Lima, Peru: Where driving (and being driven) is not for the faint of heart…

We have just had two days in Lima. Lima is Peru’s capital city and is a marvel of Spanish Colonial architecture, beautiful gardens, great beaches, fantastic food, and almost unbelieveable squalor, all dwelling aside one another. Lima is a metropolitan area of over 10 million people. There is no exact figure since Lima has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1980s when a lot of people came in from the contry to escape the Communist insurgents (the Maoist Shining Path and one other whose name escapes me).



Prior to the migration, Lima had a population of about one million. Lima, particularly, and Peru, in general, are interesting for a number of reasons. The entire country is about 30 million (so 1/3 of them are in Lima alone) and the religion, like most of South America, is predominantly Roman Catholic. In addition to Catholicism they also practice a modern form of Shamanism. Thus,there are thriving businesses selling amulets, icons, tokens, folk medicines, and services to appease what many believe to be “natural forces” that govern parts of their lives.

One other part of Liman’s lives that must be discussed is their driving. As noted in my title, driving is not something one takes for granted in Lima. In fact, you are best off not driving at all. Leave the driving to others. Unfortunately, public transportation is, at best, spotty – no underground, weird bus lines and schedules, and taxis that require negotiation each time you get in. This last issue is true even if you are going to ot from the same place twice in a row the fare can be very different depending on your negotiating skills.



We were, fortunately, on buses for all of our forays into the city. Buses are big, but that really does not count for much in a society that seems to see driving as a game of pure oneupmanship. One of our guides, when queried about the chaotic street scenes in traffic said that the traffic signs and signals were not only not obeyed nor thought of as, in some places we have visited, merely suggestions, but are more decoration alone. To sit in a bus and watch as mini-cars, three-wheeled scooters, smaller buses, vans, pickup trucks, and even pedestrians cut you off, make left turns from the right lane, and vice versa, only solidifies one’s desire to leave the driving to others.

Yet amid all this apparent chaos there seems to be a ballet-like reasoning to the vehicular and pedestrian movements. We saw only one slight crash – really a minor drivable fender bender- in the two days we were there and no peds getting bowled over. It is really rather thrilling to watch as cross traffic begins to move on their green light or traffic cop signal while the other direction traffic is still moving at roadway speeds. At one point I actually saw five lanes of traffic on a three-lane road. 
One of our first visits was to a local market, the Suquillo Market in central Lima. Huge can’t describe it. It is a rabbit warren of stalls, aisles, entrances, and bustle. We saw, and tasted, fruits and vegetables that are unique to Peru and some that, although known and grown in the US, seemed to taste fresher and more alive than what we are used to.



One of the several market entrances on the left and a typical produce stand on the right.



The produce stand on the left was intriguing due to the many peppers on display and the Peruvian corn, of which there is a closeup on the right. Those corn kernels are each about the size of a dime and about three dimes thick.



On the left are only a sample of the dozens of different types of bananas available in Peru. On the right are fresh scallops – literally hours from the sea – to be served Peruvian style: with the coral (roe) still attached.



A meat stall on the left and the chicken lady on the right.



If you look carefully at the picture on the left, you can count nine different types of potatos hanging in bags. On the right is the space under the same stall’s counter with another five types of potatos. There are several thousand different types of Peruvian potatos!



The purple corn on the left is a natural product – not dyed or otherwise treated. It is too tough and fibery to be eaten, so it is boiled and the liquid is drained off, mixed with sugar syrup and a little lime juice and sold as a non-carbonated “soda pop” treat. On the right is a plan of the first floor of the market. As you can see, it takes up an entire city block - on two floors!

We then retired to a local restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean, El Seniorio de Sulco Cocina Puruana. It turns out that this is one of Lima’s most popular restaurants. Before lunch we were witness to a cooking demonstration, complete with recipes, for the luncheon we were about to enjoy.

We learned how to make authentic Peruvian Ceviche with just five ingredients. That was followed by historically important and authentic Causa Pollo. Causa is a dish commemorating Peru’s fight for freedom from the Spanish Empire. It consists of well-seasoned mashed potatoes, avocado, and chicken salad layered in  a bright, flavorful patty (really much better tasting than I can describe it). Causa can also be made with seafood salad, beef salad, or anything one can imagine; after all, what doesn’t go with avocado and mashed potatoes??

The main course was Lomo Saltado. Lomo Saltado is a stir-fried dish made in a wok. It consists of the best grade of beef tenderloin, red onions, tomatos, and a sauce made primarily of light and dark soy sauce. If you have never had Peruvian food, you are in for a real treat.

Fortunately, we have been eating these delicacies ever since the first Peruvian restaurant popped up in Naples several years ago. Believe it on not, a lot of Peruvian food has had an Asian influence and the marriage is a good one!



