Rebecca's Travel Adventures: Lima

Lima is the capital city of Peru and home to 11 million people. You wouldn’t know it from all of the beautiful flowers and green parks, but Lima is a desert, getting only nine millimeters of rain a year. (That’s about the width of your index finger!)

Our time in Lima is short, so we made the most of our day and let our feet show us around. Where was our first destination? Well, if you know either of us well, you’d easily be able to guess. Kennedy Park is a lovely park in central Miraflores (one of the distracts of Lima). Flowers are in full bloom despite it being autumn. But it wasn’t the blossoms that brought us here. It was the cats. No one seems to know why, but the park has become a haven for homeless cats. They are fed, healthy and cared for in their little kingdom, and these cat lovers loved spotting them amongst the flowers.

Our wandering took us to the Pacific Ocean and the walkway at the top of the cliff that overlooks the high waves below. The city has done a great job of embracing the beauty of the view with a mall, parks and sidewalks along the way, including the Park of Love, which supposedly started after a local writer mentioned how many statues there were for war, while there are none for love.

A local artist made this statue, “The Kiss.” It is designed after himself and his true love (his fourth wife).

We ate lunch at a fishmonger, ordering the dish we’ve heard as the must while we are here, ceviche, and well, it did not disappoint.

In the afternoon, we took a tour around several districts including Miraflores, San Isidro, and Barranco. As usual, I enjoyed learning the history and interesting facts along the way, but my favorite thing about talking to strangers is hearing the ins and outs of living in a different place. Lucas told us about the upcoming mayoral elections. He said voting here is mandatory, and you are fined if you do not participate. He also said that there are eighteen different political parties, but there is so much corruption, that few people truly trust the government.

As teachers, we asked about the schools. Most elementary kids go to school in the morning, and then the school transforms to a secondary school in the afternoons. There are public schools and private ones at a variety of costs. The teacher’s union of public schools is strong, and so public schools are often closed for protests. School runs from March to December. This March was the first time they opened in person schools since the start of the pandemic.

Lucas also told us a lot about the ocean, as it is a central provider for livelihood and food in the area. While the summers are hot here, the water never warms because a strong current moves along the continent and helps to irrigate the ocean. The cold temperatures mean there is more oxygen in the water which means there is more growing in the water which feeds the small fish, which in turn feeds the big fish.

Our tour took us by a huge pyramid around two thousand years old, that for years was just believed to be a hill in the city. They are excavating it and are amazed at the construction they are finding which has withstood centuries of earthquakes.

San Isidro is a lovely part of town with a huge park full of olive trees. In 1625, two hundred olive trees were shipped from Europe, but only three survived. From those three, over sixteen hundred olive trees now flourish in this area. They are harvested in May and June. Last year’s harvest produced over five tons of olives! After being processed, local residents receive small bottles of olive oil and pickled olives from the collection.

Our last stop was the artsy district of Barranco. It felt more Bohemian, full of romance, talent and appreciation of art. Murals filled open walls and the historic church, which failed two rebuildings, is now overrun with vultures. (I realize this is more spooky than romantic, but somehow it, too, was fitting.)