Peru, Reseguider, Resor, Sydamerika
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10 things to do in Lima- My guide to Lima

It took me a little longer than expected but here are my tips for a good TIME (with camera) in Lima using the TIME-list and adding my own tips.

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One of my favorite hobbies, taking photos .. .. .. of other photographers.

 

1-4. Activities worth doing

1. Go to a fruitmarket.

Close to where we lived in the area Los Olivos we had a market, I called it a fruit market but they sold both fruit, meat and fish. I went to this market several times and the photo possibilities are endless.

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There is so much color in Lima and the fruit markets enhances this feeling.

So much fruit, so much color and so much fun. You get to the market in Los Olivos by first taking the Metropolitano (the fast transfer bus system with few lines in Lima) and then a cab or the local bus. The local bus system is special and you need to ask the locals about which number or bus to take. Besides the photo possibilities you also find an amazing range of fruit and vegetables. A lot of the fruit I was not familiar to before and not all of us know them. Fruits/vegetables like Maracuya and Yucca among others.

2. Stay with a family a while instead of living in a hotel (or hostel).

This does the trick! It is so much easier finding interesting restaurants and things to see if you know someone who actually tried them in real life and also can point you in the right direction. There is also several celebrations everywhere in peoples houses. Only way to get in to one of these are to be living with the locals.

Nowadays this is easy even if you don´t have relatives as my boyfriend have. Many people try and love the couch-surfing culture where you stay for free in other people´s homes and get to learn little about how the locals are living. When going on my blog trip to Finland this also where my favorite part, going to another bloggers home.

The blogosphere open up endless of possibilites for you as a blogger and why not trying to contact a fellow blogger asking to stay a night or two when arriving in that bloggers city?

 

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3. Check out Pucllana temple and have a beer with a bird as company. 

The Peruvian Cusquena is the best beer I ever tasted. But on the other hand, don´t trust me when it comes to beer. I said the same thing when being in Side- Turkey, drinking the Turkish beer Efes for the first time.

The Pucllana temple on the Times list was worth seing. It was kind of amazing, in the city center in the living area of Miraflores, there it was. An old temple, well preserved and still not entirely excavated. This temple has it´s own blog post on my blog, 10 things to do in Lima – Pucllana temple. Visit the temple cost almost nothing. Around 2,5 dollars and for this little price you get to see a 1500 year old temple.

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The temple with Miraflores in the background.

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4. Stroll around a local Gamarra market

There are several Gamarra markets. At first I believed it to be one, but the concept of Gamarra seem to be something like shopping street or something close to that. At one, famous by the locals, Gamarra market I bought my red Peruvian skirt as well as blue jeans shirt. This market is seen in the photo below.

5- 9. Places to see

5. See the ocean in Callao- 

Go to the northern city, the city of Callao. Callao is a city within the city. Love it.

Me and Maritn just went there a few times and only at night and I really wanted to have checked out the city center of Callao which I never had the opportunity to see more than from a car window. I think there is lot to be found in this part of the city, but well, Lima is one big treasure-chest.

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6. Get wet at El parque de la Reserva

This one is on the list by times, in 10th place. I have no idea why. I would go there everyday of the week if possible. Here they have an amazing watershow and lots of lots of fountains.

In the park they actually have photographers so you can get your photo taken, so good of an photo-opportunity is it. The water is magnificent and the colors shift. I have hundreds of great photos from here. The problem only being having the time to edited them all.

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7. Fear of hights on the hill of San Christobal

The hill of San Christobal lies high above Lima and probably offers (without knowing any other high tops or hills) the best view of the entire city. It is probably, at least, the most excessible due to the daily turist cars/buses that go to the top. The ride cost only 5 sol, around a dollar and a half or something similar and is only for the person who isn´t afraid of hights (the bus leaves from the historic center of Lima, where all tourist hang, close to Plaza de Armas). The worst problem if being afraid of hights is the busride to the top where you get to enjoy the fantastic view from the road as well (!).

But while on top the view is fabulous and is possible to enjoy even if afraid of hight.

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the bus to the top of San Christobal

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8. Take cool photos of colorful fishing boats at the north of Lima – Chancay

”It is when just heading out there, you find those golden spots, not knowing beforehand you would find”.

When heading outside to the north of the city, still in the Lima district but outside, we found the beach on the photo below. It was a small scale fishing harbour and it was so fantastic. This particular day was greyish, nothing special for Lima, most days are (be prepared), and it ended up to be, one of my favorite days. Martin and I am a bit old fashioned and thought is was a turist-trap (and so it was), but you never know what else you are going to find, so this thought me to always keep an opened mind.

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9. Go under the arch in Chinatown- Calle Capon

Not sure, but don´t think I mentioned Chinatown before (just in the passing maybe) but so worth seeing. Close by there is a centro de commercial (a market in a house) where you can buy all cheap stuff. Martin did some major finds of kitchen equipment and chef robes there.

In Calle Capon, as the street is called, you have several Peruvian Chinese (there is a difference from European Chinese food) restaurants. Probably all worth trying since the chinese food is great in Peru.

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10. The Peruvian cuisine- Three restaurants worth visiting.

From Calle Japon to the Peruvian cuisine. I love food so much and the Peruvian cusine is counted as one of the three world kitchens. It is the French, Chinese and the Peruvian that can titulate themselves as world kitchens.

The streetfood in Peru is amazing and especially the deserts (postres) is something that should be enjoyed while in Peru. In Lima the range is extensive. My favorite food is of course Ceviche and the best one I enjoyed in a restaurant, don´t remeber the name, in Independencia, close to the mall Mega Plaza.

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Here are three restaurants where I enjoyed myself a little extra.

Have shellfish soup at Los Tres

In Los Tres I had the biggest shell-fish soup I have ever seen. Martins aunt told us when there that there where three of Gastons former chefs that had opened Los Tres. The name came from there three different specialities of the chefs, fish, meat and chicken.

Los Tres is situated in on of the local Gamarra areas. Adress: Jr. Humboldt 1562 2do piso – La Victoria

 

Buy a book about Peruvian streetfood at La Mar while enjoying shellfish and other treasures from the sea

La Mar is one of Gastons restaurants and is situated in Miraflores. I have to say that La Mar is my personal favorite and if ever in Lima again, I will definitively go back. La Mar is as well on the Times list and in this restaurant we bought one book from the Gaston series of food, Peruvian streetfood.

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Have a 27 course menu at Astrid y Gaston and pose in the fab bathroom

In May, before leaving the whole family went to Astrid y Gaston, Casa Moreyra, where Martin had worked for three months. It was fantastic and a cool experience. For the turist, not particularly expensive compared to high class restaurants in the western world. This restaurant is nowadays not situated in Miraflores, but in the business district of San Isidro (it moved in early 2014).

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Well folks, that´s all!

Enjoy your time in Lima!

Katarina

Other guides I written: My photoguide to Paris and The archipelago of  Finland- A Scandinavian exotic Paradise and many more.

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