My Travels In Peru

The City of Flowers

To snowbirds like us, running from the harsh conditions of Toronto during the peak of winter, when the city is blanketed with snow or ice and everywhere you look is the same gray monotone, Lima is a feast for the eyes. It is truly the city of flowers. Indeed, the most fashionable area of the city is called Miraflores, which translates literally to see flowers, and in reality they are everywhere: none more so than the bougainvilleas, canna lillies and geraniums.

The first few times we visited Lima we stayed in San Isidro, well known for its golf course and surrounding mansions. Close to our hotel was Parque el Olivar, the olive grove in the middle of San Isidro. It became our favourite place to hide from the vehicular noise and air pollution and stroll and sit in its tranquil environment. Many times we bought bread, prosciutto, and olives and sat on a park bench enjoying a simple, but tasty, lunch. The songs of the colourful birds that abound there added to our culinary pleasure.

The supermarket just to the west of the park became a frequent stopping place for us, as was the fruit stall opposite it that always had fresh figs, a delicacy for Mediterranean people like us. We often bought water at the supermarket and figs from the fruit vendor, and then headed to the park where we carefully washed and savoured them. The park became a frequent snack and lunch venue. We enjoyed many good moments there, eating in the company of gold finches and other colourful birds, attracted by the breadcrumbs we threw on the ground to attract them.

The olive grove is at least four centuries old, and if legend is to be believed, it grew from three small plants brought over from Spain, in 1560. It was owned at one point by the count of San Isidro, and changed hands many times until about a century ago, when a good part of it was subdivided into lots for houses. Even though it's much smaller now, it remains productive. The olives are collected each year and some are pressed into oil.

After returning to the same hotel several times, we befriended the general manager, the grandson of an Italian immigrant, who invited us to the exclusive Regatta Club of Lima, where the upper middleclass spends its leisure time. The city is not well known for its beaches. They are pebbly, generally not very clean, and certainly not very desirable. The only exception is the club's private beach, where fine sand has been trucked in to make it more appealing to its members. As the saying goes, membership has its privileges, and the club is a haven for the privileged few. He was happy and proud to take us to the club to enjoy its beach and other facilities. For many years, club membership passed only from father to son. When we returned last year, he told us that the rules have finally changed, and his daughter, and only child, can inherit his membership.

The regatta club is well equipped with swimming pools, tennis courts, squash courts, gym, sauna, bars, and restaurants, serving some of the best food we have eaten in Lima. The cebiche we ate there was on par with that at La Mar, which is considered the best cebicheria in Lima, owned by the legendary Gastón Acurio, regarded as Peru's best chef and culinary ambassador, who is known in Florida and throughout South America, where he operates La Mar restaurants under franchise.

A few years ago he opened another award-winning restaurant – Panchita – in Lima. We were there during the first month of opening, when we didn't need a reservation to get in. However, when we returned a year later, it was impossible to get in without one. Everytime we have been to Lima, we have gone there to savour Criollo cuisine at it's best.

Unquestionably, cebiche is the signature culinary dish of Peru and La Mar is the best place to experience it. Cebiche is Peru's version of sashimi, but with a twist. While sashimi is served with soy sauce and ginger paste on the side, cebiche is marinated in freshly squeezed limejuice for a few minutes before it's served. That's the classical cebiche, but there are many variations, depending on the region. For example, people from Huancayo, a mountain city east of Lima, serve it with its famous salsa huancaina, which is made from yellow hot peppers. Another traditional sauce is salsa rocoto, made from red chilly peppers.

Panchita is all about traditional Peruvian cuisine from all regions of the country. My favourite dishes include: guinea pig, leg of suckling pig (roasted in the wood-burning oven right inside the seating area of the restaurant), and stewed leg of baby goat northern style. The oven is used to bake bread daily, and it's served at the table while still hot.

