Time To Pack It In: My Last Day In Lima

7.5 months abroad. 7 nations. 37 cities. 6 plane trips. 5 trains. Countless busses. 1 ferry. A dozen canoes. Some pickup truck beds. 2 camels. 2 horses. Uncountable new friends. Family I never knew I had. A few mystery illnesses. All this and I was finally headed home.

     I have to admit, going home after being on the road for 8 months is hard. Leaving Latin America, a place that I grew to love and feel very comfortable with, was very difficult. With that in mind, I wanted to squeeze every moment of life that I could out of the time I had left since you never know when you will be back.
    So I got back in touch with Eduardo's (my former room mate from Lima) good friend Stephanie. I hit her up with a final day of surfing off the Costa Verde on my mind. Luckily, she was all for it, so we met up and the crowd grew as more of her friends and family joined! We roped a few surfboards (they were super nice and let me borrow one and a wetsuit) to the roof of our ride and in no time, we were back in the cold waters off Miraflores.
        We couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun had actually peeked out from the eternal haze that surrounds the city, the waves were just big enough to let me get up a few times without bashing me to pieces, and best of all I had my new friends to chill with! I still was no Kelly Slater, but I managed to catch a few good waves during our session, and only ate it hard once or twice. To be honest, I would have been happy if the waves were flat. I was content lazing on my board in the intense summer sun, bouncing in the swells, just enjoying my last few hours of the backpacker life.
        After a while we got out. That is always a rather delicate process, since the beaches off Lima are all large round rocks (all artificially made) and there are tons of wonderfully spiny urchins waiting in the shallows for an unsuspecting gringo to step on... However, my luck held out and I managed to get up the beach with no more holes than I had before I got in the water. We all dried off and headed to the Club Real country club in the heart of Miraflores (a seriously nice place by any standards) in our board shorts, flip flops and t-shirts.  Over an amazing lunch, Stephanie invited me out to a new theme park in Lima. Apparently it had just opened and it was the first of its kind here. They warned me that it was no 6-Flags, but I was intrigued so I accepted the invite.
        At dusk, we met up and headed back to the sea shore where this thing had been put up. It turns out, this was not really a theme park per se, it was an American traveling fair that had come down to Lima! I was definitely not expecting this, and it was weird to be thrown into the middle of such a piece of Americana when I was least expecting it. American flags still decorated the tents that advertised Philly cheese steaks, the tilt-a-whirl still had images of U.S. pop icons on the carriages, and the roadies, well they were all fresh from the states. It was interesting watching them struggle to communicate to their customers. Most ignored the roadies, and the plain frustration of facing a total communication block showed plainly on their face. I chatted away to my friends in Spanish, but I couldn't help being transported back to my first day abroad, in Medellin. Or later in Paris. Or Marrakech.
      I didn't say anything to them. To be honest, I was in between two worlds. I leaned back in to the conversation amongst my Peruvian friends. I didn't feel like I fully belonged in either camp. Just like the fair itself, one foot on each continent, striking out abroad for opportunity but unable or unwilling to wash away my true roots. It was an odd and very introspective moment for me.
       Soon enough I was washed back into the joy of the evening. Riding rides that, though they had lost their novelty with me as a teen, captured me again as my friends were thrilled for the first time. Go-pro cameras were everywhere. Girls were dressed in heels and dresses. I imagine that this must be how parents felt watching their kid grow up. Not to say that Peruvians are childish, in fact their culture is complex and beautiful, but I mean that merely in the way that I got to witness them experiencing something I had loved for such a  long time. It was refreshing and heartwarming to watch an investment banker with a six figure salary forget about the hard choices, like whether or not to take a full ride to Harvard's MBA program, in the simple joy of a ferris wheel.
        The night ended after some fast food burgers and some heartfelt goodbyes. I headed back to my hostel and packed my bags. In the morning I showered and made sure not to have my Loki "Blood Bomb" t-shirt anywhere near me before I hopped in a cab with another American headed home. A few hours later and I was climbing through the perpetual haze that shrouds Lima, as if to jealously hide her vibrant beauty from the world.
      Till next time I thought.
   