Ceviche! Served with a slice of yam boiled in orange soda (yes, orange soda, not orange juice) and a few boiled Peruvian corn kernels. Yum!



Causa Pollo. The yellow layers are the seasoned mashed yellow Peruvian potatos. The green layer is sliced avocado. The white layer is a simple white meat chicken salad. Seafood salad, meat salad, tuna salad, etc. can be substituted for the chicken salad.



Lomo Saltado. Flash wok-fried a la minute, that is, to order – never on a steam table or large batch. Peruvian food is probably the world’s next “great food discovery.”



I had to include a Pisco Sour. This is an authentic one. If it doesn’t have the egg white froth, then it is only a pale imitation of a real one.

The actual luncheon meal was superb – and big! We started with Peru’s “national” drink, the Pisco Sour. Pisco is a liquor-like concoction that can run up to 45% alcohol. Fortunately, this one was a little lighter – just 42%. The Pisco liquor is mixed with lime juice, bitters, and egg white. It is actually frothed rather than mixed and the resulting liquid refreshment goes down much too easily. After the obligatory toast, we were served a very lovely plate of the ceviche and the Causa. One serving of each at either end of a long narrow plate. This was followed by the Lomo Saltado. A hefty portion served with yellow french fries (the yellow Peruvian potato tastes a lot like a Yukon Gold, but has more “body” and makes a super french fry) and a scoop of steamed white rice. Hmmm….beef mixed with vegetables along with two starches. Well, a potato IS a vegetable…

We were not expecting anything more. Beside that, we were really stuffed from the three-course lunch, but out came dessert! The dessert was the richest, creamiest, gooiest pudding we have ever tasted. It is called Suspiro de Limena. It had a dollop of vermouth-spiked merengue atop and after about three small spoonsful, I was done (OK, Ok, ok…four or five really small spoonsful…). The best way I can describe it is as the richest Delche de Leche syrup that has been thickened to the point of almost not pouring – think caramel that really sticks to the roof of your mouth.

OK, enough of food. We also took a City Tour that hit the highlights of the city center and the Miraflores district. Miraflores is the relatively wealthy section of Lima that fronts a lot of beach property. To start we visited the Monasterio de San Francisco (St. Francis Monastery) that has been in active use since 1546. Today, there are only a handful of monks still carrying on centuries-old traditions.

We then made a short visit to the Lima Cathedral, the resting place of the body (really just the bones) of the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro.


Pizarro's tomb in the Lima cathedral. Strange that one of the conquistador’s has acheived hero status for his subsequent work in assisting in the revolution against Spain.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to the oldest continuously-occupied home in the western hemisphere: the Aliagra House. It has been owned by and occupied by members of the Aliagra family since it was granted to them by Pissarro in 1535. The original Sr. Aliagra was one of the few in Pizarro's landing party who could read and write – since Pizarro could do neither. As a payment for his service and counsel, Pizarro gave Aliagra the land on which to build the house and the funds to defray the expense of building. The home is magnificent even by today’s standards.



Two views of ther home’s interior: the entry hall on the left; the family dining room on the right.



The family’s private chapel on the left and the ficus tree growing in the interior courtyard on the right. Since Peru only gets about 5-10 millimeters of rain a year, there are no screens, few windows, open-air courtyards, and little, if any, air conditioning.

Our final stop of the day was at El Parque de Amor (Love Park). This area along the beachfront overlook in Miraflores was built in the late eighties in the style of Gaudi’s Park Guell in Barcelona. The statues of the lovers is meant to suggest that love conquors all and we just need to love one another. Simplistic, but every Valentine’s Day there is a kissing conterst held in the park. There are prizes for several categories including: best kiss; longest kiss; cutest kiss; most stylish kiss. I never thought about getting style points for kissing. Oh dear, what have I been missing???



This giant statues of the lovers and the ceramic mosiac wall running along the rear of the park were meant to invoke the Park Guell in Barcelona designed by the great Spanish Architect Antoni Gaudi. The artist that designed this installation was a great fan of Gaudi’s and felt the love as you can see.
Gaudi, by the way, is (was, he has been dead since the 1920s) the architect of the Sagrada Familia Catedral (Sacred Family Cathedral) in Barcelona along with many of Barcelona’s greatest architectural delights. In case you haven’t guessed, we are great fans of Gaudi and visit some of his work every time we get to Barcelona.

P.S.: One of our fellow passengers took our picture kissing at the park, but we can't remember who it was. If we can get a copy of it, I will amend this post.

We now have five days at sea before our next stop: Rapa Nui. Rapa Nui is a little speck in the middle of the Pacific that is home to one of the most spectacuular archeological finds of the past century: the Moai. You may know Rapa Nui by its westernized name: Easter Island.

Stay tuned…