Living in Peru : your everyday companion

 

Reuters Life!

Got 48 hours to explore Lima? Long considered just a stopover on the way to the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, Lima has emerged as a destination spot of its own in recent years.

Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a weekend visit in the Peruvian capital:

FRIDAY

4 p.m. - No time to lose. Get in touch with Lima's humble roots by going to the market in Chorrillos, where you can buy fish fresh off the boat. Meander around the wharf, which looks delightfully out of place in the middle of a major city.

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Short but nice!

too much of Miraflores. Lima is more. Go to Pueblo Libre Sunday afternoon; visit the Museo de Arquelogía, by far the best in Lima and after that watch the people dancing in the Plaza Bolivar with a glass of pisco in your hand.

Why not rent a car or a 4x4 with a driver and GPS and visit Caral the lost city which dates back to nearly 5000 years. Why not visit following add for cars;www.peru4x4adventures.com/4x4adventures_vans_characteristics.html

I have to disagree, while the idea of Caral is certainly exciting, there isn't much to see.

Yes, visit beautiful Plaza Bolivar in Pueblo Libre , the Museum there , then at 6pm every sunday, see people of all ages dancing there and go to Queirolo for a Pisco Sour or wine and lots of good food.
Barranco, is also georgeous, a place of poets and so much beauty.

Hi Ernie,

You dont only see Caral which are 13 pyramids and two circular plazas, you also vist Bandurria, Albuferas de Medio Mundo and the Pyramid of Paramonga.

I must agree with Ernie; for the non-initiated ie. non-archeologists, not mucho to see vs. amount of time spent in the middle of the desert.  If I had 48 hours in Lima I would definitely not spend the almost complete day it takes to see Caral ....  

Unbelievable. This is just a glimpse into the very small rich society of Lima.

Who the hell goes to Gotica  except for spoilt rich kids?

Who goes to Gaston and Astrid and Cala? Only the wealthy peruvians.

How many lower/mid  middle class peruvians and below (like 80% of the population) go to Haiti?

Takneing this tour (esp. it's suggested nightlife ) will not get you seeing how REAL Limeños live.

This is NOT the real Lima.

Hello Alex.

Well I think each person says what they see an do, if they have money maybe as you say they  go to some other places than the ones who don t have so much.
That s why its interesting to hear or better said to read the comments from different persons.
I think to eat good you don t have to go to expensive places, in Lima you can eat good in each corner and to very acceptable prices.Peruvian food is wonderful!!
But I understan many people want to go to Gaston Acurio, because now he is very famous and if you are in Lima I think its normal that you want to go have a look
What places will you recomend in Lima ?????

I would also not recommend going to Caral if you only have 48 hours, as there is a lot to see and do in Lima. I recently took my American friends to Museo Larco, in Pueblo Libre and they just loved it. In fact, they took me there. I live in Lima, but to be honest, I had never been there and found it was a very very nice place.

After visiting the Plaza Mayor in the morning, we visited Museo Larco, it has a very large collection of ceramics and gold pieces, really impressive. Then, we had lunch in the restaurant, Cafe del Museo. The food was delicious and was not that expensive.
In the afternoon, we went to Miraflores and Barranco to visit the classic spots.

Yeah I totally agree, the Larco museum is simply great, if you get the chance to go to Lima, do not miss it. The pre-Columbian collection is amazing, well-organized (by regions and civilizations) and you actually learn a lot from both the guides and the explanations stuck below each piece of art. The erotic gallery is well worth it, it shows a lot of different pots and sculptures with moralistic or just humouristic purposes. Also, the Larco museum is one of the few museums in the world showing its storage area to the public!!! The restaurant is just awsome! It s the best place i´ve actually seen in Lima!!

Do not forget Pueblo Libre for the Queirolo and Bolivariano, typical Peruvian taverns where the food and atmosphere are great! And the Larco Museum, my favorite museum in Peru! it has a wonderful collection of Pre-Columbian ceramics that teach you a lot about their habits and beliefs.
Do not miss it, I ´d say its the top one thing to do in Lima!

Well, I totally agree with you! I'm recently living in Lima and I confirm that the Larco museum is a must in all the capital museums! The flowery and peaceful garden is already worth seeing, so what could I add to the visit, which is actually surprising, and well, fascinating?! Go to the café of the museum which already pampers your taste buds, then indeed take advantage of the geographic place to stop in the Queirolo!

The exhibition at the National Museum is NOT about the Shining Path, it is called "Yuyanapaq" ("So we shall not forget") and it focuses on the violence of the 1980's and early 1990's, how it originated, its causes and its consequences, mostly through an impressive series of photographs and some videos. It focuses not only on the role played by the terrorist groups (Shining Path and the MRTA) but also on the role played by the military, the government and by ordinary peruvians, both in the cities and in the country. It is not for the faint of heart, but it helps to explain well what happened in Peru during that time. Particularly moving is the large photograph of a man whose cloth-covered eye was wacked out in a terrorist attack. It is not just for politics or history buffs, I would recommend it to everyone (except for the faint-hearted). And best of all, admission is free.