Then I closed my eyes, knowing I would wake up and it would be over.

Lima Round 3: Reunited With Eddie!

The beautiful coastline south of Lima in Puerto Viejo on a rare cloudless day.

       Lima. The capital of Peru. I never would have guessed that I would be here, much less for the third time. Even less for the third time in a year. I caught a bus from Arequipa almost as soon as I got back to the city, heading for Lima and the promise of a warm sunny coastline complimented by cold pisco sours.

        I arrived and got into contact with my old room mate, Eduardo, who was visiting family while on break from university. It was so great to see him and his family again, especially since he hosted me in my first trip abroad, so coming back on round two felt like a really good way to cap it all off.

We of course got up to our old shenanigans.

            We ended up surfing with some of his old school buddies and their friends off the Costa Verde, below the cliffs of Miraflores in Lima. Despite putting on sunscreen 3 times before getting in water for a couple of hours, I was still incredibly sunburned everywhere my neon green wetsuit failed to cover. Still, after months in the mountains where its cold and rainy, a little cool water and hot sun made a world of difference! 

            A couple of days later, he showed up in front of my hostel and told me to get in.. so of course I dropped what I was doing and hopped in. We ended up going to an incredible Afro-Peruvian concert in a really nifty old bar in the trendy Barranco neighborhood of Lima. The entire crowd was animated as the old band played everything from guitars, to box drums to sheep's jaws. I looked kinda random to be honest, but the rhythms they produced were fascinating, and melded together perfectly to get everybody movin to the tunes. We had planned to head to a beach down south to body board a bit, but after the concert ended we looked at our watches and decided to put that on hold. 

           A couple of days later, we finally got around to heading down south. We drove about an hour to wide sandy beach of Puerto Viejo, expecting some massive waves from a big storm we heard was churning way out to the west... And... Nothin! The waves lapping at the deserted beach were mediocre to small at best. I didn't mind but Eduardo was pretty mad. Anyhow, we made the best of it and hopped in the water to catch what waves we could. In about an hour, our personal paradise got flooded with fellow minded folks. Then the water got pretty crowded with surfers... So after a few hours we decided to pack it in and go get some lunch back in Lima. We might not have caught the monster waves we thought, but it was still a great sun soaked day at the beach.

             Later that night I said my goodbyes to Eduardo, who planned to spend his last day in Lima with his family, and headed back to my hostel. It was an exhausting visit, but one I will never forget!

So the only wetsuit they had was this one... They said that at least when I died they would be able to find my body, although they probably wouldn't try anyways haha... Ahhh rockin it in South America!

Surfers get ready to catch the waves

Practice on baby waves makes you better on the big ones!

Hmm I wonder what folks tend to do here... Im guessing it might involve beer haha.

The signs are incredible.... This one is 4 stories high, 3D, and just all around incredibly entertaining... Eduardo tells me that the signs have been toned down in recent years, and that when he was a kid, every sign had a really sexy nearly naked woman on them... but, they were causing too many accidents.

At our Afro-Peruvian concert.

The band uses all traditional instruments, melding their sounds to create some mind boggling rhythms.

Playing a sheep's jaw in a club in Barranco Lima.

Eduardo knows that the job of pourer is no joke, and with the way Peruvians drink, I believe him!

Something about the red flags, crazy surf, spiky rocks, and the large signs that read "PELIGRO!" everywhere... I assume this is not the place I want to casually swim. 15 minutes later it was swarmed with little Peruvian kids. So much for safety.

We made it to the beach and... Eduard is incredibly mad! He was told that swells from a massive storm in the central Pacific were supposed to hit early this morning, but it looks almost too calm at the moment... It did get a bit better later on though!

