Almost Homesick
After four long but very rewarding days on the Inca Trail, we arrived in Lima high off the accomplishment and ready to abandon the trail life for the city life. We were prepared to do what New York taught us best - eat, drink and explore our way through the concrete jungle over the next 4 days. And we were excited to spend quality time with the family all together (that’s you too Bijal), something tough to organize even in the States, before hitting the road again.
Back together and taking over Lima
The urban sprawl in Lima is real. Over 9 million people, or a third of Peru’s population, live in country’s coastal capital. The city is home to dozens of distinct neighborhoods, a beautiful shoreline, temperate year-round weather, and some of the continent’s most acclaimed food spots. LA vibes? For sure, especially with its mind-numbing traffic and lack of good public transportation. It’s a “pick-a-neighborhood-for-the-day-and-don’t-leave” kind of place. We stayed at an AirBnB in the popular Miraflores neighborhood, a young and energetic area with great parks, bars and restaurants.
Catching sunset at Parque del Amor and The Larcomar, a mall carved onto the side of a cliff, in Miraflores
To be honest, our experience in Lima was a series of hits and misses. The famous San Francisco Catacombs in the central district? Skip, unless you’re looking for a uninformative rushed tour of a staged haunted house in an old colonial cathedral. It was such a disappointment that Sonia and I even took the time to give our tour guide some feedback. He wasn’t receptive. The churros next door at Churros San Francisco, on the other hand, were an unexpected hit, freshly made on the spot and piping hot. The city walking tour with Inkan Milky Way is also pretty good, although Bijal and I decided to ditch it and wander for drinks and desserts instead. A few piscos and ice cream cones in, we found ourselves sitting for a random wedding at the Basilica Cathedral in Plaza de Armas and exploring a few of the older, seedier streets before meeting up with the group again. I highly recommend both the guided and unguided versions of walking the historic city center with a nice pisco buzz - it’ll add to the experience.
Exploring Lima’s central district. Should have added wings to my horse during my wedding baarat, damn.
We also decided to give the world’s 7th best restaurant, Maido, a try. Another miss, womp. Peruvian-Japanese fusion, called nikkei, is an inventive cuisine and must-eat when visiting Lima, but skip it at Maido. The experience with the family led to a fun night but the meal itself was unmemorable. Some of Lima’s simpler spots won us over though. We found ourselves back at La Lucha Sangucheria for their tasty traditional sandwiches and Manolo for their famous churros (try the dulce de leche) multiple times during our stay in Lima.
Eating our way through Lima. And yes, we really liked our churros there.
Adjacent to Miraflores is the bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. It’s an up-and-coming area where we found two-story murals of graffiti next to cliffside views of the beach. It’s really beautiful. A famous bridge called Bridge of Sighs attracts local lovebirds and tourists alike, where the superstition goes that if you lock hands and hold your breath while crossing it, you’ll find true love together. So of course we tried it. Anushka and I barely made it in one breath maneuvering past swarms of teens and other crossers. Word of advice - don’t tempt a crowded bridge. We stopped at Ayahuasca an enormous 18th century mansion-turned-bar, before ending the night at a house party of Bijal’s old college roommate, Ish. He makes some amazing hummus for a living and I’m pretty sure we spent half the party eating and talking about hummus.
An evening out in Barranco, our favorite neighborhood in Lima
After almost two weeks of rolling with the siblings through Peru - from Arequipa to the Inca Trail - it was tough having Sonia, Bijal, Isha and Sasanka all leave us in Lima on the same day. We had successfully avoided getting homesick after 2.5 months on the road, but when home finally came to us and then left, we couldn’t shake the lingering emptiness.
Backpacks on. Uber booked. But not ready to part ways with the group.
Were we finally homesick, ready to retire our backpacks, quit the hostel/AirBnb life, and return home? Well, we felt the void for a full 48 hours afterwards but...if I had to be honest? Hell no 😜 We knew we’d be home within a month. Plus, who’s got time for that when the Amazon and Galapagos are up next!
