Determined bougainvillea branch at Museo Larco.
Six nights in Lima passed quickly. We had plans to take an ambitious overnight trip but when push came to shove we ended up staying mostly in Lima. We spent most of our time in Miraflores, venturing to San Isidro, central Lima, and Barranco—where we watched last week's Chile-Peru football match at a bar.
Our days typically started at San Antonio in Miraflores and remained chilled-out and low-key throughout. Among the most memorable adventures were a stroll through central Lima with Betsy's family and our evening explorations of very charming Barranco.
We ate incredibly well. Lima's reputation as a culinary destination may have risen dramatically in recent years, but it can't possibly have peaked. The local ingredients, the interesting fusions, and the confident spirit of local cuisine culture are all noteworthy. Planeloads of tourists should be descending on Lima chiefly to eat. My favorites included Astrid y Gastón, Cebichería La Mar, Matsuei, and, most exciting of all, Betsy's mother's home-cooked lunch. The only meal that approached New York pricing in any way was the one served at Astrid y Gastón, and then not at all, really, not taking into account how outstanding the dishes were.
When we finally did take our day trip, we headed south to Ica, driving lazily through pisco bodega country and riding buggies (and then sandboarding [!]) across the sand dunes of Huacachina.
Huge thanks to mis primos Phil and Betsy for the crash pad and the camaraderie.
I'm working on a few things related to Lima, all still tentative at this point. I'll link to them when they materialize.