The most popular Peruvian dish, other than cebiche is probably anticucho de corazon, comprising pieces of beef heart on a skewer cooked over a charcoal fire.  Other types include fish and seafood, similarly prepared and cooked. Chicharrones, consisting of deep-fried cubes of meat, is another well-liked dish. The meat could be chicken, pork, or fish, and all are very popular.

Eating in Lima is always a delightful experience because there are so many good restaurants. Even the executive lunches, served to office workers at ordinary eateries, are tasty and nutritional, and cost the same price as a hamburger. Another one that offers traditional dishes, that we enjoy returning to, is Las Brujas de Cachiche, also located in Miraflores. For those who enjoy a good Argentinean steak, done to perfection on a charcoal barbeque, there is El Rincon Gaucho, which used to be in Miraflores, but moved to its new location in Barranco a few years ago, to make room for another high-rise condo. It's just on the other side of the gorge that separates Miraflores and Barranco. We never leave Lima without paying them a visit.

When one does as much walking as we do, one gets to know the places to stop for refreshments or snacks. The ones that we keep going back to are San Antonio and La Baguette. Both are excellent for sandwiches and light snacks, but San Antonio is unsurpassed for gelato, coffee, and dessert. This family-owned business has four locations that we know of: two in Miraflores, one in San Isidro, and one in Magdalena del Mar, the original location, which goes back to 1959. We never tire of walking to one of them to enjoy an excellent Italian gelato, cappuccino, or espresso, among other delicacies.

La Baguette also has several locations, but the one we spent many happy moments, enjoying good soups, sandwiches, fresh salads and a glass of wine, is the one near Parque el Olivar. It had a patio on the top floor that was very pleasant to while away the time watching people and cars going by, always in a hurry. Old age has its aches and pains, but at least, retirement has its rewards, like having a relaxing meal while watching others rushing around. However, if truth be told, I would prefer the rushing around to the aches and pains!

Not too many foreign visitors make it to Parque de las Leyendas, but it's a big hit for families with children of all ages. The zoo is the park's biggest attraction, but not the only one. For us, it was the pyramids built by the ancient Lima and Ichma civilizations. The park is located in an area of the ancient city of Maranga. However, it's built in such a way that to see the old ruins one pretty well has to see the zoo. We didn't mind it because we learned more about indigenous fauna, which was housed in three distinct areas: coast, mountain, and jungle. A fourth area was dedicated to international animals.

The monkeys in the jungle sector were the most entertaining. They were not in cages, but free to roam in large spaces. They swung from one tree to another, walked on ropes, did summersaults, and almost anything to get attention. I watched with fascination as they gave vivid meaning to the phrase, 'monkeying around'.

One of the truly spectacular places in Lima is the Magic Water Park. It's a delightful place for the entire family, young and old, where water fountains take on a life of their own, creating a magical place for children of all ages. The highlight of the park is the sight and sound show that starts at dusk. Images are projected on a screen made of numerous water jets that dance to the music. The fine mist created by the jets reflects the videos projected on it. The sensation of watching a video in midair is incredible. People bring folding chairs and sit in front of the water screen enjoying an amazing spectacle. There are also fountains designed to cool down people on a hot summer night. And for those who don't want to get wet, but are in a playful mood, there are challenging water courses designed, at least in theory, to walk through them without getting wet. It's a place to be awed, dared, and entertained – a fun place!

Finally, there's the Inca Market, probably the most frequented place by tourists looking for Andean souvenirs. It's a large one-stop shopping area in the centre of Miraflores, straddling Avenida Petit Thouars. It's a collection of myriad tiny shops carrying all types of colourful woven products, like hats, gloves, shawls, and throws. Everybody is advertising alpaca and baby-alpaca wool products, but buyers beware! Not all that glitters is gold! There are also many silver jewellery shops. Woodcarvings of toys, dolls, and animals such as llamas and alpacas abound.  Artefacts are also classified by culture, such as Inca, Moche, Chimu, Chavin, and etcetera. One doesn't find items of high quality there, but it's an amazing place to wander through and by souvenirs.