It’s summer in Lima. The days are hot and they are long. The sun pushes you down with its full force, as if a heavy weight on your shoulders, and the humid air is thick like treacle. The gentle sea breeze along the cliffs of the Costa Verde in Miraflores seems to disappear during the hottest hours of the day, just when it is needed most. Ice cream sellers whistle as they ride by on their ice cream dispensing bikes… but you are thirsty and a thick ice cream won’t refresh you beyond the 30 seconds it takes to devour it. What is there that can save you from collapsing into a heap in the middle of the street?
A cremolada, a cremolada from the home of cremoladas, a cremolada from Curich.
February 26, 2009 | Lima City Guide, Peruvian Food
The sights and sounds of bohemian Barranco in southern Lima are captured beautifully in this video below. Among the ageing colourful buildings, children play, street sellers sell, diners dine and people generally go about their business unaware that they are being observed from afar.
February 24, 2009 | Lima City Guide
In the heart of lush residential San Isidro, the Huaca Huallamarca is one of dozens of pre-Columbian sites found within the city of Lima – a densely populated area even then. Heavily restored and open to tourists, the pyramid sits surrounded by huge modern penthouses that are a stark and unusual contrast for such an ancient ruin.
February 23, 2009 | Archaeology, Culture & History, Lima City Guide
![Drought fears: 35% loss of harvest & blackouts in Arequipa [Featured]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2659249537_5c41340337_m.jpg)
Splaktar, a US citizen living in Arequipa, comments on recent news that the lack of rain in this mountainous area could cause a loss of 35% of the year’s harvest and blackouts due to lack of hydro power.
Apparently many areas, especially the south, in Peru are seeing are large reduction in rainfall this year. This could be caused by a cooler ocean as most of this rain comes directly from the Pacific and the Humboldt current.
They are predicting that this lack of rainfall could lead to the loss of 35% of this summer’s harvest (the primary harvest of the year).
February 22, 2009 | Opinion
The year is 2010. It’s, let’s say, December, and the start of summer in the southern hemisphere and in the city of Lima.
Stepping out into the street, a family decides they will walk the 20 minutes to the Costa Verde, taking time to enjoy the city’s clean fresh air. Others live further away of course, so the streets are as full of traffic, including buses and taxis, as always. But apart from the gentle hum of the motors – many of which belong to hybrid cars – the streets are quiet. The combis weave in and out of the hybrids, in a rush to reach the next authorised bus stop to pick up and drop off passengers.
For the first time, such a future in Lima is entirely plausible.
February 17, 2009 | News, Opinion
![Maids Still Banned from Swimming at Beaches? Sadly, Yes [Featured]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2689638225_1cb4821cff_m.jpg)
US Expat Barbara Drake sums up the discriminatory by-laws enforced by wealthy homeowners at the up-scale beach resort of Asia.
It’s something I wanted to write about two years ago when there was a lot about it in the newspapers and on various Peruvian blogs, but didn’t have the energy. Here Barbara explains that since that time, little has changed…
February 14, 2009 | Opinion
Public transport in Lima used to be orderly, clean, efficient and safe. Bus routes ran across the city in an organised way, drivers and ticket sellers were gentlemanly and vehicles were uniform and spacious. This all changed with the Presidency and quasi-dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori in the 1990s, something that the old-timers of the transport industry lament.
February 12, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide, Opinion
Driving in Peru, and particularly in Lima, is a challenge. Drivers ignore the rules of the road, have no consideration for others and die at a rate of 30 per 100,000 vehicles per year.
The British Embassy warns visitors:
Driving standards in Peru (particularly in Lima) are poor, with stop signs and traffic lights frequently ignored. Drivers overtake on either side, with little concern for pedestrians or oncoming traffic. Crashes resulting in death and injury take place almost every day.
While the US Embassy warns visitors:
Driving conditions in Peru are very different from those found in the United States and can be considerably more dangerous. Visitors are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with local law and driving customs before attempting to operate vehicles.
So, lets familiarize ourselves with the local regulations and customs. To do this, we will walk through some simple multiple choice questions like those Peruvians must answer to be awarded a driver’s licence. Answer them correctly and you too will be qualified to drive in Lima and Peru!
February 9, 2009 | Lima City Guide, Opinion
The Lima of two periods of time are both equally well known; the colonial and modern Lima that is still visible in the area around the city’s plaza, and the modern noisy metropolis that extends for kilometres.
But what about the time in between?
February 6, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide
I had heard of the place with the famous leche de tigre once or twice, but when I was bombarded with news of it from three different people in the space of 3 days, I knew I had to pay a visit. Surprisingly this spectacular little restaurant its on one of my well-trodden roots in the heart of La Victoria.
The story begins in 1989…
February 2, 2009 | Lima City Guide, Peruvian Food
