Travel Buddies

It is known that couples seek friendship in other couples. If there is a term that describes this kind of double dating friendship, we are fortunate to have our friends Sa and Ed as one of our closest couple friends/ travel companions. We have traveled together from Montreal to Vegas, and have always enjoyed our random spurts of group bickering or candid discussions of our bowel movements. In other words, we have fun together.

The 4 of us at Miraflores

Since we were all still jetlagged, the four of us took a group power nap and then headed to Huaca Pucllana, the ruins of a temple that dated back to the 4th century.  The temple is located within the residential neighbourhood of Miraflores and served as a ceremonial site and burial ground. Archaeological works continue to take place here with regular discoveries of human remains. The temple is comprised of mud bricks that were placed vertically with gaps in between them to absorb any tension from earthquakes. Our guide told us that the original bricks withstood the 2007 earthquake whereas the reconstructed bricks were completely destroyed.  I was impressed to hear about these ancient building tehnique that are even more effective than the current technology. 

Our guide also showed us the present inhabitants at Pucllana - a couple of Peruvian dogs. The dogs were hairless with bleached mohawks on their heads. They were not exactly attractive and reminded me of a couple of gangster punks.

Huaca Pucllana

A Peruvian dog,

 living on the site of Pucllana

Following another group nap in the afternoon, we decided to explore Barranco at night, a bohemian style neighbourhood to the south, about 10-minute cab ride. The taxi dropped us off at the Puente de los Suspiros, a romantic bridge that leads to a slopped cobblestone walkway toward the ocean. A number of restaurants and cafes lined the walkway. We settled at a table on the terrace of Javier Restaurant facing the ocean. The sky was dark, but we could still see the crashing waves. Glasses of pisco sour were served in the company of good friends. Pisco sour is a traditional Peruvian drink that is made with pisco alcohol, lime juice, sugar, and egg white, although there has been a long debate on the drink's origin as the Chileans also claim pisco sour to be its national drink.  

At the end of the night, we were finally ready to leave Barranco and headed back to the hotel. However, Sa reminded us that we still haven't eaten dinner and Ed reminded us that it is almost his birthday! So, the night continued in the Radisson Hotel restaurant and ended with cerviche (raw fish cooked in lime juice), homemade pasta, more seafood and la torta para Ed's birthday!