Points of Interest in the City of Lima

I've been in Lima for over six weeks now and during that time I have done a fair amount of exploring in the city. There is ample public transportation and it is very cheap. I can ride a bus for an hour and pay no more than $2. I can also take a taxi just about anywhere in Lima for around $10 and if I'm in a group it cuts the cost even more. My Spanish speaking ability has seen some definite improvement and I now feel confident enough to negotiate with cab drivers without a native speaker having to come with me.

There are also these wonderful little cereal boxes on wheels called combis. Their routes are like those of buses and the same price, but combis are tiny and perhaps a little bit faster than buses. When you ride in one of these you're crammed in with a bunch of strangers and the way people drive around here you feel as if you're in a speeding roller coaster. They are a different experience and though I wouldn't want to ride in a combi everyday, they are fun to take every once in a while.

Back half of a combi.

The bus system here in Lima is not like the ones in the states. There is no set schedule and you have to read words printed on the bus and talk to the toll collector to make sure it's the one you want. There are so many buses and combis driving around that you do need to be careful which one you get on so you don't end up unknowingly going in the wrong direction. The grand majority of people here in Perú are smaller than Americans. Therefore, all the seats in the buses, combis, and taxis are made for short people. Being 6'5", I have to scrunch my legs in wherever I can. But it's not as bad as it sounds, and since I am young and skinny I can usually find a comfortable position.

Palace in background.

With this public transportation we have been able to go around many different parts of this huge city. One of the first places we got to know is the gigantic Plaza de Armas in central Lima. The plaza is surrounded by the Presidential Palace, the Lima Cathedral, and some other large colonial age buildings. The night we went there Lima was celebrating it's anniversary as a city. There was a huge stage set up in the middle with music and dancing. There were many cheering people there which gave the event the sense of a big rock concert. In the streets on the edge of the plaza there were all sorts of people in costumes, women dancing in dresses, and men riding horses. The people, music, and buildings created an atmosphere that was unique and enjoyable.

Lima Cathedral

Parque de Amor

Another part of Lima that I have gotten familiar with is Miraflores. This district of Lima is on the coast and has quite a bit of historical value. The literature class I'm in took a tour of the district and we saw and learned some interesting things. Along the cliff above the coast in Miraflores there are many parks with statues and flowers. The most outstanding park was the Parque de Amor (Park of Love). There are many colorful ceramic walls and fountain with a statue of couple on top of it. In the ceramics on the walls are names of famous Peruvian couples and simple phrases of love.

Miraflores Lighthouse

 

Miraflores Coast

Another part of the Miraflores tour was the archeological sight of the "Huaca Pucllana." This Huaca is the site of temples, squares, and homes of pre-colonial peoples. When the Spanish first arrived in Lima, they believed that they were just simply hills and didn't realize what they were until later when people tried to dig into them to build. The temples and houses are all constructed out of mud bricks and since it rarely truly rains in Lima (maybe once a year), the buildings have lasted hundreds of years. On the tours we learned of how these people lived and heard stories of religious ceremonies with human sacrifice.

Human Sacrifice Replica

Partly Restored Huaca Temple

For shopping Lima offers malls and centers very similar to those one would find in the states. However there are also shopping places that are very different. The biggest of these center is called Gamarra. This place is absolutely enormous with about 17,000 different little shops that sell everything from clothes to electronics and more. If you go deep enough into one of the stores you can actually find people making the clothes. Brand names like Nike, Billabong, Rolex, and Ray Ban are sold, but I highly suspect they are fakes. This really doesn't matter to me though because they look exactly the same and are about one third of the price. Speaking of prices, nothing is marked and you need to be prepared to do a little bargaining. As a foreigner I expected to pay a little more than what they would sell to a local, but even the prices I got were far below anything that I would pay in the states. The atmosphere was a little sketchy and I we stayed in groups of at least three because pick pockets and muggers are know to roam around Gamarra. We made it through the day fine and were able to make a few purchases without any incidents. It was a fun way to buy in my opinion.

  

Just this past week the group took a tour of the Fortress Real Felipe in the Callao district of Lima. This fortress is located right by the port of Lima and has been a major part of the history of post-colonial Lima. When we first arrived the shear size of the fortress was very impressive. It was constructed in the 18th century and the entire place is surrounded by a moat and a 20 foot wall with cannons spaced about every 10 yards. The side facing the sea has two great towers on each end. The tour of the fortress was very interesting and we were told of battles against the English pirates and also with the Spaniards after Perú's independence. The tour was a great way to spend a morning and to learn a little more about Lima and Perú.

Exploring the city has been fun and has really helped me enjoy my time down here. I hope to continue learning and exploring as the semester continues.