and street landscaping became more prevalent. I also noticed the increasing number of foreigners and tourists jogging or simply taking a stroll along the coast - with wealth comes leisure.

After meeting E at the hotel, we spent the morning strolling along the cliff that overlooks Pacific Ocean.  Because of the fog or maybe the smog, the view was unfortunately limited. To the south of Hotel Radisson is the renowned Marriott Hotel and Larcomar, a shopping centre built on a bluff.  To the north is Parque del Armor that has a statue of two lovers and Gaudi inspired mosaics.  The colourful winding bench in the park is reminiscent of Parc Guell in Barcelona.This morning, at Larcomar, we also had an opportune encounter with the Jonas Brothers or more like hoards of screaming Peruvian girls. It is interesting to see the influence of American pop culture

Parque del Armor

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In the evening, we made reservation at a restaurant called Senorio de Sulco, which is apparently owned by a celebrity cookbook author. On the way to the restaurant,  the sun was setting, the sky cleared up and was filled with paragliders.  The view over the ocean was breathtaking. When we finally arrived at the restaurant, I was surprised to see that only 2 tables were occupied.  Nevertheless, the food was still delicious and the price was relatively reasonable, at a North American standard. We started the meal with empanadas and pisco sour. For the entrees, we ordered chupe de amerones (a creamy tomato based soup with seafood) and arroz con pato (rice with duck). The only glitch was that cubierto or a seating fee of s/10 per person was charged.

Paragliders in the sky of Miraflores

Dinner at Senorio del Sulco

We finished the night with some vino tinto at the pool lounge on the 12th floor of Hotel Radisson.  It was too cold to swim but the posh atmosphere was relaxing to finish my first day in Lima.