Peru Guide
Lima
LIMA is a boisterous, macho sprawl of a city, full of beaten-up cars chasing Mercedes and 4WDs: this is a place where money rules, with an irresistible, underlying energy. Somehow, though, it still manages to appear relaxed and laid-back in the barrios and off the beaten track, and the noisy, frenetic craziness of it all is mellowed somewhat by the presence of the sea and beaches. Even if you choose not to spend much time seeking out the delights and agonies of Lima, it's possible to get a good sense of it all in a few days. As anyone who stays more than a week or so finds, Limeño hospitality and kindness are almost boundless once you've established an initial rapport.
Lima brims with culture and history, though it's not obvious at first. There are some excellent museums, the Spanish churches in the centre, and some distinguished mansions in the wealthy suburbs of Barranco and Miraflores, and many of the city centre's surviving colonial streets – set in large regular blocks – are overhung by ornate wooden balconies.
Highlights
1 Museo Arqueológico Larco Herrera One of the city's most unusual museums, and the largest private collection of Peruvian archeology, containing more than 400,000 excellently preserved ancient ceramics, including an extensive erotic section.
2 Parque de las Leyendas Lima's traditional zoo, set in a thematic parkland representing the three main eco-zones: desert coast, Andes and Amazon; like most zoos it's sad but also fascinating to see some of this country's amazing wildlife close up.
3 Huaca Pucllana A vast pre-Inca adobe pyramid mound in the middle of suburban Miraflores, this is a good place to get your bearings and a taste of ancient Lima.
4 Fishermen's Wharf At the southern end of Lima's cliff-hemmed beaches, a small wooden jetty is home to the fishermen of Chorillos, whose morning catch is landed just in time for the ceviche kiosks next door to prepare inexpensive but antastically fresh fish lunches.
5 El Cordano One of Lima's last surviving traditional bar/restaurants, bustling with locals.
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