Our Last Taste of Peru

Doing anything before 6am is never fun, and arriving in Lima off our overnight bus from the north was no different. However getting to our hostel and being able to check in 7 hours earlier than the usual time and go back to bed for a few more hours sleep is always a welcome bonus. Which is exactly what we did. Our hostel, circus-themed and aptly adorned with clowns and other paraphernalia had a comfy loungeroom equipped with beanbags, flatscreen TV and a huge DVD library.

Our main mission in Lima was to do some shopping and pick up some Peruvian handicrafts before leaving the country. Although Lima is Peru's capital with a few pages worth of sight-seeing in our Lonely Planet, it is really a massive, cloud-shrouded city and we had had our share of seeing ruins and historical artefacts. So our first day was spent perusing the giant Inca markets, which sold everything from ponchos and alpaca rugs to flourescent hammocks and erotic-design ceramic pots.

After splashing some cash, we collapsed into chairs inside an old-school Peruvian cafe, ordering double Pisco Sours. Staggering out some time later we then selected a restaurant to sample some of Lima's famous fine comida (food). That night we enjoyed a degustation menu of Peru-fusion dishes, washed down with a full-bodied Malbec from Argentina.

Fine Dining in Lima

The next day followed a similar pattern - after a lazy morning we strolled down the street to a glamorous seafood restaurant 'La Mar.' The star of the menu here was the ceviche, done in many mouth-watering ways. We shared 2 of these delicious dishes for entree followed by 2 more fantastic fish dishes for mains, and topped it off with coffee and dessert.

Us in "La Mar"

Ceviche a "La Mar"

Absolutely delerious by this time but not wanting to throw away the afternoon, we walked along Miraflores' waterfront where dog-walkers, loved-up couples, paragliders and surfers abound. Our plan was to walk to Baranco, the equally nice neighbouring suburb, however in reality this was a fair distance and with full stomachs and sore feet, jumped in a taxi for the last few kms.

There in Baranco we sat on the balcony of a bar, looking out over the ocean as the sun set and sipping our Maracuya Sours (like passionfruit), cheersing to our last day in Peru and an awesome 3 weeks enjoying excellent food, and of course, pisco cocktails.

Our Last Pisco Sour....in Peru!