Lima (Peru)
19 MAY - 21 MAY 2015
Our trip to South America was kind of like an Agile project, it had some degree of structure but its development came as a result of multiple iterations, usually downloaded from the global bank of random thought and discovery.
A week earlier as we took the three hour walk out of Agua Calientes to Hidroelectrico we started chatting to a lovely Korean guy that went by the name of Mark Park. I'm sure Mark had a much cooler Korean name hiding inside of him but ok, he went for a Western name that rhymed and may have sounded cool in his mind, whatever the deal, both Inga & I remembered it...here's why.
Mark had been lamenting his time away from his Cuban girlfriend. Somehow he had managed to get onto the island, speak broken English to a girl that probably also spoke broken English and commenced a sincere, valuable relationship. All he had in his mind was how he could get back into Cuba. It was within the crux of this discussion that Mark gave us a lesson on how very easy it was to actually acquire a Cuban entry visa - HEY PRESTO - the genus of a great idea erupted in our minds right at that moment.
At this stage of our journey Inga and I had some sort of plans to continue north into Colombia but also had a week or two of 'free space' to fill with a 'country of complete randomness'. Initially we had designs on Costa Rica or Panama but when Mark lit up our minds with ideas of Caribbean dreams, balmy evenings on the Malecon, cigars, salsa and all things rum related, well, it wasn't hard for us to make the mental leap. All we needed to do was get the visa! ...but before then, there was Lima.
A burgeoning city of over 9 million people, Lima is there third largest in the Americas behind Mexico City & Sao Paulo. Located on the Pacific coastline, crumbling cliffs rise immediately from the rolling surf and forms a flat coastal plain that formulates one of the driest capitals on earth.
Inga & I based ourselves in Barranco - we didn't know it before arriving, but we happened to base ourselves in one of the trendiest parts of Lima. This is a neighbourhood situated on the coastal cliffs right next to the very well-known neighbourhood of Miraflores. We discovered the area to be full of cool bars, restaurants, music venues, cafes and galleries. Perhaps we should have recognised our access point via chic and funky little boutique hotel named the 3B Barranco's.
Our first full day in Lima we dedicated to getting a Cuban visa. For some reason we imagined that getting into Cuba was going to be a nightmare and that it would be unlikely that we'd get a visa in any reasonable amount of time. How wrong we were! After doing a quick review online we discovered the following to meet requirements;
- a valid passport with expiry no less than 6 months
- return flights showing arrival/departure from Cuba
- hotel booking
- a couple of passport photos
- $20USD
In addition to the above, and what we later found was possible on later excursions is that you can pick up a visa at Cancun airport before flying out to Havana. As easy as a cool Caribbean breeze.
Nevertheless, in the matter of a couple of hours we had made it to the Cuban embassy, locked in our visa and were drinking at some country club type hotel by the end of the afternoon. It was that easy, in just over a week we were going to be lighting up Montecristo's in Havana!
The next day we set about exploring the city centre of Lima. I have to say, I either 'missed it' or simply felt uninspired by what it had to offer. Of course, you could feel the Spanish influence here, just like you could in most other Latin cities but there just didn't seem to be any real magic here. Admittedly the coastline areas of Miraflores and Barranco were much more of a drawcard than the centre, for me at least. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad, it was just the feeling I got.
For our final evening we ended up in Barranco once again and took in a few drinks whilst watching the sunset dive into the Pacific at Bajada de los banos. This area is essentially a walkway that connects the high cliffs of Barranco to the Pacific. Originally utilised by fisherman coming down from Surco to the beaches of Barranco, now the area is filled with all sorts of cool restaurants. A really nice spot just to hang back for a while.
Somehow Lima felt like the end of Chapter 1 of our adventure through South America. We had been travelling now for seven weeks and had covered a lot of territory on the Western coast. The next day we were heading off to Colombia and then after that to Cuba. Leaving the Pacific coastline behind we were heading north to the warm waters of the Caribbean. Something I know for certain that Inga had been waiting for...sun...sun...and more sun.
Pacific coastline, Lima - Peru
A burgeoning city of over 9 million people, Lima is there third largest in the Americas behind Mexico City & Sao Paulo. Located on the Pacific coastline, crumbling cliffs rise immediately from the rolling surf and forms a flat coastal plain that formulates one of the driest capitals on earth.
Inga & I based ourselves in Barranco - we didn't know it before arriving, but we happened to base ourselves in one of the trendiest parts of Lima. This is a neighbourhood situated on the coastal cliffs right next to the very well-known neighbourhood of Miraflores. We discovered the area to be full of cool bars, restaurants, music venues, cafes and galleries. Perhaps we should have recognised our access point via chic and funky little boutique hotel named the 3B Barranco's.
Cuban entry visa! Thank you Mark Park!
They let Latvians in too ;)
Our first full day in Lima we dedicated to getting a Cuban visa. For some reason we imagined that getting into Cuba was going to be a nightmare and that it would be unlikely that we'd get a visa in any reasonable amount of time. How wrong we were! After doing a quick review online we discovered the following to meet requirements;
- a valid passport with expiry no less than 6 months
- return flights showing arrival/departure from Cuba
- hotel booking
- a couple of passport photos
- $20USD
In addition to the above, and what we later found was possible on later excursions is that you can pick up a visa at Cancun airport before flying out to Havana. As easy as a cool Caribbean breeze.
Nevertheless, in the matter of a couple of hours we had made it to the Cuban embassy, locked in our visa and were drinking at some country club type hotel by the end of the afternoon. It was that easy, in just over a week we were going to be lighting up Montecristo's in Havana!
Plaza da Armas - Lima - Peru
Plaza de Armas - Lima - Peru
The next day we set about exploring the city centre of Lima. I have to say, I either 'missed it' or simply felt uninspired by what it had to offer. Of course, you could feel the Spanish influence here, just like you could in most other Latin cities but there just didn't seem to be any real magic here. Admittedly the coastline areas of Miraflores and Barranco were much more of a drawcard than the centre, for me at least. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad, it was just the feeling I got.
For our final evening we ended up in Barranco once again and took in a few drinks whilst watching the sunset dive into the Pacific at Bajada de los banos. This area is essentially a walkway that connects the high cliffs of Barranco to the Pacific. Originally utilised by fisherman coming down from Surco to the beaches of Barranco, now the area is filled with all sorts of cool restaurants. A really nice spot just to hang back for a while.
Somehow Lima felt like the end of Chapter 1 of our adventure through South America. We had been travelling now for seven weeks and had covered a lot of territory on the Western coast. The next day we were heading off to Colombia and then after that to Cuba. Leaving the Pacific coastline behind we were heading north to the warm waters of the Caribbean. Something I know for certain that Inga had been waiting for...sun...sun...and more sun.
