I have been in Lima now for almost a week. I am staying with my friend Sergio, who has an apartment in Surco, a modern southern suburb of Lima. It is a lovely area, safe and peaceful, with local shops on the street corner and along the block. It seems like a quiet little village in a city of 8.5 million people.
I have been spending my mornings relaxing and catching up on photos and my journal, and in the afternoons we go for Almuerzo (lunch) and then into the city, or neighbouring suburbs or the beach. On Christmas Eve we went into the city, to see the Plaza de Armas decorated for Christmas, and to the Parque del Recerva, with over 20 different fountains lit up with different light displays and musical sequences.
We eat out for all meals except breakfast; in fact Sergio has never cooked anything at home other than preparing breakfast. The food is so nice and cheap; I can see why people don’t bother to cook for themselves. Most restaurants, as in Ecuador, have set meals at lunch and dinner, for only a few dollars, price varies, that include two courses. Some of my favourite dishes are ceviche (fish marinated in lemon juice, onion and hot peppers) huancaina (potatoes, egg and a rich sauce) and causa (potatoes, eggs, olives, other vegetables and a cheese sauce.
On Christmas day we ate the traditional Paneton for breakfast, which is like a light fruit cake, and went out for lunch and had the not necessarily for Christmas but typical dish of Lomo Saltado, beef with rice.
Lima is in a desert and although this is not the rainy season the mist always looks to me as if it is going to rain, but it doesn’t. The climate has been quite pleasant and it is nice not to have to plan around the weather. Now, off to the beach….
