Day 12

Saturday 13^th November 2010

Well it seemed that yesterday I had peaked too soon (or the rapid time differences were catching up with me!) so after a wander around Miraflores and some tea – Lomo Saltados (Peruvian fayre of beef cooked with onions and tomatoes) for me and pizza for Franky, I was ready for bed. The highlight of the meal was when Franky asked for large beer. The waiter asked if he wanted a large, large beer and Franky, never to be outdone in the drinking stakes replied emphatically ‘Si, Si’. Cue a litre and a half of Peruvain’s finest brew being brought to our table!!

We headed home in a taxi – another experience never to be forgotten! Peruvian taxi drivers disobey stop signs and traffic lights, disregard traffic lanes and never stop for pedestrians. We read that a 2005 university survey of 640 taxi drivers in Peru found that almost 40% showed psychopathic attributes including ‘aggressive, anxious and antisocial behaviour’ while the same guidebook advises that they are the safest way to get around the city after dark! It seems that is you want to leave the hotel in Lima you take your life into your own hands!

This morning we awoke (early) to another gloomy, grey day in Lima. It is actually quite warm (about 23^oC) but just really murky, After breakfast we headed back to Miraflores which is apparently where the rich folk of Peru choose to live and where the Peruvians choose to spend their weekends.

Miraflores is on the coast but due to the murky greyness the beach didn’t really have much appeal for anyone but the surfers so we had a wander along the clifftops instead.

We came across a number of parks.  Parque del Amor had a statue called El Beso or ‘The Kiss’ and a mosaic wall embedded with names and notes of love.

Parque El Faro or ‘lighthouse park’ contained… you guessed it! A lighthouse!

After exhausting what Miraflores had to offer we had another typical hair raising journey back to downtown Lima in a taxi.

Franky has gone for a ‘Frank nap’ so I’m taking the opportunity to write the blog. Later this afternoon we are meeting Paul, our tour leader, and the rest of our group who we will be touring Peru with for the next 2 weeks. We fly out of Lima for Cusco at 6am tomorrow morning so I can’t imagine it is going to be a wild Saturday night out on the town!