Lima: Street Art Hunting In No-Gringo Zones

    

           So my day started with an early morning protest going on across the street, with the long line of protesters being ushered along by Riot Police. After a cup of coffee, I went for a walk, where I encountered a political rally in San Martin Plaza. This vibrant city definitely has a loud and vibrant voice. This manifests itself in the beautiful architecture, the political protests, the striking colors of the buildings, and the amazing abundance of street art that catches the eye at every turn.

                 With these thoughts firmly in my head, I decided to go on a hunt for some of Lima's best street art in its historic center. As one might imagine, the best street art is often in the worst neighborhoods of any city. Generally the places where the people have a hard time accessing traditional means of a public voice, tend to foster the rise of street art as a way communicate their messages.                         Although I'm sure I didn't even touch a fraction of the incredible art to be found in Lima, my hunt was fun and thrilling (It literally felt like a hunt as I stalked the places, then popped out my camera for a quick shot. All the while knowing that it could get me robbed or killed in some of the areas I went to... Lots of adrenaline in this one haha). Well, please enjoy my catch of the day and leave dozens of comments!

A beautiful bulding in one of Lima's less gringo friendly neighborhoods... 

The political rally in San Martin Plaza, featuring big heads!

Plaza 2nd of May, the heart of Lima's vibrant music district, famous for beautiful blue buildings housing dozens of music stores and schools. Also not a gringo safe area.

Protests against the bullfight season that is taking place at this time.

Lima: Throwin Down In China Town

        I strolled through the characteristically chaotic streets, aiming to go nowhere in particular. Most people would probably see my slightly fast gait as a sign that I am in a hurry. In fact, its just a simple trick to avoid pick-pockets. It is far easier to notice someone who picks up speed to walk alongside you, allowing you to avoid being an easy target. No. I was really just enjoying a leisurely stroll on a fine sunny day, though one of Lima's busiest and most vibrant districts. Chinatown.

        

       During the middle to late 1800's, Chinese immigrants steamed towards the American coastline in search of abundant jobs as well as to escape the dangerous times at home. The Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion (a massive war involving millions of soldiers and a man claiming to be Jesus reborn) meant that hope for the future of millions lay on the shores to the east. The opportunities vanished in the U.S. with the Chinese Exclusion act in 1882, sending all those in transit to other ports along the American coastlines... One such port was Lima, where you can now find large Chinese communities, and their incredible food here as a result.

        This area, just a few blocks off the tourist rich areas of the Plaza De Armas, is one of the busiest sections of the city I have seen. I was warned against the pickpockets here by Eduardo, my Peruvian former room mate, but I faired well this day. All I had was my camera, which I used sparingly and kept firmly in my grip. The markets were an incredible display of variety, and had all the craziness you would expect of this Latin-Asian fusion neighborhood. 

       After my jaunt, I strolled through the better known financial district of old Lima in search of another legend. The Pisco Sour. This drink is made with the national liquor of Peru, Pisco, a mix of brandy and whiskey to my discerning tongue. The original bar that thought this national symbol up no longer exists, but the original recipe went to two others which still stand. My stop was the class Hotel Maury bar, where a finely dressed barman served me my drink in the cool, wood covered lounge. It was good. Even better, it was historic! After I finished, I thanked the barman and explained my quest. He pointed me to the Hotel Gran Bolivar in Plaza San Martin, where the other recipe ended up. I saved that one till later that night, but both of them were excellent of course. 

         I was feeling pretty good about my return to Lima, and I couldn't wait to really explore the city over the next few days!

          

My world famous Pisco Sour at the bar at the Maury Hotel

The fountains in the Plaza de Armas of Lima

Burning incense at a stall in Chinatown

Angels over the Cathedral of Lima in the Plaza de Armas

A silent guardian overlooking the China town markets

Peruvian Presidential guards 

The gateway to Chinatown

The beautiful colors you peek in doorways as you pass by...

Welcome to Chinatown!

Purple corn in a huge market in central Lima

Dried chili surrounded by sacks of all kinds of spices and herbs, all for sale fresh in the local market.