Sep-2014
How to spend 24 hours in lovely Lima
The Peruvian capital
If you have ever been to Peru the chances are big you’ve been to Lima; Peru’s seaside Capital. Lima is a sparkling city with a beach, plenty of shopping malls, fancy restaurants and also a great historic center.
It’s an interesting city with plenty of amusement and enough attractions for those who have time to add Lima to their itinerary. However, the question remains: where do I need to go to if I only have a couple of hours to spend in Lima ?
Flying to the Brazilian Carnaval
As I am in Peru and want to travel to Brazil for Carnaval I have to fly from Cusco to Brazil through Lima. It is a great thing, because I have an overnight flight, which means I save money on a hotel and the flight therefor is also cheaper. The Carnaval arrival is now planned even more perfectly as I get there early in the morning, so I will have more time to prepare myself for the party and I get to add another destination to my bucket-list; I have an eleven hour stop in Lima!
I am planning to rock the Brazilian Carnaval and I am able to relax before all the partying in the beautiful Peruvian Capital. Lucky me!
Miraflores
Kicking of with a visit to the beach
Miraflores is the beautiful seafront area of Lima. I decide to take a taxi to this part of town and see what I can do over there. It turns out I never leave Miraflores. Only to catch my flight.
So here’s what you can do while spending time near the beach of Lima.
Paragliding
The beach has cliffs which makes it an attractive place for paragliding. The gliders can be spotted while walking at the promenade of Miraflores. Now I have never done paragliding before, but I am sure that if you’d like to you can get the gliding experience in Lima. If you check the photo I placed above in this article you’ll see one of the gliders passing my camera’s sight.
Surfing
The sea has plenty of waves for those who like to catch one. Surfboard rentals are everywhere to be found at the Makaja beach and the sea is full of surfers sitting on their board with their sun kissed skin and long surfers hair waiting to provide you with a surf class.
Sunbathing
Perhaps you had a short night and you’re not really interested in anything that active today, then you can also chill out at the seafront and get a tan. You can’t really spread your beach towel and lay on the beach because of the rocks, but there are plenty of places to sit along the promenade.
Surfers paddling into the sea
Hippie van with surfboards
Hmmm… Food…
As the hour of lunch is arriving I start looking for a place on the beach with a view on the ocean and good food for a decent price. Firstly it seems there is nothing with an outside terrace, until I find La Rosa Nautica in the middle of the sea. A good restaurant on the pier of Lima. Old fashioned but charming. Everyone however is sitting inside and I still want to sit in the sun and see the ocean. I ask for the table standing on their sunny terrace and after a couple of minutes a friendly waiter shows me my lunch spot with romantic sea view. I am the only one sitting outside, but it’s lovely. The food is great and the wine is too. Funny thing is that the menu is quite… Latin – might be the word I’m looking for. There is one menu for the ladies and one for the men, which is the one with the prices. Interesting huh?
Let’s go shopping!
After spending some time at the beach and getting food I decide it’s time to discover elsewhere and since I’m standing at the bottom of the cliffs it gets interesting to see what’s on top of them. I stop a taxi on the street and jump in giving the driver directions to get us up there. After 10 minutes he leaves me in front of the JW Marriott hotel near a place called “Larcomar“, which is a big shopping mall of Miraflores. Oh oow, this means I’m off shopping…
We start browsing the stores and discover there is not that much of Peruvian things around. I expected local shops, but Lima really is a big city and Larcomar offers the big and famous brands as in any other big city.
Then the gorgeous sunset appears and with a cappuccino in my hand I enjoy the changing colors of the sky. There are still a couple of hours left until I have to get back to the airport so I decide to find some more food. Hungry me! I encounter the Portofino restaurant with a great choice of desserts and a nice view over the ocean from the balcony. A charming waiter invites me to have a seat and I cannot refuse.
After seeing the beach, doing shopping, eating and all the romantic views it’s time to head back to the airport and catch my midnight flight. With a 40 minutes taxi ride I arrive at the Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez and check-in for the flight. I would love to go back to Lima someday and be able to explore the historical parts of town and have some time to surf.
Hasta la próxima vez Lima.
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
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